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    Home » Savory Breads and Biscuits

    The Easiest White Bread Recipe

    Published: May 23, 2020 Updated: May 30, 2020 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan White Bread

    The easiest recipe for homemade vegan white bread on the planet! It’s not only super easy, but it results in a perfectly soft and delicious loaf. No kneading required!

    Sliced loaf of white bread on a wooden board.

    One of our very popular posts on this blog is our whole wheat bread recipe. That recipe does not require any kneading and is so simple that even people who have never baked anything before in their lives end up with a perfect loaf the very first time!

    But one of the things I was often asked was: would it work as white bread? And honestly I didn’t know because I hadn’t got around to testing it.

    But somehow I didn’t think it would work. I somehow thought that the ‘mojo’ of the recipe was in that whole wheat flour. Because SURELY it can’t be that easy to make white bread too.

    But I finally got around to testing this recipe, based on our recipe for whole wheat bread, but using all purpose flour for a white bread version rather than whole wheat flour and to my utter amazement it worked perfectly!

    It creates a wonderfully soft and perfectly delicious white bread. It’s also super flexible so if you want to mix up some whole wheat flour in there too for an equally soft and delicious brown bread, you can do that too.

    It’s a little less hearty than our totally whole wheat loaf, but it still has that wonderful homemade rustic loaf thing going on that just makes it irresistible.

    There’s nothing better than a fresh loaf of bread eaten warm straight from the oven. Have it with a homemade vegan lentil soup and go straight to heaven.

    Or just eat it with vegan butter and strawberry jam – one of my favorite ways to eat it.

    And if you love easy bread recipes then also check out our vegan soda bread and vegan focaccia.

    Slices of white bread on a wooden board.

    How To Make Homemade White Bread

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Add all purpose flour, instant yeast (rapid rise yeast) and salt to your mixing bowl.
    • Mix them together.
    Collage of two photos showing dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed.
    • Now mix two teaspoons of maple syrup with two cups of warm (not hot) water and pour it over the dry ingredients.
    • Add olive oil.
    • Mix into a dough. Don’t knead it or overmix it. Just mix until mixed.
    Two photo collage showing wet ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed into a dough.
    • Transfer to a 9×5 loaf pan (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper on the bottom) and smooth down.
    • Cover and leave to rise for 20-30 minutes or until it has risen to the top of your loaf pan or just before the top.
    Two photo collage showing bread dough in a loaf pan and covered with a lid.
    • Bake at 390°F for 40 minutes.
    Two photo collage showing bread in a loaf pan before and after baking.
    • Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing from the loaf pan and placing on a wire cooling rack to cool before slicing and serving.
    Freshly baked bread on a wire cooling rack.

    Ingredient Notes

    All Purpose Flour: This recipe uses 4 cups of all purpose flour for a white bread loaf. You can use a mix of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour or brown bread flour to create a soft brown bread. We discuss the variations below.

    Instant Yeast: This is also called rapid rise yeast and this is the reason that this bread rises so quickly and is also one of the things that makes it really easy.

    If you can’t get hold of instant yeast and need to use active dry yeast instead, you can do so, but the method is slightly different and involves dissolving the active dry yeast in the warm water, which needs to be 105°F. We don’t need to be this precise with our water temp when using instant yeast. This article from Cooks Illustrated discusses how to substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast.

    Maple Syrup: This can be replaced with another kind of syrup such as agave nectar or really any sweetener.

    Warm Water: This must be warm and NOT hot. Above lukewarm, but warm to the touch and not hot.

    Olive Oil: You can likely use any oil here but we used extra virgin olive oil.

    Loaf of freshly baked bread on a wooden board.

    Flour Variations

    You can make this with 4 cups of all purpose flour as per the recipe. But you can also make variations such as:

    • 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour
    • 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour
    • 1 cup all purpose flour, 3 cups whole wheat flour

    You can also use different flours such as brown bread flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour and likely other flours too, but you would have to make it an experiment.

    Loaf of bread with slices cut on a wooden board.

    Recipe Tips

    Rising Time:

    We have found this to be variable depending on the freshness of your yeast and the weather conditions. Very fresh yeast and warm weather results in a quick rise of about 20 minutes. I had some yeast that had been sitting in my cupboard for a while and that batch plus a colder day resulted in a rise that took closer to 40 minutes. So be flexible and keep an eye on it.

    Make Vegan Gluten Free Bread:

    We tested this recipe for gluten-free as well, using a gluten-free all purpose flour blend in the same quantity as regular flour (4 cups/500g). And I must say, I had my doubts, but it worked! We had a delicious soft loaf of vegan gluten free bread. A couple of caveats:

    • This must be a gluten-free all purpose blend!
    • Let the bread cool completely before slicing. We found it to be quite gluey in texture while still warm, which made me think we had a flop on our hands, but once completely cooled, the gluey texture disappeared and we had a lovely soft bread.
    • For an even softer loaf, increase the olive oil by a tablespoon or two.
    • It’s best on the day of baking. By the second day it’s hard as a rock. If you use extra oil, it lasts a bit longer. But it’s still good to take whatever you don’t finish on the first day and slice and freeze so you can make toast.
    • It makes great toast! So enjoy it on the day of baking as bread or toast but from then on, it’s best as toast only.
    Loaf of bread with slices cut on a wooden board.

