How To Make Bread (without a bread machine)



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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 1What you'll need

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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.

tep 2Make the sponge

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This recipe uses what I call a "sponge." The sponge will activate the yeast and get things started; getting the yeast warm, happy, and ready to go

Start by mixing the hot water and the flour. Then, add 2 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. oil, 2 Tbsp. yeast, and 2 tsp. salt.

Let this sit for about 8 or 10 minutes. Assuming your water was hot enough, it should be nice and bubbly.

Step 3Add some flour and knead it

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Now you need to add about 3 more cups of flour. I added a little less this time, it really depends on the humidity and how exact your measurements were in the sponge step.

Once it gets too tough to stir, flip it onto a clean floured surface. Now, knead away, adding flour as you do so.
Knead the dough for 8 or 9 minutes. As my Mother says, it should be the texture of your earlobe when it's done kneading.

When you finish this part put it back in the bowl and cover it with a slightly damp towel.

Step 4Let it rise...

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let the dough rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes to an hour. the dough should be about doubled in size by the time it's finished.

Step 5Into the pans

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Punch the dough down (Yes, punch it. Beat the heck out of it. Just don't make a mess), then divide it into 3 parts. Spray the pans and put the dough in. Let it rise again in the pans (covered) until it looks like the second picture.

Step 6Into the oven

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Preheat your oven to 375 F and put the loaves in.
Bake them for about 25 minutes. Your quick read thermometer should read between 180 and 190 degrees. Pull the loaves out and place them on their sides on a rack, after a few seconds slide them out of the pans and onto the rack. Let them cool.

Step 7Eat!

Eat it! Share it! etc.!


You can do a lot with this recipe...

...You can add nuts, roll it out and add cinnamon and raisins for cinnamon-swirl bread, add your favorite spices, etc. Add sweet potatoes, chunks of cheese, pieces of ham, or whatever suites you. Be creative! It's your recipe  to experiment with and make your own, have fun with it!


278 comments
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Jul 22, 2012. 7:29 AMsltai says:
Thanks for sharing this recipe.. Tried to bake bread with half of the ingredient listed and it tastes good !!

Jul 17, 2012. 10:47 PMAntonio Fortuni says:
YO YO YO!! One of the best receipies Iv'e used. And one of the best info sites Iv'e seen. Keep it up. When I start making money from my breads i'll pay for a membership. That is a big thing u are too!! Thank you.
AFortuni

Jun 24, 2012. 12:29 AMbreadmaker2 says:
good recipe now what if i want to bake less; say one loaf of bread or a normal baguette size...
what's the recipe for that ? thank you.


Jun 29, 2012. 2:10 PMbreadmaker2 says:
Yeast - 1 Tbsp
Hot-ish* water - 1 cup
Bread flour - 2.5 cups total, 2 for the sponge and 3 for later. (NOT regular flour)
Sugar - 1 Tbsp.
Salt - 1 tsp.
Oil - 1 Tbsp.
1 loaf pan
Quick-read thermometer
Oven pre-heated to 375

?

Jun 29, 2012. 2:11 PMbreadmaker2 says:
i tried freezing it's no good. this is only good for awhile. which is somewhat good i guess since it makes you keep baking fresh bread.

Mar 6, 2012. 12:19 AMnawahinekoa says:
Are we only supposed to white bread flour or can we use wheat. I used wheat and for some reason the thing didn't raise all that high. I'm going to try white bread flour but I'm just trying to figured out what went wrong... =(

Oct 24, 2011. 4:33 AMmgarner2 says:
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

Oct 24, 2011. 4:44 AMmgarner2 says:
me thinks i have killed the yeast will have another stab at it either this afternoon or tomorrow :(

Oct 24, 2011. 12:48 PMmgarner2 says:
well the wet mix looked right this time but after the second prove its nowhere near looking like the pics :(

Feb 2, 2012. 12:36 PMLadyKatie says:
Dry salt kills yeast. So add the yeast last.

Mar 5, 2012. 11:51 PMnawahinekoa says:
I have been using wheat bread flour so I was wondering if that might be a factor

Mar 5, 2012. 11:50 PMnawahinekoa says:
I followed all the steps and they all looked right except that I couldn't get the dough to rise and stay full in the bread pans. I put the yeast in last but, still no luck. Any advice.

