Dairy Free Bread (Bread Machine & Oven Versions)

This dairy free bread recipe is simple to make and produces a nice soft & airy white bread. It uses olive oil and water instead of butter and milk. This bread is perfect for sandwiches and toast. My recipe was created for families who want to make homemade bread without adding any dairy ingredients. Moreover, you can bake this bread in your oven or your bread machine. I have included instructions for both baking formats below.

Dairy Free Bread (Oven Baked Version)

Recipe Sections

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Helpful Tips

Of course, there are many bread recipes online made without dairy products (i.e. many French bread and Italian bread recipes). However, what makes my recipe different is that I have included instructions on how to bake this bread in an oven or how to make a bread machine dairy free bread with their bread machine. Most online recipes do not give you this double option. I want to satisfy my visitors who are bread machine users as well as people who like to bake their bread in the oven.

Bread Machine Dairy Free Bread (Bread Machine Baked)

Disclaimer – This website does not provide any medical advice. If you, your family or guests have health issues with dairy products or other bread ingredients, you should follow the dietary and medical information provided by your doctor. For completely dairy free bread, bakers also need to make sure that all recipe ingredients (i.e. flour) and their baking tools/equipment are not potentially contaminated by dairy products. See the cross-contamination information in the tips section below.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 Cups – Water (lukewarm) – 315 milliliters
• 1/4 Cup – Olive Oil – 59 milliliters
• 3 1/2 Cups – Bread Flour – 420 grams
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons – White Granulated Sugar – 19 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Salt – 9 grams
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons – Instant Yeast (or Bread Machine Yeast) – 4.5 grams
• Optional – If you want to add more flavor to this bread, you can also add ingredients such as dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, dried rosemary, etc. See the tips section for more information.

Servings – Roughly 18 slices (oven-baked version) or 12 slices (bread machine version)

Equipment Needed (for oven-baked dairy free bread) – Measuring cup & spoons, flexible spatula, cutting board, 9×5 bread pan, oven mitts, oven, wire cooling rack and a kneading machine to make the dough (either a bread machine or electric stand mixer with dough hook).

Equipment Needed (for bread machine dairy free bread) – Measuring cup & spoons, silicone spatula, oven mitts, cooling rack and a bread machine.

Dairy Free Bread Dough – Waiting to be Shaped

Dairy Free Bread Dough – Rising in Bread Pan

Instructions (Oven Baked Dairy Free Bread)

• Creating dough with a bread machine
• Or creating dough with an electric stand mixer & dough hook
• Shaping the dough & baking the bread in the oven

Instructions (Bread Machine Dairy Free Bread)

• Mixing, kneading & baking in a bread machine

Instructions – Creating Dough with a Bread Machine

• Your bread machine should be unplugged.
• Remove the bread pan from the bread machine (so when you add the ingredients, they can not accidentally spill into the machine).
• Pour the water & olive oil into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast (bread machine yeast) in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). Some bakers like to make a small indent on top of the flour to prevent the yeast from spilling into the liquids or mixing with the salt before the machine is turned on.
• Put the bread pan with ingredients back into the unplugged bread machine.
• Plug in the bread machine. Enter the “Dough” setting on your bread machine and then press the “Start” button.
• Optional – Add the optional ingredients (i.e. dried cranberries) about 3-4 minutes after the start button was pressed. FYI – The dough should be fully mixed and the kneading process is underway.
• When the bread machine has finished making the bread dough, unplug the bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan from the bread machine.
• Now go to the instruction section below on “shaping the dough & baking the bread”. FYI – Ignore the instructions for the electric stand mixer below if you are using a bread machine to make your dough. Skip down to the shaping the dough & baking the bread section.

