How To Make Bread (without a bread machine)

This is an easy, basic recipe for bread that does not require much skill.

There are many ways to make bread and this is one of them (and in my opinion, a very simple way). Remember, bread making is not an exact science.

Step 1 What you'll need

You will need:

• Yeast - 2 Tbsp
• Hot-ish* water - 2 cups
• Bread flour - 5 cups total, 2 for the sponge and 3 for later. (NOT regular flour)
• Sugar - 2 Tbsp.
• Salt - 2 tsp.
• Oil - 2 Tbsp.
• 3 loaf pans
• Quick-read thermometer
• Oven pre-heated to 375

*Hot-ish means between 95 and 115 degrees F. much colder and it won't activate, much warmer and it will kill the little guys.

Comments

[mgarner2]

trying this today im at the second rise stage and its not looking good lol but hay i have never made bread by hand before so will try again .....it didnt quite look right at the first stage to be honest the mix wasnt wet enough but i put the correct amount of water in but i think that my water may have been too hot as well hmmmm oh well we will see wish me luck lol

[mgarner2]

me thinks i have killed the yeast will have another stab at it either this afternoon or tomorrow :(

[mgarner2]

well the wet mix looked right this time but after the second prove its nowhere near looking like the pics :(

[LadyKatie]

Dry salt kills yeast. So add the yeast last.

[bobix]

Made it, looks great. As soon as I find my camera's usb cable I'll upload some photos of the final product

[VictorEspinoza]

I have a question i haven't been able to find any yeast at all and i'm currently making some but the process i learned takes about 7 or so days so i'm wondering if there's a substitue i can use instead of yeast i'd really appreciate any help regarding that matter

[llopez1984]

First time ever attempting to make bread, it's cooling right now, can't wait to taste it

[FamilyRoots]

I made this for Christmas dinner to go with our prime rib and it was amazing! I got some new stoneware pans for Christmas and those combined with this recipe were a huge hit tonight. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe!

I though I would also share that I made 2 loaves in my new stoneware pans and one loaf in my old cheap metal pan and the stoneware made a huge difference. It rose a lot higher and was fluffier inside and crunchier outside. Love these pans.

[AwareAmerican]

This is my first time baking bread... or anything from scratch really, and it worked really well!! I had a rough start in the beginning due to a poor yeast purchase in the bulk foods section at the grocery store. Apparently, there is such a thing as nutritional yeast, or basically, a kind of deactivated yeast that people just add straight to certain dishes.... I didn't know that. It was a fine yellow powder and it smelled "yeasty" but it made NO bubbles! LOL... so with dry ACTIVE yeast the recipe went smoothly, AND without bread pans!

So, with this basic recipe, can I throw in some extra sugar and say, cinnamon for some sweet bread, or is there something else I need to know or do before I just start throwing things in the mix?

[am. revell]

umm i want to try making break but do i have to make it umm in three pans im by my self so can i you know make a smaller dose of it um like rounder and on a pan type deal plz reply hehe

[PoppyK]

You could make the bread as suggested here, but instead of letting the bread rise you could freeze 2 loaves for another time... Just take the frozen dough out and let it thaw and come to room temperature, rise, punch down, and rise again then bake... Hope this helps =)

[kemerson]

What if I don't have bread pans? What could I use instead?

[PoppyK]

Make the loaves into long ovals or rounds and put them on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Any pan will work, loaf pans are for shape really and keeping the dough from seeping between the rails of the oven racks... A sheet cake pan will also work... If you are without any of these pans, several layers of reynolds wrap on the oven racks will also work... Pam cooking spray these and use a very light dusting of flour over the spray, or use the one with the flour already in it... I hope this helps... let me know what you think =)

[Flourbaker]

I used this guide to make my first loaf of bread today and am so happy!! They turned out beautifully and are so yummy!! I brushed one loaf with olive oil before putting it in the oven, and I believe that's the darker loaf. My son loved kneading the dough with me as well. It's delicious and I have to stop myself from eating half a loaf tonight!! I still have to bake the third loaf. Was going to see if I can refrigerate it for a few days before baking. Anyone tried this? Thanks again for posting this guide. I'm soooo glad I tried it!!!