Mar 20, 2012. 8:29 AMdfrederick2 says:
I think if you use wheat flour in the recipe you need to increase the water a tad and since wheat flour has less gluten in it than bread flour you have to work it a bit more, one wheat bread recipe that I tried had me do a second punch down and a third rise with a 15 minute resting period before shaping the loaves. One thing you could do is replace two cups of wheat flour with the bread flour, you would not have 100% wheat bread, but you would have a lighter, less dense loaf that would rise nicely. I have been using this recipe for about two months now and it's great, I'd never made my own bread before and now I am comfortable enough with it that I have been experimenting a bit :)

Feb 24, 2012. 12:06 PMKarlaLynn says:
Made this for the first time! It is so delicious! Each bite is so addicting and mouthwatering ^.^ I made one loaf with raisins, cinnamon sugar, and crushed walnuts. It's really easy to make on a college student's salary! I'll upload pics in a bit!

Jan 24, 2012. 1:23 PMbobix says:
Made it, looks great. As soon as I find my camera's usb cable I'll upload some photos of the final product

Jan 8, 2012. 5:02 PMVictorEspinoza says:
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

Jan 2, 2012. 2:46 PMllopez1984 says:
First time ever attempting to make bread, it's cooling right now, can't wait to taste it

Dec 25, 2011. 5:23 PMFamilyRoots says:
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.

Dec 23, 2011. 8:09 PMAwareAmerican says:
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?

Oct 25, 2011. 7:18 AMam. revell says:
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

Dec 18, 2011. 12:20 PMPoppyK says:
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 =)

Dec 10, 2011. 4:14 PMkemerson says:
What if I don't have bread pans? What could I use instead?

Dec 18, 2011. 12:14 PMPoppyK says:
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 =)

Dec 11, 2011. 3:14 PMFlourbaker says:
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!!!

Dec 7, 2011. 8:47 PMjlynn19 says:
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.. :)

Nov 12, 2011. 9:26 AMschaparral says:
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".

Nov 11, 2011. 5:32 PMehewitt says:
Best and easiest recipe I have found so far.

Nov 11, 2011. 1:07 AMehewitt says:
How long should you knead the dough with a kitchen aid

Nov 1, 2011. 3:01 PMmpreciado says:
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?

Nov 10, 2011. 1:49 PMsmarks5 says:
I wonder if by accident you may have used Tablespoons rather than Teaspoons for measuring...???

Nov 4, 2011. 8:39 AMtaivirginia says:
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!

Nov 5, 2011. 7:22 PMoutfangthief says:
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.

Oct 25, 2011. 10:42 AMam. revell says:
hehe nice eh lol

Oct 25, 2011. 10:29 AMam. revell says:
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

Oct 25, 2011. 7:23 AMam. revell says:
ah im gonna try it any way hehehe see how it works ahh i hope it does not give me stomic pains lol

Oct 12, 2011. 11:07 AMawiley1 says:
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

Oct 24, 2011. 5:02 AMmgarner2 says:
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

Oct 24, 2011. 5:52 AMawiley1 says:
Thanks mgarner2, I realized that sponging works just as great i used fast active yeast. It all turned out well. :) I posted photos.

Oct 24, 2011. 5:48 AMawiley1 says:
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.

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Oct 24, 2011. 5:44 AMawiley1 says:
I got it! It worked great Im happy with this recipe already made 6 loafs. Thanks for the post.

Oct 23, 2011. 1:13 PMfholmes1 says:
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!

Oct 19, 2011. 3:28 PMOregonJody says:
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!

Oct 12, 2011. 11:20 PMsytie7 says:
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?

Sep 6, 2011. 9:06 AMweaselscraps says:
This is a fantastic recipe, I am so pleased with myself. Thanks for sharing.

Aug 8, 2011. 5:08 PMcumguzzler says:
(removed by author or community request)

Aug 7, 2011. 4:44 PMmanderson31 says:
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!

