This Farm House Bread Recipe is an easy recipe for the most delicious tasting farmhouse bread! It works with or without a bread machine.
I tried this farm house bread recipe before we went wheat free. It was really great! Hubby said it was the best homemade bread he had ever had. I don’t have a bread machine but I did knead it in my Kitchen Aid mixer. I just dissolved the yeast and sugar in the warm water, added the margarine and added everything else with the flour last.
We toasted it in the toaster for breakfast and it was delicious! Enjoy!
-Tawra
From Roxie:
I confess. I cheat. I use a bread machine to do the work for this farm house bread. I bake the bread in my oven in a regular loaf pan, usually while I am making something else for our supper. The bread machine does all of the mixing and the rising and I take the credit. This recipe makes very good rolls too. I have even used it for buns…
Everything should be at room temperature.
Farm House Bread Recipe
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. butter (margarine works fine)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. yeast
4 cups flour
Put the yeast in the bread machine first. Then add the liquids. Next, add the solid ingredients with the flour last. Push button and wait for a wonderful thing to happen. Dough forms.
After the first rise, remove the dough and form a loaf… Put it into a buttered pan and let rise again until double and bake at 375° for 25 minutes.
This makes the best toast. Honest! I like to make what my kids and husband calls skillet toast… Just butter the bread and toast it in a hot skillet…
Update with Questions Answered About the Farm House Bread Recipe
Q. Can I leave it in the bread machine the entire time.
A. Yes, if your machine can hold that many cups of flour.
Q. Can use regular milk instead of buttermilk.
A. Yes, but buttermilk or sour milk tastes better. To sour milk add 1 Tbsp. vinegar to 1 cup of milk, let curdle and use.
Q. If I don’t have a bread machine how do I mix it.
A. With a hand, stand mixer or spoon. Just mix 1-2 cups of the flour first and beat for 2 minutes. Then mix in the rest of the flour. Kneed by hand. Let rise. Punch down. Let rise.
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grandma
Tawra if you went wheat free what do you use to make bread?
My brother has gone gluten free but that would be impossible for us since Don takes sandwiches to work.
any suggestions, old lady but willing to learn.
Tawra
Grandma, I don’t eat bread anymore. If I want something like tuna salad or egg salad I eat it on top of a rice cake.
Jill
I still eat bread but when I eat something like tuna salad or egg salad I put things like that on a piece of lettuce and make it more of a salad. Even if I have an urge for a peanut butter sandwich I sometimes spread it on an apple or piece of celery. It usually isn’t the bread I crave as much as the stuff which goes in it.
Julie
I am allergic to oats, wheat and soy. I am basically gluten free. I make the most of rice cakes and corn tostada shells. I even use them for hamburger buns. Rice cakes are good substitutes in the morning or for a snack.
Adriana Snell
You can use almond or rice flour to make bread
Jill
Always remember the recipe will not be quite the same when you substitute different things
Kristy
Do you guys have a recipe for rice cakes or do you just buy them.. If you buy very many of them I would imagine they would get pretty pricey. I would love to figure out how to make brown rice cakes. Maybe I should hit up google :)
Jill
I don’t have a rice cake recipe Kristy but maybe one of our readers does. Tawra does use rice cakes but I don’t think she pays that much for them and she for a long time got hers at Aldis which is always cheaper too.
Tammy
Why don’t you eat bread any more? Just curious.
Jill
Tawra is going off many different foods trying to see if any of them are the cause of her serious headaches and not feeling well. She is eliminating them and then going back on them one by one. She was down to only eating just a handful of things. She still has the sever headaches and is trying to figure out the next direction to go.
Dannielle
I get severe headaches/migraines whenever the air pressure has a big change so before a storm or when I lived in Southern Alberta a Chinook. Maybe when she gets them she could check what the air pressure is like I know the Weather Office or Weather network usually stores the information for a few days. Just a thought! :)
Jill
The air pressure does make a difference. Tawra and I both have the same thing happen. It is especially bad here in Wichita because we seem to always be on that line where 2 air masses clash and can really feel it. That is part of why Tawra moved to Colorado, hoping that would help. I am up tonight because I can feel it so bad in the air.
Judy
Try removing peanuts and eggs from your diet. Also Chocolate .
Karin
Hello , what is their house heated with ? My friend used to have horrible headaches and after eliminating foods, trying many things it was the Natural Gas heat they had, propane can also do this, just a thought .
Jill
It isn’t that Karin I’m afraid. She has had them and lived in homes that have had wood burning stove, one had propane, one was electric heat and natural gas. Made no difference.
