Deliciously simple and simply delicious, Grandmother Bread is a daily staple in our farmhouse. This is a heritage recipe, tested by time and the hands of mothers and grandmothers for over a hundred years. This secret family recipe is different from many standard white bread recipes in that it contains no milk, egg, or oil, and its very simplicity produces a bread of light but sturdy texture that yields loaves for perfectly sliced sandwich bread (the best sandwich bread you’ll ever taste! also makes excellent french toast!), plus the same dough can be used to create dinner rolls, cinnamon-swirl loaves, sweet rolls, crispies, and apple-streudel ladder loaf. Many recipe variations for Grandmother Bread are included on this site. (See links below.) And, once you’ve grasped the concept of the standard Grandmother Bread recipe, you can create variations of your own–the possibilities are limitless!
Read all about the family history behind this bread recipe here.
Never baked homemade bread before? Learn how to make bread here.
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How to make Grandmother Bread:
Two-loaf standard recipe
3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast (1 packet)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
7 cups all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Let sit five minutes. Stir in first three cups of flour with a heavy spoon. Add the next cup of flour a little at a time as needed, stirring until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. The amount of flour is approximate–your mileage may vary! Continue adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (Usually, about an hour.) Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before dividing in half. With floured hands, shape dough into loaves and place in two greased loaf pans. Tear off two pieces of waxed paper and grease with oil spray (to prevent it from sticking to the loaves as they rise) and cover loaf pans. Let rise till loaves are tall and beautiful! (About an hour, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.)
Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven. Makes two loaves. Recipe can be cut in half.
One-loaf standard recipe
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
Make Sourdough Grandmother Bread
Modify Grandmother Bread as follows to convert to sourdough. Learn more about baking Grandmother Bread with sourdough starter and how to make sourdough starter here.
One-loaf sourdough recipe
2/3 cup starter
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour
Two-loaf sourdough recipe
1 1/3 cups starter
2 2/3 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast (1 packet)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
7 cups flour
Follow general instructions for making Grandmother Bread above.
You can use sourdough starter in any Grandmother Bread recipe. Add the starter to the water/yeast mixture in the first step and add the baking soda along with the flour then carry on with the chosen recipe variation per instructions.
Pizza made with Sourdough Grandmother Bread. Each one-loaf recipe makes two large thin-crust pizzas.
More Grandmother Bread tips:
How to Make Homemade Dough Enhancer–for making Grandmother Bread with whole grains.
Freezing Grandmother Bread–for making Grandmother Bread ahead of time.
Grandmother Bread recipe variations:
Apple-Streudel Ladder Loaf
Cinnamon Crispies
Cinnamon-Swirl Bread
Go Savory: Whole Wheat Herb Loaf, Garlic-Cheese Rolls, and More
Homemade Hot Dog & Hamburger Buns
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, Caramel-Pecan Rolls, Orange Rolls, and More
Pumpernickel Bread
Raisin Bread
Sourdough Pizza
Recipes using Grandmother Bread:
Breakfast with Grandmother Bread: Egg Grandwiches, Stuffed French Toast, Cheesy Poached Eggs (and more!)
Garlic-Herb Croutons
Shrimp Toast
Pepperoni Rolls
Tea Room Coconut Toast
The Ultimate Breakfast Casserole
Dinner rolls.
Cinnamon Crispies.
Egg Grandwiches.
Raisin Bread.
Grandmother Bread shaped in a french-style loaf with garlic and cheese.
Make more out of life. Eat more Grandma Bread!
See the Grandmother Bread Cookbook page for even MORE recipes.
Note: More Grandmother Bread recipes added regularly. Please check back! Also, feel free to ask questions about breadmaking here, or visit the forum to chat about Grandmother Bread with a bunch of fun people! Ask questions, share ideas, make friends. We’d love to see you.
See this recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.
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Justin says:
I was looking for a very specific bread recipe. I wanted to find a bread recipe that was just like one that a friend of the family made for us every christmas.
I’m very happy to say that this recipe was perfect! I was transported to my childhood in one bite.
thank you so much for sharing your family’s recipe!
On January 20, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Connie says:
:sheepjump: Sounds like a great recipe, I shall make it today and see how it turns out. Love the website too. I set up a feed on my homepage so I can check it out everyday.
On February 1, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Mari says:
I had to smile when i read about your Grandmother bread, our recipe i almost identical, except i use a little lard in my bread. I have been making my bread for 35 years now, and it turns out perfect every time. I started making it when i was 20, i am now 53 years old, 4 kids and 5 grandkids have been raised and being raised on this bread. Maybe now i have earned the right to rename mine Grandmothers Bread. Thank you for the article!
On February 14, 2008 at 1:03 am
Maggie says:
I got a good chuckle from Mari’s comment regarding the bread — my thought was with four kids and five grandkids she’s not only earned the right to call her bread “Grandmother’s Bread” but she also has the right to shave two years off her age if she should so desire!! (started making the bread at 20 and been at it for 35 years; and she’s 53 years old! Bless you!)
This Grandma will also try the recipe!
On February 14, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Mari says:
hehe, maggie, i used to shave alot more than two years off my age, i`m taming it down a bit, starting to fit into my old skin! Hope your bread turns out wonderful!
On February 18, 2008 at 12:25 am
Donna says:
I had to try your Grandmother bread. I thought I would have enough flour to get by but I ran out and the dough was still a soppy mess. So I looked thru my pantry looking for a quick fix and found two packages of maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal which I threw in. It was still not enough and I’m starting to think I will have to throw it away. Then I thought maybe I could grind up some regular oatmeal in my blender. After it was a fine powder I finished the bread using my “oatmeal” flour. I have to say this was the best bread I ever made. Now I still have to make it the real way so I can see what it is supposed to taste like but I think I will not be disappointed. Thanks!
On March 22, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Robbyn says:
Hi!
I love the history behind your grandmother bread recipe, and the fact it’s tried and true! I do have a question…we’ve tried to cut out white sugar around here and I’m wondering if the bread would do well with honey as the sweetener? I don’t want to go messing up a great thing…just wondering if there’s a way to incorporate honey as the sweetener if white sugar’s not on hand?
On April 16, 2008 at 8:19 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Robbyn, I haven’t ever tried that, but it sounds like my next baking experiment! I’ll let you know!
On April 16, 2008 at 8:26 am
Judy Spradley says:
thank you so much for this recipe. I had been looking for a recipe like this for some time. Didn’t know the ingredients, just what it tasted like. Makes a wonderful all around bread. I halved the ingredients and baked it in my bread machine and it was STILL wonderful! :woof:
On April 22, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Donna says:
Your bread recipes look WONDERFUL and I look forwsrd to trying them! I LOVE recipes that require little effort – or I won’t attempt them. LOL I also love it when you attach pictures of the finished product, so I can see if it looks appealing to me. Presentation is everything, I guess – well, that and the taste. LOL
On April 22, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Jana M says:
It is a good thing this makes 2 loaves, because it isn’t going to last long here in our house. DELISH!! And the house smells so yummy.
On April 23, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Donna says:
Is this rapid rise yeast, in this recipe? Or just regular yeast?