Jul 31, 2011. 4:19 PMthankyoulouise says:
I loved this recipe. It was the easiest homemade bread recipe I've used that didn't cut necessary corners. The bread was delicious!

Jul 22, 2011. 9:53 PMrkhiangte says:
only the ingredients .. how do i make it ?? i have noo clue wat 2 do next : '(


Jun 25, 2011. 9:09 AMaromero4 says:
Unkneaded bread tastes sooooo good

Jun 9, 2011. 11:06 AMbcccool says:
I have quit buying bread because this recipe is so so easy and course now my family is royally spoiled. Thank you so much for this great recipe it really is the only thing I did was change the salt to 2 1/2 t cause the 2 t was just slightly not enough. Also I have used gluten bread flour for the first 2 cups the rest is as is I just wanted to compliment you on this cause ITS JUST ABSOLUTELY GREAT
THANKS AGAIN

May 14, 2011. 4:47 AMbbslyon says:
This is the best recipie ever. I made 6 loaves already. I baked one with black olives, plain, nuts and another with cheese. You can add just about anything.Thank you so much.

Apr 22, 2011. 7:41 AMdklooney says:
This is our standard bread recipe now. Couple of things I do to mix it up a bit:

Soak some raisins in your favorite alcohol over night -- I've used Marsala wine or bourbon. Mix in when you do the punch down after the first rising.
Add some chopped walnuts for a little crunch.
Spray the top of the dough with olive oil right before putting in the oven to brown the crust.

Apr 14, 2011. 9:11 AMANNRUTHY says:
Thank you for this easy recipe can't wait fo make for my husbands Birthday.

Apr 1, 2011. 2:19 AMivarela says:
I have always wanted to learn how to make bread and thanks to u i know how now.This was my first time making bread it came out pretty good . Thanks for making it easy :)

Mar 13, 2011. 8:41 PMBUBBA RAY says:
just got done fixin er up cant wait to try it

Mar 6, 2011. 12:28 PMkburke-1 says:
I've used this recipe like 10 times in the last 2 years...I always search for this exact step by step one. It's awesome!

Nov 11, 2008. 4:25 PMsamanthachels says:
My girls really beat the dough and added all the flour, it looked really bad but it did rise. My problem is after I cooked it it was half the size it should have been. It looked sad but tasted GREAT. so what did i do wrong? sam

Mar 1, 2011. 11:40 PMchiara12321 says:
u probably didnt let it rise the second time or u didnt cover the rising dough.

Mar 1, 2011. 11:11 PMchiara12321 says:
maybe u put in too much dough or didnt wait long enough?
I might be wrong!

Jul 14, 2010. 6:11 PMbec9112001 says:
probable let it rise too much the first time

Mar 1, 2011. 11:11 PMchiara12321 says:
your answer could be right too.

Apr 13, 2010. 4:21 PMSandeeCH says:
SandeeCH says:
You need to let it rise in the pans until it doubles in size. This second rising should take less time, because there is more yeast in the dough.  

Mar 1, 2011. 11:38 PMchiara12321 says:
but how many minutes do u mean by "less time".

Feb 13, 2010. 5:37 AMkagera says:
 best way to rise the dough, is it put it in your oven, with a Pyrex container filled with boiling water. It gives it the perfect temp and humidity.

I just put my tea kettle on before i start kneading. 

May 6, 2010. 8:24 PMaradiakali says:
great tip!

Mar 1, 2011. 11:22 PMchiara12321 says:
haha

Dec 17, 2008. 3:38 PMbananite says:
Ah, I forgot the "in a warm place" part and let it sit in the cold kitchen for 45 minutes (its winter here...). It didn't rise at all. However, I just stuck it in the oven (warmed to 100-115 degF) for another hour, and it was fine. Great recipe!

Mar 1, 2011. 11:21 PMchiara12321 says:
well, if thats the case then EVERYBODY SKIP THE WARM PLACE PART!







LOL

Mar 1, 2011. 11:07 PMchiara12321 says:
i havent tried the recipe yet, but i dont know if i should. . .
nvm!

Jan 31, 2011. 2:47 AMserjinio says:
Thank you very much for this recipe,it's very useful,i bake this type of bread each week by following your instruction.