Barbara
Tawra, I enjoy your posts and visit your website often.
However, I think you’re a genius for that ricecake idea — that honestly had never occured to me. Thanks!
grandma
in the warmer weather I take a slice of thin ham put it on a lettuce leaf with some cheese roll it up and that is lunch.
One night last week I gave the cats some canned salmon and decided it smelled so good I took some added some dill weed, celery salt and some vinegar. Cut some cucumber and brocoli stems into sticks and had a veggie platter with salmon dip instead of the salt and vinegar chips that I went to the kitchen to get. Might do that more often.
Sometimes when I know I should not be wanting a sandwich I will toast one slice of bread and then cut it so I have two slices. Make a huge sandwich of mostly vegetables and a bit of meat and that satisfies the craving.
Right now I must be lacking something or fighting something in my system because salt is what I crave. This usually only happens when I am in great pain. I like salt more than sweets but this is even more than normal.
Sarah J.
How long do I let it rise the first time? I make my breads in the KA too. Also, you can make gluten free bread with rice flour and xanthum gum. Xanthum gum is natural and mimics gluten in the bread.
Jill
Almost all breads when you let them rise it is always double in size each time. Sometimes the recipe will say 30 mins., 20 mins or until double. It’s something you just eyeball. When you put it in the loaf pan when it looks like a normal loaf of bread it is usually ready.
The only thing you need to watch for is if you let breads raise too long when they bake they will sink a little or wrinkle on the top but it will still be eatable.
Sarah J.
OK.I thought so just wanted to make sure! Love the website!
Jill
Thanks Sarah. We like it when people ask questions because sometimes it helps others who are afraid or for what ever reason can’t pop in and ask.
loma
Hi! Can I leave this in the bread machine and let it continue or do I have to remove it after the first rise and bake it? I like to set my bread machine in the morning so that when I come in after work the bread is ready. It makes my home smell so good!
Barb S.
I’m in the middle of making this now–but there was so much dough in my bread-machine pan that I divided it into 2 loaves. Otherwise it would have been overflowing my bread pan BEFORE the second rise. Can’t wait to taste it!
stellastar
Love the sound of this recipe but my bread machine only will hold a 1 1/2 lb. loaf. How do I downsize this recipe so it will fit my machine? Help so want to find a good bread recipe.
Jill
Here is the basic formula for adapting a regular bread recipe for your bread machine.
1lb. loaf – 7/8 cup liquid 2 3/4 cup flour
1.5 lb loaf – 1 cup liquid 3 cup flour
2 lb loaf – 1 1/3 cup liquid 4 cup flour
You could try cutting this in half but I’m not sure what it would do. It maybe worth a try. You might look at these recipes we have on the web site and see if they would be easier to halve and use. These recipes were published in Countryside magazine and really got some rave reviews. I’m not saying this to brag just that it is hard to find a good recipe but many people really loved these recipes too so they might be worth a try too.
If these ideas don’t help let me know and we will see what we can figure out.
Linda
I was making homemade pretzels on Friday when my oven blew up. The element went out and burst into flames and they shot into the kitchen. I had planned on using the remaining dough form the pretzels to make bread. I called my father (my grandmother lived through the great depression and was Native American and a wonderful cook) and asked what to do. He suggested “fry bread”. I took the bread and sliced it into bread slice shapes. I let it sit on a towel while I heated oil and then fried it. The result: delicious bread slices worthy of eating plain or spreading with jam or cinnamon and sugar. Today I am steaming the remaining loaf in my crockpot by using a smaller pan and jar rings to keep the pan off of the bottom of the crock pot. I let the bread rise overnight and it is steaming. I’ve read this works so am praying it will. It will be interesting nonetheless. (and I can’t wait to get the element replaced in our oven but we live in a small town and the part must be ordered.)
Jill
Linda we have a recipe for fried bread in Dining and in it you can take the fried bread to make Navajo tacos where you place cooked hamburger, cheese, chopped tomato and lettuce on it for a meal in case you get desperate again. Although I think I like your idea of the cinnamon and sugar best. :)
Dreama
For Grandma;
You can make bread from other flours than wheat…rice flour, or potato flour for example. Though this may be no better a solution than the wheat for some! I myself, continue to mix multiple flours (including wheat) for our breads.
Brenda
What type flour does this recipe call for?plain,all purpise,self rising?
Jill
Most recipes unless they state otherwise just use regular all purpose flour.
