Imagine a loaf so amazing that even your toaster will do a double-take. Behold the marvel that is Amish White Bread—a bread so delightfully fluffy and subtly sweet, it could charm the crust off a baguette. Join the 2,500+ home bakers who call this their go-to white bread. You’ll see why after the first slice.
You’ll find the printable recipe card a little further down—but if you want the story (and the secrets), keep reading.
🎧 Too busy to scroll? listen instead
Pull up a chair, grab your coffee, and hit play—I'll walk you through the Amish white bread recipe with tips, tricks, and a few flour-dusted secrets. Then we’ll head on down to Picklefork, Texas, where the bread’s hot, the stories are hotter, and childhood memories bake up fresh every time.
Table of Contents
🎥 Watch and cook: step-by-step video tutorial
This soft, fluffy Amish white bread is pure comfort in loaf form—perfect for sandwiches, toast, or slathering with butter while it’s still warm. Be sure to watch the video to catch all the tips for getting that perfect rise and golden crust every time.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
If you are looking for the homemade equivalent of Wonder Bread you'll definitely want to try this classic Amish white bread!
Ginger’s totally optional—it won’t flavor the bread, promise. It just gives the yeast a little motivational pep talk to get rising faster.
🍞 Do I have to use bread flour?
All-purpose works in a pinch, but bread flour gives you a fluffier rise. If you’ve got vital wheat gluten on hand, swap in a tablespoon per cup to help boost it.
Be sure to download the free Amish White Bread Cheat Sheet with tips, faqs, storage, and more.
📖 Recipe
Amish White Bread Recipe
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup water, 110F
- 1 pinch powdered ginger, optional - activates yeast
- 1 cup milk, 110F
- ⅔ cup sugar, (you can use less)
- 1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, coconut oil works really well here (melt it first and let it cool to 100F)! OR use melted butter
- 5-½ cups bread flour, you may need a little more or a little less
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
Conventional method
- Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and milk in a large bowl.
- Whisk in the yeast (and ginger if using).
- Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the yeast mixture gets foamy.
- Stir in 1 cup of the flour.
- Whisk in the salt and oil.
- With the mixer running add the remaining flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl.
- Knead by machine about 5 minutes.
Hand kneading
- If you are hand kneading mix in the flour until you have a sticky dough, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic - adding flour as needed.
Rising and shaping
- Oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough in it.
- Oil the top of the dough and then cover with a damp cloth.
- Allow it to rise until it has doubled in bulk. This will take about an hour.
- Punch the dough down.
- Knead for three minutes or so and divide in half.
- Let rest for five minutes.
- Shape into loaves and then place in greased 9x5-inch loaf pans.
- Brush the tops with the melted butter.
- Let rise for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen an inch or so above the pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped. An instant-read thermometer will register 190℉ when poked into the center of the loaf when it's done.
For a soft crust
- For a soft crust butter the tops and place a clean tea towel over the baked loaves as soon as you take them out of the oven. Let them cool for about 5 minutes and then take them out of the pans to finish cooling, covering them back up with the tea towel.
Bread machine instructions
- Add ingredients to your bread machine in the order the manufacturer recommends.
- Select white bread cycle.
- Press "start".
- When the dough has risen once and second cycle of kneading begins, turn the machine off. Press "start" again to reset the machine.
- The dough will rise a second time before it bakes.
Notes
- If you want something less sweet you can cut the sugar in half. It will change the texture a bit but will still be great.
- This is one recipe I don't often use butter in. I use organic extra-virgin coconut oil because it adds just a little flavor to the bread. A light vegetable oil will work, too. Try it with coconut oil, light vegetable oil, or melted butter and just see what you like best. Make sure whatever you use is melted and cooled to 100F before adding.
- Ground ginger helps to activate the yeast and really get it going.
- Potato water strengthens the structure of the dough allowing it to rise higher.
- Click through to 5 Ingredients to Help Your Bread Rise to find more great ideas including a recipe for a natural dough enhancer -
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪 How to make Amish white bread
Since this recipe freezes so well you can make several batches to have on hand when you need them.
- Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water.
- Let it get foamy.
- Mix in the flour and knead until it is soft and elastic - squeeze a bit between your thumb and forefinger. Weird but true - if your dough feels like your earlobe, you're in the zone. (Welcome to the exclusive club of people who fondle their own ears while baking.)
- Place in an oiled bowl and cover.
- Let rise until doubled.
- Check by pushing your finger in. If the indent stays it has doubled.
- Punch down.
- Shape and place in a greased loaf pan - let rise. Bake.
Marye's Tips
The dough has been kneaded enough when it feels somewhat like your earlobe when you pinch it. When you gently pull on it, the dough will stretch a little instead of breaking off.
If you've had trouble with homemade bread recipes before be sure to read these posts on troubleshooting and tips:
Don't forget to to download the Amish White Bread Cheat Sheet with tips, faqs, storage, and more. It’s packed with secrets I wish someone had told me before my first sad, under-risen loaf. Snag it now—it’s free and fabulous.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
Once you make your own bread you'll want to try your hand at different types of yeast baking! Here are some of my favorites.
- Vienna rolls are an old-fashioned yeast roll that were served at fancy restaurants. They are delicious as sandwich rolls, finger rolls, or made into a loaf. Perfect for fancy Sunday suppers.
