Homemade Bread Machine Mixes

Posted onMay 18, 2016September 30, 2023 Updated onSeptember 30, 2023

If you want to make your own homemade bread machine mixes, it is a simple and frugal project. Anyone can quickly make this easy bread machine mix to use in their bread maker.

Several years ago, I committed to baking bread for our family. Amazingly and thankfully, baking bread been a habit that is stuck! It’s so easy, very delicious and much more economical than buying bread. At less than $0.50 a loaf, we enjoy the savings and the taste of fresh bread. This is the bread recipe I typically use.

While I love that bread recipe, it does make two loaves. Typically, we eat one right away and freeze the other for later. Sometimes, I want a quick loaf of bread to go with our dinner and that is the beauty of baking bread with a bread machine.

Do you have a bread machine? Mine was a garage sale purchase from my Uncle who had scarcely used it. The old ones are a bit bulky, but I love having it – if only to make these amazing Parmesan garlic rolls in my bread machine.

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If you don’t have a bread machine, watch garage sales or Craigslist for them. I think many people clean out large appliances like these fairly regularly. There are also some economical versions on Amazon. This bread machine is very similar to mine and one I would definitely consider purchasing if I wanted to bake bread regularly, without the fuss of the oven.

While a bread machine speeds up the baking process, I knew I could make it faster. I didn’t want to mess with the hassle of getting my bread ingredients out every time. Enter in these homemade bread machine mixes!

With these bread mixes, you can simply add your liquid, dump in the mix and press go!

Yes, I could buy boxes at the store but it is so easy to make your own bread machine mix – and so much cheaper, too. Do you want to make your own bread mix, too?

I started with my reliable white bread recipe. It is slightly different from my oven baked white bread, but still delicious. I combined all the ingredients in my canning jars and stored them in the pantry. I also discovered that a 5 pound bag of flour will make 5 jars of bread machine mix, using the following recipe.

Now, when I need a loaf of homemade bread, I add some water and butter to my bread machine, dump in a jar of homemade bread mix, and hit start. In less than a minute, I have bread baking in my bread machine.

If you have a bread machine that you haven’t used in awhile, these mixes will help you enjoy your bread machine again. Save yourself some time and money, and spend a couple minutes mixing up these mixes. You’ll be very glad you did!

Here’s my recipe for a simple white homemade bread machine mix.

Note: This is a bread machine recipe for white bread, that makes a 1.5 pound loaf size.

Classic White Bread Mix Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon wheat gluten (optional)

How to Make Your Homemade Bread Machine Mix:

Put instant yeast, sugar, dry milk powder and gluten into a quart size jar first. Scoop flour on top of the other ingredients. You can also combine all the items in a quart or gallon size ziploc bag. Store until ready to make bread.

When you are ready to make bread, pour 8 ounces of water and 2 teaspoons of butter in your bread machine. Dump in the jar of dry bread ingredients. Select bake as normal.

Enjoy your homemade bread with little effort or fuss!

I have received many questions about using yeast in bread machine mixes so here is a bit more about making mixes for your bread machine. These are a couple tips and answers to common bread machine questions as I best know from my bread making experience and research.

Can I make homemade bread machine mix without yeast?

You can make your bread machine mix without yeast and add it separately when pouring your mix into your bread machine.

However, I have never had a problem mixing instant yeast in my bread mixes. I use instant yeast that I buy at Sam’s in all of my bread baking.

Active dry yeast is supposed to be activated in water, so I do not recommend using it in any bread machine recipes.

Here are some examples of yeast you can use in your bread machine:

Do you need to refrigerate bread machine mixes?

No, you do not need to refrigerate your mixes. I do store my yeast in the fridge between baking. If I have unopened packages of instant yeast, I store those in the freezer.

However, any mixes that you are making and will be using within a couple months, I would store in your pantry. I have not experienced any problems with storing my bread mixes and yeast at room temperature.

Can I bake my homemade bread machine mix in the oven?

Yes! You can always put your mix in the bread machine and select the knead option. Once it is done, take your dough out and shape into a loaf, placing in a loaf pan. Let it rise until doubled in size before baking in your oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

I prefer the oven baked crust over the bread machine one. However, if I have the bread machine out, I’m going to save myself the extra time and effort and let the machine do both the kneading and baking work for me.

This mix will also work perfectly with the delay start option. Want warm bread, just in time for dinner? Put all your ingredients in the bread machine in the morning and follow your bread machine settings to delay start it so it’s ready for dinner. Who doesn’t love having warm, fresh bread for dinner?

Do I need to add gluten to my bread machine mixes?

While it is not required, I highly recommend using vital wheat gluten in all of your bread baking recipes.

Vital wheat gluten will help your bread to have a firmer crust and a chewier and more pliable bread inside.

The rule of thumb for using vital wheat gluten is to add 1 tablespoon gluten for every 2 to 3 cups of flour.

You can buy wheat gluten in most grocery stores in the baking aisle or buy it online. Several pounds of gluten will last you a long time!

What kind of flour should I use with bread machine mixes?

I make this bread machine recipe with all purpose flour – and add vital wheat gluten.

You can use bread flour with your bread mixes and skip the vital wheat gluten, since it already has a higher protein content.

I find it cheaper to use all purpose white flour in my bread machine and add gluten, instead of buying the more expensive bread flour.

Both flour options will work with this bread machine recipe – and both will result in delicious bread.

Do the ingredients need to be placed in a particular order in the bread machine?

There is a simple order used with using a bread machine.

Liquids, dry ingredients, yeast is the recommended order.

This is why I recommend putting yeast into your canning jar first, followed by the other ingredients and flour. When you dump the jar into the bread machine, this will put the yeast in last and on top.

Simply pour your water into the bread machine, add the butter, and dump your jar of dry ingredients on top of the liquid.

Since it is instant yeast, if your yeast gets mixed with the flour (because you are making your mixes in a bag), it should not be a problem.

However, if you are concerned about making sure the yeast is truly on top – use a jar or keep it separate from your mix and add it when cooking.

Any other tips for making bread machine mixes?

After you have made your homemade mixes, write a reminder on the outside of your bag with Sharpie maker to add 8 ounces water and 2 teaspoons butter when baking.

If you are using a glass canning jar, write the reminder on a piece of masking tape and tape to the lid of your jar. This is an easy way to help you remember what to do when baking.

If you know someone who has a bread machine, making a basket of homemade bread machine mixes is a thoughtful and easy gift.

Did I answer all your questions? Remember, if you wonder if something will work, you can always try it and see what happens! Perhaps you will discover a wonderful new bread mix just like I did!

More Homemade Bread Recipes to Try:

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