Amish White Bread Recipe

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Amish Bread is a wonderfully soft and sweet bread that anyone can make. This recipe is great for anyone wanting to learn the basics of bread making. It makes a great sandwich bread as it slices easily with no crumbs.

Amish Bread Recipe

Amish bread tastes sweeter than other bread recipes. Much like a dinner bun, this recipe calls for sugar. Easily modified, this dough can also end up as cinnamon raisin bread, or ham and cheese bread. But I chose the basic bread loaf version so you can add whatever your tastebuds crave.

This bread is a great beginner recipe to start with! It is not a sourdough (so you don’t need a sourdough starter or anything like that).

But it does require a fresh package of active dry yeast and a cool dark place for the dough to rise that’s away from the oven and microwave.

I love this bread recipe because it isn’t too fussy. You can use it as a sandwich bread or french toast. Although this recipe will make two loaves of bread, you can easily double it and make four, freezing some for later.

Recipe Ingredients

Here’s an overview of the ingredients needed. Full ingredient details are included in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post:

• FLOUR – I used bread flour but you can also use all-purpose white flour for this recipe. Bread flour will work the best, while all purpose flour will have a slightly different consistency and may not rise as high. I recommend sticking with one of those to get the right texture.
• ACTIVE DRY YEAST – Make sure your yeast has not passed the expiry date listed on the side. There is a way to test if the yeast is still active. I’ve included that in the directions section.
• SUGAR – White sugar is the main ingredient that separates Amish bread from any other bread. But feel free to reduce the amount added or substitute with honey or even maple syrup.
• MILK – I used warm whole milk for this recipe which will result in a richer flavor.
• BUTTER – Melted butter is used to help brown the tops of the bread as it bakes.
• VEGETABLE OIL – Vegetable oil serves 3 purposes in bread. First, it helps the bread slice better by tenderizing it. Second, it helps to prolong the shelf life if stored on the counter. But Coconut oil will have the same effect so long as it has been melted before mixing.
• WARM WATER – To activate the yeast, you will need warm water.

Variations

• DINNER ROLLS – You can use this same bread recipe and turn it into dinner rolls.
• CINNAMON BUNS – This recipe can also be used as the base for cinnamon buns.
• RAISIN BREAD – Add 2 cups of raisins to the dough while mixing everything together.
• CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD – Fold 2 cups of chocolate chips into the dough.

How To Make Amish Bread

This recipe can be made using either a stand mixer or simply by hand. I have listed the steps to make this bread by hand below.

1. YEAST – In a small bowl, mix the warm water, ⅓ cup sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes. The yeast will start to foam and bubble a little. If it doesn’t foam, then the yeast is no good and you will need to start over with a new package of active dry yeast.
2. DRY INGREDIENTS – In a large bowl, stir 1 cup of flour with the salt. Now add in the yeast mixture and mix everything together.
3. Using the (now empty) small bowl mix together the warm milk, last 1/3 cup sugar, and vegetable oil. Stir this mixture into the large bowl with other ingredients (you will now only have one main bowl with ingredients).
4. ADD FLOUR – Stir in 2 more cups of flour and mix together. Add 1 more cup to combine and mix in. Then add another ½ cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. The dough shouldn’t be too sticky and will be smooth and elastic.
5. KNEAD – Knead on a floured surface for 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle on more flour if the dough feels too sticky. You can also mix dough at medium speed in a stand mixer.
6. FIRST RISE – Roll the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl covered for 90 minutes to rise.
7. SECOND RISE – Divide the dough in half and form each one into a log shape to fit your loaf pans. Let the dough rise again for 45-60 mins.
8. BAKE – Now bake the loaves for 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Brush melted butter on top and let cool on a rack.

How To Store

Like most breads, this one can be frozen and still maintain freshness. Follow the guidelines below for storing your delicious Amish bread.

Homemade bread goes stale quicker than commercial bread because there are no added preservatives. You can store this on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days. Consider freezing leftovers (even half a loaf) to help preserve freshness for longer.

• FREEZE – When freezing bread, try to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Typically I like to wrap a completely cooled loaf with plastic wrap. Then store it in a zip lock back or tightly sealed bread bag. Once frozen, your bread will last for 3 months.
• REFRIGERATE – I find that storing bread in the fridge will result in it going stale faster than freezing or on the countertop. But you have about 1 day before that will happen.
• THAW – To thaw your frozen bread, simply leave it at room temperature while still sealed.

Recipe Tips

• Some people may find this dough to taste too sweet. You can cut the sugar in half, but just be aware that this will change the bread texture a bit.
• You can let your dough rise in your oven. It’s the perfect warm and dark place. First, preheat oven to 350 for 1 minute, then turn the oven off. Add the dough in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit with the light on. Just remember not to turn on your oven during this time.
• To check for doneness, lightly tap on the loaf and listen for a hollow sound. The bread is done when you hear that.
• Brush melted butter on the tops of each loaf place on the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

FAQs

I love this Amish bread recipe simply because it has so many variations and I can get creative in what I use as additional ingredients. It’s inexpensive and requires only a few basic ingredients to enjoy homemade bread. Give it a try and see what you think!

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