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 Save 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 says
I made the bread and my husband and grandsons went nuts! Now that’s the bread they want not store bread.
I’m making the Cloverleaf rolls using this recipe for Thanksgiving!
P. K. Ash says
Liking this recipe..[ THANKS!]. have it in the oven right now... will be the accompaniment to homemade soup..comfort food, yum....
Have a request/question... I have several hand thrown round bread[ baking ] crocks/bakers... what would be the best recipe for making various breads using those... I have been cooking & baking for over 60 years, but breads have never been my forte [ even though I continue to work at it] am also searching for a basic
[ delicious] non intimidating, sour dough bread for beginners/dummies/challenged... Thanks, I have found many good recipes here & as soon as I get to the store for more cultured buttermilk..the Honey buttermilk bread will be next up & a gift for new neighbors that have just moved in....
Marye says
Try this sour dough...https://www.restlesschipotle.com/no-knead-sourdough-bread/ Also I have a bread made in a cloche here - https://www.restlesschipotle.com/rustic-bread/ Im sure you'll love either (or both) of those!
Kerry Siggard says
Using bread machine. Do you use the full recipe or cut in half? Seems too large for the machine.
Marye says
I don't have a bread machine and have never used one so Im not sure. I'd guess you'd need to half it.
Ruth says
This made 2 9X5 loaves of bread. My husband and I had one of them gone in 2 days. It is absolutely the yummiest bread I’ve ever made.
THANK YOU for the recipe.
Eileen P says
Twice a week I make this bread for us and a neighbor, only problem I’ve had is I let it rise too high once and part of it collapsed in baking, that’s my error not the recipe, we bake it on bbq as well. We make dinner rolls and bread w this it can’t be beat seriously easy and no fail unless you forget it’s rising and…
Thank you for recipe
Lynda says
I love this bread. Everything.is perfect .i will never try crock pot bread again. I like kneading it by hand. So glad I found this recipe.🥰
Meghan says
Bread perfection. This recipe is easy and fail proof. I used it as a guideline and subbed honey for sugar (1/4 cup), a cup of oats for some of the flour and buttermilk for the milk. Sandwich bread heaven
Traci Stiles says
Can you freeze half of the dough?
Marye says
Yes but if you're going to freeze it - only freeze it for a month and use a little extra yeast.
Tracy says
Still trying to perfect this with my bread oven. I’m going to try the second rise this time as before I thought the resting phase was rising. Still delicious tho not perfect yet.
Tracy says
What size loaves does this recipe make?
Marye says
I use 9x5 regular bread pans.
Christina says
Loved it! I think I used a bit too little flour, I stopped when it started to pull away from the sides of the bowl but it was still super sticky but the bread came out great! the first loaf was demolished in less than 24 hours and it's taking a lot of restraint to save the second for French bread.
Hayley says
This recipe is my absolute favorite, I’ve been using it for months 1-2x a week. I’ve shared it multiple times because it’s delicious and an easy straightforward recipe!
Lately I’ve had issues 1st issue the loaves came out of the oven beautifully but one collapsed once I took them out of the pans (any idea where I went wrong?) Secondly today I let the bread rise about an inch above the pan but it didn’t continue to rise additionally in the oven and I’m use to the beautifully talk loaves I would get. (it has been colder recently, but my dough seemed a little on the dryer side today could that be it?)
Anyway thank you so much for sharing this recipe it is delicious!
Kathy says
I wonder if your yeast has gone dead?
Lisa says
This by far is the best sandwich bread I have ever made! I have made a lot of bread through the years. I share this recipe to anyone who is looking for a good homemade bread. A guy at my husband’s work would trade me eggs for loaves of bread, he loved it so much.
iola says
I finally found my bread recipe! This is it! Thank you, thank you! Family loved it! The bread tips helped so much. This is definitely a keeper!
Pam says
Love this recipe, I don't buy store bread anymore. You won't regret trying this one and I love the tips on rising 🥰
Bill says
Whole family loved this recipe,This is a keeper!
Donna Lane says
Hi,
I need to get recipes for breads that are quick and easy to do I am disabled. Also my granddaughter has a gluten allergy so I will appreciate your help with this
Thank you so much for your help and your time
Donna Lane
Kingman Arizona
Marye says
Donna - I am not familiar with gluten free bread baking so I can't help there. There is a category for quick breads and one for batter breads in the recipe index linked at the top. 🙂
Haley says
Try einkorn flour. Iv seen people with gluten intolerance eat it with no problem at all 🙂
Sally says
I added 1/4 cup of zucchini flour and it worked great!!
Liza says
Hi,I made this today and it taste really good,my only issue is why there is a lot of bubbles on top of it.
Marye says
It's usually because of uneven distribution of the yeast. Try kneading a little more thoroughly. If that doesn't handle it then you can cut back a little on the yeast.
Larry says
I made this bread this afternoon, it is great! I subscribed 1/3 cup honey for the sugar and used 2 cups skim milk for the liquid.