21 Yeast Bread Recipes for Beginners

There's Nothing Better Than a Homemade Loaf

By
Cathy Jacobs
Cathy Jacobs
Cathy Jacobs
A freelance journalist and avid home cook, Cathy Jacobs has more than 10 years of food writing experience, with a focus on curating approachable menus and recipe collections.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/12/21
Easy Beginners Bread

The Spruce

Baking bread is easier than you think! Even if you've never made one before, you can follow these easy, beginner recipes and quickly get the hang of how to bake an absolutely delicious loaf of bread. You'll find a variety of simple recipes here for the most popular breads, from classic white bread and whole grain loave to crusty baguettes and fluffy dinner rolls.

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  • 01 of 21

    Easy Beginner's Bread

    Super easy bread for beginners recipe

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

    If you're new to bread baking, this is a great beginner bread recipe to start with. It's easy to follow and uses many ingredients that you probably already stock in your pantry. You'll wind up with a nice, soft white bread loaf that's perfect for toasting.

  • 02 of 21

    Whole Wheat Bread

    Whole wheat bread
    Smari/The Image Bank/Getty Images

    Whole wheat bread makes a basic tuna or egg salad sandwich taste even more delicious. This single-loaf recipe is gently sweetened with honey to bring out the wholesome whole wheat flavor.

  • 03 of 21

    Easy Potato Bread

    Easy Potato Bread

    The Spruce

    Freshly-baked potato bread is an excellent use for leftover mashed potatoes. Thick and moist, it's fantastic at soaking up hearty sauces and makes a great grilled cheese sandwich bread. This beginner-friendly recipe produces two large loaves and freezes well if you want to make it ahead.

  • 04 of 21

    Easy French Baguette-Style Bread

    Easy French Baguette-Style Bread

    The Spruce

    Add some Parisian flair to your dinner table with this easy baguette recipe. You may be surprised that you don't need any fancy ingredients or equipment to bake up a pair of long, crusty French loaves in your own kitchen—they're just like those you would get from the bakery.

    Continue to 5 of 21 below.
  • 05 of 21

    Homestyle Oatmeal Bread

    Homestyle Oatmeal Bread

    The Spruce

    Tender, soft sandwich bread with the nutty flavor of oats is a nostalgic family favorite. Adding a small amount of whole wheat flour to regular all-purpose flour adds appealing color and flavor to this nutritious loaf.

  • 06 of 21

    Peasant Bread

    Peasant bread on a cutting board

     The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

    This simple, rustic peasant bread is easy to make because it requires no kneading. It's baked in round pans and cut into wedges to be served with any meal.

  • 07 of 21

    Crusty Cranberry Walnut Bread

    Crusty Cranberry Walnut Bread

    Diana Rattray

    Fresh bread studded with walnuts and cranberries and a divinely crunchy crust is a true delight. While it requires time for rising, you don't have to knead the dough, making this a good beginner bread.

  • 08 of 21

    Ciabatta Bread

    A loaf and slices of ciabatta bread with olive oil and tomatoes

    The Spruce / Elaine Lemm

    Ciabatta bread has a reputation for being difficult to make, but it can actually be easy when you follow these steps. This Italian bread is delicious served with good-quality olive oil, sliced tomatoes, basil, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

    Continue to 9 of 21 below.
  • 09 of 21

    Amish Milk Bread

    Amish Milk Bread

    The Spruce

    Amish milk bread is a great recipe for beginners. This sweet white bread has a fantastically moist, soft texture that makes it perfect for French toast and bread puddings or your morning breakfast toast. The recipe yields two quick and easy loaves that freeze well.

  • 10 of 21

    Small Batch Egg Bread Rolls

    Small Batch Egg Bread Rolls

    Paul Visconti/StockFood Creative/Getty Images

    What's better than homemade rolls straight from the oven? Bake up half a dozen light, fluffy, buttery rolls with this easy recipe. They go great with pulled pork, meatballs, roast chicken, or soup.