On April 24, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Donna says:
Can you use bread flour? I have used that to make French bread before…does it matter for this recipe?
On April 24, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Donna, I use either rapid-rise or regular yeast. Either way, with this recipe, I give it the second rise. I don’t usually use bread flour, but you can! It doesn’t matter.
On April 24, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Donna says:
Today I am in the category of “try again”. I was so excited to make Grandmother bread today, as my husband was going in later and would be here to have it hot. I goofed, big time. First of all, we have a water softener in our home, so I had to get my kitchen water warm in the microwave. I got it TOO HOT, not “very warm”. So, I decided to let it cool. It was not cooling fast enough for me…so I answered my email. When I returned, it was not “very warm” but lightly warm…I went ahead. I also heated it a tad on the oven burner, to get it a bit warmer, which it did…in the five minute time frame.
However, my bread was not rising…I went to check if I used “rapid rise” yeast…it said “active yeast”. I GUESS that is rapid rise? It didn’t matter this time, either way, because I happened to see the expiration date!!!!! I set of packets expired in ’05 and the other set, March of ’07. OMG!!!!! Has it been THAT long since I’ve made French bread? LOL I went ahead, hoping that if they didn’t rise, they would at least taste good. They didn’t. LOL Flat, cooked hard dough..thankfully, we had lunch out today.
But, I am going to “try again” and I can’t wait!!!
On May 2, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Donna says:
Oh, I just noticed your comment above about the yeast…so yeah, it was the fact prob. that the yeast was long expired. LOL I prob. used the ’05 packet! GEEZ A LOU!
On May 2, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Donna says:
Okay, I tried Grandmother Bread again today, with my NEW yeast! (I left my comments on the “how to made bread” page). I had to try a piece just now. I could not wait on my husband. I wanted to know. It is still very lightly warm. It has a very nice texture…I would not say it is doughy, but it is LIGHTLY chewy, like a lightly chewy dinner roll. Does this mean I needed more flour OR did I knead too much? I wonder if I just needed to bake it about 5-10 more minutes. It tastes VERY good and does not appear to be doughy, like raw dough at all…just sort of chewy…does that make sense – in other words yours above looks more airy/floury…mine looks more like the French loaf sandwhich bread in the pic. Anyway, it tasted good! AND…I can’t wait to try again…knowing it’ll be better each time!
On May 4, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Donna, it WILL be better each time! It sounds to me as if possibly it needed a little more baking time. Occasionally I have a loaf that comes out that way either because I misjudge it or I’m in too big of a hurry. It’s still good, and sometimes toasting it can be the best way to use a slightly undercooked loaf.
On May 4, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Donna says:
Suzanne…I will keep trying. We had it for toast this am and it was VERY good..I made the mistake yesterday of covering the bread with plastic wrap, when I THOUGHT it was cool enough…it wasn’t and steamed it…but it seemed even better this am and tasted good, for sure. It must not have been too bad because my husband has already eaten FOUR pieces! (and he is finicky! LOL) Thanks for the encouragement! I do think I hurried a bit and need to take my time, with it.
On May 5, 2008 at 11:38 am
Donna says:
I made Mormon bread this weekend…I wrote about it on another section – I think of Princess making bread. Anyway, it was NOT as good as Grandmother bread AND I would have to “try again” because it did not come out like my friend’s, who gave me the recipe. She has you mix the yeast, oil, honey and 1 and 1/4 cup of flour together with lukewarm water and then let rise and get SPONGEY…then work down and put the rest of the flour in and knead 12-15 minutes…but being as I cut the recipe in half, I only kneaded about 6. It bakes at 375 for 30…but it was not tall..and seemed it could have cooked about another five to ten.
On May 18, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Ann Marie says:
Well, this recipie sounds yummy – and I, too will have to go buy new yeast as the one I have are expired and I guess that explains why my Hot Cross Buns well . . .they had the correct flavor, but they were little mounds of lead. After the screaming stopped I thought “maybe the yeast was old”. Now I’ve had that confirmed by you all. (thank you!)I guess I never had yeast around that long that it would expire!! When I was a child (in Emerson, NJ) the bakery sold “grandmother loaf”. It was a yeast bread with rasins, dried cherries, walnuts and a basic crumb topping. Anyone else familiar with something like that?
On June 3, 2008 at 12:01 am
Ann R Adrignola says:
I never leave my name on any website unless I am ordering something but with all these recipes I wanted to comment and ask …what are we subscribing to..your website is so open to everyone….I am a bread baker and a great grandmother and I bake all the time…I have been printing some of your recipes this morning, thank you. Your ideas on the bread pans are right on…I learned that glass and size do make a difference but I learned that the hard way….thank you again, Ann
On October 6, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Ann! The “subscribe” button on the menu bar at the top is if you use a feed reader. You can subscribe and get my daily posts by my RSS feed through your feed reader that way. If you don’t use a feed reader, you can just visit every day. (I hope you will!)
Also, if you register, you can use the forum. There are a lot of great recipes posted by a lot of great ladies there, and also a lot of craft ideas and more! You can register here–there’s a link above the smilies in the comment box–or you can register on the main forum page. (The primary purpose of registration to post on the forum is to prevent spam attacks. You can read the forum without registering, but you can’t post on it unless you’re registered, which allows me to block out spambots.)
On October 6, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Jean K says:
Great webb site…love your bread receipt…wonderful bread.
Jean K
On October 16, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Miss Dana says:
I made the bread yesterday and it didn’t rise. The yeast was traditional yeast and well within its date. I checked the water temp and it was about 105..not too warm to kill the yeast. Measured out 3 cups of water and proceeded…but it took the full 5 1/2 cups of flour to not be too sticky.
The bread would not rise…maybe a tiny bit but it resembled dead yeast bread. Went ahead and cooked it but it’s chewy and tough.
I’ll try it again with new yeast.
On October 17, 2008 at 10:36 am
Jaymi B. says:
I made this bread and it worked! I was doing a happy dance. I had to add almost 7 cups of flour though. I’m not sure what I did wrong. Is it supposed to be sticky? At 5 1/2 it was just pure goop. At 7 cups it was still sort of sticky, but I was afraid to add more. It did turn out, but wasn’t as brown as the pictures above. My kids loved it for sandwhiches. I couldn’t believe it. Delicious! :hungry:
On October 17, 2008 at 11:59 am
Jennifer Burdock says:
OMGosh!
I have never baked bread in my life. I chose to try yours because I just loved the story behind it (and the fact that a 9 year old could do it didn’t hurt either!). I decided to dive right in and give it a whirl. Because I REALLY had no clue what I was doing, I followed your recipe and hoped for the best, keeping in mind I may not get it right the first time.
I DID IT!!!!
This bread taste wonderful! My family give it two thumbs waaaay up, and they’re a tough crowd whenever I try something new.
So, thank you, thank you! I will be trying your other recipes now. Oh, before I forget…I really enjoy reading your blog. 😉
On November 17, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Mary says:
Wonderful recipe! I made some over the weekend, subbing 1/2 WW pastry flour and it came out perfect. Great sandwich bread. Thank you for sharing the recipe 🙂
On November 17, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Frances says:
Thank you so much for the Grandmother Bread recipe. I have not baked bread in years but baked this bread yesterday. I made one plain loaf and 1 with butter, cinnamon and sugar rolled into it. They are both delicious. My husband and daddy are enjoying them and I look forward to using it again and again with some of the variations. Thank you again for inspiring me!