Instructions – Creating Dough with an Electric Stand Mixer with Dough Hook

• Your electric mixer should be unplugged.
• Remove the mixing bowl from the electric mixer.
• Insert a dough hook into the electric mixer.
• Pour the water & olive oil into the mixing bowl and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast (bread machine yeast) in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid (until the electric mixer is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together). Some bakers like to make a small indent on the top of the flour to prevent the yeast from spilling into the liquids or mixing with the salt before the machine is turned on.
• Place the mixing bowl back into the electric stand mixer.
• Plug in the electric mixer and use a low speed (i.e. setting 2) to mix the dough. Mix the dough for 7-10 minutes.
• Optional – Add the optional ingredients (i.e. dried cranberries) about 3-4 minutes after the mixer was turned on. FYI – The dough should be fully mixed and the kneading process underway. To be safe, unplug the machine when adding the chopped nuts. After adding the nuts, plug in the machine and finish the kneading.
• When the kneading is done, turn off the electric mixer and unplug the machine.
• Remove the mixing bowl from the electric mixer. Pour the dough into a second large mixing bowl that has been lightly “greased” with olive oil, cooking spray, etc.
• Optional – Lightly coat the top of the dough with olive oil in order to prevent the dough exterior from drying out.
• Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes until it doubles in size.
• After the dough has risen, go to the instruction section below on “shaping the dough & baking the bread”.

Instructions – Shaping the Dough & Baking the Bread

• Sprinkle a little bit of flour onto a large cutting board.
• Remove the dough from the bread pan or mixing bowl and place the dough on the cutting board.
• Press down on the dough with your hands and create a “flattish” rectangle with the dough. The dough should be roughly 1 inch high.
• Roll up the dough into a tight “jelly roll”. FYI – Please see the short instructional videos in the tips section below on how to shape the dough if you haven’t shaped bread dough before. It is easier to watch & learn from these short videos versus trying to explain the rolling technique step by step.
• Place the rolled up dough into the bread pan.
• Press down on top of the dough so the edges of the dough press out towards the sides of the bread pan. This should result in little or no gaps between the dough and the bread pan. This helps the bread to turn into a nice loaf shape without any misshapen edges. Make sure that the top of the pressed down dough is roughly level (so one side isn’t much higher than the other).
• Brush olive oil on top of the dough with a pastry brush. This prevents the crust from drying out as the dough rises.
• Loosely cover the top of the bread pan with plastic wrap. Set the covered bread pan aside for 60-90 minutes for the dough to rise into a loaf shape. Once the dough has risen 1 – 1.5 inches (2.5 – 3.8 cm) above the rim of the bread pan, the dough should be ready to be placed in the oven. FYI – You want the dough to fully rise during this stage. So don’t try to shorten this rising time. If the dough is still significantly rising while in the oven, you are more likely to see crust/seam cracks or “bursts” in the oven. In addition, the speed of the dough rise will vary in part based on the temperature of your kitchen (i.e. rise faster in the summer & slower in the winter).
• Preheat the oven to 350 F about 20 minutes before you plan to put the dough in the oven. FYI – I like to set my timer to go off 40 minutes after I place the dough in the bread pan. Given variability in the dough rising time, this can be a little early sometimes (but better to be a little early versus being late!).
• Place the bread pan in the (preheated) oven to bake at 350 F for 37-42 minutes. Wear oven mitts when dealing with a hot oven. Place the bread pan in the middle of the oven.
• Rotate the bread pan in the oven after 15-20 minutes (in order to ensure an even browning of the bread).
• After the 37-42 minute baking period has finished, remove the bread pan from the oven. Wear oven mitts. Optional – Use a digital thermometer to confirm that the bread has been fully baked. See tips below.
• Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a wire cooling rack. Wear oven mitts.
• Allow the bread to cool down on the wire cooling rack for 1-2 hours before cutting the bread.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully.

Instructions – Mixing, Kneading & Baking in a Bread Machine

• Bread machine settings – 2 pound loaf, light color and “basic” bread setting.
• Unplug your bread machine.
• Remove the bread pan from the unplugged bread machine (so when you add the ingredients, they can not accidentally spill into the machine).
• Pour the water & olive oil into the bread pan and then add the other ingredients. Place the instant yeast/bread machine yeast in last and the yeast should not touch the liquid (until the bread machine is turned on and the ingredients start to be mixed together by the bread machine). FYI – Many bakers like to make a crater/pocket in the top of the flour to hold the yeast so the yeast does not contact the liquid or salt in the bread pan.
• Put the bread pan with ingredients back into the unplugged bread machine.
• Plug in the bread machine. Enter the correct settings (2 lb, light color, basic bread) and press the “start” button.
• Optional – Add the optional ingredients (i.e. dried cranberries) about 3-4 minutes after the start button was pressed. FYI – The dough should be fully mixed and the kneading process is underway.
• When the bread machine has finished baking the bread, unplug the bread machine and remove the bread pan from the bread machine. Wear oven mitts as the bread pan & bread machine will be hot.
• Remove the bread from the bread pan and place the bread on a cooling rack. Use oven mitts when removing the bread as the bread & bread pan will be hot.
• After removing the bread, don’t forget to remove the mixing paddle if it is stuck in the bread. Use oven mitts as the mixing paddle will be very hot coming out of the bread machine. Or wait until the bread is completely cooled and then remove the mixing paddle.
• Let the bread cool on the cooling rack for 1-2 hours before cutting.
• Please read the tips section below for extra information on how to make this recipe successfully.