Jan 9, 2011. 12:25 AMjeaismyname says:
Thanks for this, it would help me in my bonding session with my friends.. ;)

Nov 29, 2010. 1:21 PMskandi says:
Just made it with wheat flour- it turned out great!!! Thanks a ton for posting this.

Nov 29, 2010. 11:32 AMskandi says:
Am at this step right now and am using Indian wheat flour (not sure if it's the same as bread flour).. so, hopefully, it'll work out fine.

Nov 29, 2010. 11:30 AMskandi says:
Is wheat flour the same as bread flour? I don't think that the one I have at home is whole wheat (It's used for making Indian breads.. so not sure what it's referred to as).


Jun 25, 2010. 4:43 PMnfarrow says:
So how hot should the water be?

Nov 29, 2010. 10:29 AMskandi says:
Luke warm water - which should feel like barely warm.
The optimum temperature for yeast to grow is 37 degrees Celsius (body temperature). If you are unable to touch the water for a prolonged period of time, the water temperature is ~ 55 deg. C (too hot!!!!!!!!).

Nov 24, 2010. 9:17 PMautomatron says:
I just made this tonight and im using it for rolls for my first thanksgiving as hostess. I loved how easy this was to make and wow it was soooo fluffy! thank you for sharing this great recipe.


Jan 5, 2010. 9:17 AMJavin007 says:
Where does one get "bread flour?"  What are some brand names?  I've only ever seen regular flour at the stores.
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Nov 22, 2010. 5:25 PMzexy says:
It should say "bread flour" or maybe something like "for baking bread" and also look for "unbleached". Bleached flour can work to but it will turn out different and you may not get as much rise out of the dough. "Bread flour" usually has a higher gluten content which is a good thing for bread baking.

Jun 23, 2010. 2:58 PMfibronana says:
Look for the yellow bag....


Jun 20, 2010. 11:10 AMPhoghat says:
Mega marts every where the same companies that make regular flour also make bread flour.

Jul 9, 2008. 6:53 AMowlett says:
It was delicious! I had one with sultanas a plain one and one round one with poppy seeds on the top- they all got eaten within 48hours! Mmm- definitely gonna do it again soon...

Sep 6, 2008. 7:48 PMhcold says:
I can think of something else I'd rather do with poppy seeds.

Nov 22, 2010. 5:59 AMkelson12345 says:
nice one:)

Nov 22, 2010. 5:58 AMkelson12345 says:
this is the best bread i have had EVER i would like to do it a lot more i have made about 36 loaves so far and they have all been so good

Oct 27, 2010. 6:58 AMsaw2313 says:
what kind of size cups do you use

Oct 23, 2010. 2:45 PMolliejpndude says:
Great bread, just made a batch and it turned out great
I made the bread in batches cuz I only own one pan and it still worked fine
Just let the other dough rise for that time and then use it later
Again, great recipe

Oct 22, 2010. 2:28 AMieatlotsbutidontgetfat! says:
Poor old Chopper Read, hows he gonna make this one!

Sep 6, 2010. 8:38 PMrheam84 says:
I made this bread today. I followed the recipe exactly and my bread turned out fabulous. My fiance is asking for more. It came out moist and soft. Next time I will experiment with raisins and cinnamon.

May 30, 2010. 8:20 PMskyshiro says:
 If you're having problem with the water temperature, what I did was put the faucet on the hottest it can go. By the time you add all the ingredients and add the yeast the water will have cooled down to the right temperature.

Also the bread is delicious.

Jun 20, 2010. 1:09 PMmerchison says:
If the hot water from your tap comes by way of copper pipes, there could be dissolved copper in it. Not healthy. When I make bread, I am usually having a hot drink anyway so I use hot water from the kettle. If it is too hot, I add cold water from the refrigerator.

Jun 29, 2010. 9:09 PMVolgrrr says:
Copper pipe is used in most residential buildings to convey water but, judging by your comment, I can only assume your house does not have copper pipes installed. So what do you recommend the rest of us 'copper piper's' do - put our kettles outside, cross our fingers and hope it will rain soon?

