20 Homemade Bread Recipes That Use All-Purpose Flour

Updated March 23, 2020
Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Kay E. Clarke

If you're an amateur bread baker, you may not have a vast array of flours stocked in your pantry. And why would you? All-purpose flour is great for, well, all purposes. These 20 easy bread recipes don't call for any fancy flours (not even bread flour). Whether you're looking to make classic sandwich bread (here's a good recipe for you) or something a little more elaborate (this Italian Easter Bread is certainly a stunner), you'll want to bookmark this collection of all-purpose flour-only bread recipes. 

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Homemade Flatbreads

Credit: Christopher Testani; Styling: Thom Driver

Homemade Flatbreads Recipe

Flatbreads quickly cook on a griddle set over hot coals. Prep and portion the dough ahead to keep time at the grill to a minimum. Serve these homemade flatbreads with juicy grilled lamb and a trio of savory sauces. 

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Rhubarb Bread With Pecan Streusel

Credit: Jen Causey; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Rhubarb Bread With Pecan Streusel Recipe

This tender rhubarb bread has a light citrusy flavor and beautiful flecks of pink rhubarb throughout. The crunchy streusel on top, complete with brown sugar, pecans, and hints of cardamom and nutmeg, takes this bread over the top and adds a delightfully nutty flavor. Be sure to use the freshest in-season rhubarb possible.

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Turmeric Banana Bread

Credit: Caroline Arcangeli; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Liz Mervosh

Turmeric Banana Bread Recipe

Though this company-worthy loaf is, no doubt, impressive, it’s really nothing more than a foolproof banana bread recipe with a few flavor tricks up its sleeve. A power couple combo of earthy turmeric and fragrant cardamon play extremely well with banana’s dense sweetness, boosting this classic quick bread’s comfy-cozy factor to new heights.

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Simple White Bread

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Simple White Bread Recipe

Three rises give this basic sandwich-style bread a delicate crumb and a soft texture.

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Italian Easter Bread

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Kay Clark; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Italian Easter Bread Recipe

Our Italian Easter Bread is the perfect centerpiece for your Easter brunch. The bread is sweet, almost like challah or a sweet roll dough without cinnamon, while the orange glaze adds some bright flavor. Meanwhile, the dyed eggs add pops of color and will impress both kids and adults.

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Country French Bread

Country French Bread Recipe

It's easier than you think to make bakery-worthy, sandwich-ready country French bread in the comfort of your own kitchen. With fewer than 10 ingredients, the whole thing comes together in just under an hour (excluding refrigeration, of course). The best part? You can use this recipe to make baguettes.

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Classic Banana Bread

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Anna Theoktisto

Classic Banana Bread Recipe

Our easy banana bread recipe is hands down the best. This classic recipe yields everything you want from a great banana bread: toasty sweetness, impeccable moistness, and a crispy top worth swooning over. Enjoy this go-to quick bread as a quick breakfast or a sweet afternoon snack; and for a real treat, try a warm slice slathered with softened cream cheese. 

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Zucchini Bread

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Use your bounty of zucchini for this sweet, moist quick bread, a long-time Cooking Light reader favorite. The recipe makes two loaves, so you can freeze one for later.

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Poached Pear Bread

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Poached Pear Bread Recipe

After poaching the pears, don’t toss out the poaching liquid. It’s infused with a lovely pear essence and would be great in cocktails, drizzled on pound cake, or stirred into Greek yogurt. For more flavor in the pears, you can add cinnamon sticks or star anise to the poaching liquid.

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Rolled Sausage Bread with Rosemary

Credit: All photos by Kate Sears

Rolled Sausage Bread with Rosemary Recipe

Although Leticia Moreinos Schwartz, author of My Rio de Janeiro, resides in New York City, every time she travels home to Rio, she runs to Bráz Pizzaria to devour pão de calabresa. It’s an irresistible, well-burnished rolled sausage bread baked inside a tube mold. Though a classic in Italy, it is still a novelty in Rio.

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Southern Soda Bread

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Rose Nguyen

Southern Soda Bread Recipe

This soda bread is a savory delicacy that you will love to have present at your dinner table on any night of the week. It takes very minimal hands-on time to prepare and with just a little over an hour of baking, it will practically be ready to serve.

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Sesame-Cashew Zucchini Bread

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Sesame-Cashew Zucchini Bread Recipe

Got a boatload of zucchini? A loaf of so-simple quick bread is a delightful, kid-friendly way to put it to use. Incredibly rich in toasty flavor, this nutty twist on classic zucchini bread was a fast favorite in the test kitchen. If you don’t have cashew butter on hand, feel free to use peanut butter or almond butter for the creamy glaze instead.

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Miso Banana Bread with Yuzu Glaze

Credit: Photography: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer.

Miso Banana Bread with Yuzu Glaze Recipe

This Miso Banana Bread with Yuzu Glaze is about as flavorful as a thing can be. Transform your overripe bananas into a new take on a breakfast classic, thanks to additions of umami-laden white miso and a citrusy yuzu glaze.

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Roasted Red Pepper Corn Bread

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Roasted Red Pepper Corn Bread Recipe

Roasted red peppers gives this sweet cornbread skillet an added southwestern-style kick of flavor -- and we're sure not complaining about that. Don't have buttermilk on hand? No problem. Whisk a little milk or water into plain yogurt or sour cream to thin until the consistency is buttermilk-like.

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Cornbread with Lemon-Thyme Butter

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Cornbread with Lemon-Thyme Butter Recipe

Classic Southern cornbread is even better with a bright citrus-herb compound butter.

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Parmesan-Herb Angel Biscuits

Credit: Victor Protasio

Parmesan-Herb Angel Biscuits Recipe

Like a cross between a buttermilk biscuit and a Parker House roll, these tender, buttery biscuits have added flavor from fresh rosemary and thyme and nutty Parmesan cheese. Honestly, these angel biscuits come by their name because they taste like they’re sent right from heaven to our plate.

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Butter Crust Sandwich Bread

Credit: Jan Smith

Butter Crust Sandwich Bread Recipe

Touch guides you in three ways as you make this bread: Knead the dough until it feels smooth and elastic; press it to see if it has risen enough; and then tap the baked loaf to determine if it has finished baking. Serve toasted with preserves, or use for sandwiches.

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Tere's White Flour Tortillas

Credit: Photography: Randy Mayor; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke

Tere's White Flour Tortillas Recipe

"White flour tortillas are the staple bread in many traditional New Mexico homes. My mother taught me to make them by showing me the measurements in her hands--a handful of this, a pinch of that. At El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a Spanish Colonial museum in Santa Fe, I was known as 'the tortilla lady' since I made many batches of this recipe for museum visitors to sample." -TM

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Ham Biscuits

Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Ham Biscuits Recipe

Our classic, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits are pretty much perfect on their own, but they make great sandwiches too. No matter what you spread on it, one thing's for sure: You simply can’t go wrong topping this timeless biscuit recipe.

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Yeast Rolls

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Yeast Rolls Recipe

You can make the dough for these tender, buttery rolls the night before.

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