Sandie
Hi from sunny Australia.
I have been wheat free for over a year now.
Here it is easy to find breads made from Kamut, Spelt and Quinoa, 3 ancient grains. Much tastier than wheat.
Spelt is an early form of wheat but recommended by my nutritionist as not causing bloating.
They are more expensive than wheat but the health benefits outweigh that for me.
Donna Y
I don’t use buttermilk. So, I don’t have it available. It there a substitute for buttermilk, that would work just as well?
Jill
Donna instead of rewriting everything here is our article on homemade buttermilk it will tell you exactly what to use in place of it and everything. It gives a few different ideas.
Judy
Use sour milk. Just add a tablespoon of either vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of regular milk. Let sit until it clabers_ (gets lumpy looking)Use that as your liquid.
Jill
You can make sour milk with vinegar or lemon juice and many do to replace buttermilk. Works great with many recipes but you have to be careful because they are not always interchangeable. Buttermilk usually has a special bacteria or something like that that causes it to turn into buttermilk which helps with the leavening, texture and taste of many things.
Kimm C. (aka CountryNani)
Use milk and add vinegar, or lemon juice, it separates the butter ftom milk, and you have sour buttermilk, you can’t tell the difference zfter cooked. ENJOY!
Jill
There is a difference in using buttermilk and just sour milk made with vinegar or lemon. In some recipes you can get by with interchanging them but with others it will make a difference in the texture and the rising of the bread or what ever you are baking because buttermilk is not just sour milk it has a special type of bacteria in it which affects the rising and texture sometimes. I say try the sour milk if it works great if the bread doesn’t seem quite right then you will know you may have to use buttermilk instead.
Brett Leach
I don’t keep real buttermilk on hand because I don’t use it enough and it goes bad. I keep the buttermilk powder in the fridge, it can be found on the baking aisle in most markets. It lasts for months and just mixes with water.
Evelyn
Hi! I’m going to make the bread this evening, but I only have medium size eggs right now. Should I use two medium eggs or just one? Thanks for your help!
Jill
You can just use one. First of all in most recipes unless specifically mention the egg size doesn’t make to much difference and especially using medium. It might matter say if a recipe says use a small egg and you have large ones or visa versa but mediums are a pretty safe bet. Plus for something like this the most the egg would do is add a little extra moisture and it can be dealt with by adding or taking away a little flour.
When not using a bread machine and making bread I never dump the full amount of flour in the recipe calls for. I leave the last 1/2 cup out and knead if still sticky add a little more until you get the right texture.
Jill
Evelyn this is a little hard to explain but let me explain the difference in the different milks and that might help answer your question. First many people think sour milk and buttermilk are the same but they are different.
Buttermilk used to be the watery stuff leftover from making butter. Now a day it is made by adding a lactic acid bacteria to regular pasteurized milk.
Sour milk is made by adding vinegar, lemon juice to regular milk to make it sour.
Spoiled milk is milk which has just been left out and gone bad. Like a child’s sippy cup.
What happens is for example you make homemade buttermilk the recipe says to add 1-2 cups of buttermilk you already have to regular milk and let it sit out. The acid bacteria in the original butter milk is what makes the difference. This isn’t a perfect example but it is kind of like the good bacteria and bad bacteria in your stomach. You need to good to kill off the bad and to keep you healthy. It is the same type of thing. The bacteria in the buttermilk you add to the milk keeps the bad at bay. Regular milk gone sour doesn’t have that acid in it so you get nothing but bad.
The same with sour milk. Vinegar or acid kills bad bacteria in the milk. That is why can pickles or tomatoes and things like that last so long because the hit acid in them keep the bacteria away longer.
Also you can interchange buttermilk and sour milk in a recipe but there is a difference and often it is in the texture so when a recipe calls for buttermilk I usually try to use it and not just make my own sour milk with vinegar (although I do use sour milk in some recipes).
Buttermilk pancakes or biscuits do come out slightly fluffier then just using sour milk that is why they are not called Sour milk pancakes.
Ket
I love putting peanut butter on bread :)
Michelle
First, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this website!
About the bread … a few questions from a newbie bread baker.
1) Flour – I’m assuming regular flour (not bread flour)
2) Rise – only 1 rise then bake?
3) Makes a single 2lb loaf, right? What size bread pan is needed?
Dontcha love novices?
Jill
Novices are who we are here for Michelle. We don’t mind answering questions at all plus we aren’t perfect so sometimes were don’t everything quite right and it helps us to find our bloopers.
