Peanut Butter Bread Machine

Bake your peanut butter right inside your homemade loaf of bread with this recipe for bread machine peanut butter bread.

Lightly sweetened with honey and infused with peanut butter flavor in every bite, this soft, creamy loaf is exactly what you need for an amazing peanut butter and jelly sandwich or simple toast with jam. It’s a nostalgic, comforting bread that delights kids and adults alike. Your kitchen will smell incredible while it bakes.

Nut Butter Choices

This recipe was tested with peanut butter but I truly believe any nut butter could easily be substituted. Don’t eat peanuts? Try almond butter or even sunflower seed butter instead.

I used a creamy peanut butter in the tests of this recipe but I don’t see why you couldn’t use chunky peanut butter if you want the bits of nuts in your bread.

Prefer to bake without a machine? My Peanut Butter Bread Recipe makes the same delicious loaf in the oven.

Sweetener Choices

Honey and peanut butter happen to be one of my favorite flavor combinations so that’s what I went with here but you could substitute brown sugar instead if you don’t like or have honey on hand.

Yeast Choices

I use instant yeast for ease in every bread machine recipe I test. If you want to use active dry yeast or bread machine yeast, simply follow your manufacturer’s instructions but I can’t say for certainty in what amount.

To Prevent Sticking

I had multiple loaves become hopelessly stuck to my bread pan and had to learn a trick or two to prevent it. Here’s what I do, if you’d like to try it:

After the final kneading cycle (for my machine there’s a 2 second third cycle of punching down), I remove the bread dough quickly from the machine, remove the kneading paddle and then spray the pan with some non-stick spray. Then I put the dough back in, close the lid and let the machine finish rising and baking.

I use needle nose pliers to remove the paddle.

This very simple step has stopped bread from sticking to the paddle hopelessly and coming out of the pan a broken mess.

My bread machine instructions do not tell me that this is necessary – meaning the bread could be baked with the paddle attached but I found it much easier to remove the paddle.

About My Bread Machine

This recipe was tested on a Welbilt Bread Machine. I bought it at a thrift store for $6.50. It makes great bread but every machine is different. Please follow any specific instructions provided with your machine if they differ from how this recipe is written.

Troubleshooting

The loaf didn’t rise well. Check that your yeast is fresh. Instant yeast can lose potency over time. Also make sure the liquid ingredients aren’t too hot when they go into the pan, as heat can kill the yeast before the cycle even begins.

The loaf collapsed after rising. Too much yeast or too warm a rise environment are the most common causes. Measure carefully and make sure your machine is in a cool, stable location during the baking cycle.

The bread is dense and heavy. This is usually a flour measurement issue. Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level off rather than scooping directly from the bag, which packs it and adds more than intended.

The peanut butter flavor is too subtle. The flavor is present but gentle in this recipe. It’s a peanut butter flavored bread, not an intensely peanut-forward one.

The crust is too dark. Select a lighter crust setting on your machine. The honey and peanut butter both add sugar to the dough which can accelerate browning.

How to Serve

This is a slightly sweet bread and is, obviously, full of peanut butter flavor, meaning it probably isn’t ideal for something like a salami or egg salad sandwhich. It is, however, perfect for making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to tuck into lunch boxes.

It makes a great toast and will make the entire house smell like peanut butter while it is in the toaster. Do slather the slice of peanut butter bread with butter and jam, more peanut butter, or even honey for something quite tasty and serve with a glass of milk or cup of coffee for a simple snack or breakfast.

Consider using it for a wonderful take on French toast.

How to Store

Store baked and cooled bread in an airtight container where it should stay fresh for up to 5 days.

For longer term storage, place the loaf or slices into a freezer bags, wrap in plastic wrap, or place into containers and freeze.

Let frozen slices thaw on the counter prior to serving. Use up any frozen bread within 6 months for best flavor and to prevent freezer burn.