On November 27, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Syndee says:
I made this last week for the first time and it turned out perfect. A bit sweet for my taste for regular everyday bread though. This week I was asked to bring rolls for Thanksgiving dinner for 23 people. Yikes! I made your recipe into rolls without altering it and everyone just raved! I’ve always used my bread machine for the first half of a bread recipe and then do a final rise and bake it in a traditional bread pan. This always turns out perfect. I have never been successful in making bread completely from scratch until now! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe and the fun instructions that takes all the anxiety out making bread from scratch. Ü
On November 28, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Jennifer Hallenbeck says:
:shimmy: I tried this for the first time a few weeks ago. With the price of bread so I high I figured I would try making my own. I absolutely love this recipe. Each time it gets better. I use my kitchen aid mixer so I don’t have to knead it by hand (love that!). Just a tip for high altitude (I am at 5800 feet) I have to use a little more flour, don;t know how much I just keep mixing until it pulls from the side of the bowl, and I have to add about 5-8 minutes of cooking time to get it “just right”. I don’t know how many batches I have made now but I have only bought one loaf of bread in the last 3 weeks and that was only because we were so busy that I didn’t have time to make some. Today’s batch I am going to try it with half whole wheat flour and see what happens! :clap:
On December 16, 2008 at 12:41 pm
ShadowWoods says:
Hi Suzanne,
Enjoy your site, recipes and sense of humor.
Say, I’ve baked the grandmother’s bread several times and each time the loaf sinks down slightly on the top. The bread is still good, just looks a bit less appealing and amateurish. The only thing that I do differently is place a shallow pan with hot water on the bottom of the oven at the start of the bake. Could this be the problem – Too much humidity keeps the loaf dome too soft, thus letting it sink? I know, the answer would be to bake w/o the water, but I just thought you might have a thought or two…BTW, I’ve tried the recipe for the Ladder Loaf, but used home-made sugarless raspberry jam and a dollop of marscapone/sugar/egg mixture smeared down the middle. Was excellent! I’m baking the caramel pecan rolls as I type, along with a sunken loaf of bread! Ho Hum…
ShadowWoods
On December 20, 2008 at 9:00 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, ShadowWoods! It sounds to me as if it’s possible that the dough is being over-risen. That can cause the loaf to collapse during baking. Also, be sure your oven is HOT when you put the bread in to bake. (The only time I recommend not having the oven at baking temp before putting the bread in is in variations where a second rise is omitted and the bread is put into the oven directly after shaping, which is not the case in regular loaf-style Grandmother Bread.) Let me know how it goes! I hope that helps.
On December 20, 2008 at 9:17 am
ShadowWoods says:
Thanks Suzanne!
It’s strange that all the variations (Ladder Loaf, Carmel Rolls which BTW are FANTASTIC!) have never collapsed, just the bread. I make/rise/bake them at the same time with a loaf of bread. Given your sage advice, I’m going to shorten the second rise. I’ll keep you posted.
Best,
ShadowWoods
On December 20, 2008 at 10:00 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Probably the difference is that with the ladder loaf and rolls, the mass is smaller. The mass of a loaf makes collapse possible if it’s over-risen (or if the oven isn’t all the way to baking temp when you put it in). Good luck! Making bread is a lifelong experiment!
On December 20, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Frances says:
I enjoy your site every day! Your pictures are wonderful and they have inspired me to try to make my photography better. Your Grandmother’s Bread is great. I have made a couple of batches and we enjoyed them a lot. Plan to make some today, in fact. My daughter-in-love made your Bourbon balls and they are soooo good. Thank you for your great site.
Frances
On December 26, 2008 at 8:59 am
Summer says:
my Gma bread came out stumpy and heavy…it looks so easy!!
any idea’s what I couldve done wrong?? Hubby says it looks like it didnt rise enough(it is short & stumpy!..the bread, not the hubby.)
Summer
On January 1, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Summer! Your hubby might be right. One of the causes of a heavy loaf can be inadequate rising. Other reasons include water temperature could have been too hot or too cold, yeast could be bad, or not enough kneading. Try again? You learn something every time you make a loaf. (I still do.) Great bread is a lifetime endeavor! (And so worth it.)
On January 1, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Summer says:
ooOoOoOOoo..the water could be TOO hot. guess i’ll not put it in the microwave this time (grinning)
I’m new at this….can you tell??
I’m gonna try it again…if nothing else, the geese are getting free meals & LOVING IT!!
THANKYOU!!
Summer
On January 2, 2009 at 9:49 am
Summer says:
Batch 2!!! warm water…more time to rise…not perfect yet, but pretty close since one whole loaf has been desimated by children & hubby alike!!WOOT!!
3rd batch as soon as these are gone!(2 days, I’m thinking)
Thank you Thank you :purr:
Summer
On January 4, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Ammara says:
Hi i always wanted to try bread at home, so now i have got the recipe and it looks easy..i think so..and i hope its tastes good too,am definitely going to try it today.
Thanks and thumbs up for the good job :thumbsup:
On January 5, 2009 at 1:06 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Summer, that’s great! I’m glad to hear it!
Hi, Ammara!
On January 5, 2009 at 5:40 am
Rita Shaffer says:
I was making the basic white bread, but after I baked it and we cut it to eat. It tasted a little floury or yeast taste. What did I do wrong? Thanks again. I like your website.
On January 10, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Rita! If bread has an excessively yeasty taste, usually it’s because the dough was over-risen. Sometimes it can also be because the water temperature was too high, or due to insufficient kneading. It’s always difficult to pinpoint from afar, LOL, but I’d suggest you look closely at those steps and try again! You’ll learn something every time you make bread. I do!
On January 11, 2009 at 7:53 am
Homespun Mommy says:
:snoopy: Oh I am so making this tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe! I’m an avid bread baker and I’m always on the lookout for a great recipe. Orange rolls Saturday morning for my guys!
On January 12, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Ang. says:
I can’t seem to find your post on whole grain Grandmother Bread. Did it disappear?
On January 18, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Ang! I’m actually redoing that post to make it better. For now, the basics are that yes, you can replace honey in equal parts for sugar. You can use all whole grain, or part, but be sure to use dough enhancer (especially if using all whole grain) as whole grain breads rise so much better with dough enhancer. Though–if you don’t have dough enhancer, if you use one cup whole grain per two cups all-purpose flour, bread still rises quite well without dough enhancer. I hope that helps! If you have questions, let me know!
