Homemade Bread Machine Mixes

This post may contain affiliate links, see Disclosure.

Bread machines are a delightful kitchen appliance that can provide fresh homemade bread with minimal effort. If you have one at home, you know how expensive those little boxed bread machine mixes can be!

Bread machine mixes are pre-measured mixes of dry ingredients, often layered in mason jars, requiring the addition of minimal ingredients and effort to prepare. While each machine’s brand is slightly different, all bread machine mixes will contain a base of water or milk, dry ingredients, yeast, and a few butter pats.

old fashioned white bread mix — Old Fashioned White Bread Mix

We make our own homemade bread machine mixes in a variety of flavors. We thought we’d share a few of our favorite tricks with you for making your own bread maker mixes as well as tried and true recipes.

Homemade Bread Machine Mixes: For Machine or Oven

Bread maker mixes work well in any bread machine brand or conveniently mixed ahead of time for quick and easy homemade bread in the oven. There’s very little that compares with the smell and taste of freshly baked bread. Here are step by step directions for preparing a bread machine mix without a bread machine.

How to Prepare Bread Maker Mixes

Making your own homemade bread mixes is very easy. You’ll need a Ziploc bag, vacuum seal bag, mason jar, or another easily sealable container.

Choose the bread machine mix recipe of your choice, then measure all of the dry ingredients into your container of choice. I prefer to use Ziploc bags for storage, as they are very compact and don’t take up a lot of space. However, for the ease of measuring, I use these Rubbermaid containers and make five mixes simultaneously, then quickly transfer them into the bags for storage.

b101 garlic bread maker mixes — Garlic & Herb Bread Machine Mixes

First, measure the flour into each one, then the sugar, then the seasonings or spices, depending on your recipe. Basically, I only handle each ingredient once, measuring them directly into each bowl, then moving to the next item in the recipe.

b101 bread machine mix — Cinnamon Raisin Bread Machine Mixes

Preparing the recipe in bulk using this method saves time and allows me to prepare five complete mixes in less than ten minutes.

b101 bread machine mixes 3 — Homemade Bread Maker Mixes, in Bulk

Attach a tag with the required ingredients needed to complete the recipe, such as yeast, butter, or water, as well as the baking time. If a recipe calls for milk, I’ll often use powdered milk in the homemade bread maker mix, so all I have to add is water.

Ziploc bags are great because you can write directly on the baggie with a permanent marker and then save and refill them. Ziploc or vacuum seal bags take up the least amount of space and are the easiest to store.

I’ve also found that using mason jars with plastic lids work wonderfully for bread mixes. You can use a dry erase marker to write the rest of the ingredients right on the jar or lid. The instructions wash off easily and reusable indefinitely.

How to Store Bread Machine Mixes

It is advisable to store bread machine mixes in sealed containers or bags for up to one year. If you’re making a mix that includes nuts or dried fruit, it’s best to keep them in a separate bag or container.

I generally mix several different types of bread machine mixes and store them in a basket beside the bread machine in a slide-out drawer in the cupboard.

How to Make Bread from a Homemade Bread Machine Mix

To make bread from a homemade bread maker mix, add the liquid listed in the recipe (milk, water, or eggs) to the pan’s bottom. Be sure the liquid is at the temperature recommended by the manufacturer of your particular machine. Most recipes call for milk or water to be at 80°F.

Then add the dry ingredients; in other words, the homemade bread machine mix you created!

Finally, make a small well (an indentation) in the middle of the dry ingredients and measure the yeast on top. Add the room temperature butter, cut into thin pats, into the corners of the pan.

Close the lid and set the bread machine according to the manufacturer’s directions, paying attention to the loaf size you chose and the desired color, light, medium, or dark. The photo below is a finished loaf of cinnamon cherry bread using the basic white bread, medium setting, and perfectly golden brown.

b101 bread maker cinnamon cherry bread — Bread Maker: Cherry Raisin Cinnamon Bread

Some bread machines have a special “beep” notification that tells you when to add in nuts or dried fruit, etc. Be sure to jot that down on the finishing instructions for your particular recipe.

b101 apple cider bread maker bread mix — Apple Cider Bread Machine Recipe

Once again, if you don’t have a bread machine, you can still make these convenient homemade bread mixes ahead of time, then follow these easy oven instructions to complete the recipe.