    Storing and Freezing

    This is a fresh is best kind of situation and the day of baking is when this bread is at its absolute best. The second day it’s perfectly edible but not as good and it makes good toast. The third day it’s good as toast only and that is the end of the shelf life of this bread.

    If you think you’ll take longer than 3 days to finish it, then you can slice it and freeze it and make toast with it straight from the freezer. It makes really good toast so this is a good option.

    Slices of buttered bread in a stack on top of a wooden board.

    More Vegan Bread Recipes

    1. Whole Wheat Bread
    2. Vegan Beer Bread
    3. Vegan Zucchini Bread
    4. Vegan Soda Bread
    5. Vegan Naan
    6. Vegan Cornbread

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Slices of white bread on a wooden board.

    The Easiest White Bread Recipe

    The easiest recipe for homemade white bread on the planet! It’s not only super easy, but it results in a perfectly soft and delicious loaf. No kneading required!
    4.89 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Savory, Side
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 125kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups All Purpose Flour (500g)
    • 1 Packet Instant Yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
    • 1 tsp Salt
    • 2 tsp Maple Syrup
    • 2 cups Warm Water (480ml)
    • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil Extra Virgin
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    Instructions

    • Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. 
    • Add the all purpose flour, instant yeast and salt to your mixing bowl and mix them together. 
    • Add the maple syrup to the warm (not hot) water and mix it in and then pour it over the dry ingredients.
    • Add the olive oil. 
    • Mix into a dough. Don’t knead it or overmix it. Just mix until mixed.
    • Transfer to your prepared loaf pan and smooth down. 
    • Cover the loaf pan and leave the bread to rise for 20-30 minutes or until it has risen to the top of your loaf pan or just before the top.
    • Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). 
    • When the bread has risen place into the oven and bake for 40 minutes.  
    • Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing from the loaf pan and placing on a wire cooling rack to cool before slicing and serving.  

    Notes

    1. Measure your flour correctly using the spoon and level method (spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the top with a knife, don’t pack it in and don’t scoop it) or weigh it on a food scale. 
    2. Instant yeast is also called rapid rise yeast.
    3. The maple syrup can be replaced with another kind of syrup such as agave nectar or another syrup.
    4. The water must be warm and NOT hot. Warmer than lukewarm but WARM to the touch and not hot.
    5. You can likely use any oil such as vegetable oil or canola oil instead of olive oil. 
    6. The rising time can be variable depending on the freshness of your yeast and the weather conditions. Very fresh yeast and warm weather results in a quick rise of about 20 minutes. If your yeast is older and the weather is colder this can be 30 minutes or even up to 40 minutes. Be flexible and keep an eye on it. You just want the bread to rise as high as the top of your loaf pan or close to that. 
    7. Flour Variations: You can make this with 4 cups of all purpose flour as per the recipe or with variations such as: 3 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour; or 2 cups all purpose flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour; or 1 cup all purpose flour, 3 cups whole wheat flour. You can also use different flours such as brown bread flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour and likely other flours too, but this would be up to you to experiment with those. 
    8. This bread is BEST on the day of baking. The second day it’s better as toast and the third day it’s good as toast only and that is the final day of shelf life for this bread. It is freezer friendly so if you think you’ll take longer than 3 days to finish it, then slice it and freeze it and make toast straight out of the freezer. It does make very good toast!
    9. Make It Gluten-Free: We tested this with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend and it worked! So you can make this with a gluten-free baking blend in the same quantity (4 cups/500g) as all purpose flour. See the blog post for further notes about making this gluten-free.  
    10. Prep time includes 20 minutes spent rising. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.6g | Protein: 3.5g | Fat: 1.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 148mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 0.6g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laurie Fulk says

      November 19, 2024 at 3:22 am

      This bread is easy to make and has no kneading (you had me at that). I love making it
      I should make it more than I do. Great job!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        November 19, 2024 at 7:53 am

        Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Laurie! Thanks for your great review!

        Reply
    2. Kaleopono Norris says

      August 29, 2024 at 1:28 pm

      I prefer to weigh the flour; the recipe mentions weighing but does not offer the ounces and/or grams.

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        August 30, 2024 at 9:04 am

        You will find the measurements in grams in the brackets next to the ingredients. It’s 500g of All purpose flour.

        Reply
    3. Sky says

      June 24, 2024 at 10:26 pm

      Hi! I found my loaf was still white after the 40 minute baking time. Are those settings for a conventional oven or a ventilated one? Thanks!

      Reply
    4. Rachel Harrishburg says

      March 27, 2024 at 1:55 am

      I made this recipe using the whole wheat version. It was absolutely perfect even though I didn’t read the instructions. I only read the ingredients!!! I also added in about a tablespoon of cinnamon and about 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds. It is absolutely delicious!! I sliced the loaf into thin slices and wrapped it tightly and I keep it in the freezer and take it to work for lunch and it is delicious. I sent this recipe to my mother and she made it with white flour and again, it came out perfect! Thank you!!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        April 18, 2024 at 11:52 am

        That’s awesome Rachel! Happy to hear that you and your mom enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    5. Marybeth says

      August 25, 2023 at 10:36 pm

      Can honey replace maple syrup?

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        September 26, 2023 at 2:22 pm

        Yes you can! 🙂

        Reply
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    4.89 from 18 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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