On January 18, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Ang. says:
Oh, good! I am not going crazy! I have been making whole wheat grandmother bread for several weeks. I guess I had made it enough that the recipe was ingrained in my head. Whew! My loaves always rise nicely and then become flat when I bake them. It tastes good but makes for some short sandwiches. I am going to try the Italian bread next time. Sounds so tasty! Thanks for the reply. 🙂
On January 19, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Debi says:
My mother was a master bread maker but never used a recipe. Was so happy to find this recipe and make it about twice a week. Just wanted to add a little tip from my mom , when the bread comes out of the oven, take a paper towel and dip in Crisco, spread it on the top crust, it helps the crust stay soft and not get all hard and crusty, but does not add any flavor to the bread. :cowsleep:
On January 28, 2009 at 7:27 am
angie pallikan says:
Hello,
I am new to your site and just made Grandmother bread for the first time!! I have never made bread before and it turned out great. Mine just wasnt very brown in color?? anyways, thank you for the wonderful website and the great foods!
On February 2, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Angie! If it came out great and was baked through, then it was done. Mine always browns real well, but maybe it was the position of your oven rack? Hard to say, but if it came out good, that’s the point! My bread doesn’t always look perfect, either.
On February 2, 2009 at 1:19 pm
trish says:
Suzanne,
I made my first grandma bread and after reading your comments here, I think my water was to hot for the yeast. It did not bake as high as yours in the picture. I will try again though. What a mess I made. Flour and dough everywhere. I am not a neat cook like your daughter was in those pictures where she is only 9. It tastes good, but I am willing to work for perfection. (or as close as I’m going to get!) LOL
On February 6, 2009 at 11:22 am
Kat says:
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had a very similar one (milk instead of water, and some butter) taped to my wall for ages, I used to make a loaf almost every day. I stopped for a while and then lost the recipie and it’s been driving me mad trying to re-find/re-create it.
THANKS from my whole family!!
On February 19, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Jill says:
How do you convert this for a bread machine that makes a 1 pound loaf? and also for 2lb
Thanks
Jill
On February 25, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Jill! I’m sorry, I’m not a bread machine user, so I don’t know. You could convert it by making it by hand. 🙂
On February 25, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Jill says:
I did it by hand and it was so good my husband said it was a keeper. A friend of mine gave me a bread machine to use to see if I wanted one and I had wondered how to convert your bread recipe for him. Thanks anyway.
On February 25, 2009 at 4:31 pm
shannon says:
Ok, I have to complain about one thing….I made your grandmother bread and I have gone through 25 lbs of flour in 2 weeks time!!! It is the most amazing bread I have ever made! So simple, and so yummy! I am an addict, thanks to you and your grandmother (although I think you said it had been in your family for over a hundred years), but really I am to blame them all for any extra pounds I might have gained. 😉 I have been giving this bread away to family and neighbors and have made many a loaf for my family as well. Thank you for sharing. P.S. Have you ever tried mixing this recipe with some whole wheat? I am afraid to mess it up, however, I’d love to add some whole wheat. Thanks a million!!!
On March 4, 2009 at 1:14 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Shannon! Yes, I make it with whole wheat sometimes. When I do, I use homemade dough enhancer (link in the Grandmother Bread post above). I’m glad you are enjoying it!
On March 4, 2009 at 6:04 am
heidiannie says:
Suzanne- I just made your Grandmother Bread. I have been planning on making it for a LONG time, but sometimes I am just stubborn. Anyway- I made it and love it and I wrote a post about how good it was- and I gave out a link to this post. Is that all right? I gave you full credit- and introduced my readers to your blog, but then I read your copyright and got nervous. If you’d like me to, will take down this post. It is at https://www.heidiannie.com if you want to see it. Let me know – I’m sorry if I was in error.
On March 4, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Joyce says:
:fairy: I am jumping for joy because this bread tastes just like what my grandma used to make. I have tried and tried and tried different breads and none have tasted like this. Thanks so much for sharing your family recipe…I am going to also claim it as my own.
God bless,
JoyceMarie
On March 16, 2009 at 12:40 pm
MaryLundShu says:
What is wrong when I can barely get 2 1/4 cup of flour stirred into the “proof”? After that, it crumbles off to the bottom of the bowl. This is for the regular G’ma bread recipe.
On March 27, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Mary, I can’t imagine how that could happen. Are you sure you added 1 1/2 of water?
On March 28, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Jennifer says:
So.. I am 23 years old and a newlywed. No one in my family ever made bread so this was my first experience with it. I must admit it turned out okay. I used too much flour, so I will have to watch that next time. I got confused as to when it was time to knead the dough and just kept adding more flour. Mistake.. but I will try again. Thanks for sharing this special recipe with me.
On March 28, 2009 at 10:37 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Jennifer! Thank you for telling me. Good luck and keep making bread!
On March 28, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Linda says:
With such simple ingredients, there should be no excuse for anyone not willing to make their own bread. Mmmmm. looks great.
On March 30, 2009 at 9:49 am
mary says:
Hi Suzanne! I love your site and this recipe! How wonderful to find a delicious bread recipe that is simple and can be made in an afternoon…I’ve made it twice now using different ratios of whole wheat and white flour. The loaves have come out rather stumpy, but very delicious. My loaf pans are rather short, and I was wondering if this might be a contributing factor. I will definitely try making dough enhancer (I might leave out some of the components, I’m trying to stay away from preservatives) and I’ll let you know how it turns out.
On March 31, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Mary! Yes, try dough enhancer! It makes a huge difference with whole grain breads.
On March 31, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Mary says:
D’oh! Okay, I made the dough enhancer (left out the gelatin and pectin), got excited, added it to the yeast/salt/sugar mixture, poured in warm water, and went back to my computer only to find I should have added it with the flour…
The dough was very different, before it took way more than 6 cups of whole wheat flour to get the dough to the right consistency, and the enhancer took care of that problem, but my bread didn’t rise at all! I even let it sit overnight and still nothing…
It might have been the yeast I used, I got some nutritional yeast in bulk at the health food store and I’ve never used it before so maybe that was the problem.
Either way, I’ll still bake it and I’m sure it will be delicious (albeit a little dense..)
Try try again! I’m really enjoying baking bread, and its really fun going through the process of troubleshooting…at least all of my mistakes are delicious
On April 9, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Mary says:
…actually, it was not delicious. Very sour, I think I let it rise a little too long…whoops!
On April 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm
gette (jet) says:
Hey, I made Grandmother Bread aon yesterday and it was delicious,
great texture….consiering other recepices with milk and oil…
mine kept coming out all jacked up until I found your recepie online…thank’s a bunch seeing as how I don’t have to buy milk and
oil anymore water will do just fine. ps. leave it to a fellow Texan
to set the record straight (no milk/oil needed).
On April 22, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Gayle Rogers says:
I am so excited to have found this site tonight. I love making bread but keep looking for the perfect recipes and I think I found the place.
On May 6, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Romie says:
Hi suzanne, love the site!!! Quick question for you (because I dont want to mess up anything since this will be my first time making bread) I noticed you posted the measurements for making one loaf…would you still bake it for 25 minutes, or would you cut the bake time in half as well?
On May 29, 2009 at 12:28 am
Shells says:
I am in the midst of making grandmother bread and have a yeast question. I can buy both quick yeast and traditional yeast. On the package for quick yeast it says to add it straight to the ingredients, unlike the traditional yeast which needs to be activated with the sugar and water so….. if I use the quick yeast do I still add it to the warm water with the salt and sugar or do I just dump it into the flour and add the flour to just the water, salt and sugar??
