How to Make Yeast Bread Easy Recipe

Why not learn how to make yeast bread?

It’s easier than you might think.

Mostly it is just time…time to rise.

In this recipe, I use an electric stand mixer for the kneading, but you can knead it by hand on a floured surface if you like–sometimes I do!

If this is your first time making bread, I assure you it is not hard and the results are so worth it.

All you need is this easy bread recipe.

Let’s Bake Bread!

I have received several inquiries about bread recipes and I thought I’d include a tutorial today because seriously, making bread does NOT have to be difficult!

In my early twenties, I was invited to a class on bread making.

I was ecstatic!

When I arrived, it was about how to make bread with an electric bread machine.

Not exactly my idea of bread making.

I was disappointed and fell back on the lessons a grandmother and mother could contribute.

We have a bread recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation–at least five generations!

It’s delicious, but I’m still working on “getting it right”.

I say this because my grandmother was in her 70s when she flew to Missouri to spend time with her sisters and came back so excited because they had all made this recipe and taught one another something new about it–for my grandmother it was the bread dough should be “sticky”.

I think it’s recipes like this that we treasure but also make bread-making an art form.

I am not a quitter!

I make bread, from scratch, every night for my family.

It’s my way of saying, “I love you!”

They love the crusty bread with butter or dipping the fresh warm bread in homemade tomato juice.

This is my favorite of all the easy yeast bread recipes.

You don’t need any special equipment.

My grandmother always made this recipe by hand, I prefer making it with a stand mixer. It’s up to you.

The best tip for this bread is one my grandmother gave me, “make bread when it’s raining”.

What they don’t realize is just how stinkin’ easy it is…if you promise to keep it a secret, I’m willing to share with you!

MY TOP SECRET BREAD RECIPE

It’s gonna make you a bread baking fool!

Let’s start with the ingredients:

1 cup of warm water (115-120 degrees)

1 Tablespoon active yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 Tablespoons butter or margarine

2 1/2 Cups Flour (remove 1.5 Tablespoons of the flour)

1 tsp. salt

Let’s Make Bread!

Place warm water in the mixing bowl.

Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water.

Sprinkle the sugar on top of the yeast and water.

Let sit for 10-minutes

*Your yeast should get “foamy” looking.

While that’s sitting, mix all the other dry ingredients together.

(I have made a well in my flour and done the above to show you better)

Pour yeast mixture into the flour mixture.

Mix well–(I just throw it in my mixer and use the dough hook to knead the dough for 10 minutes), BUT I have made this by hand MANY times.

When you knead bread helps make the gluten in the flour elastic and forces it to release the air bubbles so the texture of your bread is uniform and doesn’t look like swiss cheese.

*The dough is going to be soft and STICKY–do NOT add any more flour.

This is where bread goes wrong…too much flour will make your bread dry and hard.

If you are using a stand mixer, it is very easy to add too much flour…don’t add to the cup of flour ratio in the ingredients checklist to ensure success.

Grease a large bowl and put it in the soft, sticky dough.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel for the first rise.

If you are wanting to do this by hand, at this point, you will lightly flour a flat surface and begin kneading the dough by hand for at least ten minutes.

 

Let the dough rise (no peeking!) for 45 minutes for the first rise.

It should be at least double in size.

Punch down dough and let the dough rest (5-minutes)

While the dough is “resting” grease a cooking sheet, or sprinkle with cornmeal.

Divide dough into two “halves”

Shape each dough half into a dough loaf.

You can free form the shape of the dough and place it on a greased baking sheet.

Or you can place it in two greased baking loaf pans if you prefer a more traditional loaf of bread.

Cover with a towel and let rise a second time in the pans for 45-minutes to an hour.

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees

Place bread on a middle rack in the oven

Cook in preheated oven for 30-45 minutes until golden. Do not open the oven door while cooking.

*Here’s a cool thing about this recipe.

The longer you bake it the thicker your crust will be.

Bread is done when it’s golden brown, you can lift it off the pan and pull a small piece from the bottom’s center and it is flakey, NOT doughy.

Slice with a sharp bread knife at a slight angle and serve warm.

*It also makes excellent french toast, onion rolls for French Dip, sticky buns, rustic Foccacia, and cinnamon raisin bread!

Here’s what I LOVE about this recipe:

*It’s EASY

*It requires VERY few ingredients and they’re things we have in our pantry

*It’s versatile. Add grilled onions, green chiles, saute garlic cloves, rosemary, spices, corn and cheese, olives, raisins, cinnamon…anything goes!

*It’s pretty much fool-proof (I once forgot I was baking it and left it in the oven for almost 2 hours).

It was still edible, I covered it with sauce, added some pizza toppings and we had “Italian wonder loaf” for dinner!

Tips:

*Do NOT add any more flour

*If you make it by hand, knead it for at least 10-minutes (in a mixer, at least 5-minutes) The longer you knead it the better it will be!

Make Some for Dinner TONIGHT!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this recipe!

Tell me how you make yeast bread.

We love this recipe for Bunny Bread and Sticky Buns.