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. The mix can be stored in the pantry for up to a year.
Old Fashioned White Bread Mix
For a 1.5 pound Loaf you’ll need:
3 1/3 c. Bread Flour*
1 1/2 Tbs Sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
Combine all of the ingredients into a Ziploc bag, or mason jar, mixing well to combine. Write the following instructions on the bag:
How To Make bread from the Old Fashioned White Bread Mix:
Pour 1 1/4 c. + 2 Tbs Milk (80F) into the bread machine pan.
Gently dump the contents of the bread machine mix onto the milk, then add 2 Tbs butter (or margarine) to the corners of the bread pan on top of the flour mix.
Do not stir.
In the center of the mix, make a small well, add 1 1/2 tsp Bread Machine/ Fast Rise Yeast (OR 2 tsp regular active dry yeast).
Set the bread machine to the Basic (1.5 pound) loaf, with the desired bread crust color of your choice (light, med, dark).
For a 2 pound Loaf you’ll Need:
4 cups Bread flour*
2 Tbs Sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Combine all of the ingredients in a ziploc bag, mixing well to combine. Write the following instructions on the bag:
To Make bread:
Pour 1 1/2 c. + 2 Tbs Milk (80F) into the bread machine pan
Gently dump the contents of the bread machine mix onto the milk
add 2 Tbs butter (or margarine) to the corners of the bread pan on top of the flour mix.
In the center of the mix, make a small well, add 2 tsp Bread Machine/ Fast Rise Yeast (OR 2 1/4 tsp regular yeast).
Set the bread machine to the Basic (1.5 pound) loaf, with the desired bread crust color of your choice (light, med, dark).
What’s the difference between bread flour and all-purpose flour?
*Bread Flour– Bread flour contains more gluten than regular all purpose flour. However, you can use all purpose flour in its place if you also add 1 tsp of Vital Wheat Gluten PER Cup of flour. So for 3 cups of all purpose flour you would also add 3 tsp of gluten. For 4 cups of all purpose flour, you would add 4 tsp of gluten. Wheat gluten is available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores (usually above the flour). It comes in a small box and should be stored in the fridge for increased longevity.
Bread Machine Note: The Bread machine that I used for the bread (displayed in the photo) is the West Bend High Rise (dual paddle) model. Although this recipe should work fine in any Bread Machine. You can get them here on Amazon.
How to Prepare a Homemade Bread Mix, without a Bread Machine
Don’t have a Bread machine?- Here are the directions for making it by hand or by a mixer.
Tried this recipe? Mention @Budget101com or tag #Budget101
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i am new to making bread, even with the help of a machine! i attempted this bread with all purpose flour so that i can see the difference when i make it next with bread flour. it definitely could have used some more rising, but i don’t know if the additional rising would also help with the saltiness.
i may reduce the amount of salt with the next batch.
*Update: I picked up some bread flour and had to give this recipe another shot! Boy am I glad I did, so delicious. It smelled amazing while it was baking so I had to try some as soon as it done.
Well, that’s the good news. The bad news is that I think I ruined for store bought bread now!
i have not dug out my bread machine since i moved several months ago. your mixes have inspired me to get it out of the box and put it to work! i look forward to some hot, fresh, tasty bread!
thanks so much.:beaverhug:
this mix is great! i have bagged several mixes for my storage! this is really tasty and a snap in the bread machine.
i pulled out the bread machine and dusted it off today just to make this. yum yum yum… i had stopped using my bread machine a while back.
i think it is time to keep it on the counter now that i know i can make up the mix ahead of time amid have it all ready to go. thanks for this recipe!!!
i too pulled out my bread machine today…i can’t wait until the morning when i make my first home made bread in months! :mornincoffee: & some fresh bread.who could ask for more
can i use water instead of the milk? thanks for your time!!!:bee:
i haven’t had success making a loaf of bread in my machine that doesn’t fall. any tips on how to keep dough from falling while baking?
I have trouble with all of my bread falling. What am I doing wrong?
there is a troubleshooting guide for bread here:
https://www.budget101.com/content.php/4020-Bread-Flops-Troubleshooting-Broken-Bread
Scrumptious mix! Thanks for sharing. Perfect for family weekend dinner!