Name: Homemade Dairy Free Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 ¼ cup all purpose flour; 1 tablespoon instant yeast; ¼ cup sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons canola oil; 1 large egg; 1 cup warm water

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Soft and fluffy dairy free bread that tastes amazing! An easy to make recipe that requires no dairy. Perfect for sandwiches, toasting, or making french toast.

This light and fluffy bread is SO GOOD! You are going to love how easy it is to make this homemade bread recipe made with simple ingredients.

Since perfecting this bread, I make it several times a week as we enjoy it for breakfast as toast, in a sandwich at lunch, and as a side for dinner. Not to mention it can be the base for some delicious french toast!

Free from: dairy, casein, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, corn, celery, and more

loaf of dairy free bread on a cutting board with slices in front

There is something so wonderful about bread making. I don’t know if it is the patience required before you can slice into a fresh loaf or the smell of it fresh from the oven, but I just love making bread.

This bread is a modification of a family favorite to be made dairy free when a family member developed a dairy allergy. But you won’t miss anything in this flavorful loaf!

Ingredients

What is great about this bread is how simple it is to pull together with ingredients from your pantry. Nothing here is esoteric in the slightest. Here is the run down for what you will need.

Flour – I have always made this bread with all purpose flour. It makes a really lovely loaf of bread that isn’t heavy or dry. However, you can also make it with bread flour or a mix of half bread flour and half all-purpose. I wouldn’t make this with whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour.
Sugar – white sugar or brown sugar both work great! Use what you have.
Salt
Egg
Vegetable oil, a neutral flavored oil, like canola, is my favorite! It makes the bread sweet. Olive oil gives the bread a more rustic flavor.
Yeast
Water

Active Dry Yeast vs Instant Yeast

There is no difference in flavor when making this bread and using active yeast or instant yeast. The difference comes in the first steps of the recipe. Both yeasts make for really beautiful and crusty loaves of bread. So no matter which type of yeast you have, it will be delicious!

If using active yeast, in a medium sized bowl, combine the yeast with the warm water. Let it sit for ten minutes to allow the yeast to activate. You’ll know the yeast is ready when it has proofed up the sides of the bowl and are foamy looking. Add this mixture when adding the oil and egg to the dough.

If using instant yeast, no need to proof! Mix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar.

Making the dough

The full instructions with all the recipe measurements are written in the recipe card below! Be sure to check that out. Here is where I get into the details on how to make the best dairy free bread ever.

No matter which type of yeast that you use, you will want to begin with your stand mixer or a large bowl. If you are using a stand mixer, make sure that you attach the dough hook. I don’t recommend using a paddle or whisk attachment for this recipe.

Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, the flour, salt, and sugar. If using instant yeast, add the yeast now. Give this a quick mix.

mixing the dry ingredients together in a glass bowl

the shaggy dough is forming in the metal bowl

Now add the warm water, egg, and oil. Keep the mixer on low speed. If you have used active yeast and have a proofed yeast mixture, add this to the dry ingredients now.

By this point, you should have added all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Leave the mixer on low speed and let it knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the dough has formed a smooth ball in the bowl.

If mixing by hand, you will want to turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and supple to the touch.

Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled large bowl and place it in a warm place to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.

Shaping the dough

After the dough has risen for one hour, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. I like to use parchment paper on the countertop and then sprinkle flour on top of that to make sure nothing sticks.

Using a rolling pin or just your hands, shape the dough into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and about 14 inches long.

Starting from a side that is 8 inches wide, roll the dough into a log.

Tuck the ends under and place the dough into a lightly greased loaf pan. Let this dough rise, lightly covered and in a warm spot, for about an hour or until it is double in size again.

df bread in loaf pan ready for second rise

Baking the Bread

Turn the oven on to 375F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. To get the best bake, you want the top of the bread to be in the middle of the oven while cooking.

After the dough has risen for the second time, place the dough in the loaf pan into the oven.

Let it bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes, or until a dark golden crust has appeared and the dough has an internal temperature of 190F. Remove the bread from the oven.

When the bread is still hot from the oven, you can take dairy butter or vegan butter and spread some on the top of the loaf. This gives the crust a great flavor.

Allow the bread to rest in the hot loaf pan for about 10 minutes before removing the loaf.

Let the bread cool completely on a wire rack or cutting board before slicing. I know how hard it is to wait on warm bread but the longer it cools, the better structure it will have for slicing!

Enjoy!!

overhead view of slices of dairy free bread

Tips

Here are my best tips for your bread making so you always have a delicious loaf every time.

Start with room temperature ingredients and keep things warm. I like to place my dough in a ceramic bowl to better hold the heat. Then I place that next to the warm kettle (a perfect excuse to make a cup of tea!) and let it rise. You want to have a warm kitchen to let the yeast rise up.

If you don’t have a kettle, you can also bring a pot of water to a simmer next to it to help provide that warm environment.

Heat the water to between 95-110F. You again want the water to be warm to activate the yeast, but you don’t want it to be so hot to kill the yeast!

FAQs

Can I make this bread with a bread maker?

I’m sure you could, however, I have not tested the recipe for making it in a bread maker. I suggest trying another recipe if you are making bread in a bread maker.

Can I freeze this bread?

Yes, you can freeze this bread after baking. Wrap it up well in cling film or another airtight and freezer safe container and you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To store this bread in the freezer before baking, follow these steps:

Allow the bread to finish the first rise.
Punch down the dough and roll out. Shape as instructed. Place into a bread loaf pan that has been lined with cling film and lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Freeze dough for 10 hours.
Remove the dough from the pan and rewrap in more cling film. Place in a freezer safe container (a freezer plastic bag also works) and keep frozen until ready to use.
You can keep frozen bread dough for up to 4 weeks.
To make from frozen, allow dough to go through a second rise in the fridge overnight. Bake as directed.

side view of the inside of the loaf of df bread

Are eggs a dairy product?

No, eggs are not a dairy product and therefore eggs are safe to eat if you have a dairy allergy.

It can be confusing since they are often kept in the same part of the grocery store, but eggs are a different allergy than a dairy allergy.

Best flour to use?

My favorite flour to use is King Arthur All Purpose flour. It has a great flavor and bakes up beautifully. I like the brand itself because the flour is made in a dedicated allergen safe facility where only wheat flour is used. This means you don’t have to worry about cross contamination.

You can make this recipe with bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, making for more development of gluten. This results in a heavier and heartier loaf of bread.

I have almost never made this recipe with bread flour. When making this during hte week, I always reach for all-purpose.

Can I make this gluten free?

No, this recipe was not made to be a gluten-free bread. For a great gluten free bread recipe, check out this one here!

How to Store

This bread is best the day that you make it. To store it for a couple of days longer, wrap it in an airtight container and store on the countertop or in the fridge. Since it has no preservatives, it is best to enjoy it within 3 to 5 days. However, my bread never lasts that long as we all eat it up before that!

To store this bread for longer, I recommend freezing baked bread in a freezer safe and airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before enjoying.

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