If you love warm bread fresh from the oven (with butter melting on top) as much as we do you'll find tons more homemade bread recipes here.
Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- There's nothing like the taste (and smell!) of homemade bread!
- Over 900 5 star reviews plus lots of rave reviews on Pinterest and Facebook.
- This easy bread recipe has been in the top 3 on Google since I published it in 2008!
This truly is a no fail buttermilk bread recipe - millions of readers have tried it and loved it because it comes out delicious, light and fluffy every time!
If you've never worked with homemade yeast dough before take a look at this breadmaking guide before you get started. It answers about any question you could have.
⭐ Readers say
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Definitely 5 Stars Thank You for posting these awesome recipes. Having you with your background and experience post for all of us who are always looking to find a better way of preparing delicious food is remarkable!! I personally want to Thank You for your kindness and thoughtfulness!💕💕💕. Debra A.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Just made this for the first time, I have never made bread like this. I was worried because the buttermilk mixture was so fluffy but this bread turned out AMAZING! Such a good flavor! It’s subtly sweet and has great texture. Thanks for the recipe! Stacy
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
Honey buttermilk bread is so unbelievably light that no one will believe it's made from scratch.
Here are the ingredients for this soft sandwich bread.- I used active dry yeast but you can use rapid rise if you want - just follow the instructions on the packet of yeast.
- Buttermilk in bread adds a little flavor but mostly it creates that soft, tender crumb we all love. If you don't have any you can make homemade buttermilk.
- Salt - kosher salt was used. If you use regular table salt cut the amount by about ¼th or so.
- Bread flour - you can use all purpose flour if you like. There might be a tiny difference in how high it rises. Take a look at this list of different types of flour and how to use them.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Just follow the images to see how to mix, knead, and shape this easy, homemade sandwich loaf.
Mixing and kneading
- Mix the sugar, ginger, yeast, and warm water in a small bowl and set aside until foamy.
- Whisk the buttermilk, honey, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
- Add it to the yeast mixture.
- Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add three cups of flour and mix until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes on low speed of a stand mixer.
- Pour in the butter and blend.
- Switch to kneading hook (dough hook attachment). Add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, keeping mixer on low speed.
- When buttermilk dough pulls from the sides of the bowl remove it from the mixer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead it by hand a few times until elastic and smooth
- Place dough in greased
mixing bowl , turn to grease the top, and cover with a clean tea towel. Let rise about 1 ½ hours.
Shaping
How to shape homemade sandwich bread step by step.- Punch dough down. You'll want to give it a gentle kneading for a minute or two but nothing like the first time! Don't over-knead it.
- Shape into loaves.
- Place loaves in bread pans and let rise until double. Bake.
- Remove finished loaves from oven. Brush with butter.
- Cool on a wire rack and slice.
- Perfect!
🍞 Bread machine instructions
Many of you have asked how to make buttermilk bread in a bread machine. One reader, Debbie, did and this is what she said:
"If you want to make it and bake it in a bread machine cut the buttermilk bread recipe in half, set it on white bread setting, and add ingredients in this order (or according to your manufacturer's instructions):
- Water
- Buttermilk
- Butter
- Honey
- Sugar
- Salt
- Flour mixed with ginger and baking soda
- Yeast
🎥 Video
Click on the image to watch me knead this. (Video opens in a new tab).
🥫 Storage
Homemade bread doesn't last long after it's baked. You can wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight storage container and keep it at room temperature for about 2 days.
For longer storage cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
I like to cut it in slices and freeze with a piece of wax paper or parchment paper between the slices. That way I can just thaw what I need without thawing the whole loaf.
To freeze unbaked dough you'll want to double the amount of yeast called for in the recipe and then freeze the dough after shaping it into loaves.
When ready to bake let the loaves thaw overnight in the refrigerator then finish rising at room temperature. It will take a bit longer to rise than normal.
Bake as directed in the recipe.
📖 Variations
This is one of those easy bread recipes that you can change up by adding other ingredients.
- Knead in raisins and add sugar and cinnamon before shaping for a wonderful cinnamon raisin bread - use shaping instructions in this cinnamon swirl bread recipe.
- The rich texture of buttermilk bread makes it perfect for slicing thickly and making into French toast.