Jun 20, 2010. 6:08 PMmoebuspcgold says:
Don't be afraid of copper. Filtered water is a joke, I hate it when people blame their poor quality of life on their environment around them, yet fail to realise that they live a unhealthy lifestyle.



Jun 26, 2010. 1:17 PMrobertandrews says:
OMG. Just completed the guide and am now munching on my spoils. WOW. First bread ice ever made. Tastes great. Best bread I've ever tasted, in fact, because I made it. Mucho thanks for these instructions! I might've liked my loaves to rise a bit more, but only one problem with this guide - the bread tastes SO good, it may be all gone when my girlfriend cones home! :)

Jun 23, 2010. 1:11 PMlegless says:
Oh who can actually wait until fresh bread cools? Not me. I love it warm and steaming with a little marg and some vegemite. The crustier the better.

Jun 21, 2010. 7:28 AMspeedhump says:
I can usually find a choice of working breadmakers at my nearest Salvation Army Thrift Shop. They are usually priced at @ $15.00. My Rival works great!

Jun 20, 2010. 11:48 AMarcherj says:
For gluten-free recipes, including bread, go to http://www.csaceliacs.org --great site.

Jun 20, 2010. 3:51 AMnavidon1 says:
it helped me in doing my science homework. thanks.........

Jun 12, 2010. 4:15 PMbirdsarethewords says:
I just wanted to let you know that I used this recipe to make bread for the first time in my life back in 2008. It turned out wonderfully, and I was astounded at my ability to actually make bread. I taught two friends how to do it using your directions, and have been using it ever since. I still come back to this page each time, though I guess it might be worth printing out at this point so I can just reference a hard copy and keep flour off the keyboard. Thanks!


May 28, 2010. 12:06 AMceafin says:
Mad props for making bread without a bread machine! Maybe I'm weird, but to me using machines is cheating!

Nice simple recipe too :)

May 19, 2010. 5:47 PMbrainmaster4u says:
well guys i have taken a print out
it tastes well
good as the hotel bread




May 12, 2010. 11:30 AMwheelnawheel says:
 THANK-YOU: YOU HAVE MADE MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF THOSE I GIVE THE BREAD TO MUCH HAPPIER AND TASTIER!!!

May 7, 2010. 9:44 AMpatelchand says:
Instant Bread Making Recipe:

Portion: 3
Cooking temperature: 180 C
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Cooking method: Bake

Ingredients:
30 ml Cold Water (Refrigerator)
100 gm maida
1 tbsp baking Powder (not full)
2 tbsp full powder sugar.

Methods:
Step 1: Mix Maida and powder sugar well, sieve them 3 times.
Step 2: Add baking powder to cold water, mix well for 10 seconds, add this to mixed maida and sugar mixture, mix well with the end of spoon. sticky ball should be formed.
Step 3 : Sprinkle  maida flour and knead the dough  untill it get non sticky. Now knead the dough for 5 minutes. Non sticky dough sholud be formed. cut it in three portion. Now make lightly thick (not too thin) roll of each portion using rolling  pin.
Step 3: put them in Oven. Bake them for 30 minutes for 180 C.
Step 4: After cook. Leave it for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Cut top and bottom crispy layer. Then start to eat.

Apr 14, 2010. 3:39 PMSandeeCH says:
Just want to say a huge THANKS for this receipe. After many bread failures in the past, I (and hubby) could hardly believe I actually made bread and it turned out fabulous!  I used Olive oil and I also used Honey instead of sugar (same amount).

I also tried making the same receipe using whole wheat flour. I know you need to add gluten so I added 1 rounded tablespoon per cup of flour (5 Tbsps) as part of the 5 cups of flour in this receipe. It looked great, sponge part all bubbly, first rise doubled in about 45 min. I punched it down, divided it into 3 loaves but it just barely rose.  I baked it anyway and it turned out soft (easy to cut) and tasted good but was about 2 inches high only and dense. What did I do wrong?  I'd appreciate help on this one.
Sandee CH

May 7, 2010. 9:43 AMpatelchand says:
Try my Instant recipe for bread, no need to add yeast, olive oil and gluten. Note: Never add oil or ghee to making bread, your bread never rise and become crispy.