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Optional Ingredients – Dried Cranberries, Chopped Walnuts or Dried Rosemary

Helpful Tips

• The tips below are designed to help baking & bread making “novices”. Intermediate and advanced bread makers probably know most of these bread making tips.
• Click on our “print recipe” link if you want to print out this recipe. It includes all of the recipe’s ingredients and instructions. However, the recipe print function does not include our tips section. Please read the tips section in order to avoid common recipe problems.
• This recipe is part of Bread Dad’s series on Easy Bread Recipes such as extra soft white bread, French bread and Italian bread.

• To make a bread machine dairy free bread, your bread machine needs to be able to handle 2 lb breads. You will not be able to bake this bread in bread machines that only have a max capacity of 1 or 1.5 lbs.
• As I stated above (near the ingredients section), this website does not provide any medical advice. If you, your family or guests have health issues with dairy products or other bread ingredients, you should follow the dietary and medical information provided by your doctor. For completely dairy-free bread, bakers also need to make sure that all recipe ingredients (i.e. flour) and their baking tools/equipment are not potentially contaminated by dairy products.
• For severe dairy allergies, many families like to check the ingredient labels for potential cross-contamination issues. Some ingredients are manufactured in plants where dairy products are also made. This can lead to potential dairy contamination of non-dairy ingredients. Depending on the severity of the dairy allergies, some families refuse to use ingredients that were made in a plant where dairy ingredients were also processed.
• See the picture below of a disclaimer detailing that a flour was “Produced on equipment that also processes eggs, milk, soy, almond, and coconut”. Always read the ingredient labels for possible risks and potential problems.

• Some families try to reduce potential cross-contamination issues that might occur in their households by having two different sets of bread-making equipment (i.e. bread pans & mixing bowls). One set is used only for baked goods made with dairy-based ingredients. The other set is used ONLY for baked goods made without dairy-based ingredients.

• Many people looking for dairy free baked goods are either lactose intolerant or have a dairy allergy (i.e. milk, cheese, etc.).
• According to Wikipedia, “Lactose intolerance is a condition caused by a decreased ability to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Those affected vary in the amount of lactose they can tolerate before symptoms develop. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, and nausea.”
• Moreover, according to Wikipedia, “Milk allergy is an adverse immune reaction to one or more proteins in cow’s milk. Symptoms may take hours to days to manifest, with symptoms including atopic dermatitis, inflammation of the esophagus, enteropathy involving the small intestine and proctocolitis involving the rectum and colon. However, rapid anaphylaxis is possible, a potentially life-threatening condition that requires treatment with epinephrine, among other measures.”
• Beyond lactose intolerance and dairy allergies, other people like to make dairy free bread because they want to reduce their family’s exposure to saturated fat from animals. For more information, you should read this Wikipedia article on saturated fat.
• If you want to make an easy dairy free dessert or snack, you should try this Bread Dad’s dairy free banana bread recipe. It is made with oil (not butter) and of course, without any milk. Or take a look at my vegan dessert recipes such as Vegan Banana Bread and Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

• Optional – If you want to add more flavor & texture to this dairy free bread, you can add ingredients such as 1 cup of dried cranberries (114 grams) or,1 cup of chopped walnuts (115 grams). Or you can add a combination of dried cranberries & chopped walnuts (1/2 cup of dried cranberries & 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts). In the recipe instructions, you will find information on when to add the dried fruit and/or chopped nuts.
• Optional – If you want to turn this bread into a dairy free herb bread, you can add 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary or Italian seasoning (6 grams).
• Optional – Depending on your family’s dietary preferences, you can replace the olive oil with neutral flavored oils such as canola oil, corn oil, etc.
• Visitors – What do you like to add to your non dairy bread to make it special or unique (i.e. extra spices)? Please post your dairy free bread tips & suggestions in the comment section below.