1. regular flour
2. I would let it rise the once then after you put it in the pan let it rise again until double or looks almost loaf size.
3. I’m not sure what to call it but it makes just a regular loaf pan size. They are about 9″by 5″ I think.
Hope this helps. You might check out the articles at the bottom of this article because I go into a great bit of detail and just basic bread baking in them which may help you a little too.
Brenda
plain or all purpose,please
Jill
All purpose. When most recipes call for flour it is all purpose and if it is something else they will say self rising, cake etc. other wise it is always all purpose.
JAMES R.
Lady Michele:
Everyone was a novice at one time…myself included.
I have been around here long enough to know that Jill LOVES teaching what she knows & finds great satisfaction in hearing how a recipe of hers that you tried, came out fantastic. :)
Speaking for myself only, there are still times that I will ask 10,000 Questions about something I do not know or understand.
How good of a cook/baker you wish to be, all depends on how much you wish to learn…and asking Q’s is all part of the learning process.
Don’t be afraid to ask…we won’t bite. :p
Marie
Hi all just found this recipe… for those of you who are gluten free try this flour: http://www.julesglutenfree.com/
It really is wonderful and you can make amazing things with it!
Melissa Meyer
Do I need to warm the liquids before adding them to the machine? I haven’t had luck getting regular flour to rise well, so have been using bread flour, would that work ok? Thank you!
Jill
Melissa with most bread recipes you need to have the ingredients at least at room temperature. I don’t have a bread machine but I would probably warm them some. Also I would think the bread flour would work fine.
Melissa Meyer
Thanks Jill! I course now I re read the whole post I see it said it needs to be at room temperature. I will try it tonight and see how it works, looks yummy!
Mickee
O.K. I was going to wait to post the results, but just can’t wait. I did have a difficult time getting my yeast to proof, did it 3 times before getting it right. That is why I always, regardless of recipe, proof the yeast. After that everything else went as clock work, it rose well on the first rise. Then, I had the urge to kneed a bit instead of forming and when I went to look at it, the second rise, did raise, but it is lumpy and uneven and just down right ugly. I am sure the appearance will not effect the flavor, I hope. So now waiting on it to come out of the oven and will see what the consistency, texture, and flavor is. I did mix half whole wheat with half AP flour too. Back in a couple of hours with the final analysis.
Mickee
I am back now, the bread is sliced and put away in my forever bread bag, which I think are a wonderful invention. Even though the top of the bread is lumpy and lopsided, it sliced well, tasted really good, and I only ate 2 slices with butter. I did not use the full 4 c flour but 2 wheat and 1-1/2 AP. I think next time I will let it rise just once as that is where my issue came in after the initial rise. I was not able to punch it down much so the 2nd rise was not much more than the first really.
Thank you for this recipe! I will be making this one weekly I believe. I am still a novice at bread making but have been at it about 3 months now, still trying to find the best recipe for my family, and I think this is the one.
Grandma
The lumpy appearance could be the different flours you used. Whole wheat does not rise as well as the all purpose flour that is why the rye whole wheat breads are dencer than white bread.
If you only let it rise once it may rise quite a bit more in the oven so make sure your pan is big enough.
Learned this from my father who worked for years in a small bake shop.
Barb
If you’re using whole-wheat flour, you may find that adding 1 TBL of vital gluten per cup of WW flour will help the bread rise higher. WW just doesn’t rise like AP or bread flour does.
rose
mickee, what is a forever bread bag? .. never heard of it .. :D
maggie
Am eager to try this bread recipe. I have always used frozen bread dough because I was afraid of the yeast and the proofing but what could happen? Flat dough. :)
Anyway, just wanted to say that what you call Skillet Bread we call Griddle Toast. This is my husband’s favorite toast. Butter both sides then fry. He always puts Seedless Black Raspberry preserves on it. Nothing else. Me, I like it with an egg and some grape or Damson Plum jam. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. :)
Suson
There is a powdered product you can use for the buttermilk. It comes in a can you can measure the powder and add to water to make the buttermilk for baking. You refrigerate the can after opening and it keeps a really long time. I have used this for bread making and muffins even banana bread and it comes out wonderful. So handy to always have it on hand
Mickee
Rose: Here is a description of the forever bread bags. I bought mine on e-bay or at this link they are $2.15 for 10 bags that you can use up to 20 times each.
http://www.drugsupplystore.com/servlet/the-6386/Forever-Bread-Bags/Detail?category=As+Seen+On+TV
Forever Bread Bags. Save money by eliminating waste! Forever Bread Bags reusable bread bags keeps loaves fresh and fragrant, and bagels just the right texture! Also great for bulk flour, grains and pasta! These extra thick quality plastic bags can be used more than 20 times! Environmentally friendly, with integrated anti-microbial nanotechnology these bags work for days to keep your baked good fresher! Contains ten bags measuring 10 inches by 20 inches each.
