Nutritional information per loaf
Calories: 2133kcal | Carbohydrates: 428g | Protein: 77g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 10g | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 28mg
How to Make Bread – A Beginner’s Bread Recipe
This is such an easy bread recipe that shows bread baking beginners how to make bread for the first time. Despite being the easiest bread recipe I have, the bread is so good that both new and expert bakers love to follow these instructions!
Nutritional information per loaf
Calories: 2133kcal | Carbohydrates: 428g | Protein: 77g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 10g | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 28mg
Ingredients for 1 Servings:
- 550 g White bread flour
- 320 g Water (room temperature)
- 11g Salt
- 45g Warm water (38-43C / 100-110F)
- 10g Sugar
- 6g Active dried yeast
- 8g Vegetable oil
- See ingredients list in cups
Equipment:
2lb loaf tin
For the best rise in the oven and a crusty crust, use a baking stone when you bake bread. Preheat the baking stone in the oven above a deep-lipped baking sheet. We will add boiling water to the tray when the bread goes in. This creates steam which makes bread that’s nice and crispy!
Ingredients listed in cups
- Flour – 4 ⅓ cups
- Water – 1 ½ cups
- Salt – 2 tsp
- Warm water (38 – 43C /100-110F) – 4 tbs
- Sugar – 2 teaspoons
- Active Dried Yeast – 1 sachet /2 tsp
- Vegetable Oil – 1 tbs
Using instant or fresh yeast
There is no need to activate instant or fresh yeast in your bread recipes. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and add the yeast along with the oil. For instant yeast change the amount used to 4 grams and when using fresh yeast, use 12 grams.
Total Recipe Time
Goes Great with
I’ve included all the steps you need to take, plus a simple dough mixer method, at the bottom of the page. You’re all set to make fantastic bread, so try this recipe to learn how to bake bread from scratch.
It’s so easy to make bread dough, and the smell of fresh bread baking makes everyone really, really excited for lunch! Here are the steps you need to make this beautifully simple bread. It is one of the easiest loaves of bread to bake. For best results, follow each method as close as you can. There are some fantastic tips for the recipe further down the page!
Step-By-Step Method For This Recipe
1) Weigh the ingredients
Use a set of scales to weigh the ingredients. They are more accurate than cups or volume measurements – trust, you won’t regret it!
2) Hydrate the flour
Add the flour, salt and 320 grams of water to a large bowl and combine with your hands. To do this, push the wet bits into the dry flour – turn out onto the table if it’s easier! Continue until it starts to feed strong and even. Cover, leave on the side and put your feet up for 20 minutes!
3) Activate the yeast with the sugar
After 20 minutes take a small bowl to whisk the yeast, sugar and warm water together. Let it stand for 10 minutes, the yeast will get nice and bubbly.
4) Combine the ingredients and mix
Now it’s action time! Add the bubbly yeast mixture to the dough. Then add the oil and gently mix to form a mass. The dough may be sticky at first, but keep going, it will come together perfectly – I promise!
5) Knead
Place the dough on the worktop. Now we are going to knead the dough vigorously which is going to make the bread soft and delicious. I use a stretch, slap and fold technique but, use any method you wish. Just try to refrain from adding any extra flour to the table! Knead for 5 – 10 minutes or as long as you can!
6) Allow to rest
Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a bag or plastic wrap. Leave to rest for 30 minutes and the dough will develop like magic!
7) Degas
Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the worktop. Use your hands to push as much air out as you can, this will create a nice, even structure. Shape into a ball shape and leave to rest on a floured area of the table for 20 minutes.
8) Shape and rise for the final time
Shape the dough into a long cylinder that’s about the same length as the tin. This is tricky but worth practising! Place the dough straight into the tin, place a bag over it (without touching the dough) and leave to proof for 1 ½ – 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 230C (450F) so it’s nice and hot.
9) Bake the bread in the oven with steam
Now the exciting bit! Once the bread has risen over the top of the tin it’s ready to go in the oven! Using one straight cut, slash the bread with a serrated knife or baker’s lame. Next, take the bread straight to the oven and place it on the baking stone. For the perfect bake, pour a cup of boiling water onto the tray below and quickly shut the door to keep the steam in the oven!
10) Bake until it’s crisp and golden brown
When baking bread, bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then open the door for 5 seconds to release any steam. Allowing the steam to escape encourages the crust to become hard and crisp. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until it’s beautifully golden brown. If it colours too quickly you can reduce the heat by 20 degrees.
11) Cool, and it’s ready!!
Remove your gorgeous loaf from the tin straight away without burning your fingers and leave it to cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Now you’ll have a simple loaf and it’ll taste amazing! It’s such an easy loaf and tastes so amazing, you’ll be so delighted!
Extra Tips For This Recipe:
Cooling the bread
During cooling, moisture escapes the bread through the crust. Bread should cool to blood temperature before it is sliced to avoid moisture escaping too quickly. So, how long to cool bread? It takes around 2-3 hours to cool this type of bread.
Temperature
Temperature is very important when making bread. Many bakers will use a thermometer to manage their desired dough temperature. If your kitchen is 20C (68F), use tepid water. If it’s warmer in your kitchen, chill the water, or your bread will rise very quickly! My favourite thermometer is the GDealer probe.
Telling if the bread is ready to go into the oven
Once the dough is ready to bake, it will have risen to the edges of the pan. You can also use the Poke Test by pressing the dough down gently with a wet finger. The dough is ready to bake when it stays down for around 2 seconds before springing back.
How to make this bread in a mixer
Instead of mixing the ingredients by hand, pop them into a mixer and mix for 3-4 minutes at a gentle speed. Then increase the speed and knead for 5 more minutes. With a good dough mixer, you’ll make this super simple bread with very little effort!
Can this recipe make rolls?
This recipe can make soft bread rolls as well as bread. Divide into 100-gram weights and shape them into balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake without adding steam to the oven for around 15 minutes.
What if the recipe is too sticky or dry?
It’s tempting to add water or flour straight away if the dough doesn’t feel right at the start, keep mixing to see if it improves. Usually, it does, but sometimes, a little bit of extra flour or water is needed. Adjust and remember for next time!
Can I make this recipe with sourdough starter?
Although sourdough takes on the yeast’s role of producing gas, it requires a long fermentation process, so you can’t swap sourdough for yeast. Try a sourdough bread recipe, such as my beginner’s sourdough bread recipe.
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