On July 25, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Suzanne says:
Shells, you can still add the quick yeast to the water/sugar mixture. It doesn’t hurt anything. I’m glad to hear your bread turned out well!
On July 26, 2009 at 5:05 am
Shells says:
Well I made the single loaf recipe with the traditional yeast, baked it for 29 minutes (instead of the 25), it didn’t turn out as crusty as I had hoped but I am suitably impressed with myself. It tastes good and the texture is nice.
On July 26, 2009 at 12:01 am
Heather says:
I have been looking for a good whole grain bread recipe. I’ve tried and failed many times until I tried this recipe. I’m eating a slice of fresh baked bread from the oven as I type this…perfect! Thanks!
On July 27, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Shells says:
I feel like I should be raising my hand in a class and waving it about eagerly ……. but anyway, I digress.
What is the cause of large holes in home baked bread?
On July 27, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Suzanne says:
Shells, it sounds like you didn’t knead enough after the first rise, leaving too much air/gas in the bread, or possibly could also be caused by over-rising in the second rise.
On July 28, 2009 at 4:50 am
debojo98 says:
I made the bread yesterday and I have found a new bread recipe. It is wonderful. Thank you
On August 9, 2009 at 5:54 am
mamawolf says:
Came across your site while searching for burnt sugar cake recipe which I plan to make rather soon. I have enjoyed the entire site so much DH thinks I will never leave the computer. Just pulled a gorgeous looking loaf of Grandmother bread from the oven. Can’t wait for it to cool enough to try a slice. Also, made a batch of sour-dough starter. Haven’t been able over the years to keep one and make great tasting bread. Thanks Suzanne for wonderful stories and fantastic recipes. :fairy:
On October 12, 2009 at 1:43 pm
SarahMom2FourBoys says:
Thank you so much Suzanne! I’ve been trying recipe after recipe for a good white bread and your Grandmother Bread is the most flavorful delicious bread ever! I’ve tried quite a few things from your site (I’ve been reading almost a year now) and when I’m trying something new and my husband raises an eyebrow I tell him,”Honey it’s Suzanne’s recipe don’t worry” and he doesn’t because none of your recipes fail to please!
On October 13, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Suzanne says:
I’m so glad to hear that, Sarah! Tell your hubby I said hi!
On October 13, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Ty Thomas says:
This makes incredible french toast!! Use a little vanilla and cinnamon in your milk and egg mixture. Used a sourdough version of the grandmother bread. Wow!
On October 23, 2009 at 1:33 pm
itzlisa says:
Hello.Thank you for posting all of your recipes, especially Grandmother Bread. I, unfortunately, never knew my grandmothers and my mother wasn’t a bread baker. I felt honored to be able to make this recipe. Being new to bread-baking, I have a couple of questions. 1. The yeast packet that I buy say they are 2 1/4 tsp. but your recipe calls for 1 tablespoon or one packet. Is that okay? My dough didn’t rise well. 2. I am wondering how to store the baked bread. I wrapped them in foil and left them on the counter. Should they be refrigerated? I have read all of the previous posts which gave a lot of advice about kneading, etc. I am trying to find the advice about using glass loaf pans?
Thank you in advance for your time & the great history of this recipe.
Lisa
On October 24, 2009 at 11:55 am
Suzanne says:
Hi, Lisa!
Check out this post for tips on getting bread to rise:
https://chickensintheroad.com/blog/2008/10/03/cinnamon-swirl-bread/
And this post for tips about loaf pans:
https://chickensintheroad.com/blog/2008/09/26/raisin-bread/
A tablespoon equals three teaspoons, so a “scant” tablespoon is about a packet of yeast. Back in the day before I used bulk yeast, I used a yeast packet all the time for making my bread. It works fine. There could be other reasons you had trouble with your rise (see the post about tips for getting bread to rise well). I’m glad you’re baking bread!
I store my bread on the counter, usually in a large ziploc bag or just wrapped in plastic or foil. If you think the bread is going to be around for longer than two or three days, you might want to store it in the fridge. I don’t generally keep bread around more than three days. In fact, if bread is three days old, I give it to the chickens! I’m too spoiled to fresh bread to keep bread past a couple days. I just make more. Use the one-loaf recipe if you think two loaves will last too long. Bread is always best fresh!
On October 24, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Shelley says:
I made it for Thanksgiving. It was AMAZING!
On November 26, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Kat says:
All our bread is homemade, using a recipe passed down from my grandmother. I decided to give yours a shot because it doesn’t use any milk, eggs, or butter. I was low on two of those three.
Anyway, our recipes use the same amount of flour, but yours says two loaves and mine makes three. Well, I followed your recipe and got two hurkin’ humongous loaves!
They taste great, and I’ll likely stick with your recipe, at least through the winter. But I wonder if I should use three pans, or if their size yesterday was just a fluke? You can see pics at https://thebobwhites.blogspot.com/2009/12/big-ol-grandmother-bread-by-kat.html
I look forward to your advice, if you have time to respond. I just don’t know how you do it all!
I’ve been voting my little heart out for you, by the way. And keeping all the minor appendages crossed!
On December 3, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Dianna says:
Can I use this recipe and just shape the dough into rolls?
On December 8, 2009 at 8:35 am
Dianna says:
Oh, also, has anyone doubled the recipe and it came out ok? I have a large family.
On December 8, 2009 at 8:37 am
Dianna says:
Sorry, one last comment. How about mixing whole wheat flour with it? What would be the best ratio? Thanks!
On December 8, 2009 at 8:41 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Hi, Dianna! Check out my Grandmother Bread page for all the answers and MORE!
https://chickensintheroad.com/how-to-do-stuff/the-farmhouse-table/grandmother-bread/
(Then let me know if you have any more questions!)
On December 8, 2009 at 8:45 am
Dianna says:
I’m very sorry. I didn’t scan the whole site before I posted my questions. I’ve looked through several pages now, and thank you for posting a great site with great pictures! This is very inspiring, and I can’t wait to try it! I’ve been trying to bake bread for about 5 years or more, but haven’t found a recipe I’m successful at. One thing I read in one of your posts, I never thought of, is that you only keep fresh bread three days. I always thought I needed to make 4 plus loaves at a time, but I must admit, they taste even less appealing, coming out of the freezer. If this recipe is as easy and successful as it sounds, it should be no problem to make it every other day. I have girls 8, 10 and 12 to help. Another big thing for me also, will be not using my bosch but my hands! Yikes! One last question, (I hope), I see the picture of the dinner rolls, but not the link. Are these the cornmeal rolls? Can I just shape the bread dough into rolls instead of a loaf? Thanks!
On December 8, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Yes, absolutely, you can take any of the variations I’ve posted about and just make the dough into rolls instead–they’re great that way! The cornmeal yeast rolls are some of my faves. I often use the egg and oil Grandmother Bread recipe for rolls, but you can make them plain, too! It’s all good!