• Use FRESH ingredients (i.e. flour) for the best results. Ingredients that have been sitting in the pantry for months can become stale or pick up weird smells & flavors.
• Try to keep your ingredients (i.e. flour) in airtight food containers in order to extend their shelf life. Airtight containers also help to prevent ingredients (i.e. flour and sugar) from absorbing moisture from the air. This extra moisture can throw off recipes (as it can disrupt the liquid-to-dry ingredient ratio in the recipe) and shorten an ingredient’s shelf life. They also help to prevent exposure to pests, dust, etc.
• Do not use cold water to make this recipe or the yeast may have trouble growing properly. Yeast is sort of like Goldilocks – it doesn’t like things too hot or too cold.
• The oven-baked version of this bread recipe calls for the use of a 9 x 5 inch bread pan. You can also use a 8.5 x 4.5 inch bread pan but the “crown” of the bread might come out too tall (or overflow) if your yeast is very active.

• The flattening & shaping of the dough and the press down of the dough in the bread pan is the “punch down” phase. This helps to squeeze out any large bubbles produced by the yeast in the dough.
• If you don’t do this punch down phase, your bread will have large air pockets. Large air pockets are fine for ciabatta-type breads but are not ideal for sandwich bread. The punch down & second rising helps to create a lighter & chewier bread. It also creates a more uniform & tighter bread texture which is better for sandwich breads.

• If you are having problems shaping your dough, you should watch the “how to” instructional videos below. These are links to bread dough shaping videos on Youtube.
• King Arthur Baking
• San Diego Artisan Bread School
• Father Dominic – a slightly different method versus the videos above
• Don’t worry if you are a beginner and the bread top comes out a little lopsided. The bread will still taste great. It takes a little while for new bakers to learn how to shape a bread consistently. 

• How do you know when the dough has risen enough in the second rise (when the dough is in the bread pan)? After letting the dough rise for 60-90 minutes (and when it is roughly 1-1.1.5 inches above the 9×5 bread pan), you can try the “poke test“. Poke your finger into the dough (going in about an inch). If the poke hole rebounds immediately, you need to allow more time for the dough to rise further (it is “under proofed”). If the hole doesn’t come back at all, the dough has risen too much (it is “over proofed”). If the hole slowly fills over 2-3 seconds, the dough is at the right stage of proofing.
• Unfortunately, the temperature of your kitchen can make the timing for this perfect poke result hard to predict (because there is a faster dough rise in hot kitchens and a slower rise in cold kitchens). Experience with “proofing” will make this easier (but it can be a problem for beginning bakers).
• If the dough is “underproofed” (hasn’t risen enough) when you place it in the oven, the bread is more likely to burst/crack when baked in the oven (as the still rising dough will push against the hardening crust and “burst” at the seams of the crust). Bakers try to get around this issue via testing for the right “proofing” level (i.e. use the poke test), “scoring” breads (slicing the top of the dough so the cracks occur where you want them), adding moisture inside the oven (so the dough doesn’t harden as quickly), using a dutch oven (in order to trap the dough moisture inside the dutch oven container & not spread out into the oven), etc.
• Don’t overproof the dough (let it rise too long). This occasionally happens when someone forgets about the rising dough and comes back hours later to check. Overproofed dough leads to deflated dough as well as flat and/or sunken bread tops. According to Wikipedia, “Overproofing occurs when a fermenting dough has rested too long. Its bubbles have grown so large that they have popped and tunneled, and dough baked at this point would result in a bread with poor structure.”
• If your dough is “over proofed”, you might like to read the King Arthur Baking article “How to save over-proofed dough” as it gives tips on how to save the dough.
• For more information on dough proofing, please read this MasterClass article “Baking 101: What Is Proofing?“.

