Making bread used to be a daunting task, kneading and kneading and letting it rise and then kneading some more. Bread machines have taken nearly all of the work out of making homemade fresh bread. To make this process even easier, you can make bread mixes ahead of time and have your bread machine doing ALL of the work in under 5 minutes flat.
Old fashioned white bread mix is a make ahead homemade convenience bread maker mix recipe to save time and money.
Once you’ve measured out the dry ingredients, all you’re doing on baking day is pouring, dumping, and pressing start. No standing over a mixer, no sticky hands, no guessing whether you added the salt.
The dry mix keeps in the pantry for up to a year, which means you can portion out a whole shelf of these bags in one sitting and never be more than 5 minutes away from a fresh loaf. Make one for tonight’s dinner, or make a dozen and hand them out as gifts. Either way, this is one of the most versatile make-ahead mixes in the Budget101 lineup.
Each brand of machine creates different size loaves, usually a 1.5 pound loaf and a 2.0 pound loaf. Both sizes are below so you can build the bag that matches your machine.
You’ll Need:
Old Fashioned White Bread Mix
For a 1.5 Pound Loaf
- 3 1/3 cups bread flour*
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
For a 2 Pound Loaf
- 4 cups bread flour*
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Combine the dry ingredients for whichever size you’re making into a Ziploc bag or mason jar, mixing well to combine so the salt and sugar don’t settle at the bottom. Label the bag with the loaf size and the instructions below so future-you doesn’t have to guess.
💡 Expert Tip: Write the “To Use” instructions directly on the bag or jar with a permanent marker before you forget which size it is. A bag of dry mix looks identical whether it’s the 1.5 lb or 2 lb version, and guessing wrong throws off your whole loaf.
To Use:
To Use (1.5 pound loaf):
- Pour 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp milk (80°F) into the bread machine pan.
- Gently dump the contents of the bag on top of the milk. Do not stir.
- Add 2 tbsp butter (or margarine) to the corners of the pan on top of the flour mix.
- Make a small well in the center of the mix and add 1 1/2 tsp bread machine/fast rise yeast (or 2 tsp regular active dry yeast).
- Set the machine to the Basic (1.5 lb) cycle with your preferred crust color.
To Use (2 pound loaf):
- Pour 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp milk (80°F) into the bread machine pan.
- Gently dump the mix onto the milk. Do not stir.
- Add 2 tbsp butter to the corners of the pan on top of the flour.
- Make a well in the center and add 2 tsp bread machine/fast rise yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp regular yeast).
- Set the machine to the Basic (2 lb) cycle with your preferred crust color.
Each batch makes one loaf, roughly 16 slices, perfect for sandwiches, toast, or serving warm alongside dinner with a pat of butter.
Store the finished loaf at room temperature in a bread bag or airtight container for up to 5 days, or slice and freeze for up to 3 months. The unbaked dry mix itself stores in the pantry, sealed, for up to a year.
Notes: The bread machine used in the photo is the West Bend High Rise (dual paddle) model, but this mix works in any standard bread machine. Don’t have a bread machine? You can make it by hand or with a stand mixer instead.
*Bread flour has more gluten than all-purpose flour. To substitute all-purpose flour, add 1 tsp Vital Wheat Gluten per cup of flour used (so 4 cups AP flour needs 4 tsp gluten). Vital wheat gluten is shelved in the baking aisle, usually above the flour, and keeps best in the fridge once opened.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Old Fashioned White Bread Mix (2 lb Loaf)
Bread Flour | $4.88 | 4 cups | $1.08 | |
Sugar | $3.27 | 2 tbsp | $0.05 | |
Salt | $1.86 | 1 1/2 tsp | $0.02 | |
Milk | $3.26 | 1 1/2 c. + 2 tbsp | $0.33 | |
Butter | $3.98 | 2 tbsp | $0.25 | |
Bread Machine Yeast | $5.48 | 2 tsp | $0.30 |
💸 | Cost |
🧾 Total Batch Cost | $2.03 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving (16 slices) | $0.13 |
🏪 Store-Bought (Great Value White Bread, scaled to 2 lb) | $2.37 |
💰 You Save | $0.34 per loaf |
📅 Walmart prices last verified July 10, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change.
The savings on paper are modest since basic store bread is cheap, but the real win here is what you’re actually getting: a warm, preservative-free loaf you control every ingredient in, for a batch you can mix up ahead in under 5 minutes. Store-bought fresh bakery loaves easily run $4-6, so if that’s your usual comparison, the savings jump considerably.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stored in a sealed Ziploc bag or mason jar, the dry mix keeps for up to a year. Keep it somewhere cool and dry, away from direct sunlight.
Yes. Add 1 tsp of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour to make up for the lower protein content. For the 2 lb loaf, that means 4 tsp of gluten added to 4 cups of all-purpose flour.
Yeast is alive and needs to stay dry and separated from liquid until baking starts, and butter needs to stay refrigerated. Only the flour, sugar, and salt are shelf-stable enough to premix and store.
Warm milk (about 80°F) helps the yeast activate properly during the machine’s mix cycle. Cold milk can slow the rise, so let it sit out for a few minutes or warm it slightly if it’s fridge-cold.
Yes. Use 2 tsp regular active dry yeast for the 1.5 lb loaf, or 2 1/4 tsp for the 2 lb loaf, in place of the bread machine yeast amounts listed.
Layering keeps the yeast dry and separate from the liquid until the machine starts mixing. Stirring by hand can activate the yeast too early or unevenly, which affects the rise.
You can double the dry mix ingredients to portion into two separate bags, but each bag should still be used to make one loaf at a time in the bread machine unless your machine has a larger pan capacity.
This mix can be made by hand or with a stand mixer instead. See the linked instructions for preparing a bread machine mix without a bread machine.
Keep the baked loaf at room temperature in a bread bag or airtight container for up to 5 days, or slice and freeze it for up to 3 months.
This is usually old or improperly stored yeast, milk that was too hot or too cold, or measuring the flour by scooping instead of spooning it into the cup. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
Tried this recipe? Mention @Budget101com or tag #Budget101
Love this Old Fashioned White Bread Mix Recipe? Pin it!
Printable Recipe Card
Old Fashioned White Bread Mix (Bread Machine)
Ingredients
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons milk, 80°F
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine the bread flour, sugar, and salt in a Ziploc bag or mason jar, mixing well. Store in the pantry until ready to bake.4 cups bread flour2 tablespoons sugar1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Pour the milk into the bread machine pan.1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk, 80°F
- Gently dump the dry mix on top of the milk without stirring.
- Add the butter to the corners of the pan on top of the flour.2 tablespoons butter
- Make a small well in the center of the flour and add the yeast.2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
- Set the bread machine to the Basic cycle for a 2 lb loaf, choosing your preferred crust color.
- Let the machine complete its full cycle, then remove the loaf and cool before slicing.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
