Easy Homemade Bread Recipe

Here's a simple homemade bread recipe that requires only one round of kneading. You'll have freshly baked, delicious, and airy bread without spending hours in the kitchen. This homemade bread recipe is ideal for beginners.

How To Make Homemade Bread

There is nothing better than homemade bread, the aroma it spreads through the house while it’s baking adds to the anticipation of that first warm slice. Store-bought bread doesn’t compare to bread made from scratch, but time is a factor, and most people assume you’d have to be in the kitchen for hours to make a loaf. I’m here to tell you that it won’t take hours, and you don’t need a fancy bread mixer, bread flour, or self-rising flour.

This recipe yields two loaves of bread and involves just one kneading session. If you've contemplated making bread, this is the ideal choice. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar, with 1/4 cup reserved for proofing the yeast. While you can swap honey for sugar as a healthier alternative, I find that using sugar provides a more vigorous yeast activity and a better rise.

What Does Proofing Yeast Mean?

What does proofing yeast mean? When you proof yeast you are activating it, waking it up. The sugar, and warmth from the water work together to activate the yeast. Active yeast will be bubbly and foam on the top, if your yeast doesn’t start to bubble, and become foamy turn your oven to 200 degrees and place the bowl of yeast on top of your stove. The active yeast is what allows your bread to rise. When you pour your yeast into the bowl of flour and start to stir you should see bubbles. This means the yeast is active.

Start with mixing the sugar and warm water.

Add the yeast and gently stir.

Let the mixture set until it's foamy and bubbly.

Why do I have to knead bread dough?

Kneading dough is an essential step in making bread for several reasons:

1. Gluten Development: Kneading helps develop gluten, a protein in the flour, which gives bread its structure and elasticity. This is crucial for creating a chewy and airy texture in bread.

2. Even Mixing: Kneading ensures that all the ingredients, including yeast, salt, and water, are thoroughly mixed together, leading to consistent flavor and texture in the bread.

3. Gas Trapping: Kneading helps trap and distribute the carbon dioxide produced by yeast during fermentation. This gas is what causes the bread to rise and become light and fluffy.

4. Improved Texture: Kneading promotes even

distribution of moisture in the dough, resulting in a smoother and more manageable texture. It also breaks down large starch molecules, making the bread more tender.

In summary, kneading dough is a critical step in bread-making that develops gluten, mixes ingredients, traps gas, and improves the texture of the final product. It plays a significant role in achieving the desired taste and texture of bread.

Let's Get Started

2 cups of warm water

2 packets of yeast ( there is a conversion chart on the package if you have a bulk bag of yeast )

½ cup of sugar ¼ cup to proof yeast ¼ cup for dough

6-7 cups of all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons of salt

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup of sugar

In a small bowl add 2 cups of warm water and ¼ cup of sugar stir well until sugar is dissolved.

Add 2 packets of yeast, gently stir, cover with a tea towel or clean dish towel, and let proof for 10 mins until nice and foamy on top.

In a large bowl add 5 cups of flour, ¼ sugar, salt, and melted butter, gently stir and create a well in the middle of the dry mixture, pour in the yeast mixture.

Mix using a large spoon until dough forms. If your mixture isn’t thick enough add more flour ½ cup at a time. Don’t worry about the dough if it’s lumpy. The lumps will come out during kneading. The dough will end up smooth.

Lightly flour your work surface, and knead the dough with your hands for 5-6 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as needed. Your dough will be sticky. When you're done kneading your dough lightly grease a bowl with oil coating both sides of the dough, cover it with a towel, and place it in a warm spot, let it rise for one hour or until it’s double in size. Grease two loaf pans, when your dough is ready divide it into two equal parts. Roll into a log, and place into the pan allowing it to rise another 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Your bread should be a nice golden brown on top. I hope I’ve inspired you to make delicious homemade bread. Remember practice makes perfect!

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