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.
Vanessa Grubb says
ALTERNATIVE VARIETY:
I added about 1.5 Tbs Garlic, 1.5Tbs Onion powder and 1Tbs of Italian Seasoning.
It was sooo yummy
jayefromjersey says
I have been making this bread for years now from Marye's recipe. It is fantastic delicious bread! Once you make it you will never buy bread again. And it is fun to be able to make your own bread!
Laura Marantette says
This recipe is a winner. My family loved it.!
Valerie says
I have made this many times and my family loves them. I also found if the yeast is old it affects the rise.
Denise Thompson says
Hi Marye, I love the sound of this recipe, but hope you can tell me how many grams are in 5 1/2 cups flour as I try to weigh flour when baking. I'm in Australia and our cup measurements are a bit different, so the scales are my best chance of success. This sounds like just what I want to make fresh rolls to have with pumpkin soup when the family come for a roast. Thank you.
Marye says
I'm sorry Denise, I don't weigh the ingredients so I don't really know - but start with what you'd usually use for regular white bread.
Norma says
If using all purpose flour it would be 688.4 grams. If using bread flour it would be 715.7 grams. I use the conversion tables at this site:
thecalculatorsite.com
Hope this is helpful. I like weighing all my ingredients also.
Dee Jones says
Two 1 pound loaves or two 1.5 pound loaves?
Marye says
1.5 pound I believe?
Sharon says
Do I use 5-1/2 cups flour for 1 or 2 loaves? I wanted to use my Zojirushi bread machine but the 1x you listed with 5-1/2 cups flour seems like it’s too much for 1 loaf in a bread machine. Please advise.
Marye says
The recipe makes 2 loaves
Dee says
I agree! What did you end up doing? If this makes 2 loaves how do you do that in a bread machine?
Marye says
cut the recipe in half.
Anne says
Just made 2 loaves and they came out beautiful !! 💕💕
Geri A says
Made 2 loaves today they turned out amazing!!! So easy to follow thank you for that! Question whats the best way to freeze one of the loaves thanks again for this delicious recipe. Will be making more at the holidays
Marye says
Geri - I cool them, wrap them in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil.
Dee says
Hi. Do the hamburger buns and dinner rolls bake at the temperature as the bread? How long do you bake them?
Marye says
I bake them at 375F for 15 minutes or until done.
Stephanie Gray says
Will try again but first attempt was not successful. Followed recipe exactly, yeast bloomed, dough remained wet, even with added flour. Never came together correctly ( I have made bread before). Second proof took longer than expected/noted. Hopefully will work next time
Marye says
Sorry it didn't work for you Stephanie. If you followed the recipe exactly i can't imagine what happened. :/
LORRAINE CROCKER says
are the measurements the same if using canadian spoons and cups if not could you let me know the difference
Marye says
I didn't know there was a difference? I really don't know - sorry.
Ricky says
Can you use all purposes flour
Marye says
Yes, that should be fine.
Suzy says
How long do you "knead" this in the bosch?
Marye says
About 5 minutes. 🙂
Marlene says
I want to try this ASAP, I have tried other recipes of bread but not too happy.
Arlene says
Would I measure the coconut oil before melting or after?
Marye says
It should be the same either way.
Tanya Rosales says
Hi, how can I use this basic recipe which seems super easy to make rye bread? I have rye flour. I'm looking for an Amish Rye bread recipe. I used to buy sandwiches for their general stores. Very light and high.
Marye says
I'd start by substituting 2 cups of rye flour for the white flour. I do have rye bread recipe but I don't think it's what you're looking for - https://www.restlesschipotle.com/jewish-rye-bread-secret-getting-right/
Cammie says
Love this recipe ❤️ 🍞
Suzanne says
Can’t wait to give the recipe a try this weekend! You mention freezing a few times. At what point in the recipe should I stop to freeze the dough? Can I just put the dough in a tupperware to freeze?
Marye says
I usually freeze it after the first rise - I shape it and freeze it. Then you just need to pop it in a bread pan and let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
Verla says
I love the blog and recipe and enhancers. Great information. But the pop ups snd pop over ads were too much. At one point I couldn’t read anything on the article because there were 4 pop up ads that wouldn’t close without opening another one. I understand that is how you make money from blogging but I usually leave sites like this without finding out what I wanted to know. Am going to try the bread and enhancers. But the pop ups are too much
Marye says
I'm sorry Verla - I'm trying to get them adjusted for both mobile and desktop and balanced so everyone is happy ...
Peggy says
Absoloutly delicious! This bread was very easy to make and yielded, what I consider to be, my most successful loaves to date. Very versatile and my go-to recipe.