Simple Greek Yogurt Bread
This delicious Greek yogurt bread recipe produces a delicious fluffy white bread that is perfect for sandwiches. Best of all, it's easy to make!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rise Time 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 12 Slices
Ingredients
- 1 Cup (236.59 ml) Milk Microwaved to 110°F
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Sugar
- 2 1/4 Teaspoons (2.25 Teaspoons) Yeast one packet
- 1/2 Cup (118.29 ml) Greek Yogurt Room Temperature
- 1/4 Cup (56.75 g) Butter Melted
- 3 1/2 Cups (437.5 g) Flour
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons (1.5 Teaspoons) Salt
Instructions
- Microwave the milk for 20 seconds or until warm. It should be around 110°F
- Whisk the warm milk and yeast together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cover and let sit for five minutes. If you don't have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients into the stand mixer bowl. With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on medium-low speed for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Then knead the dough on medium-low speed for five minutes until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can knead with a wooden spoon or knead by hand.
- Knead the dough ball for an additional five minutes. This will help develop the gluten in the dough.
- First Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil to prevent dough from sticking to it. Place the dough in the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours or until doubled. (Rise time depends a lot on the environment. For an accurate first rise time, check out the "How Long Does Rise Time Take For Recipes With Yeast?" section in my Ultimate Baking With Yeast guide.
- Grease your 9x5-inch loaf pan with oil or butter.
- Shaping: After the dough has doubled in size, it's ready to be shaped into a sandwich loaf. Lightly flour a clean work surface. On that work surface, position the dough ball and lightly dust the top with flour. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 8x15 inches and about half an inch thick. Roll the dough into a 7-inch log and carefully transfer it into the greased loaf pan. Don't worry if it's not perfectly shaped! (Refer to the pictures above for a visual guide.)
- Second Rise: For the second rise, use greased plastic wrap to cover the loaf pan. You can also use an inverted pan to cover the loaf pan if you have a second one. Let the dough rise in a warm place until the top of the dough reaches a height of one inch above the edge of the bread loaf pan. This process typically takes around one to one and a half hours.
- Preheat Your Oven: Move the oven rack to the bottom third of the bottom. Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). It's smart to bake the bread in the lower part of the oven to avoid the top burning.
- Bake The Bread: Put the bread in the oven and bake it for about 30 minutes or until the top turns a nice golden brown. If it's browning too fast, cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil. To check if it's done, the internal temperature of the bread should reach 195℉.
Notes
- My post has step-by-step detailed photos of the entire recipe. Make sure to check them out.
- Ingredients should not be cold! Temperature will affect the times for the first and second rise. If the ingredients are cold, it will take longer for your bread to be ready.
- Flour: You can use bread flour or all-purpose flour.
- Honey: I recommend using honey as it adds a delicious flavor that pairs well with the tang of the Greek yogurt. However, you can substitute with maple syrup, brown sugar, or white sugar.
- No stand mixer? No problem! You can add the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix with a wooded spoon then knead by hand.
- If room temperature is too cold for your bread dough to rise, you’ll need to find a warm place. You can microwave a cup of water for one minute; afterward, you can place the dough inside the microwave.
- Overnight Instructions: You can make this recipe overnight if you'd like. One option is to do steps 1-4, then let the bread dough do its first rise covered in the refrigerator overnight. Four hours before you're ready to bake, remove it from the refrigerator. Let it come room temperature then shape and continue the recipe.
- Bread Machine: I do not own a bread machine and have not tried this recipe in a bread machine. If you own one, please leave a comment to let others know how your greek yogurt bread loaf turned out.