Buttermilk Bread is one of those old-fashioned homemade breads that make everything better. And by everything, I mean sandwiches, croutons, bread pudding, French toast, regular toast, garlic bread or grilled cheese. Of course, in order to make any of these bready delights, you need some leftover bread. You might eat it all right out of the oven!
Buttermilk makes the best bread
Looking over the rest of the recipes on my blog, it seems that I REALLY love baking with buttermilk. (Check out the other buttermilk recipes here!) My grandfather used to drink buttermilk at every meal, so I am very nostalgic about buttermilk. However, the moist crumb and tender crust also make buttermilk an excellent choice when making bread. I bet my grandfather would have really loved this bread too!
This recipe for Buttermilk Bread makes one really large loaf. The original recipe said something about 2 loaves, but I could never make that happen. My bread loaf pan is 9”x 5” x 2.5” (22.8 x 12.7 x 6.35cm) and from the pics you can see that it makes a nice sized loaf.
One of my favorite ways to use Buttermilk Bread is to toast it on a cast iron griddle with a generous dollop of Irish butter. What is it about a simple piece of toast that makes my heart sing? I also really love a good homemade jam. In fact, I would take toast and jam over a dessert any day of the week. So very good!
Excellent for Texas toast
Ooh, I forgot to mention Texas toast! All you need to do is slice the bread extra thick. I especially love Texas toast with barbecue. So delicious with a slather of barbecue sauce, pickles, potato salad and some slices of smoked brisket. My favorite!
Buttermilk Bread might become you go-to weekly bread recipe. Easy to make without complicated ingredients, this is one that I will make again.
Buttermilk Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
Ingredients
½ cup water (120ml)
2 pkg. yeast (14g)
1 cup buttermilk (240m)
4 tsp. honey (20ml)
2 tbsp. butter, room temperature (28g)
5–6 cups bread flour (625g-750g)
2 tsp. salt (8g)
Vegetable oil for greasing bowl
Flour for dusting
Butter for greasing pan
Instructions
Pour the water into a large bowl and stir in the yeast. Allow to proof for about 4 minutes. Add the buttermilk, honey, butter, salt and 5 cups of the flour. Stir to combine well until you have a firm dough.
Flour a board with a portion of the remaining flour. Place the dough on the floured board and knead with your hands for 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed when the dough gets sticky.*
Grease a clean bowl with vegetable oil and place the kneaded dough in the bowl, turning once or twice to coat the dough. Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm environment. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in volume about 1 hour.
After the first rise, punch down the dough. Grease a 9”x 5” x 2.5” (22.8 x 12.7 x 6.35cm) loaf pan with the extra butter. Fold the dough a few times by hand and place in the buttered loaf pan. Cover with the clean towel and place in a warm environment until dough is doubled in bulk. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Remove the towel and place the risen bread loaf in the oven bake for 35-40 minutes until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
*You can also knead with the dough hook attachment of your electric mixer for 3-4 minutes. Knead in enough of the remaining flour so that the dough is smooth and not sticky.
Love it! Makes a delicious loaf of bread – thank you!
thank you! very kind, enjoy! MG
Making this for egg salad/Sando Easter sandwiches. Thank you!
Awesome! I hope you had a great Easter! Send pics of your bread on IG!
Hello Melissa. I made your wonderful recipe for an accompaniment at Christmas Dinner, and the compliments were truly endless. It came out of the oven with more of a beautiful texture and most importantly, taste, than I might have ever hoped for.
I used active dry yeast. You did not mention the type of yeast to use in your recipe, so I made a judgement call. Is this what you tend use as well?
Thank you for what will now be a fabulous addition to my bread baking in my kitchen.
Hey John! Thanks for the sweet compliment on the recipe! I try to bake my own bread and now I am very spoiled! ONly the best! This recipe is a good one for every day or special occasions. I always use regular active dry yeast. There is quick rise yeast which I don’t use very often. It can be unreliable – either rises too much or not enough. I will fix that in the recipe online.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Stay tuned for more bread recipes in 2025!