- There's nothing like hot from the fryer homemade donuts! Saturday morning childhood memories in fried form.
- Angel biscuits are a cross between a dinner roll and a biscuit. They're a southern favorite. Great with leftover ham or butter and honey.
Have you made this bread? Did you sneak the first slice warm from the oven like I do? Tell me in the comments—Reva Mae says it doesn’t count as stealing if it’s still cooling.
Toni Mashni says
What temp do you bake at if you are using a standard oven and is the time still 30 min to bake ?
Marye says
The recipe is written for a standard oven. The time can vary a little but it's generally 30-40 minutes.
Melissa says
How much potato water should I add? Do I swap it for something else in the recipe?
Marye says
Swap it for any water in the recipe.
Melissa says
If I'm pinched for time, can I let it rise in the fridge then punch down for a second rise after work? If so let me know what to do or change? And for how long?
Marye says
Yep! So Spray plastic wrap with no stick spray and cover your dough bowl. Refrigerate for no more than 24 hours then proceed according to instructions. Your second rising time may take a bit longer because of the cold.
Rose says
Hey there Marye can you please give us your measurements in grams and the liquids in ml's thanks ,i'am sure your cup,spoon and glass are different sizes to us here in australia
Marye says
No, I don't work with grams and mls so I wouldn't be comfortable changing from one to the other. There are calculators online that will figure it out for you, though. 🙂
Heather says
How do you go about making cinnamon rolls from this recipe?
Marye says
Use this recipe ... and then these instructions -https://www.restlesschipotle.com/humongous-pecan-cinnamon-rolls-with-kicked-up-cinnabon-icing/
Linda says
I am not a cook of any sort. I love this recepie. I was so excited it turned out so well. Now my husbañd wants only this bread. Fantastic. !
Marye says
Im so glad you like it!
Toni says
I don't have a stand mixer. Will I still be able to make this?
Marye says
You'll have to knead it by hand. I did all my bread by hand for years - it takes a little longer but it's a great workout.
Carol Larson says
I have used this recipe for quite awhile. Actually, I put all the ingredients in my bread machine and use the dough function. Then I put the dough in the respective two bread pans …. Wonderful!!!
Kristine vega says
on my second rise it didnt rise like stated 1/2 inch over pan what did i do wrong what can i try next time to make it rise over pan?
Marye says
There are a lot of possibilities depending on where you live, humidity, and even whether there's a thunderstorm. If it doesn't rise over the pans leave it for a bit longer - maybe 15 or 20 minutes. If it still doesn't rise as high as you'd like just put it in the oven anyway. It will continue to rise as it bakes.
Diba says
My bread didn’t rise much above even after an additional 15 minutes. It’s now in the oven and 20 minutes in it hasn’t risen much more and is very brown on top. What did I do wrong? I had such high hopes.
Marye says
It's really hard to say. Did you test the water temperature with a insta-read thermometer? Was the yeast fresh? Was it kneaded enough? There are many variables and it's hard to say which it was.
Sherrie says
Can you use instant dry yeast and if so how would you incorporate this in the recipe. Thank you
Marye says
Use the same amount of instant yeast as active yeast but add it in with the dry ingredients.
Marie says
YUM. Until recently I had exactly 0 experience with baking bread. Just a few months ago I started with no-knead Dutch oven artisanal loaves, and I finally wanted to attempt sandwich bread, which seemed more challenging to me. I’m so glad I found this recipe. This bread is SO GOOD. My husband & I can’t stop eating it, and I’ll definitely be pulling this out again & again!!
McKinley says
How long is a loaf good for? Or how quickly should you use it before freezing?
Marye says
Homemade bread lasts about 2 days. I slice it, stick parchment between the slices and freeze it that way.
Ashley says
How many loaves does one batch make?
Marye says
Two.
Jess says
Can I freeze the dough or do I need to make the loaf before freezing it?
Marye says
you can freeze the dough. Add about a 1/4 teaspoon more yeast to the recipe.
Cam says
This was so good! I'm new at making bread and the last recipe I tried was not very great.. this one came out delicious and the kids really enjoyed it.
Mary Ann says
Do you have to use bread flour?
Marye says
It's best but no.
Yolanda Matlock says
Tried it! Loved it! The hubs too so how would you turn it into the dinner rolls and cinnamon rolls
Marye says
Just shape the dough into rolls before baking - and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Marcia L. says
Very easy to let bread machine do the hard work on dough cycle them follow directions starting with 3 minutes knead, rest, shape dough, rise in pans 30 minutes, then bake. Perfect bread!
MAMANICKEL says
I love your recipe. I wanted to experiment using bacon grease and it was fantastic. Didn’t actually notice that much flavor difference though. The bread was so tender. Thanks so much!
Marye says
It's a great idea to use bacon grease! I do have a bacon bread recipe here - https://www.restlesschipotle.com/bacon-bread/
Kim says
I have never actually reviewed a recipe before, but this one is worth it. Literally THE BEST bread recipe I have ever tried. Very versatile and easy to make. I like my bread to be fluffy and have lots of flavor, and this is perfect! My most requested rolls (I have had to make over 1,000 of them so far) is this recipe; I just add slightly less sugar, throw in some cheddar cheese when I’m kneading it, and then smother them with garlic butter fresh out of the oven. This is also the perfect bread recipe to use for cinnamon rolls!