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Sure sourdough loaves are beautiful and add a special something to your table whenever you serve them, but sometimes you kist need a simple sandwich bread that you can toss together in a hurry to make sure your family’s bellies are full. This is where this recipe comes in. The mornings we finish a loaf at breakfast and I need more in the pantry by lunch, or I just want to stock the freezer with some loaves for just in case, this is the recipe I turn to.
Bread is such a staple I our home. Whether it’s toasted with butter for breakfast, sopping up soup for lunch, or cubed to stuff our Christmas turkey, it is rare that there isn’t at lease a loaf of two sitting on our counter. Because of this, a super simple sandwich bread is essential for when we start to run low.
Bread Making FAQs
Does making bread from scratch take up a lot of time?
Although it can be several hours between the time you proof the yeast and when you finally pull the loaves out of the oven, bread making does not take up a lot of time. Active work for most loaves is perhaps 10-20 minutes depending on the recipe and type of bread. The rest of the time the bread is just left to rise.
What’s the difference between yeast breads and sourdough breads?
Yeast breads use a factory made yeast, that has been developed to be consisted every time. Sourdough on the other hand uses wild yeasts found in the flour and air, but both these yeasts are used as learners to raise the bread and make it light and fluffy.
Why does the dough need to be kneaded?
Kneading develops the gluten in the dough, which is essential for the structure and texture of the bread. Gluten gives the bread its elasticity and strength. Proper kneading helps create a uniform crumb structure and ensures that the dough rises properly during proofing.
Tips:
- Allow the yeast to proof before adding the flour to make sure that it is active
- Grease the proofing bowl with olive oil or nonstick spray to keep the dough from sticking to the sides
- Weigh the dough before the final proofing to make sure the loaves are as even as possible to ensure that they finish baking at the same time.
- To avoid over proofing, if you have to pause the process, put the dough in the fridge.
Tools you might need
- Stand mixer
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- bread pans
- Parchment paper
Timeline to Make Fresh Bread (by lunchtime)
8:30 am: Proof yeast and add remaining ingredients to stand mixer
8:40 am: Mix for 10 minutes
8:50 am: Transfer dough to a greased bowl and allow to rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size
10:20 am: Gently divide dough and form into two loaves in loaf pans
10:30 am: Allow the loaves to rise again for 45 minutes, or the dough has risen over the top of the pans
11:15 am: Preheat oven to 350F
11:30 am: Bake for 30-35 minutes
12:00 pm: Allow to cool (if you can) before slicing.
Timeline for Bread By Bedtime
5:30 pm: Proof yeast and add remaining ingredients to stand mixer
5:40 pm: Mix for 10 minutes
5:50 pm: Transfer dough to a greased bowl and allow to rise for 90 minutes or until doubled in size
7:20 pm: Gently divide dough and form into two loaves in loaf pans
7:30 pm: Allow the loaves to rise again for 45 minutes, or the dough has risen over the top of the pans
8:15 pm: Preheat oven to 350F
8:30 pm: Bake for 30-35 minutes
9:00 pm: Allow to cool (if you can) before slicing.
Full Recipe
Super Simple Loaf Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-5 cups flour
Instructions
- Combine water and yeast in the bowl of the stand mixer and allow to proof for 2-5 minutes
- Add honey, oil, and salt abd begin mixing with the dough hook
- Add flour one cup at a time, adding 1/4 cup at a time after the 4th cup until the dough forms a ball, pulling from the sides of the bowl.
- Allow the dough hook to knead the dough for 10 minutes.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm place, in a greased bowl for 90 miuntes.
- Gently divide the dough in two and form loaves and allow to rise 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Bake bread for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.
Let’s get Baking!
Here are some other breads you might enjoy:
Claudia Smith
November 14, 2023 at 4:44 pmLove to make this
Victoria McGill
November 15, 2023 at 7:54 pmI hope you do! let me know how you like it
Stacey VanMeter
November 15, 2023 at 6:57 pmNever made bread before and would like to try. What type of flour?
Victoria McGill
November 15, 2023 at 7:53 pmall purpose or bread flour work great
Waynna
November 15, 2023 at 10:44 pmYour bread looks delicious! What size loaf pans do you use and do you prep the pans with oil or flour? Thank you!
Victoria McGill
November 16, 2023 at 12:35 amI use 9×5 pans and I either spray the pans with a nonstick spray or a light coating of olive oil and flour. Both work well, I just use what I have on hand
Aurora Cantu
November 16, 2023 at 5:50 pmWhat kind of yeast you use, thank you
Victoria McGill
November 17, 2023 at 1:34 amactive dry yeast but instant can work as well
Rhonda Bonn
November 16, 2023 at 8:19 pmHow do you store the loaves after baking?
