• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Restless Chipotle

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Start Here
    • Ingredients Substitutions
    • Tips for Measuring Ingredients Accurately
  • About
  • Shop
  • Your Recipe Box
  • Meal Plans
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • My Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Start Here!
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • My Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Start Here!
  • Videos
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Recipe Box
×

Home » Recipes » Yeast Bread Recipes

Bacon Bread

Published: Mar 7, 2012 Last Updated: Oct 6, 2021 by Marye 1057 words. | About 6 minutes to read this article.

Savory, slightly smoky bacon bread is an easy white sandwich bread studded with crispy bacon. It's fantastic for all kinds of sandwiches but especially grilled cheese with tomato soup!
Total time 3 hours
Jump to Recipe
Bacon bread pin for Pinterest

Next time try this chile cheese bread.

A loaf of bacon bread that has been sliced to show the inside.

Mention bacon and I will start salivating. Bacon is the stuff that dreams are made of - an aroma and flavor that tempts even the most dedicated vegetarian.

I should know, I was once a dedicated vegetarian. I will agree with anyone that says bacon is good with almost anything - except Jack. Jack-in-the-Box came out with a bacon shake that Ethan and I had to try.

Try it we did and at first sip I found my mouth filled with scorched vanilla. There wasn't much bacon (if any) but they had added a glug of artificial smoke flavoring to a vanilla shake. Imagine drinking a vanilla shake as you were leaving a burning building.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. However...candied bacon in cookies and breads, crisp bacon in side dishes, bacon on the plate? I heart it all.
While I was on my very-much-needed vacation I was planning on making bread.

The house was still basking in the aroma of the bacon I had cooked for breakfast and I had the drippings left in the pan - I hadn't put them in a container yet. (You do save bacon drippings, right?)

The plan was to make bread for toasted cheese sandwiches and and all of a sudden I wondered what it would be like to use bacon and bacon grease in the bread.

I will tell you what it was like - it was AWESOME.

The bread is fluffy and delicious; all of the flavor and texture of good homemade white bread.

The bacon flavor is delicate at first, intensifying as you eat. And, with this bread, the flavor is stronger when it is cool than when it is warm.

Keep in mind that the flavor of your bread will be directly related to the flavor of your bacon. Use a good, applewood or hickory smoked bacon for the best flavor.

It was amazing as part of the grilled cheese. It was amazing toasted and buttered the next day. Three loaves lasted less than 36 hours. Imagine this as the base of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches or topped with caramelized onion.

So good.

Be careful of the salt. Your bacon is all ready salted and the saltiness of the bread will be related to the saltiness of the bacon.

No brand of bacon is the same so taste a slice before you make the bread to see if you will need to add more or less salt.

Sponge method

I used a sponge method with this. All that means is that you don't add all of the flour.

You only add enough to make the dough gooey and then you let that rise in a large bowl. It is important that you not add salt or fat at this point because those ingredients will keep your bread from rising well.

Once the sponge has risen then you will stir it down and add the bacon fat, salt, more flour and other ingredients as directed in the recipe.

Knead

This time you will want to knead it until it is smooth and elastic and only a little sticky. Adding too much flour will make the bread heavy so be careful.

If you are using your stand mixer use the dough hook and knead according to manufacturer's instructions.

To knead by hand:

  1. Turn dough out on floured surface.
  2. Push dough away from you.
  3. Fold over and pull toward you. My YouTube video should help show you how.

First rise

Form the dough into a ball and oil it. Put it into an oiled pan and let it the dough rise (or proof) in a warm place for about an hour, or until it has doubled. Not sure if it is ready? Gently poke your finger into the dough. If the indent remains it is ready for the next step.

If not? Give it a little longer.

Shape

Punch the dough down and cut it in three equal parts. A scale will come in very handy for this. Form each part into a loaf and place it in a well greased loaf pan.

Oil the tops and cover them with a tea towel.

Second rise

Put them in a warm place to rise again.

This time you want them to come just to the top of the bread pan or a little over it. They will rise more in the oven.

Bake

Brush the bacon bread loaves with a little of the bacon grease or butter and place the bread pans in the preheated oven to bake.

Let the loaves cool out of the pans. Put a towel over the bread as it is cooling for a soft crust or cool it uncovered for a more crisp crust. Slice it when it is cool.

Try not to eat an entire loaf.

  • A wreath of Italian Easter bread in the center of the table.
    Italian Easter Bread From Scratch: A Deliciously Easy Recipe
  • Closeup of a soup bread bowl filled with creamy chowder.
    Best Soup Bread Bowls
  • A slice of white bread being buttered.
    Farmhouse Bread Recipe
  • Two finished loaves of Amish white bread cooling on a table.
    No Fail Amish White Bread
bacon bread
4.62 from 13 votes

Bacon Bread

Print Save Go to Collections
Prevent your screen from going dark
Savory, slightly smoky bacon bread is an easy white sandwich bread studded with crispy bacon. It's fantastic for all kinds of sandwiches but especially grilled cheese with tomato soup!
Course Bread
Cuisine Amercian Heritage
Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Servings:24
Calories:127
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Equipment Needed