Instant Bread Making Recipe:

Portion: 3
Cooking temperature: 180 C
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Cooking method: Bake

Ingredients:
30 ml Cold Water (Refrigerator)
100 gm maida
1 tbsp baking Powder (not full)
2 tbsp full powder sugar.

Methods:
Step 1: Mix Maida and powder sugar well, sieve them 3 times.
Step 2: Add baking powder to cold water, mix well for 10 seconds, add this to mixed maida and sugar mixture, mix well with the end of spoon. sticky ball should be formed.
Step 3 : Sprinkle  maida flour and knead the dough  untill it get non sticky. Now knead the dough for 5 minutes. Non sticky dough sholud be formed. cut it in three portion. Now make lightly thick (not too thin) roll of each portion using rolling  pin.
Step 3: put them in Oven. Bake them for 30 minutes for 180 C.
Step 4: After cook. Leave it for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Cut top and bottom crispy layer. Then start to eat.

Apr 8, 2010. 3:19 PMmomofbusiness says:
Hello, so i prepared the bread today with my little guy and had lots of fun doing it :) unfortunately we had to much fun and did not pay much attention and added 2 tablespoons of salt instead of 2 teaspoons. LOL...wondering why the bread tasted so salty. But other than that i think my bread would have come over perfect.

Thank you so much for the recipe it was fun and easy :)

Yum Yum to all and good luck with your bread making :)


Oct 28, 2009. 11:27 AMsamiesamsam says:
what would happen if you were to use regular flour?

Mar 20, 2010. 8:55 PMmacrumpton says:
I make bread with all purpose flour using the no-knead method, and it works just fine.

Nov 22, 2009. 4:38 PMouzelum says:
Bread flour has malted barley flour and some additives in it.  The barley gives the yeast more stuff to eat and makes the bread rise better.  The other stuff apparently helps with the consistency as well.
Use bread flour if at all possible.

Jan 11, 2010. 7:22 PMimcoolyoudrool says:
Bread flour has more protein to form more gluten thus building a more complex structure that makes up a soft crumb and durable crust of the bread.

Alternatively; All purpose or AP flour can still form gluten but is a weaker flour and better for things like pancakes. It is typically a mix of bread flour and weaker flours.

Pastry flour is weaker still and is best for fine pastries and making layered doughs for puff pastry, croissant, and danish doughs. It is also most commonly seen as the topping of flour before baking on the more "rustic" style breads.

And lastly, Cake flour is the weakest of all, it is best for cakes because it has very little protein to form gluten strands and is almost purely white lending itself to coloring as the baker wishes.

And i beg to differ, "bread making is not an exact science" could not be more insulting for those that truly have a love for the science of baking.
But thanks for the "ible" anyway.  :)

Mar 8, 2010. 8:15 PMlucylou854 says:
Is it possible to have good tasting "light" bread that is gluten free?  I tried making bread in a machine, and it didn't turn out good.   If so, do you have a good "gluten free" bread recipe?

Feb 20, 2010. 2:35 PMthoth_42 says:
use honey instead of sugar for a thinker crust and healthier bread!

Dec 11, 2009. 10:45 PMumadabumada says:
Its really a Laymen bread making.May God bless you man


Dec 6, 2009. 2:09 AMnightninja87 says:
hi i love this ible i read through it and seen u wrote 80-100 i been reading through a new bread book and it says 110 to 115 was wondering your opinion on it

Nov 23, 2009. 9:27 AMjhines0042 says:
I want to make bread that includes a vegetable of some variety.  My first instinct is to add finely shredded spinach.  I would also love to try with broccoli.

Any advice on when and how to add such things?

Thanks!

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Nov 23, 2009. 8:18 PMjhines0042 says:
Ok, I went ahead and made this bread.  One loaf was plain, one got a treatment of Spinach that had been food processed to fine confetti size and one got the Spinach but was baked into 4 smaller roll style loafs.

Plain loaf is already gone and it was yummy!