[jlynn19]

I just made this bread.. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks delish!! I was a moron when putting it into the pan until the last one.. which i braided. It turned out really cute.. :)

[schaparral]

One is often instructed to let the dough rise in a "warm place" Exactly where is a warm place? I usually put the first rise in the oven with the temperature turned off but the oven switch turned on and the door ajar. The dough is covered with a damp cloth and seems to rise fine. But the second rise seems to suffer because the top crust dries out and prevents a good rise. I can't leave it on the counter because my house isn't what I would call "a warm place".

[ehewitt]

Best and easiest recipe I have found so far.

[ehewitt]

How long should you knead the dough with a kitchen aid

[mpreciado]

I just tried this recipe today, but my loafs came out salty =( They are soft and I love the texture but salty they are. Will use much less salt next time than what it is said in the recipe.
Also I wanted to ask if I can use multigrain flour?

[smarks5]

I wonder if by accident you may have used Tablespoons rather than Teaspoons for measuring...???

[taivirginia]

did you mistake it as 2 tablespoons of salt instead of 2 teaspoons of salt? I just tried the recipe and it turned out great!

[outfangthief]

I made that exact mistake the first time I tried this. The second time I used two teaspoons of salt and it was just right.

[am. revell]

hehe nice eh lol

[am. revell]

heheh it can out pretty good if i do say so my self lol hehe oh a pic ill try and see if i can get it on hehehehe

[am. revell]

ah im gonna try it any way hehehe see how it works ahh i hope it does not give me stomic pains lol

[awiley1]

Im confused Don't I need to mix Yeast with water and sugar first? and then let it sit for 10 min before adding four? Please respond im making it right now. Thanks guys

[mgarner2]

There are three main types of yeast – dried, fresh and fast action. It really doesn’t matter a jot which type of yeast you use, but there are some slight differences in the way you use each.

Fast action yeast can be simply mixed into the flour, but dried and fresh yeast needs a kick start to get it going. Just dissolve it in warm water and add a teaspoon of sugar to feed the yeast and wake it up. After fifteen minutes or so, the yeasty liquid will start frothing and smell alive.

Whichever yeast you use, and I favour fast action for sheer ease and simplicity, do what you need to do to reactivate it before you start. If you’re using dried yeast, you need 10g, or 20g of fresh yeast, with 600ml of warm water (one third from the kettle, two thirds from the cold tap).

i found this on another site

[awiley1]

Thanks mgarner2, I realized that sponging works just as great i used fast active yeast. It all turned out well. :) I posted photos.

[awiley1]

Here my end results. Smells so good. Oh and I figured if you keep it in the fridge (large zip lock bag) it will last longer. If you start getting moisture inside the bag just wrap a paper towel around your loaf and then zip it. It works great.

[awiley1]

I got it! It worked great Im happy with this recipe already made 6 loafs. Thanks for the post.

[fholmes1]

Loved it worked like a charm and came out great! I used soft aluminum pans and butter but that was the only change Nice advice!

[OregonJody]

I've made bread off and on for 40 years & this is the best recipe I've found for getting bread to rise, even in a cool damp climate like Portland, Oregon. Thanks!

[sytie7]

i don't have loaf pan, can i make it without it. Besides, i was trying with microwave oven but not conventional oven, so how to preheat it? The heat is from top only, do you think it's workable?

[weaselscraps]

This is a fantastic recipe, I am so pleased with myself. Thanks for sharing.

[cumguzzler]

(removed by author or community request)

[manderson31]

This is my first try, years after your comments. So far everything looks great, I'm at the last rising. I only had two pans so I cut the third into small chunks onto a baking sheet. I am going to try to get them to rise to bake rolls. Wish me luck!! At least I will get two loafs out it!

[thankyoulouise]

I loved this recipe. It was the easiest homemade bread recipe I've used that didn't cut necessary corners. The bread was delicious!

[rkhiangte]

only the ingredients .. how do i make it ?? i have noo clue wat 2 do next : '(

[drinkmorecoffee]

Go to the next step?

[aromero4]

Unkneaded bread tastes sooooo good