- If it gets a bit stale make it into bread pudding. Yum!
- This makes a great buttermilk dinner rolls recipe, too! Just shape into rolls and bake at 375f for 10 to 15 minutes.
💭 Things to know
Expert tip: You may need more or less flour than called for in the recipe. Weather and climate can affect your ingredients - humidity will often mean you'll need at least an extra ¼ cup or so of flour. If you bake bread on a rainy day it will rise higher than on a clear one due to air pressure!
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Use yeast that is within the sell by date. If your bread dough isn't rising well it could be that the yeast is too old.
- If you're short on time you can let the bread rise in the refrigerator overnight for either the first or second rising time.
- The baking soda does two things… It works with the acid in the buttermilk to help the bread rise high and light and balances any off tastes from the acids in the buttermilk.
- Make sure your liquids are not hotter than 110F. Check with an insta-read thermometer. If the liquids are too hot the yeast will die.
- Be sure to fully knead the dough. It develops the flavor and texture - and will take 8 to 10 minutes by hand of kneading vigorously.
- Grease the top of the dough before rising.
- Let dough rise in a warm spot. A draft-free place is best.
- If you like the crust a darker golden brown brush it with egg yolk mixed with a teaspoon of water just before putting in the oven.
- Cool the baked bread in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out to finish cooling.
- Brush the loaves with butter while still hot and then cover with a clean tea towel while cooling for soft crusts.
- Here's how to use up that leftover buttermilk!
Troubleshooting
If you're having problems with yeast doughs and homemade bread I have answers!
Also - these tips on getting your homemade bread to rise properly are what keep mine high and light!
👩🍳 FAQs
Yes! This bread recipe is made with honey but you can use sugar in it instead. Use an equal amount or slightly less sugar.
My favorite is glass.
The loaves bake evenly and the crust is perfect. I've heard good things about cast iron but I haven't tried it yet. Aluminum or metal pans are fine if that's what you have - your crust may brown faster so watch it.
Rub the crusts with butter and cover with a tea towel as soon as you bring them out of the oven if you like soft crust.
If you want a crusty bread don't cover it as it's cooling. You can also brush it with egg white blended with 1 teaspoon of water before baking.
You can use an insta-read thermometer if you like. Push it into the side of the loaf - the center of the bread should be about 200F.
You can also turn the loaf out and tap the bottom. It will sound hollow. After you've baked bread a few times you'll just know.
Try removing a tablespoon of flour and adding a tablespoon of wheat gluten for every cup of flour you add to the bread. This helps it rise better and stay light and fluffy.
Sure, you'll need to halve the recipe and follow the manufacturer's instructions. Be careful not to overknead.
📚 Related recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
This bread makes delicious sandwiches! Try it with -
📞 The last word
This country white bread is a classic recipe that you'll use again and again!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Honey Buttermilk Bread
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 tablespoon yeast, or 1 packet
- 1 pinch powdered ginger
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup water, warm, 105F - 110F
- 2 cups cultured buttermilk, warm, 105F - 110F
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, if using table salt use ¾ teaspoon
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 cups bread flour, you may use all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup butter, melted and cooled so that it is warm to the touch but not hot.
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl mix the yeast, ginger, sugar, and 110F water.
- Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.
- Whisk the buttermilk, honey, salt, and baking soda together and add it to the yeast mixture.
- Add three cups of flour and mix until smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes on low of a stand mixer.
- Pour in the butter until it is totally mixed into the batter.
- Add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, keeping mixer on low speed.
- When dough pulls from the sides of the bowl remove it from the mixer to a lightly floured surface. Knead until elastic and smooth. You can also knead in your mixer according to manufacturer's directions.
- Place in greased bowl, turn to grease the top, and cover bowl with a clean tea towel.
- Allow the dough to rise for 1 ½ hours, or until double.
- Punch down and form into two loaves. Place each in a greased loaf pan with seam sides down. Grease tops.
- Cover, and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until it is just about to the tops of the bread pans.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Bake for 30 minutes. You can cover the tops with foil if they brown too fast.
- Remove from oven and brush top of the loaves with melted butter. Place on cooling rack.
- Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes.
- Gently run a knife around the edge between the bread and the pan to loosen it.
- Turn out and cool completely on a rack.
- Cover the loaves if you want soft crusts.