I am making another loaf of this bread today and will do the one rise and see what happens. We love whole wheat bread so mixing the flours made the flavor that we preferred. Hoping this loaf does not come out lumpy this time.
I too have had the powdered buttermilk in the past, but much prefer the liquid myself, just a preference I am sure.
Mickee
Well second time around, still yummy!!! I got all the flour in this time but had to put a little extra liquid. It rose too high for one loaf so is a bit tear-aparty, but still taste good. In the future I will make 2 loaves. Delicious just with butter though.
Jill
Good job Mickee. I always say the best way to learn to bake a pie (bread) or anything is to make it 14 days in a row and by the end of that time you will have it down pat. What happens is each time you make it you learn something more what not to do or what to do. I love it when some one keeps trying at something instead of trying it once and saying this didn’t turn out so I’m not doing it again.
You’re making me want to make some with your description. : ) : )
Mickee
Jill – I am going to make it again, believe me. I enjoy making bread, but haven’t quite got the knack for it yet. I think I am killing my poor mixer too. It strains and sounds awful while the kneeding process is going on, but I just keep pushing to it to keep going. I have learned a lot through making bread in general, and this recipe specifically too. We love all items made with buttermilk and that is why I am not giving up on this particular recipe. I have about 1/4 loaf left so will probably make another tomorrow or the next day and will report back with what happened with that batch and what I changed and/or learned from it.
Jill
Please do Mickee it sounds like you are having fun with it. I love using buttermilk too. It is great to give almost any baked good a nice texture. I one day started mashing my potatoes for mashed potatoes and found out I was out of milk. I didn’t have some butter milk and decided what do I have to loose so I used buttermilk in my potatoes. They were so good. I loved them.
I killed two kitchen aid hand mixers with my gingerbread cookie dough. Now I’m on the hunt to try to find a new one which won’t die on me. I most certainly won’t buy another kitchen aid.
Grandma
Jill I have had an osterizer for 31 years now and it is still going strong.
If the price isn’t outrageous I would certainly recommend that brand.
Used to make bread everyday about 6 loaves for 1 year and never had a problem with it.
Now it is usally used for grinding meat.
heard a lot of people don’t want kitchen aid any more.
Veronica Tidd
Before I had a breadmaker I used to use my mixer and found it too much of a strain on the motor. After that I still used the mixer but kept some of the flour out so it was a very sticky dough which the mixer was able to handle. When it was well mixed I kneaded in the remaining flour by hand.
Now I use the bread machine on the dough setting. After that cycle I turn it up to the bread setting and let it mix again for a few minutes. Then I put it in the bread pans for the second rise. In very cold weather I turn the oven on briefly just till there is a tiny bit of warmth. Turn it off and put the pans in the oven covered with a clean tea towell and let rise. When ready i remove the cloth, turn the oven up and bake. Bread bakes perfectly well without pre heating the oven, you just have to make sure they are done by tapping the loaf and listening for the hollow sound
Mickee
I wanted a KitchenAid for all my adult life, and finally got it last Black Friday. It only cost $185, so I thought why not, it should make bread making easier on me. The first conked out nearly from the beginning batch. Now this one is sounding so strained. It is a 600 professional series and is supposed to be able to handle up to 14 cups of flour. So you would think it could handle this recipe quite nicely, but it strains and gets hot. But it is still under warranty, so when it conks out, they will send me another I guess. Time will tell. Tomorrow is bread making day, so I will have another update on what I did nor didn’t do differently and how it turns out.
Grandma
Mickee, if it is smoking send it back immediately. It can cause a fire from just sitting and plugged in.
I have seen one start shooting flames out while the lady was using it.
If possible get your money back instead of a new machine.
Mickee
Time for my review again. Ha! Ha! I made the bread exactly as the recipe was written, with the exception of subbing 1/2 whole wheat flour. I did let it rise the 2 times. I used a larger bread pan. And it still rose very high, not has high as before, but high and seems very light and fragile, or easy to tear. Not sure it will work with a sandwich or not. It tastes wonderful with just butter. Is it possible to kneed it too much? I have been letting it kneed about 15 minutes. Could that make it so light and fragile? I am not giving up. I will continue to make this bread until I get it right. I am thinking of cooking in 2 pans next time and see if a smaller loaf would be better. Until next time…….
