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.
I was doubtful about the measurements as I weighed everything, but I carried on and hoped for the best. I ended up with a bowl full of slightly moist flour.
Its 320ml of water to 500g flour. I think you got your weights wrong. I use this recipe nearly every day.
I owe you an apology for the post. I discovered that my new kitchen scale was totally malfunctioning. I’ll be trying the recipe again as soon as I’ve got the replacement scales.
I bought a cheap Salter breadmaker during lock-down, but found Salter’s recipe truly hopeless ! Others I’ve tried have also been not right.
Seen your recipe recently and thought “why not; give it a go”. The loaf turned out to be absolutely awesome !
The best by a country mile.
I’ll use this recipe for ever !!
Thank you so much for posting.
I’m now going to try the other recipes you’ve posted.
It turned out lovely,it is about 1.5 lb,how would you adjust the recipe to make a 2lb loaf,to get the most out of my bread machine.It really was lovely
I have an EONBON bread maker. I have used your recipe a few times but I still have the problem that 1 side of the top crust of the bread has always not risen as fully as the other. This is usually the left hand side of the bread and so affects the size of the loaf, otherwise the loaf is excellent. Any thoughts on the reason for this.
I’ve no idea. I don’t know that machine. Strange it repeatedly affects only one side of your loaf. If it’s the same side all the time, perhaps it’s a heating issue.
Tried this the other day. Worked BRILLIANTLY. The loaf didn’t last very long!
4th time trying with new bread machine, fresh flour and new yeast and again it did not rise. I have adjusted and fixed anything it could be at my end, went so far as to buy a new bread machine! This recipe, I do not understand. Everyone else can make it work but for me, following all the rules (yeast not touching salt etc) it has never worked and i’ve tried 4 times now. Very disappointed!
I’m amazed. About 800g loaf? Maybe your yeast needs more than ours. What recipe proportions do you usually use that have worked for you? Most recipes work along the same proportional measurement principles. I find cold strong flour can go a bit flat sometimes.
I’ve tried this recipe exactly as stated using 3 different types of yeast to make sure it wasn’t my yeast and it will *not* rise at all. It ends up about 4 inches tall. I really want a traditional Scottish loaf recipe but this one just doesn’t work for me
I’d need to know how and which way you use ingredients to see if I can pinpoint what might be not working. Easy yeast is different from breadmaker yeast, and without a couple of proves, bread will suffer with the rising.
Hi, thank you for trying to help. So like you, I did water, oil, flour, sugar, salt, yeast in a little well in the middle of the flour away from the salt and sugar.
It could very well be the fault of my bread machine, so I got a new today to try. I just don’t understand why it refuses to rise. My yeast is brand new and fresh, it’s made for the bread machine Fleishman’s bread machine yeast. 1.5 tsp yeast is the least amount I’ve ever used usually it’s 2 1/4 tsp but I’m going by what you suggest in your recipe. It’s a 1.5 lb loaf? I think I read that in your comments.
I’ll repost if this current loaf works with the new machine!
Tried this today came out a bit doughy,not sure if too much flour or not enough yeast, the yeast I used was in a sachet of 7 grams but put in 1.5 teaspoons and the sachet was only half used most other recipes state 7 grams.
Hi Iain. A teaspoon as a measurement in cooking, is usually about 5-6 grams, so you shouldn’t have had any left over yeast from a 7g sachet. Too little yeast, usually just affects the density of the bread, rather than how doughy. How long did you let it prove for?
Wow! An amazing recipe, best loaf of bread I have ever made. First loaf now 3days old, just enough for a slice of toast – it’s amazing for that too! Very crispy, the real deal!
Thank you for the recipe.
Great bread, super soft and very tasty. I found this recipe easy and the results were brilliant.
Have made a few loafs now and they all tasted the same. Great toasted with butter and honey.
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!
This is a good recipe, I swap oil for lard however as fat retains moisture better making the bread softer.
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.