“Lazy Girl” Basic Bread Machine Sandwich Bread Recipe
One thing I never wanted to do when we started making our own bread was making the bread — I saw the benefit, but the added workload was not appealing in the least. It would be just one more addition to my everyday routine of cooking, cleaning, managing the chaos (aka kids), and working.
Of course, we ended up doing it anyway, and while it was my husband’s weekend task in the beginning, it quickly turned into mine after a few weeks of heavy overtime (the perks of being a blue-collar worker). YAY.
Since the financial benefits were there—and they are, making your own bread is MUCH cheaper than buying a loaf from the store—I took on the task and started making bread but with a twist.
I started doing what I now do, which I lovingly call my “lazy girl” bread recipe:
“Lazy Girl” Bread Machine White Bread
Equipment
- Bread Machine
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups Bread Flour
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tsp Instant Yeast
- 1 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 2/3 Cups Water
- 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
- 3 Tbsp Salted Butter
Instructions
- If you haven't already, pull your butter out to soften. Put in ziploc and place in hot water if you're in a rush.
- Dump all your dry ingredients (Bread Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Instant Yeast) into your bread machine bowl.
- Now, your milk is supposed to be room temp — but no one has time for that. Instead of waiting, use hot water and cold milk to make a temperature that won't kill your yeast.
- Time to bake! We use the basic white bread setting with "light" crust on our machine. It takes around 3 hours.
How Much Does it Cost to Make?
This specific recipe costs $0.63 to make! Now, we do buy everything in bulk and that definitely makes a difference. If you want a full cost breakdown of ingredients, here’s a quick list:
- Flour: $0.32
- Sugar: $0.01
- Yeast: $0.01
- Butter: $0.22
- Milk: $0.06
- Salt: $0.01
If you want to get super specific, I didn’t add in the tiny cost of water (we’re on a well) and the cost of electricity — which, to be honest, I’m not sure how to calculate for our bread machine considering it’s not even made anymore.
How to Store Your Bread (and How Long it Lasts)
I’ve noticed that this bread starts to taste a little chewy on day #5, but it’s still good for toast or other baked foods. I wouldn’t recommend using it after a week, though.
You can get a bread box like this one to store it in, or if you’re short on time or don’t feel like spending the extra money, a gallon-sized Ziploc works well, too!
We’ve never had a loaf last more than five days, and by that, I mean it’s always eaten before it gets to that point.
Why is it “Lazy Girl” Bread?
I call it lazy girl bread because I try to do the bare minimum. I don’t scrape the sides to make it look better, I don’t let my milk sit on the counter to reach room temperature, and my butter gets softened in whatever way feels good at the moment if I don’t pull it out that morning.
I’m focusing on taste and purpose more than looks because my kids are going to eat in 1-3 days MAX — and they could care less if the top is uneven or if the bread is a little dense or too light.
I’d rather spend the extra time and attention cleaning the house, putting something else together (like homemade tortillas), or doing the dishes for the three-thousandth time that day.
But anyway, what do you think? Will you be trying this recipe soon? Let me know in the comments below!
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