Victoria McGill
November 17, 2023 at 1:36 amIf I make a large batch I freeze them double bagged and take them out the night before to thaw (Still in the bag) overnight
Helen
November 16, 2023 at 10:40 pmGreat recipe, l love it!! and who says bread is hard to make, SO much better than any store bread for sure!!
Victoria McGill
November 17, 2023 at 1:37 amThank you, and you are right. Homemade has something special to it
Maria Lopez
November 17, 2023 at 12:04 amSo do you just use regular flour?
Victoria McGill
November 17, 2023 at 1:37 amyes All Purpose (AP) or Bread flour Both work
Kay Mette
December 14, 2023 at 12:28 pmWhat do you mean when you say proof yeast
Victoria McGill
January 12, 2024 at 2:21 amJust allow the yeast to sit in the water and get foamy before adding other ingredients. This is important to know because if the yeast doesn’t activate your bread will not rise
Jenny Tomberlin
November 17, 2023 at 8:26 amCan you replace the honey with anything? I’d love to make this for my nine month old, but no honey before one! 😭
Victoria McGill
November 17, 2023 at 7:56 pmYES YOU CAN! Honey and white sugar swap perfectly for one another and don’t impact the taste. If you want to stay away from white sugar maple syrup is an option as well but you will get the maple flavour and I would probably put half as much.
Erin
November 28, 2023 at 2:31 amI made this today and it was easy and turned out well…I just find it’s low on flavour….any suggestions?
Victoria McGill
November 28, 2023 at 11:46 pmI would probably play with the salt and the honey, maybe try a different flour or oil. Now that you have made the bread you will know the consistency so playing with things like that you will be able to find a formula that works best for you
Pearse Franklin
November 18, 2023 at 7:55 pmCan I scale it down to make 1 loaf to try it out . Ingredients are not cheap nowadays .
Victoria McGill
November 19, 2023 at 2:00 amyes definitely. Just be careful when adding the flour that you don’t add too much and end up with a crumbly loaf
Stefanie Stewart
November 19, 2023 at 9:11 amI do not have a stand mixer, would I still be able to make the bread?
Victoria McGill
November 19, 2023 at 6:48 pmyes you can, you would just start in a bowl and mix with your hands or spoon and then knead on the counter
Michael Miller
November 22, 2023 at 8:33 pmWhat weight do you cut yours into before putting in the pans
Victoria McGill
November 23, 2023 at 2:07 pmThey are usually around the 900g-1kg weight but I believe that is with the pan
Jennifer Denbo
November 23, 2023 at 4:48 amI doubled this recipe and it came out really soupy. I ended up adding 3 more cups of flour before it formed a ball and pulled from the sides. Waiting on the final rise but it looks amazing already. I can’t wait to try it!!
Becky
November 28, 2023 at 5:12 pmNew to bread making. How do I know if my yeast is active?
Victoria McGill
November 28, 2023 at 11:44 pmGreat question! It will start to foam after a couple of minutes in the water.
Meagan Luce
December 2, 2023 at 3:52 amCan I use whole wheat flour?
Victoria McGill
December 2, 2023 at 6:09 pmyou can, you just need to adjust the flour so it may need more or less depending on the flour. Add the flour slowly and watch the dough closely so you don’t add too much.
Becky Beckham
December 3, 2023 at 2:44 amWe love it!! My first batch turned out so yummy. M making my second batch right now and am going to use ½ of the dough to try homemade cinnamon rolls.
Victoria McGill
December 3, 2023 at 11:50 pmsounds delicious!
Penny
December 4, 2023 at 5:33 amThe package label tells you!
Amber Robishaw
December 4, 2023 at 4:50 pmI am wanting to try this recipe! I only have glass pans. Do I need to do anything differently?
Victoria McGill
December 6, 2023 at 12:31 amYou will want to decrease the cooking temp about 25 degrees and the crust will be soft instead of crispy
Carrie
January 24, 2024 at 8:24 pmDo you cover the loaf pans for the 2nd rise? I did and when it raised, it got stuck to the saran wrap and wouldn’t come off. Any suggestions?
Victoria McGill
January 26, 2024 at 1:31 amIf you cover the bread for the second rise with Saran Wrap give it a little spray with oil and that should help.
Epiphany
February 8, 2024 at 7:36 amCan any oil work? Or even butter? Beef tallow?
Victoria McGill
February 8, 2024 at 10:12 amyes, any oil can work it may impact the taste a little but not the final product. If using a fat that is solid at room temp measure after melting otherwise it could impact how much flour you need in then end