  • Stand mixer

Ingredients

  • 7-¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 1-½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 packages active dry yeast
  • 2 ½ cups warm water
  • ⅓ cup bacon drippings
  • ¾ pound bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

  • Add yeast and sugar to ½ cup of the water. Stir to dissolve and allow to bubble.
  • Add the rest of the water.
  • Mix 2 cups of flour into the water and blend well.
  • Allow this sponge to rise for 30 minutes.
  • Mix 2 more cups of flour, bacon grease, bacon, and salt into the sponge and beat on slow speed.
  • Add the rest of the flour, a little at a time to make a soft dough.
  • Turn out on a floured kneading board and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
  • Oil the ball of dough and put it into an oiled bowl to rise for one hour or until doubled. (I used bacon grease)
  • Punch the dough down and divide into 3 parts.
  • Form each part into loaves and place in greased pans.
  • Allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375F
  • Brush the tops of the loaves with bacon grease.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until loaves sound hollow.
  • Remove from pans and cool before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Sign up for the emails and never miss another recipe!!

    We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.

    First published March 7, 2012. Last updated October 6, 2021 for minor editorial details and image resizing.

    More Yeast Bread Recipes

    • Homemade baguette stacked leaning on another.
      Homemade Baguette Recipe
    • Closeup of hands holding a loaf of bread.
      10 Best Gifts for Bread Bakers
    • Close up of a finished loaf of pan de muerto.
      Mexican Day of the Dead Bread (Pan de Muerto)
    • Loaves of baked bread.
      Honey Buttermilk Bread
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. J

      February 18, 2020 at 9:16 am

      Is the yeast in tablespoons? For one loaf it says .67 active dry yeast, what exactly does that mean?

      Reply
      • Marye

        February 18, 2020 at 5:09 pm

        Did you cut the serving sizes? Sometimes that will give you a weird measurement. Use 1 package active dry yeast for 1 loaf.

    2. Gene Hilgreen

      March 29, 2019 at 10:59 am

      I am retired and live alone, so I'm looking for one loaf and/or 4 to 6 kaiser roll recipes. I have tried making bread several times and they don't rise right or are too heavy. Because most of the recipes are for several loaves and I try to break it down to one loaf. About 35 years ago, a friend invited me for dinner. Bacon bread was served with the meal. I'm a bacon freak and would love a one loaf bacon recipe.

      Reply
      • Marye

        March 29, 2019 at 4:28 pm

        Gene, if you hover over the serving size you can adjust the number of loaves.

    3. Elena

      January 07, 2019 at 7:34 am

      Can you use a bread machine for the bacon bread? Do you have to change anything if you can use the bread machine? Thanks

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        January 07, 2019 at 2:30 pm

        I've never used a bread machine so honestly I'm not sure. I'd guess you can.

    4. Tracy

      October 03, 2018 at 7:26 am

      Can the dough be made ahead of time. And refrigerated or frozen for a few days ?

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        October 03, 2018 at 7:44 am

        Yes - I'd add a little extra yeast to the recipe though.

    5. Mia

      August 04, 2017 at 10:32 am

      5 stars
      Adding bacon and black olives makes a great pizzabread!'

      Reply
      • Marye Audet

        August 08, 2017 at 8:37 am

        yum! What a great idea

    6. Dee Dee (My Midlife Kitchen)

      March 19, 2015 at 1:10 pm

      1. You had me a "bacon". 2. I keep a jar of bacon grease in my fridge for recipes like this one. Such a great, smoky addition to just about anything. 3. I admit, I've never made bread (I'm always worried I'll screw it up somehow!), but this looks so simple you may have gotten me on board with giving it a try. 'Cause, like I said, BACON.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Love it? Give it 5 stars!




    Primary Sidebar

    Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

    Hey Y'all, I'm Marye.

    NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies.

    More about me →

    🐰 Easter

    • Closeup of a finished roll for the feature image.
      Easy Easter Rolls
    • Easter chicks cookies in a dish.
      Nutter Butter Easter Chicks
    • Very close shot of pineapple casserole showing the texture of the cracker crumb topping.
      Southern Pineapple Casserole Recipe
    • A cropped view of this recipe in a glass bowl for the feature image.
      Banana Pudding Recipe from Scratch

    👑 Reader Favorites

    • A marble plate displays a strawberry bundt cake with 2 slices cut to show the red cake color.
      Strawberry Pound Cake Recipe
    • Wooden spatula removing fried potatoes out of iron skillet.
      Crispy Fried Potatoes
    • A sliced loaf of english muffin bread.
      English Muffin Bread Recipe
    • Two finished loaves of Amish white bread cooling on a table.
      No Fail Amish White Bread

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About Marye Audet-White
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy
    MaryeAudet Whiteandherchildren Dec

    Featured in:

    Companies that Marye Audet-White and Restless Chipotle have been affiliated with.

    Contact Marye

    • Contact

    My new blog for bread bakers:

    Love baking bread? Click here to check out my new blog!

    Logo for breadcrumbs in the butter blog.
    Check out my new blog!

    Copyright ©2006 - 2023 Restless Chipotle Media, LLC