Try these homemade bread recipes and tips to make your baking easier! You can enjoy the yummy taste and smell of fresh bread and save money in the process!
10 Homemade Bread Making Tips And Recipes
Today, I’ll be sharing some Homemade Bread Tips and Recipes! I just love homemade bread! I love the way it makes the house smell when it’s baking and it’s so much more tasty than store bought bread!
If you have never made homemade bread, this is the perfect time of year to start, when the temperatures are getting cooler and getting the oven going can take the chill out of the air. And for lots more homemade bread recipes, check out our new Homemade Bread e-Book.
Bread Tips:
- Buy yeast in bulk. If you don’t need that much, split it with a friend. Buying in bulk uses less packaging which is less expensive and better for the environment. Yeast costs $2.70 a pound in bulk compared to $25.00 a pound when you buy the little packets. If you don’t have someone to split the yeast with, buy it in bulk anyway. Even if half of it is wasted, it is still less expensive than the small packets. Extra yeast may be frozen for longer storage.
- When cutting bread, freeze the crumbs in a freezer bag. Use when a recipe calls for bread crumbs.
- Save and freeze dried bread slices and heels. When you need bread crumbs, grind them in the blender or food processor. Toss with seasonings and melted margarine, or use in stuffing, croutons, or bread pudding.
- Buy bread at the day-old bread store and freeze all of it, even if you plan to use it in just a few days. At .25-.39 a loaf, you can’t make it as cheap. Usually sweet rolls and tortillas can also be found at the .39 cent table.
- When you are baking something in the oven and you are using a burner on the stove at the same time, use the burner that has the vent for the oven. The heat from the oven will cause the burner to use less energy, thus saving money.
- Use powdered milk for baking. Pour some in a small container and leave in your “baking center” with the rest of your baking supplies.
- To check and see if the baking powder in your pantry is still active, stir 1 teaspoon into 1/3 cup hot water. There should be immediate vigorous bubbling. If no bubbling occurs or bubbling is sporadic, the baking powder is past its prime.
- Use a cutting board with a no-slip pad underneath to knead bread.
- To glaze bread: For a dark, shiny glaze, brush on 1 beaten egg yolk and bake as usual.For a shine but no color, brush on 1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water.
- Make roll dough and put in pans. Cover and freeze. When you leave for church, leave rolls at room temperature. When you return they will have risen and will be ready to bake for Sunday dinner. Then you will have fresh rolls. Do not freeze longer than 3 weeks.
Homemade Bread Recipes:
PrintHomemade Self Rising Flour Recipe
Here is our easy self-rising flour recipe. Some recipes call for self rising flour, but there’s no reason to go out and buy it pre-made. It’s super easy to make your own self rising flour in just a few minutes using regular all-purpose flour and a few other ingredients! Here’s the easy recipe!
- Yield: 4 cups
Ingredients
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. baking powder
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients well.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Use in recipes calling for self-rising flour.
Notes
Easy Dinner Rolls Recipe
Here’s an easy dinner rolls recipe you can use to make delicious homemade dinner rolls or cinnamon rolls. With just 5 minutes prep time and less than $1.00 per batch, your family will love them!
- Yield: 12 dinner rolls
Ingredients
2–2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 pkg. or 1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
Instructions
- Mix 3/4 cup flour with sugar, yeast, and salt.
- Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120°-130°).
- Add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add 1/4 cup flour.
- Beat 2 minutes on high. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough.
- Knead 2-3 minutes.
- Place in a greased bowl and let rise 15 minutes.
- Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into balls.
- Place in an 8-inch round cake pan. Let rise 15 minutes.
- Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes.
90 Minute Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- Roll out the dough after rising the first time.
- Spread with 2 tablespoons softened butter or margarine.
- Combine 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar and sprinkle on dough.
- Roll jelly-roll style.
- Cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Place in the pan and bake as above.
For more easy recipes for all kinds of delicious breads, check out our How To Make Homemade Bread e-book!
Just a note about freezing yeast. I bought a large tin (think those large V8 juice tins) quite a few years ago and it stays in the freezer. I fill a small jar in the fridge from the large tin every now and then, and the yeast still works beautifully years later. I highly recommend buying the yeast in bulk! So much cheaper.
Is there any way we can get your book if we don’t have a Kindle reader? Thanks!
You can download the program for the Kindle to read it on the computer. \http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311&tag=vglnkc6506-20
Hi Tawra,
I have a package (unopened) of yeast that I bought in Sams Club several years ago. I was going to throw it out because I thought it was too old even tho it’s been frozen all this time. I recently got back into baking breads and didn’t want to “take a chance” with it. I went to buy the jar of yeast in the store, and much to my surprise, it’s well over $8.00 a jar. Think I’ll pull out my package from the freezer and take your advice and give it a try. Thanks for sharing.
It is real easy to test yeast. Before mixing anything up test your yeast by sprinkling it on some very warm water if it bubbles and foams it is fine.
I have made your 90 Minute Rolls and they were delicious. They were very soft and were quickly eaten.
I’m glad you like them Patricia. This is one of my go to recipes I use all the time. I like to double the batch and use half for dinner rolls then roll out the other half – spread with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, roll up and make cinnamon rolls for in the morning.
Thank you for the information about doubling the recipe. We love cinnamon rolls. I am looking forward to the next time I make this.
how about some “gluten free” bread recipes?
Very good! when baking bread brush tops of loaves with vinigar a minute or two before taking out of oven. Makes a nice shiny top. no odor or taste. i use a silicon brush bur any would do
I’ve not had the experience of using self-rising flour, so I can’t comment to those kinds of recipes.
Several years ago, when I started baking bread, I chose a simple, basic recipe and have played with it a little.This is the recipe that I started with: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Home-Style-White-Bread
Just a comment about having milk on hand. With the kids grown up and not at home, I often don’t have a carton of milk in the refrigerator when needed for the recipe. So I keep a couple of cans of evaporated milk in my pantry. Powdered milk would probably work even better, but it seems quite expensive.
I don’t have kids. I buy the smallest container of milk, usually about .99, and keep it in the freezer. I know it is more expensive, but this works really well for me.
Can you use Butter instead of margarine? I have discontinued using margarine because of the controversy of margarine.
Yes you can.
Can almond milk or soy milk be substituted for the milk? Also, can you sour them the same way you sour milk?
I really don’t know Kathy. Maybe some of our readers do.
My husband is frustrated because the bread he makes is not fluffy and with airy holes…what can he do differently??
Rosalinda it could be a number of things. First make sure your yeast is still good. To do that sprinkle it in a 1/4 cup of “hot to touch” water or temperature of 105-110 degrees. If it foams and puffs up it is good to use. If the water is too hot you can kill the yeast and your bread won’t rise or be fluffy. Another thing that he needs to be sure to do is to knead it well. The more it is kneaded the fluffier it will be. Be sure to let it rise to double in size too. Making bread is like many things you need to make it a few times and practice until you get it right. It takes several tries and not giving up to learn any new skill.