Jill
Mickee I get so tickled with your up dates. It is like waiting for the next episode of a cooking soap opera. : ) : ) Here are a couple of tips. You don’t need to knead it more then 10 mins. and be sure you aren’t letting it rise too long. Also if ever you want to double the recipe you don’t have to double the yeast. I found this out years ago when I was using a recipe that my grandmother in law used during the depression. It called for more then 8 cups of flour and used only 1 pkg. (2 Tbsp.) of yeast. I found that with most of my bread recipes it didn’t matter if I used less yeast when I doubled the batch.
Guess there is something to the saying in the Bible where it says a little leaven leavens a whole bunch (Jill’s paraphrasing).
Mickee
Jill – I let it rise 40 minutes each time. I read on some other boards that you cannot knead it too much, but I was concerned that I was kneading it too long. I will cut down to 10 minutes next time and see what happens. I did make a PB&J out of this batch and although it was a bit floppy, it did work out alright. But would like it just a shad more dense. It worked very well for toast this morning. I buy my yeast in bulk at Sam’s Club, so have just used whatever the recipe called for, but will remember your tip for future use. I wasn’t going to double the recipe per se, but just divide the dough into 2 loaves instead of 1. We shall see what next week holds. Hope you can wait for the next installment of “How the Bread Turns.”
Jill
Tooooo funny!!!! You are right you can’t really knead too much usually 10 minutes is more then plenty. I don’t know if the length of kneading matters as much as how hard you knead. I do know my husband was messing around one day and decided to knead my bread for me and it was the best bread I ever made. He did it a few other times and it turned out so good. I don’t know if it was because he had more strength or what but it sure was good.
I will be glued here next weed for the next episode. : ) :)
Mickee
Jill – I know you are on pins and needles waiting for my next comment. :) Ha! Ha!
So, here goes. This time I made the bread by directions with this exception. I used homemade lard in place of butter. Also I had to add more water to the dough. It was very tacky and would not come together at all. it was in lots of pieces and the longer I ran the mixer to kneed it the more pieces it would go into. I divided the dough after the first rise, and made 2 smaller loaves. I did not take much care in forming the loaves as I felt the bread, again would not be that great. But I was pleasantly surprised. The texture was much better and the flavor much better. It became a bit more dense, like I had wanted. I think with a bit more work it will become a favorite around here. I was a bit perplexed as my mother always told me when using buttermilk to use soda and there is none in this recipe. But will think on that a bit more at another time. Now we have 2 loaves of bread to get through this week. YEAH!!!!!
Grandma – I was not ignoring your comment, just didn’t see it until now. The mixer is not smoking, but when I put my hand on it, it is really, really hot. They have replaced one already, so just waiting to get another from them, I guess. I really don’t want a refund, just want mine to work right. Once it vibrated so much the bowel actually came loose. I guess KA and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to professional grade mixers.
Jill
Mickee did I ever have a duhhhhh moment this morning when I was reading your post and I feel so bad that I didn’t figure this out before you have had to go through all of this hard work. The recipe you are using is not one that I use. It is one a reader sent in and Tawra and some others have used it and liked it ok so even though I have read it a couple of different times in answering your questions this morning it hit me — I think what your problem with the texture is in the buttermilk. Buttermilk is what is causing the texture you are getting and don’t like. If you just change the amount of buttermilk to milk or even water I think your texture problem will be solved.
Buttermilk tends to make things fluffy and airy which is why buttermilk pancakes or muffins are so popular but I don’t think you want that same texture in regular bread so switch out the buttermilk and I’m thinking that will make a big difference. That too is maybe why adding the water made a difference to it. So next week make the recipe exactly as it says but use milk or water in place of buttermilk.
You might try these other recipes too. These are my favorites that I have used for 45 years and even though I try other ones I keep going back to these
Here is the link to both of them How to Make Homemade Bread The white bread recipe is very easy to cut in half if you need to.
Mickee
Jill – Thanks for this information. I will give it another try maybe with less buttermilk, I do like buttermilk bread. I wanted to look at the recipes that you gave the link for, but the link didn’t work. It kept saying page not found. Could you check on that and maybe re-post link and/or maybe just the recipes???
You have been so helpful! Thanks a million.
