56 Homemade Bread Recipes That'll Make You A Star Baker In No Time
Get bready to start baking.
Ever watched GBBO and just wish you could be a Star Baker? Us too. So we decided to hop to it by figuring out the easiest ways to bake homemade bread (and not just those pandemic-era sourdough starters you might have forgotten to feed properly). And why not? When you can make a loaf of bread as good as the Poilâne bakery at home(!), it's easy to ditch the bland sandwich bread. Whether you're wanting some easy quick breads or a fluffy loaf of focaccia, these 56 easy homemade bread recipes will have you feeling like a bread baking prodigy.
If you need fresh bread, like, yesterday, quick breads are here to save the day. Quick breads (recipes leavened with baking soda/powder instead of yeast) are way easier to manage and just as delicious as yeasty breads. If you've ever baked banana bread, you're likely already familiar with how amazing quick breads are, but we've also got plenty of savory quick bread options if that's more your thing. Our recipes for beer bread, skillet cornbread, and homemade biscuits come together in a flash and will make you look very impressive come dinnertime.
Ready to level up your baking skills? If we were to put together a s
yllabus of breads to master, here's our shortlist: French bread, challah, pita, brioche, and sourdough. With a few of those under your belt, you'll be your way to expert-level baking (and having a full bread stash).
Now what to do with all of this bread? Really, what can't you do? We highly recommend you do any (or all of the following ASAP): Break off a heel of French bread for dipping into soup, crisp up sourdough for croutons, or make a bomb French toast with buttery brioche bread.
Easy Focaccia Bread
Interested in breadmaking, but not sure where to begin? Fluffy and crispy focaccia is an amazing place to start. With no kneading involved and only 6 ingredients, making focaccia is the easiest way to feel like a pro baker, without a ton of effort.
Get the Easy Focaccia Bread recipe.
Challah Rolls
These rolls are a great alternative to regular rolls at dinnertime. This dough is a bit on the sweeter side, so it lends beautifully for a pre-dinner roll or for pulling apart and eating on its own too. These rolls also taste phenomenal when toasted!
Get the Challah Rolls recipe.
Irish Brown Bread
If you’re looking for a new bread baking project to get you through winter this year, may we suggest a hearty loaf of Irish brown bread? It’s technically a quick bread (meaning no yeast or rise) and has a dense yet tender interior that’s as good for eating with butter and jam as it is for dipping into a creamy winter soup.
Get the Irish Brown Bread recipe.
Brioche Bread
If you love butter, you'll live for this brioche bread. This recipe produces two loaves, each containing a whole stick of butter—so you can imagine how rich each fluffy bite will be.
Get the Brioche Bread recipe.
Skillet Cornbread
Not only does this cornbread involve less cleanup (we love an oven-to-table vessel), but it promotes the ideal texture of crackly crust around moist, decadent corn cake. Pouring the batter into a preheated cast-iron creates a sear to the batter (nothing like that sizzling sound when it’s poured in) and speeds up the bake time.
Get the Skillet Cornbread recipe.
Sourdough
Baking a loaf of sourdough bread is pure therapy: food for the body and food for the soul. Not only will it fill your kitchen with delish smells of yeasty goodness, you’ll walk away with a handful of life lessons along with a piece of unbelievably fulfilling bread.
Get the Sourdough recipe.
Garlic Bread
Our top tips for homemade garlic bread? Keep it simple, and use plenty of garlic. All you need are a handful of staple ingredients and less than 30 minutes to create this herby, garlicky side to complete all of your pasta dinners right at home.
Get the Garlic Bread recipe.
Concha Bread
Conchas (aka concha bread) are probably the most recognizable of all Mexican pan dulce. Pan dulce means sweet bread in Spanish—think of these little breads as the brioche of Mexico. The name concha comes from the Spanish word for seashell, which makes sense when you see the gorgeous striated pattern atop the rolls.
Get the Concha Bread recipe.
Everything Bagel Focaccia
Homemade bagels are SO worth it, but only if you've got patience and a few hours to spare. When you don't, make this focaccia, inspired by Suzanne Dunaway's genius focaccia technique. It requires no special tools, no kneading, and only 1 short rise.
Get the Everything Bagel Focaccia recipe.
Banana Bread
A classic loaf of banana bread is the epitome of simple home baking, but that doesn't mean it can't also deliver maximum deliciousness. If you’re looking to make the ultimate loaf of banana bread—moist, dense, and absolutely jam-packed with banana—look no further than this recipe.
Get the Best-Ever Banana Bread recipe.
French Bread
French bread is an easy homemade bread that's perfect for any use. It's great to rip apart and eat as is, sliced open for sandwiches like a banh mi, or toasted for garlic bread. It's an all-purpose bread that gets better every time we make it.
Get the French Bread recipe.
Homemade Potato Bread
This tender, springy, and slightly sweet potato bread is here to make your dream peanut butter & jelly come to life. (Or your dream croque madame... or your dream grilled cheese... the point is it's the best for sandwiches.) Adapted from Makinze's fluffy potato rolls, you really can't go wrong with this crowd-pleasing classic.
Get the Homemade Potato Bread recipe.
Homemade Biscuits
Can anything beat a warm, flaky biscuit straight out of the oven (or air fryer, see below)? We don't think so! Whether you’re topping them with strawberry jam or sausage gravy, biscuits are the versatile quick bread that are just as good as a dinner roll alternative as they are a breakfast star.
Get the Homemade Biscuits recipe.
Pumpkin Cornbread
Cornbread is a crumbly, savory side we love any time of the year, but this pumpkin version is a fall dream. Classic cornbread gets an autumn upgrade with the addition of pumpkin puree and warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, making it an ideal side for Thanksgiving (or a base for cornbread stuffing!).
Get the Pumpkin Cornbread recipe.
Parmesan Bread Bites
If you're a fan of garlic knots, this recipe is basically the bite-sized app version, covered in gooey cheese, garlic butter, and fresh herbs. Sage and thyme are used here to add seasonal flavor, but feel free to add any herbs you prefer.
Get the Parmesan Bread Bites recipe.
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Homemade soft pretzels are better than any mall pretzel you can find. Soft and pillowy, they're a dream for dipping in mustard or nacho cheese. You could even skip the pretzel salt and toss them in a little cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat!
Get the Homemade Soft Pretzels recipe.
Homemade Bagels
Looking for a weekend project? Bagels are just the thing to master. There's nothing better than waking up to fresh bagels and when it's your own hard work it's even better. One batch of dough can turn into everything, poppy seed, sesame seed, cinnamon sugar, or any of your favorite bagels!
Get the Homemade Bagels recipe.
Chocolate Babka
A Jewish sweet braided bread loved by all, babka is stuffed, rolled, then baked with a variety of fillings. Chocolate babka tends to dominate the flavor popularity contest, but there's a certain appeal to a cinnamon babka that just can't be denied—which is why this recipe snuck both into the mix.
Get the Chocolate Babka recipe.
Classic Cornbread
Forget Jiffy! This cornbread comes together super-fast, and it's wayyy better than the boxed stuff and almost as easy. The debate over cornbread is lively and long, with camps that prefer sweet over sugarless or a drier cornbread to cake-like cornbread. This version falls somewhere in the middle so everyone can enjoy.
Get the Classic Cornbread recipe.
Potato Rolls
Have a leftover baked potato? The only logical thing to do is to mash the insides and make dinner rolls. These are truly the Fluffiest. Dinner. Rolls. Ever. Fresh out of the oven, each roll has a crispy bottom, buttery top, and unbelievably soft center.
Get the Fluffy Potato Rolls recipe.
