Using a breadmaker is like coming home to warm slippers. Yes, really. It’s so handy to have if we run out of shop bread and means I don’t have to run out for extra supplies late at night for the next days packed lunches.
I have a Panasonic which is fairly aged now but it still churns out the bread beautifully. It also means I can put some in the freezer too.
Breadmaker Bread: Basic Large Size White Loaf
Ingredients
- 320 ml Water
- 25 g Olive Oil
- 1.5 teaspoons Sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons Salt
- 1.5 teaspoons Breadmaker Yeast I use Allinsons or Dove's Farm
- 500 g Strong White Bread Flour
Instructions
- Breadmaker recipes tend to differ on how they explain using ingredients for bread. I tend to add in the water first as I really have not got the hang of putting in the dry ingredients first.
- Add the water and olive oil.
- Put the flour on top of the water until it completely coats the surface. If you're not confident, make a little well in the middle of the flour for the yeast.
- I put the salt and sugar on top of the flour into one side and then add the yeast in last, making sure that it is not in contact with the water or sugar at all.
- Select a four hour or basic bread setting. You can also use this recipe for a thicker French crust effect by using a longer setting to get a thicker crust. I find this is the best recipe for making sandwich bread for school packed lunches.
- Leaving your bread to cool fully means it will cut more easily, but if you're like my boys and like some warm bread to use immediately it comes out of the breadmaker, then it tends to be more of a tear and share effort here. I can get up to 11 slices from this, but when I first started to cut a loaf, I was lucky if I got five or six. It does take practice.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This is the best white loaf recipe for a bread machine I have found! I have a morphy Richards bread maker and used the largest setting and darkest crust. The loaf rose really well with a lovely texture and colour. Great result! Will definitely repeat.
Hi which size setting on your Panasonic Breadmaker do you use? Mine has M / L / XL.
Can’t wait to try your recipe out!
Plus as it has no dairy ingredients in it, It is suitable for Vegans too, you might want to add it to your keywords in your text!
Hello, I tried your recipe because I am looking for the Scottish white bread that I buy in the English/Scottish shop locally here in Canada.
My loaf did not rise. It looks like the gluten free loaves I do for my son. Any suggestions?
Should the water be cold, warm or room temp?
Thank you!
The water should be let to get to room temperature if you are not using a breadmaker. The yeast must also not touch any other ingredient until the mixing process begins, with at least a double prove for fresh bread. In a breadmaker, it might depend on the brand you have. I had one supermarket own brand that was rubbish and every loaf came out like a lump of stone.
You could try adding a small quantity of soya flour to help with the rising!
BEST BREAD EVER! tried this for the first time and it is absolutely brilliant. Pretty much fool proof. Best bread I have tasted for years!
Thank you
iv had many a flop with my bread machine and tried different yeasts and flours,found this recipe and never looked back,not one bad loaf,even used it with half and half whole and lately just plain flour and still 100 % goods every time,thanks
Best recipe I have used in many years of owning a bread machine
Hi. Thank you so much for this recipe. We had a much-ignored bread maker which came out of storage in lockdown. This is the only recipe I use now although I go half and half with wholemeal to keep everyone in the house happy. Honestly this is such a hit even my son likes the crust. I never thought I’d see the day!
I’m just wondering how to make it smaller. I know that sounds like a daft question but I’m not a baker. I want to start doing smaller ones that aren’t as tall. Ours are quite tall. Can I just decrease the ingredients proportionately?
Hi there, I’m not sure how to measure 25g of olive oil – is it the same as 25 ml?
Many thanks for your help
Hi Celia. For such a small amount, it makes no difference. I tend to measure all mine in g for my scales, to save having to try and measure out different weights for fluid and solids.
I made it today and it’s absolutely delicious! My favourite do far! I’m saving this recipe to make again and again
What size loaf does this make please.
I’m new to making bread in a breadmaker.
Many thanks
It’s about an 800g loaf size, about the same as a regular sized family shop loaf weight wise, but different in shape etc, as we don’t use the same bread moulds.
Very good recipe. Trustworthy works every time. FINALLY I’VE FOUND A RECIPE THAT WORKS.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Having nervously got my bread maker (same model as yours) out of several years’ storage and cleaned it up, I now have a beautiful loaf just like I used to make.
This recipe made me cry. Happy tears! I am an ancient Scottish ex-pat now living (happily!) in Utah. When we bought our house my dear husband made sure I had all the kitchen gadgets my little wannabe Chef’s heart could desire – one being a Cuisinart bread machine. I trawled through the internet and all my British cookbooks, but never found the perfect bread (US bread is too sweet for me). I finally landed on this site, and rushed to get all the ingredients – not too many – together. The bread was done about 8.30 last night, and it was SO hard to wait till it was cold to taste it. It came out as a HUGE loaf, so I was delighted. Then I ate a slice with kerrygold butter – oh my goodness, I was transported back to Banffshire when the “Van” – a travelling grocery store – came on Wednesdays, and we all tore into a fresh pan loaf. THANK you so much, I will be using this recipe a whole lot, I promise you!
Enjoy. Nothing beats a fresh loaf.
How odd that someone felt the need to write a comment stating how you could make the bread better. Clearly you are already very happy with your recipe otherwise you wouldn’t have published it online. I tried it a few days ago and it came out absolutely perfectly, best loaf that we’ve had from our panasonic and i’ve owned it for about 12 years! Thanks so much. We also tried exactly the same recipe with 300g white and 200g wholemeal on a 5 hour wholemeal setting and it was also perfect. I am wondering if it is because it uses less sugar and has oil instead of butter. Love it, thanks
Thanks Bryony. I too think the oil has something to do with it, as it’s liquid and easier to mix. Glad you enjoy it, it’s one of our favourites.
You’re bread will turn out better if you put the dry ingredients in first- the yeast the very first, then flour. It stops the yeast from activating too soon and getting exhausted before the party is really ready to begin, i.e. the initial rest period of most breadmaker programs.
The best way to get the water quantity right is to weigh the water into the mixing pan. Use a set of good electric scales for this.