Jill
Sorry about that Mickee. Let’s try again if you still have trouble just type in Homemade bread on our home page in the search bar to the right How To make Homemade BreadBe sure to let me know if you have more trouble with the link or the bread :) :)
Mickee
Jill – I got to the link just fine and saved the recipes for another day. We are still working on the last 2 loaves I made of the Farm House Bread. Dividing the dough and making 2 small loaves worked great, but still want to experiment with other recipes.
Thanks a Million!!!
Makeda
I just made this bread today. It is awesome. Make sure to check it at about 25 minutes. Your house will smell awesome.
Mickee
Jill: I haven’t been back in a while as I had given up on this bread. But now am back and made it again today and I think it is perfect, finally. This is what I did. I wanted the buttermilk flavor as I love everything made with buttermilk, but didn’t want it so light that it would not hold together for sandwiches either. I was out of regular milk as I get it from the dairy every 2 weeks. So…..
I only used 2/3 cup buttermilk and the rest water for my liquid. I also subbed 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of bread flour. I used bread flour in the recipe instead of AP flour. I don’t think recipe specified but that is what I did.
I did use butter in the recipe but greased the outside of the dough or pan that I let it rise in with homemade organic lard and it did rise and had a wonderful texture when I rolled it out.
I just sliced it and the texture is good, the flavor is good, and the crust is not hard at all.
I have to wait for kiddo to make the final determination, as she is the one that takes it in her lunch for sandwiches, but I do believe I have finally found the perfect bread.
Veronica Tidd
Just wanted to add that home made bread is such a novelty that when it was my turn to take the snack to work I usually made rolls or a loaf or two for pot lucks. Much much cheaper than anything you can buy for 10 – 12 people
JAMES R.
OK, where should I start…
Q:
bread machines. Do they do everything for you? or can you interrupt the cycle to add your own personal touches to the bread?
I have never owned one, so I really know nothing about them.
But I am curious about buying one.
Someone asked about bread pans…this is what I found at AMAZON.
Standard Bread Pan: 9.25″ x 5.25″
Long Loaf Pan: 12.0″ x 4.5″
Mini Loaf Pan: 5.75″ x 3.0″
Medium Loaf Pan: 8.5″ x 4.5″
Cast Iron Bread Pans: these can come in all kinds of sizes…
what I found averaged between 11.0″ x 5.2″ x2.5″ and 13.0″ x 4.25″ x 2.5″
I think cast iron wil last the longest, give you the best tasting bread, easiest to clean, etc….BUT, there is a learning curve with cast iron, and if you have no experience with using it, there will probably several burndt loaves along the way.
I personally, have no experience cooking/baking with cast iron…
but I have tasted many a dish made in it & it was always to die for.
I do not know if this will help in any way, or if it will just confuse you Ladies & Gentlemen more.
Mary Jane
I have been making bread for 36 years. When all of my kids were home and in their teens I made about 16 loaves every week to 10 days, along with buns or cinnamon rolls. Fortunately, none of them had any allergy or intolerance to gluten problems. Once they left home, I had another problem—try as I might, I could never make a small batch of bread. I had eye balled up my recipe and quantities for years, and now the smallest batch I could make was at least 12 loaves, which lasted forever in the freezer for just myself and my husband. My older brother took up bread baking for the first time a few years back and started with something called Artisan Bread, which makes two round loaves at a time, with very little kneading. The loaves are cooked in covered, screaming hot cast iron Dutch ovens inside a range oven. He taught me. Now I double that basic recipe and make 4 rustic looking loaves in my Dutch ovens as I need them. You are never too old, or too late to learn a new trick. My novice baker brother makes all kinds of gourmet loaves now, which he uses as currency in amongst his friends and co-workers. He is 54 yrs. old.
lisa
looks like a great recipe.
I find it hard to believe that SO many people NEED to be wheat free.. it is the ‘new’ & in thing to do.
wonder tho is some that think they are bothered by wheat aren’t really allergic to the Ingred in store bought bread & NOT the wheat.
wondering what the next IN thing will be.
( everything in moderation .. )
Tawra
Yeah, my husband’s doc told him he thinks it’ more anxiety than wheat that’s the problem.
Anna Mosser
For those of you that need a bread maker and cannot afford one, here is a tip. I have gotten three bread makers at my local goodwill/ thriftshops. Just plug it in and test it at the store. Then you can use it just for the mixing to eliminate the hard work on your wrists or on your mixer.
CAROL A
King Arthur makes a gluten-free bread mix. If you can’t find it
in your local store you can buy from their website.
