Easy Bread Machine Dough {Shape + Bake in the Oven}

My family loves my easy pizza buns recipe as a fun twist on pizza night, but I wanted to develop a homemade dough that had a softer, fluffier texture that would pair well with savory meats and cheeses.

Bridgford white frozen ready dough is so convenient but you can’t always find it at the grocery store. This is a perfect substitute when you prefer something homemade.

Stronger than crescent roll dough, but softer than traditional pizza dough, this easy bread machine bread dough is the perfect homemade alternative to store-bought frozen bread dough for your favorite shape-and-bake recipes.

Pop the ingredients into the bread maker and press a button. With 5 minutes of work, you’ll walk away and come back to the perfect homemade dough to use in a delicious recipe.

Why This is the Best Recipe

• Easy Bread Maker Recipe: simply load the ingredients, select the dough cycle, and let the machine handle the rest.
• Simple Pantry Ingredients, From-Scratch Dough: most of the easy ingredients are hiding in your pantry right now.
• Soft and Easy to Work With: The dough comes out so soft and pillowy. You’ll roll it and shape it in no time.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Bread Flour: The higher protein content in bread flour helps give the final baked good more structure and a better texture. But if you only have all-purpose flour on hand, you could use it in a pinch.
• Dry Milk Powder: I buy my dry milk powder online. This is a great way to add the tenderizing powers of milk without adding extra liquid to the dough.
• Sugar
• Butter
• Kosher Salt
• Active Dry Yeast: You can use any active dry yeast you like. It does not need to be specially marked as bread machine yeast.
• Water

Load the Bread Pan

Double-check that your bread pan has the paddle attachment in place.

Add the ingredients in the order they’re listed in the recipe, starting with the liquid ingredients on the bottom and placing the dry ingredients on top.

I always dig a shallow well at the top of the flour and place the yeast there.

Bread Machine Settings

Since we’re making a shape and bake dough to be baked in the oven, add the bread pan to the bread maker and then simply select the DOUGH program.

Keep an eye on the ingredients while the machine mixes them together. They shouldn’t stick too much to the side of the bread pan. If they are looking too wet or sticky, you can add just a little sprinkle of flour.

The dough should come together in a rough-shaped ball that looks like this:

The DOUGH program takes about 90 minutes to finish. The exact timing may vary depending on your brand of bread maker.

During this time, the machine will mix, knead, and allow the dough to do the first rise.

Shape and Bake

Once the dough is complete, you can transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. From here, you’ll be able to roll and shape the dough according to the recipe you’re making.

The final shaping, the second rise, the oven temperature you’ll need, and how long to bake it will really depend on the recipe you’re making with this dough.

But don’t worry, I have several examples for you to start with.

If you don’t plan to use the dough right away, you can punch it down and transfer it to a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge.

Make Ahead Tips

For the easiest prep, run the bread machine dough when you have a little time at home, and then shape the finished dough for your final recipe.

However, if you need a little more time, you can punch the dough down and store it in a covered container in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

I don’t recommend making it in advance any farther than that, or the dough could potentially overproof in the fridge.

You could also freeze the dough. Take it out of the bread machine, gently deflate it, coat it in oil, and put it in an airtight container for the freezer for up to 4 weeks. Let the dough thaw in the fridge overnight, and then shape and bake as desired.

How to Use the Dough

There are so many different ways to use this dough, but my favorite way is to use it like a savory substitute for cinnamon roll dough for easy appetizers and dinners.

Simply roll it out flat, top it with your favorite savory fillings, roll it back up in a cinnamon roll style log, slice, and bake.

• Buffalo Chicken Rolls
• Pizza Rolls
• Ham & Cheese Rolls
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Rolls
• Cheeseburger Rolls
• Taco Rolls
• Italian Rolls

Serving Suggestions

I use this homemade fluffy bread dough to make a long list of savory rolls with meaty, cheesy, ooey-gooey fillings.

Some of our favorites included buffalo chicken rolls, fluffy ham and cheese rolls, and golden brown chicken cordon bleu rolls with breadcrumbs on top. All of these recipes are coming for you soon!

You could also bake this in a bread pan for a simple white bread loaf, or you could divide it into easy dinner rolls if you prefer.

More Bread Machine Dough Recipes

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