  • 11 of 21

    Super Easy Fougasse Bread

    Super Easy Fougasse Bread

    The Spruce

    Fougasse is a delicious French flatbread with a wonderfully yeasty flavor similar to Italian focaccia. You need zero baking experience to make it for a tasty shareable appetizer. You could top it with red onions as suggested here, or simply sprinkle the dough with chopped fresh rosemary before baking.

  • 12 of 21

    Beer Bread

    Beer Bread

    Janet Hudson/Flickr

    Beer bread is one of the easiest yeast breads you can bake. Soft, fluffy, and infused with a light beer flavor throughout, thanks to a full cup of warm beer in the batter, it makes an enjoyable bread for game day parties, or a dipping bread for chilis and hearty stews.

    Continue to 13 of 21 below.
  • 13 of 21

    English Muffin Bread

    English Muffin Bread

     Kristina Vanni

    English muffin bread is a perfect recipe for beginner bakers since it is a yeast bread that doesn't require any kneading or special equipment. It's easier to make than individual English muffins but still has the same nooks and crannies. Serve with butter or jam or as the base for an eggs benedict.

  • 14 of 21

    Easy Anadama Bread

    Easy Anadama Bread

    punkin3.14/Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

    Anadama is a classic New England bread that's great for sandwiches and soup. This traditional recipe includes molasses and yellow cornmeal, which lends this hearty, egg-free loaf its dark, nutty, slightly sweet crumb.

  • 15 of 21

    Copycat Auntie Anne's Pretzels

    Auntie Anne's Pretzels

    Leah Maroney 

    Yeasted breads don't all end up as loaves. For a fun snack or appetizer, turn dough into perfectly delicious homemade soft pretzels. These copycat Auntie Anne's pretzels are soft and yeasty with a crisp, salty exterior just like the original.

  • 16 of 21

    Chocolate Cherry Bread

    Chocolate Cherry Bread

    The Spruce/Diana Rattray

    Wow your family and friends with this bakery-style chocolate cherry bread. It is easy to make by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and the not-too-sweet yeast dough offers great balance for chopped fresh cherries and semi-sweet chocolate morsels.

    Continue to 17 of 21 below.
  • 17 of 21

    Swedish Limpa Orange-Rye Bread

    Swedish Limpa Orange-Rye Bread

    The Spruce/Nita West

    Orange and anise give this no-knead Swedish rye bread a wonderful, warming flavor. Fragrant with fennel, orange zest, caraway, and dark molasses, it smells fabulous while baking, and makes a comforting breakfast bread you could serve on holiday mornings.

  • 18 of 21

    Easy Turmeric-Basil Rye Bread

    Easy Turmeric-Basil Rye Bread

    S&C Design Studios

    Turmeric-basil rye bread is so tasty for enjoying with spaghetti and meatballs, it may become your family's favorite everyday loaf. It's as easy to make as any beginner white bread recipe, with just a few, clever variations to boost its flavor and nutrition.

  • 19 of 21

    Honey Wheat Bread

    Honey Wheat Bread

    The Spruce Eats / Kristina Vanni

    Sweet, dense honey wheat bread is a wonderful recipe for newbie bakers to try. It's as easy as any white bread—you'll just need a little patience, while the dough rises twice. The recipe uses all-purpose flour along with whole wheat to create a perfect balance of grains. Honey adds sweetness and also moisture to the crumb.

  • 20 of 21

    Pumpernickel Bread

    Homemade Pumpernickel Bread

    The Spruce/Teena Agnel

    Hearty and crusty pumpernickel bread is a cold-weather staple. Though the dough takes extra rising time, the recipe needs no more hands-on effort than a basic yeast bread and the recipe is easy to follow. It produces two large, dark loaves that you can use for making sandwiches or slicing thinly for canapes.

    Continue to 21 of 21 below.
  • 21 of 21

    Bread Machine Pumpkin Yeast Bread

    Bread Machine Pumpkin Yeast Bread

    Diana Rattray

    Savory, colorful pumpkin bread is a delicious autumn treat. It is easy to make in the bread machine with canned pumpkin puree and a few basic baking ingredients. Enjoy it for breakfast, toasted and topped with cream cheese or marmalade.