On December 8, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Dianna says:
My first attempt didn’t turn out so good. I tried the whole wheat recipe, with the suggested amount of gluten, 3 cups of white flour, and 4 of whole wheat flour. The dough was stiff, and I noticed it to late. It took hours to rise, because my kitchen was cold today. I couldn’t get it to shape right, it was like a lead plate. I finally got one loaf pressed in the pan, and it looked like I had enough dough for two more loaves at least. The one is in the oven. I’ll try again tomorrow, but I think I’ll use my kitchen aid.
Any tips?
On December 9, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Dianna, try using a little less flour (less of each). Sometimes I find that letting myself make a messier (wetter) dough helps with whole wheat. (You don’t need to use your mixer! It’ll be just fine by hand. I never use a mixer.) Also, probably a big part of your problem (maybe even the whole problem) is a cold house. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, you could try letting it rise on a stool or chair closer to the fire. Another way is to boil a small pot of water. Put the pot of water (after it has come to boiling) immediately on the lower oven rack. (Keep the oven turned off!) Place the bowl of dough (and later the pan of dough for the second rise) on the top oven rack. Shut the oven door. This puts the dough in a heated environment which will help it rise. I’ve done that many, many times! (And also put it by the fire.) You can do it! Each time is an experiment and an experience–you will learn from each one. Making great bread is a journey–and a worthwhile one! Keep trying. Let me know how it goes and if you have more questions!
On December 9, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Dianna says:
Suzanne,
Thanks for the tips! I do have an update. We just finished supper, and had the one loaf I “saved”. It was wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I can’t believe it! I’ve never tried such a simple recipe with so few ingredients. Now I know what to do better the next time, (as far as a little less flour), but this was perfect! The crust was a little hard, but other than that it was delicious! I will keep trying. The girls are excited! We can’t wait until tomorrow! I keep you posted on our progress! Thanks again!
On December 9, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Elissa says:
Hi! I found your site the other day through Bitchypoo’s links. I have been been poking around for hours ever since! I made bread for the first time tonight – the Grandmother’s bread. Oh my gosh. It is heavenly. My husband and I devoured half of a loaf within minutes of taking it out of the oven. I am so happy to know how to make great tasting bread and to re-start a tradition in my family of fresh home-made bread. Thank you for the detailed directions! I told my husband that my dream is to have a farm. Hopefully we can make that a reality! Thank you!!!
On December 17, 2009 at 7:39 am
SuzzyQ says:
My grandmother’s BD was December 19th so now I’ll remember how to find Grandmother Bread. I’m off to bake my first loaves of 2010 using your recipe. Very excited to see how it turns out. Love your
blog. It’s my new homey fix!
On January 9, 2010 at 6:19 pm
crystal says:
I tried the grandmother bread over the weekend with great success (after years of failing with kneaded breads!) I am SO happy to finally have made a good loaf of homemade bread. Thank you so, so much for the recipe! I detailed my experience on my blog, with a link back to this page and your main blog page. You can read about it at https://moonlithill.blogspot.com/2010/01/grandmother-bread.html
On January 17, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
That’s wonderful, Crystal!
On January 17, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Theresa says:
This is almost exactly the recipe that I grew up with. My mom ALWAYS made homemade bread. The only difference in your recipe and hers is that hers uses a tad bit more sugar and a tiny bit more yeast. Other than that though, it’s exactly what I grew up with and what I make for my fam! So Cool!
On January 21, 2010 at 11:43 am
Susan in AZ says:
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes! I just found your blog and love it! :sun:
On January 23, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Mary says:
I haven’t made bread in a while, I wonder if I could begin these recipes in a bread machine using just the dough setting then when its done take it out shape it into a loaf? Whatcha think??
:hungry2: :duck:
On January 25, 2010 at 10:57 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Mary, I don’t use a bread machine, so I just don’t know for sure! You might try asking on my forum–I know some people there make this bread using a bread machine and could help you.
On January 25, 2010 at 11:38 am
Ms. Donnie says:
Finally had time to try your Grandmother bread recipe! Love it!! Reminds me of bread that our school cooks made in “days gone by”. I’ll be making more for sure. Thanks for sharing!
On February 9, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Cathy L says:
So far I have made 3 loaves of this and love it. The first one was really heavy and chewy but was great as toast and made wonderful thick sandwiches, the 2nd and 3rd came out much better, a bit lighter but I still am not getting the look of your bread pictured although yesterdays is much closer! So I’m getting there!
I have a question about kneading, I knead and sprinkle lightly with flour until it doesn’t stick to my hands anymore and springs back when I push it out for the first kneading. Now after the first rise, you say to add more flour and knead…how long do you knead the second time?
Also, somebody else mentioned the yeast taste, my dough rises beautifully but I can taste/smell the yeast slightly after it’s baked. Isn’t this normal with home made bread?
AND lastly,, I have not bought bread in 3 weeks now between the drop biscuits, apple ladder loaf, this bread and the cornbread! We used to go through 2-3 loaves of bread at almost $3 each per week! Now for just pennies we have fresh bread all the time in one form or another.
My thrifty side loves this a LOT!
On February 11, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Cathy, I love the yeasty smell of bread. That’s what it’s supposed to smell like–yummy!!! Your bread results will get better and better all the time, just keep going. Re the kneading before the second rise–I don’t knead long at all, just a minute or two, just enough to punch it down then I shape it into a loaf or whatever else I’m doing with it.
On February 11, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Cathy L says:
That’s what I thought about the yeasty smell Suzanne, but after reading a comment above I thought maybe I was wrong..lol
I now know I have been kneading a bit too long before the 2nd rise 🙂
Quick question about the drop biscuits? When you say 2 cups of quick mix (or whatever measurement)do you mean packed or fluffy cups? Because when I make them using the loosely measured and add the milk,,,well let’s say itis pourable and no way to use it for drop biscuits! I usually need to add a few more handfuls of flour before I get a dropable consistency..what am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
On February 11, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Cathy, I just use two full cups, but if you need to add a bit more, don’t worry about it, just do it til it works for you!
On February 11, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Ilene Jones says:
This is my mother’s bread recipe.
My mother’s mother was not a very good cook and did not bake bread. So Mom learned her bread-making skills from my dad’s grandmother. I have no doubt, then, that this is also my great-grandmother’s recipe. She was a woman of German descent, and they all lived in Kansas at the time. Since women of the time handed down their recipes from mother to daughter, I also have no doubt that this recipe was used for generation upon generation in my family.
And yes, my mother made quite a few different things from this bread, including cinnamon rolls, big huge farmhouse loaves, and buns. My brother would always beg her to pat a circle of it out and fry it, if he was around while she was “setting bread”.
On February 21, 2010 at 7:04 am
Nicky Hurt says:
I have never ever tried to make bread before. I have bought the packets of yeast, but then let them expire because I am afraid to make bread. Well, I”m in the 2nd rise of this bread recipe right now. I totally screwed up, but it’s rising, so I’m going to see where it goes. 🙂 Wish me luck!
On March 10, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Nicky, good luck! You couldn’t have totally screwed up if it’s rising! Every time you make bread, it will get better. It’s a practice, practice thing. And you’re going to love eating it!
On March 10, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Nicky Hurt says:
Thanks, Suzanne! It tastes great, despite my little mishap! Here’s the story and a couple of pics on my blog: https://senovia1.blogspot.com/2010/03/homemade-bread.html, if you’d care to see them. 🙂
On March 11, 2010 at 11:45 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Nicky, I love your scrapbook page about it! I’m glad it turned out. Keep baking!