Notes
-
Expert tip: You may need more or less flour than called for in the recipe. Weather and climate can affect your ingredients - humidity will often mean you'll need at least an extra ¼ cup or so of flour. If you bake bread on a rainy day it will rise higher than on a clear one due to air pressure!
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Use yeast that is within the sell by date. If your bread dough isn't rising well it could be that the yeast is too old..
- Make sure your liquids are not more than 110F. Check with a insta-read thermometer. If the liquids are too hot the yeast will die.
- Be sure to fully knead the dough. It develops the flavor and texture - and will take 8 to 10 minutes by hand.
- Grease the top of the dough before rising.
- Let the dough rise in a warm spot.
- If you feel the bread gets too brown at 375f bake at 350 f.
- Cool the baked bread in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out to finish cooling.
- Brush the loaves with butter while still hot and then cover with a clean tea towel while cooling for soft crusts.
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 undated from the original 2008 version to improve reader experience. Last updated June 26, 2022 for more information and better instructions.
Janice says
I am a bread making newbie and this is one of the first recipes I've tried so I was a bit nervous but determined. The result was two amazingly soft and fluffy perfect loaves. Taste delicious! Can't wait to make it again!
Maya says
BEST BREAD EVERRRR !!! Thank you so much for the recipe .This will definitely be a weekly addition to my baking
Deb S says
Can I make a suggestion? If it's not too much effort could you change the order of the ingredients so they are listed in the order they are used? I didn't notice and added the butter at the wrong time. I do all of my recipes that way so I know where I'm at and if I missed something. I usually watch out for new recipes but was in a hurry today and screwed it up - I added the butter at the wrong time and the loaves didn't rise. They still tasted okay but were not anything like the pics. I know it's nit-picky. If it's too much trouble I'll just re-type the recipe and add it to my collection because I know when I do it right it's going to be amazing.
Tim Jenkins says
Marye,
I loved making this bread! It has never failed. I made so much we couldn't eat it all before it went stale, so we made croutons with it. They were incredible too! Thanks so much for this recipe. It is a keeper for sure! I also made the dough into dinner rolls and they were wonderful that way as well!
I have one question, if I may ask. Can this dough be frozen, and if so, at what point in the process would it go to the freezer?
Deb S says
This will be my first time ever trying to make bread. So a few questions:
What rack do I put the loaf pans on in the oven?
If I use metal pans does that change the baking time?
I don't have a machine with paddles, only the hook. If kneading by hand, how long would that take?
Maybe I should check out your links 🙂
Marye Audet says
🙂
Middle rack is fine.
No.
Probably about 8 minutes.. you can use the hook if you like.
🙂 Let me know how it comes out.
Carla says
Made this last night in bread machine on dough cycle, best bread I've tried on Pinterest yet! Made a loaf and remaining dough in cinnamon rolls! AMAZING !!
Gray says
Used spelt flour as I can't eat modern wheat products. No buttermilk, so used the lemon juice/milk combo. I was aiming for a loaf and some hamburger buns, but 400 was way to hot for this recipe. I wound up pulling the buns at 8 min and the loaf at 18. They were good, but overdone. Next time (and there will be a next time 🙂 ), I will try a lower temp (and maybe cinnamon roll a loaf's worth of dough...)
Stef says
I also found 400 to be too high of a temperature. The sides of the bread were really dark and so was the top despite the fact that I covered it with foil. But it was still very tasty so I'll definitely be trying this recipe again. Next time I will bake it at 350 instead.
By the way, the buttermilk I use (I'm from Canada) only has partly skimmed milk, salt and bacterial culture. Kind of crazy that the buttermilk in the U.S. has all those other additives...
Dana says
Can I use half all purpose and half bread flour? I am low on bread flour.
Marye Audet says
Yes you can. 🙂
Douglas says
I had real organic buttermilk left over from my gingerbread cookie batter from the holidays and came across your recipe. The dough has a wonderful taste and the loaves are on their second proof. have you experimented with different types of honey? I used orange blossom honey rather than the stronger buckwheat honey. What does the butter milk do to change the dough?
Crystal says
I'm new to bread making. When mixing the ingredients (steps 4-6), should I be using the dough hook, a whisk, or the paddle attachment for my mixer? And then for kneading it, do I just use the dough hook? Thanks for the help!
