Easy Homemade Bread

Homemade Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• ¼ cup oil (I use olive)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 cups flour (I use bread flour, but all-purpose works as well)
• 1 pkg. yeast (or 2¼ tsp.)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, allowing it to sit for five minutes. Next, add the sugar, salt, and oil to the yeast mixture and mix well. Add the flour, one-half cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a well-floured surface and knead, adding a tablespoon of flour as needed until your desired consistency is reached, and dough is thoroughly mixed.

Place kneaded dough in a large, well-oiled bowl, turning so the top is also oiled. Cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise until doubled, at least one hour. After the first rise, remove the dough from the bowl and flatten into a rectangle (on a floured surface, if needed… I usually just lay it on the clean counter without flour). Carefully fold/roll the dough into a loaf shape. Place the loaf into a lightly greased loaf pan (I grease with coconut oil, but olive oil would also work), cover with the tea towel, and allow to rise another hour.

After the second rise is complete, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the bread for 30 minutes, checking as needed (I checked it two or three times the first time I made it to see how it was baking). After 30 minutes, check the internal temperature to make sure it is between 180 and 190 degrees, and that the thermometer comes out clean. Bake longer, in five minute increments, as needed. It takes about 33 to 35 minutes to bake in my oven. When the bread is finished baking, immediately remove it from the loaf pan by turning it onto a baking rack to cool. This will allow the entire loaf to cool at the same time.

Homemade Bread {directions for bread machine}

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• ¼ cup oil (I use olive)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 cups flour (I use bread flour, but all-purpose works as well)
• 1 pkg. yeast (or 2¼ tsp.)

Directions

Add ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle until throughly combined. If the dough is still sticky, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency.

Place kneaded dough in a large, well-oiled bowl, turning so the top is also oiled. Cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise until doubled, at least one hour. After the first rise, remove the dough from the bowl and flatten into a rectangle (on a floured surface, if needed… I usually just lay it on the clean counter without flour). Carefully fold/roll the dough into a loaf shape. Place the loaf into a lightly greased loaf pan (I grease with coconut oil, but olive oil would also work), cover with the tea towel, and allow to rise another hour.

After the second rise is complete, preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the bread for 30 minutes, checking as needed (I checked it two or three times the first time I made it to see how it was baking). After 30 minutes, check the internal temperature to make sure it is between 180 and 190 degrees, and that the thermometer comes out clean. Bake longer, in five minute increments, as needed. It takes about 33 to 35 minutes to bake in my oven. When the bread is finished baking, immediately remove it from the loaf pan by turning it onto a baking rack to cool. This will allow the entire loaf to cool at the same time.