On March 12, 2010 at 6:02 am
Laura says:
I just used your maseter recipe to make 2 loaves of bread, a dozen mini cinnamon rolls and a small loaf of pepperoni bread (roll out dough, sprinkle on cheese and pepperoni and roll up jelly roll style, make slits in the top and let rise, bake free form) Thank-you!
On March 15, 2010 at 1:10 pm
pdelainey says:
Hi Suzanne
I made your Grandma Bread with 100% whole wheat flour (using the dough enhancer) and it worked out perfect.
Thank you for sharing your family recipes :hug:
Pat
On April 9, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Julie B says:
Suzanne, I tried your bread this week and it turned out fairly well. It was not completely done on the bottom which I expected since I’m using a German oven here and the only heat element is from the top of the oven. I had to turn the bread out, turn upside down and finish baking it. It was still not quite done in a few places, but over all it was very good and my family wants MORE! So I’ll tinker around with it until I figure out how to make it perfectly with this oven. I can make it in smaller loaf pans, but I want to be able to slice it for sandwiches. Anyway, thanks for the recipe and instructions. I finally feel like I can do this!!!
On April 15, 2010 at 4:59 am
Nic, SD says:
Tried this out today! Celebrating a harvest holiday. I baked and baked and it still came out a little doughy (inexperienced bread baker, here) but it was still tasty! And quite pretty, too. Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful recipes! The cheesecake cookies were AMAZING. And my Mother had some very good things to say about your cheddar bay biscuits 😀
On August 7, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Nic, try adding a little more flour? Doughy sounds as if your bread dough was too wet. Or it’s possible your oven isn’t calibrated right. You never know! Breadbaking is a journey–try again!
On August 7, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Smee says:
I have made so many of these loaves over the past 2 weeks that I no longer need to have the printed recipe in front of me. This turns out such a nice loaf, it’s perfect for French toast and grilled cheese sandwiches. In fact, Sunday morning we made stuffed French toast for brunch, and my 13yo girl told me I needed to stay in the kitchen cooking and baking because the bread was amazing. I’ve also done a variation of cinnamon swirl bread that is fantastic for bringing to work as breakfast, and I made the hamburger buns. I’ll tell you, those are perfect warmed up with pepperjack cheese and BBQ pulled chicken. This bread is so well recieved that yesterday I made four loaves for friends, and today I’ll be making four more. This recipe (and all the others on this site!) have made it where my family is no longer wanting to buy bread, but make it instead. Thank you thank you thank you!
On August 16, 2010 at 10:16 am
Rosanne says:
I have always been afraid to try to make home-made bread, but after visiting your site and finding your Grandmother’s recipe I faced my fears!!! I was surprised it actually turned out well. My husband was pleased and is enjoying my new baking skill. Thank You! I really enjoy your site and I am addicted. I visit several times a day. Living on a farm all my life, I can relate to your farm and animal stories. My granddaughter who is five years old, loves your animal videos and is as addicted as I am to your site. Everytime she visits (which is often, as they live less than a mile away) she wants me to get her started on your site and watches and watches: Annabelle and Boomer, she was very educated by the hatching chick, loved the kitten taking the bottle. I have printed endless recipes to try from your site and look forward to trying each one. Thanks again!!!
‘
On September 7, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Sheila says:
I just made your grandmother bread , though it only lightly browned and was still a tinsy bit doughy in the center , I have to admit this is GOOOOOD LOL 🙂 , I think I’m gonna try and make it again sometime :shimmy:
On September 9, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Dustin says:
I finally perfected my preparation of the recipe tonight, and I am not disappointed. The air pockets were evenly distributed and none were too big, the crumb is fine, the crust is crispy but not overly so, and the bread is finally easy to cut (I’m even able to cut it with no difficulties with a serrated steak knife while warm!). I am so completely happy with this recipe. 🙂
On September 18, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
I’m glad to hear it, Dustin! Bread is an adventure. It takes a little practice, but it’s so worth it!
On September 18, 2010 at 9:29 pm
eliza says:
This is an excellent sandwich-style bread. I made it today with about 2/3 wholemeal bread flour and 1/3 reg flour, and honey instead of sugar. I found that, in a different manner to many other breads, it does not rise any further after you put it in the oven to bake – a mistake that made flat but tasty loaves the first time around. However, with this second round, just waiting and waiting for a height I was happy with (in hindsight I could have waited longer) made a lovely square loaf that I’m totally pleased with!
On November 3, 2010 at 3:19 pm
eliza says:
oh – i also whapped up the heat a bit at the end to get a pretty brown color on the top – was worth it.
On November 3, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Amy says:
I made “Grandmother Bread” for the first time this morning. This will be the ONLY bread recipe for me from now on. It was SO easy. No mixer, no counter-full of ingredients. And, it is delicous. It’s perfectly crusty, moist, tender but sturdy, and all around good.
I do have a question, though. What have you found is the best way to store homemade bread? It’s just myself, my husband, and our toddler, so we don’t go through bread very quickly and I’d like the bread to be as fresh as possible. Thanks 🙂
On November 19, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Amy, a loaf of bread rarely lasts longer than two days in my house. I store it in a bread baggie (from Wal-Mart). You can also keep bread in the fridge to keep it fresh longer. You might also try adding homemade dough enhancer, which helps keep bread fresh longer.
https://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/how-to-make-homemade-dough-enhancer/
On November 19, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Amy says:
Thanks 🙂
I saw the recipe for Dough enhancer yesterday and plan to make some at the beginning of the year (our budget just doesn’t have room for me to buy the ingredients right now). Until then, I’ll keep it in the fridge.
On November 19, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Sheila says:
Can this recipe be tripled and so on (I wanna make a few loaves but I don’t want to have to keep washing the dishes after each batch LOL).
On November 28, 2010 at 12:52 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Sheila, it can be multiplied as many times as needed!
On November 28, 2010 at 7:43 am
Sheila says:
Ty , I really enjoy your grandmother bread , I make up 2 loaves each time and keep one out and stick the other in the freezer , I was just wanting to try and do multiple loaves this time so I wouldn’t be in the kitchen all day :).
On November 28, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Sheila says:
I managed to get 4 loaves made 🙂 (the next time I get the bright idea to make 4 loaves at once , just shoot me LOL) , as much as I love baking , after awhile my arm started yelling at me LOL. :bugeyed: .
On November 28, 2010 at 10:34 pm
Sheila says:
My neighbor appareantly loves your bread , when I told her I was gonna be baking some , she asked if she could buy a couple of loaves from me (shhhh don’t tell anyone but I have no intention of taking money for these) , I enjoy baking so I told her she could have them :).
On January 11, 2011 at 12:26 am
Beth Newman says:
All right Suzanne I have a question for ya. My husband loves buttermilk bread. And I use the powdered buttermilk for our pancake mix so I have lots of powdered buttermilk around. I’m trying to figure out how to make homemade buttermilk bread. And after I master that I might even sneak in some wheat. And to make the grandmother bread wheat do you just substitute wheat flour for the all-purpose?