Marye Audet says
If you are using a Kitchenaid and not a Bosch then use the paddle then the dough hook for kneading. 🙂
Char says
I made this bread today and I am in shock! It actually rose up just as you said it would and it came out looking almost like the two loaves in the picture. And yes, it is so yummy you don't need to add butter or jelly to it.
I have NEVER had good luck making bread. I have been trying on and off for 45 years of marriage with extremely limited success. My attempts never rose much, whether when I lived at sea level or now where I live at 4200 ft. They would come out heavy and not easy to cut, no matter how I adjusted the liquid or the flour. No matter what type of yeast or how spanking brand new it was.
I think it must be the fact that your recipe calls for the instant yeast to be mixed with the 1/4 cup of warm water and tbsp of sugar and sit for 5 mins until frothy? And the salt mixed in with the warm buttermilk and honey, so that it gets really thoroughly mixed before adding the flour?
I used yeast I had purchased recently from King Arthur's Flour and had stored in my freezer. I had already tried and flopped when using it for bread using their recipes. I also used their bread flour, which I had not opened yet.
I recently bought two new metal bread pans, made in America. They say made in USA, but the name of the company is not on them and I threw away the packaging.
I did not have fresh buttermilk nor did I want to make my own, but I had Saco buttermilk powder that I use for pancakes. You store it in the frig after opening the package. Mine was in there for a couple months. The directions say to add it to the dry mix and put in the water instead of the buttermilk.
Instead, I added it to 2 cups of warm water and mixed it well.
Everything else was the same as your recipe.
I am so glad I found it.
Char
Kevin R says
Trying this one out - I love the simple variations in bread recipes. I've recently started keeping my own cultured buttermilk at all time in the fridge so always looking for new ways to use it.. My tops were *really* browned at even 10 minutes in so I tried to cover them at that point and steam the oven a bit, lowering it to 360. Hope it comes out. They rose wonderfully and continued to in the oven. Mouth is watering. 🙂
Sharon says
Will this recipe work with gluten free flour?
Marye Audet says
I don't think so. The dough needs the gluten to rise.
Donna says
I see you've used glass bread pans, but what size are they? This looks really good, can't wait to try it!!!
Marye Audet says
I believe they are Pyrex 9x5x4s. 🙂
Suzanne says
Great recipe! Nice crumb and a lovely flavor, it also freezes well. We eat one loaf and freeze the other double wrapped in foil and plastic wrap the frozen loaf thaws well and tastes almost as good. (nothing compares to bread the day it is baked!) Thanks!
Kathleen says
I made your onion cheese yeast bread for Thanksgiving and that was a HUGE success! I'd like to make some bread this weekend with my daughters, but I'm just wondering: can I use this honey buttermilk recipe to make rolls? Or does it work best just as loaves? Thanks!
Marye Audet says
You can use it as rolls! It works great!
marisa says
Hi! I've recently discover this site and I've just made and eat this bread and is absolutely wonderful. I must say though, that I didn't have buttermilk so I replace it with evaporated milk+2 tbsp of vinegar. I don't know if it makes a huge difference because is was crusty but soft and fluffy inside and also they didn't ended up perfect like in your pics (mine ended up cracked) so maybe is was because of that?
Marye Audet says
Yeah, the vinegar and milk doesn't work well with this. 🙂
marisa says
Ohhhh hahaha then I'll try to find dome buttermilk next time.
Ps. the bread turned out delicious anyway but not pretty... 😀
Bri says
Any suggestions for someone new to bread making?
Marye Audet says
Bri, I have 3 posts of bread baking troubleshooting -- you should be able to find them in the index. I also highly recommend my book, Bread Bootcamp, you'll find a link on this post or on the side bar.
Susan | LunaCafe says
Your loaves look amazing. Must try. Plus I love the idea of making my own buttermilk; thank you for sharing that. i'm going to order the starter. 🙂
Dolores McCann says
This is my favorite recipe for bread. And the instructions are so specific. This is the one I learned on. My husband thinks I'm more special now. Got "Bread Bootcamp" book too. Love it.
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
Gorgeous loaf Marye. Buttermilk makes such a delicious and tender loaf. I can almost taste this!!!!