• This dairy free bread recipe uses instant yeast or bread machine yeast. It is not focused on active dry yeast. This recipe is targeted towards instant yeast & bread machine yeast as many of our visitors are bread machine users.
• Active dry yeast is different from instant yeast & bread machine yeast. Instant yeast & bread machine yeast are added directly to the recipe’s ingredients. In contrast, active dry yeast must be activated in water before being added to a recipe’s ingredients. Many bakers find it quicker to use instant yeast because you just add it to the dry ingredients. With active dry yeast, you need to spend roughly 10 minutes “proofing” (activating) the yeast with a liquid & sugar.
• Cooler home temperatures in the winter can cause rising problems for bread dough. Ideally, your room temperature should be around 75-80 degrees F. Colder winter room temperatures can significantly delay the rise of the dough. You will need to raise the temperature of your kitchen (if you like a cold house in the winter) or find a warm spot for the dough to rise. I often put my dough (covered of course) next to a heating vent in the winter to make sure it is getting enough heat.
• Conversely, dough can rise faster than expected in a very hot kitchen.
• Kitchen humidity can also impact a recipe. A winter kitchen tends to be drier due to your heating system drying out the air. In contrast, a kitchen in the summer can be much more humid. This change in humidity impacts baking as flour can soak up humidity from the air. Therefore, you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of liquid in the winter if the dough is looking too dry. Or you might have to add 1-2 teaspoons of flour in the summer if the dough is looking too wet. If your kitchen is very dry or humid, you might have to add even a little more (but start with 1 teaspoon at a time until you achieve the right consistency).
• Of course, excessive kitchen humidity or dryness can impact a recipe at any time during the year (not just in the summer & winter)!

• Other factors that can impact the rise of the dough include old or expired yeast, contaminated yeast (i.e. the yeast was left in an open jar & air moisture contaminated it), water that is too cold or too hot, using heavily chlorinated tap water, placing salt next to or on top of the yeast (salt can kill yeast or inhibit its growth), not covering the dough during the rising period (as the exterior of the dough can dry out & limit the ability to rise), etc.
• It takes roughly 15-20 minutes to preheat most ovens with some variability due to the size of the oven, planned baking temperature (hotter takes longer), etc.
• Optional – Use an oven thermometer as your expected oven temperature may be different than reality. Some ovens can be 25-50+ degrees F hotter or colder than the number you set with your oven dial. An oven thermometer (which usually costs less than $10) is an easy way to measure the actual temperature inside your oven.
• Optional – Use a digital bread thermometer to test if your bread is completely done. The interior temperature of the bread should be 190-200 degrees F. This inexpensive tool can save you from underbaked breads.

• You should let your bread cool down for 1-2 hours on the wire cooling rack before you cut any slices (or the slices will be “gummy” and not taste as good as expected). Excess interior moisture is released (via steam) during the cooldown period.
• If you have not made bread in a long time, please buy some NEW bread machine yeast or instant yeast before making your bread. Old yeast can die or lose its potency and this will lead to bread that does not rise properly. Yeast is not likely to be viable if it has been sitting in your pantry for years.
• Once you have opened the container that contains the yeast, the yeast will last longer if you store the bottle in the refrigerator or freezer. Just make sure the bottle is sealed tight (as yeast will deteriorate quickly if exposed to air, moisture and/or heat).

• My recipes are based on US ingredient measurements (i.e. US cups & tablespoons). However, as a courtesy to our European visitors, I have also included some very ROUGH European equivalents (i.e. grams & milliliters). Since I rarely use European measurements when baking, please let me know in the comment section below if any of the European ingredient measurements need to be changed (i.e. for XYZ ingredient, milliliters are more commonly used versus the grams information listed in the recipe).
• Always wear oven mitts/gloves when dealing with a bread machine, hot oven, hot bread pan, etc.
• For more easy bread ideas, please check out Bread Dad’s sections for Bread Machine Recipes and Homemade Bread Recipes.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a comment below & give us a 5 star rating. Beginning bakers learn a lot from your baking comments, tips & recipe variations. Jump to comment section

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Reference Sources

• Wikipedia, Bread
• Wikipedia, Bread Machine
• Wikipedia, Lactose Intolerance
• Wikipedia, Milk Allergy
• Wikipedia, Saturated Fat

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