On January 29, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Beth, use dough enhancer if you use whole grains. I have a homemade dough enhancer recipe in my cooking archives. To use buttermilk, substitute the water for buttermilk, it works great!
On January 29, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Sheila says:
Ok suzanne I just wanted to let you know that both your french sandwich loaf and your grandmother bread is a huge hit with my neighbor , she told me that her mother (or mil can’t remember which LOL) really liked the french sandwich loaf and she and her hubby and grandson really enjoyed the grandmother bread , she came by and asked when I was going to be making more bread because she would love a couple more loaves :), so just to let you know that your recipes not only bring me joy (because I love baking) but others as well :).
On January 29, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Terri says:
Grandmothers Bread is the best bread I’ve ever eaten. I wanted a recipe that would use the leftover whey from ricotta cheese and tried this one. OMG! It is delicious. I make two loaves every other week or so for my husband to use for sandwiches and for toast in the morning. I don’t think my husband would ever go back to store-bought bread. He’s hooked.
On February 8, 2011 at 7:53 pm
DancesInGarden says:
Holy carp! Homemade bread that looks like……BREAD! I used less sugar, and the whey from ricotta as well. I might have used more flour by the time the kneading was done(kitchenaid, and went by feel). I immediately froze the rest of the whey in 1.5 cup packages… With a recipe like this that makes loaves like that-not a drop will be wasted! Thank you for the lovely reading and the beautiful bread!
On March 30, 2011 at 8:14 am
TotallyCooked says:
just made my first two loaves – they are busy cooling and look AWESOME – thank you. so simple but so rewarding
On April 20, 2011 at 6:00 am
SunwoodFarms says:
I’m a new bread baker and have made this twice so far. Forget store bought, this is wonderful. My 2 yr old son and husband love it. My chickens are upset because they were spoiled on bread before we got them (last month) and now they rarely get bread 🙂
Each loaf has turned out perfect. For one batch, I did the second loaf as a cinnamon raisin, just used the pre-soaked/baking raisins.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
On September 29, 2011 at 4:03 pm
nlchandler87 says:
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful bread! Today I made up my mind that I would finally try my hand at bread from scratch. I’ve never had anyone to teach me any kitchen skills, so now as a newly-wed, I’m trying to learn it all on my own for our future family. The bread turned out wonderfully – as a novice cook, I was pretty darn surprised (or maybe it was pure luck lol). Anyhow, My husband LOVES it! Your recipes are amazing and your animals/farm makes me want my own 🙂 In short, your farm life inspires me. Thank you!
– Nicole
On November 13, 2011 at 7:52 pm
jokuti says:
Hi all,
I tried for the first time in my life yesterday to make bread and tried with the Grandmother bread recipe. I was so proud of myself because it rose beautifully just like it was supposed to and tasted wonderful, except that it didn’t get very brown and was somewhat doughy. I think I will try it again today and put it on the lowest oven rack. If anyone has any suggestions as to whether this alone could be the solution or if I didn’t something else wrong to make it so doughy, I would appreciate any help. Thanks, Peggy
On May 13, 2012 at 8:35 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
jokuti, it sounds like you didn’t bake it long enough. Ovens can vary. If you had it on the correct oven temp, and left it in there for 25 minutes and it didn’t brown, you may need to test your oven temp to see if it’s accurate.
On May 13, 2012 at 8:37 am
jokuti says:
Okay, I tried this again the next day, and baked it about 5-10 minutes longer and it browned much better. Guess my oven temp must be off. The loaf in the glass pan browned much better than the one in the metal pan, as well, so thinking I need to invest in a 2nd glass bread pan. The bread is wonderful! And thanks so much for all the detailed information that allowed to me to overcome my fear of trying to make homemade yeast bread! Peggy
On May 15, 2012 at 10:18 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Peggy, that’s wonderful! And I highly recommend glass bread pans over any other kind of bread pan.
On May 15, 2012 at 10:26 am
gip says:
i made grandmothers bread with my friend yesterday and it turned out!! this being both our first time to make any kind of bread and it turned out! there was some mistakes but it still turned out! we let it rise 3 time…..oops we wil be using this more often and cant wait to make more stuff with it! thank you!
On May 31, 2012 at 9:40 am
Cooking with Mary says:
This bread recipe is so fantastic! Thanks a ton for posting/sharing it. I am going to share it out on my cooking page.
On July 13, 2012 at 10:04 am
lesliedgray says:
I finally made Grandmother bread today. I had originally intended to make it whole wheat, and waited until I’d gotten together and mixed the ingredients for Bread Enhancer. I ended up making regular Grandmother Bread, but used the enhancer too. It tastes great, but I let the loaves rise for a whole hour and probably should have cut the time a little, because the loaves rose incredibly high, but collapsed in the oven.. The bread, however was moist and tender with good crumb.. Next time I will add probably 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp more salt and , like I said, cut the loaf rising time… I love making bread and have tried many recipes.. Grandmother Bread is one of my new faves.. I can’t wait to try the wheat recipe, and the cinnamon roll recipe, and the pizza dough recipe, and, and, and……..
On July 18, 2012 at 5:47 pm
ginakenney1 says:
I just wanted to share with you that I tried (and posted) your recipe. My blog post is here: https://www.athomemyway.blogspot.com/2013/03/french-bread-and-preparing-for-storm.html
It’s a great recipe and I love the story that goes with it.
Your blog is awesome and I intend to spend lots of time exploring and trying out all of the good stuff on there!
Thanks for the inspiration!
On March 24, 2013 at 12:50 pm
Audrey324 says:
I made my very first (but most certainly not last!) batch of Grandmother bread today. I’ve baked breads before, but I can say with certainty that this simple recipe produces the most delicious bread. Thank you so much for sharing it with us, and for sharing the stories too.
On June 1, 2013 at 10:27 am
DawnMoodyDesign says:
I and SO excited to find these recipes! I’m vegetarian, but my daughter is vegan….and lactose intolerant which makes the vegan thing easy for her. LOL I have been looking for milk free bread recipe and I just LOVE this! Making some loaves tomorrow!!
On January 10, 2014 at 2:22 am
Chickenmama13 says:
My husband and 9 year old daughter have been trying to make bread for the last few weeks and have been generally unsuccessful…until now! Our first loaf just came out of the oven and it is delicious. Thank you for sharing. I have a feeling this will be a staple in our home from now on. :snoopy:
On July 25, 2014 at 11:11 pm
Mooloolaba says:
G,day, Instead of kneading dough, roll it out with a rolling pin ( use a bottle if no pin ) This a lot easer if your wrists are weak or you suffer from arthritis. Form your dough into a ball then roll out about an inch thick. Then with you hands roll the dough back to you , turn the “log” sideways roll it out once more, roll it up, put it in a greased bowl cover and leave to rise. Repeat this again and after second rise form the dough for your loaf. :snoopy:
On July 18, 2015 at 3:16 am
samhatt says:
i made this bread today..it is such a beautiful bread….right now im making some of your raisin bread..but im making it with the sour dough started and spelt flour…my house smells amazing.
On August 17, 2015 at 4:51 pm