Harriet
Just made this and it turned out lovely! I am about to start a 2nd loaf to take my parents. I happened upon a 1/2 gallon of buttermilk at the store this AM that was marked down to $.99 b/c it was dated tomorrow. I will freeze what I do not use in baking today :)
Stacie
I have to use whole-wheat. Hope it turns out.
Tim
Now i been making homemade fresh rolls and bread for years.Grew up on it and i still make it (my version lol).Now i make my mine in the oven.I use honey and sugar and i also proof my yeast with a pinch of sugar in the amount of water/milk used in the recipe also i almost always heat my oven to about 150F and throw the flour and sugar salt in to warm it up (not hot warm) this speeds up the rising extremely well then in a bowl i add my eggs and honey and melted buter and mix up.Another thing i ALWAYS do is use king author flour.I know alot of people use reg and i have to but now days i prefer the taste and texture of king author bred flour over anything the the flour is higher in gluten so there for the yeast reacts well with it.I have learned thru the years its a science to bread and roll making.In the end the warm bread with real butter and honey is just heaven.
cathy a fox
what temperature for the buttermilk? thank-you, cathy
Jill
Cathy the recipe says everything should be at room temperature. That includes the buttermilk too.
Bonnie Born
Is it ok to use bread flour in this recipe?
Jill
You can usually substitute them in many recipes. The bread might be a little denser or the texture different but to much so.
Lorene
I have had major success with 1 teaspoon of honey that has been locally grown from local bees for headaches, allergies (me this time of year) sinus problems (my daughter) even a less amount of migraines. I started with a tablespoon each morning until I have now gotten to a teaspoon. If I forget the morning teaspoon and have a flare up, I go back to a tablespoon until it gets under control. The important thing is that it is local and of course organic is always better. If you don’t like honey, take it straight and wash it down. If using in teas, don’t boil. I do not know if this is just luck with me and a few others but it is worth a try. I am diabetic and it does not seem to make a big difference in the numbers. Good Luck.
Sharon
Hi Jill – Love your website.
I have been baking bread and rolls for over 40 years, but let me tell you this Farm House Bread is the best. It’s the buttermilk and that one egg that makes the difference. I kneaded in my big mixer. no problem, it raised like a dream. It was hot weather, so I made two small loaves, baked in my counter top convection oven. It was perfect. The best. Thank you so very much.
Blessings to you and your family. Sharon
Jill
Thank you Sharon. We have had several people who like this recipe and I think it is one Tawra loves too.
Shanti
Hi! I found this recipe on Pinterest (my new bible lol) and I can’t wait to try it! I’m wondering if you have ever made this and frozen the dough? As a busy mom I make all my bread one day for the week so I gravitate towards recipes I can freeze and take out as I need it. I am going to try it anyway but wondering if you have tried freezing? Thank you again this looks great!
Tawra
I don’t know why it wouldn’t work.
Brett Leach
I love this recipe, thank you for sharing it! I do the entire thing in my bread machine, on the 2 pound loaf setting. I add 1/4 cup flax seed meal, which I add to all the bread I make. One funny thing, the instructions for my machine tell me to add ingredients to the bread pan in the exact opposite order from what you give. So I use all your ingredients, add them in the order my instructions say, and out comes a perfect loaf of bread. Thanks again!
Micah @ MicahKlug.com
This recipe sounds amazing. I have found when I’m in a pinch and don’t have buttermilk that the best substitute is 1 cup of (regular) milk and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. I found that letting the milk sit for 10 minutes is best. This substitute isn’t as thick or creamy as buttermilk, but it’s a great substitute.
Tammy
Do you have a gluten free recipe for this or something close to it?
Jill
No Tammy we don’t.
Debbie
I love this bread. Are there adjustments for making it at high elevation?
Jill
Debbie there are a few different things to do and you have to just kind of experiment. Here is one website that lists a few things. Spruce Eats
Anna
I don’t have a bread machine— is the butter melted? How would I add the butter without a bread machine?
This bread looks so good!
Jill
You can make it with out a bread machine. Melt the butter. Here is our page with how to make homemade bread – just follow the instructions that go with this or you can basically add all the dry ingredients (only adding 2 cups of the flour at first) in a bowl then add the warmed up liquid ingredients. Beat with a mixer then stir in the last 2 cups of flour kneading a few times. Follow the rest of the directions for baking etc in the homemade bread recipe.
Bonnie
Has anyone tried this with whole wheat flour?
Jill
You can try whole wheat flour but usually in bread recipes you need to use like 1/2 all purpose and half whole wheat when you substitute like that.