Nov 6, 2009. 5:08 PMMT-LB says:
i made it, but i mistook the 2 tsp of salt for 2 tbsp, and it wasnt edible. but it was so easy i will make it again with less salt

Nov 4, 2009. 9:29 PMLulu82 says:
This bread is sooo yummy, I made a batch earlier and used it to make hotdog and cheese buns soo good that my boyf ate them all up I am making another batch. mmm

Oct 14, 2009. 5:13 PMWolfbird says:
This bread is my new god. Srsly, it's that awesome.

Oct 7, 2009. 8:47 PMchillyp says:
Made the bread for the third time and it's still bada$$!!!! Love it.


Oct 6, 2009. 3:26 PMchrinopoly87 says:
thanks for the recipe! my dough is rising as i type here.

Oct 4, 2009. 1:55 AMsomarx says:
thx it's really useful i added some olives inside the bread yummmmmmmmy


Sep 20, 2009. 10:48 AMqballcat says:
im on the first rise and it doesnt look anything like yours, its hard and hard to knead so im letting it rise to see what happened, can i put in some water to see?


Sep 20, 2009. 10:49 AMqballcat says:
sorry, can i put in some water to see if it looks better

Sep 6, 2009. 2:08 PMhilo890 says:
MMM! That tasted delicious! Great instructions AND recipe!

Aug 20, 2009. 7:19 AMkayleighsampson says:
im currently on this step, have put it in the airing cupboard :)
its a really good recipe.. and clear instructions.. thankyou :)

Aug 14, 2009. 9:31 PMkay us11 says:
I am so grateful, I could build a dream business with this. thanks


Aug 8, 2009. 10:24 PMasdterror says:
If you're having trouble with your yeast try the baguette yeast sponge. Mix however much yeast your recipe calls for with about 1/3 the amount of total flour. Add enough water to make a thick batter and let it rise overnight. Then follow the recipe normally. This adds a lot of flavor to the bread. Sometimes I do I quasi-sourdough by adding a half cup of flour and a bit of water to the sponge every twelve hours until I have about 2/3 the amount of flour the recipe calls for. This is kinda in line with abhix1's "It just takes longer to rise", but at least now you have an excuse. Just put it in an off oven and try not to think about it. :)

Aug 1, 2009. 2:55 PMsymbe says:
Thanks a bunch, I have just baked a lovely bread. This is my first time


Jul 28, 2009. 8:58 PMchillyp says:
When you say Oil what kind have you tried? I'd go with Olive, but I'm curious in what you have chosen?

Jul 1, 2009. 6:50 PMMuzhik says:
After dividing the dough, roll it out and sprinkle it with chocolate chips and sugar. Roll it up and put it in the pan seam-side down, then let it rise and bake. Serve with children and milk. Or skip the children and eat it all yourself with tea. (Children take too long to bake.)

Jun 26, 2009. 3:01 PMandyr354 says:
Never did see a response on making it wheat bread instead? Anybody have a process or another recipe to point me to? I don't like cooking with refined flour. Andy

Jun 27, 2009. 12:43 AMycc2106 says:
Whole wheat, brown beard is much easier to make - White bread is unedible if it doesn't rise enough.

Jun 26, 2009. 3:04 PMandyr354 says:
Any tips on making this a whole wheat or graham flour recipe? Or maybe point me to another recipe? Looks good BTW! But I don't eat refined flour anymore unless I have no choice :)

Jun 6, 2009. 11:14 AMDoubleboogey says:
Two questions. Can you use a dough hook in a mixmaster instead of kneading by hand and if the dough is really stickey does in need more flour? Thanks, Eddie

Jun 23, 2009. 2:37 AMtgzuke says:
Be careful to set the mixmaster to a low speed while mixing. Dough can burn out your motor and/or overknead the dough. My kitchen-aid mixer requires only around six minutes to achieve correct firmness on its second-lowest setting. Overkneaded dough will have the look and consistency of chewed bubble gum, and will never recover, no matter how much flour you add, so be sure to check the dough early and often.


Jun 8, 2009. 11:12 AMmerritt55 says:
Salt is not add to a sponge salt slows down the yeast also kills the yeast and makes the dough tough. Third generation baker.


Apr 22, 2009. 11:06 AMmegbrinst says:
I just made the bread and it is great! I coated the top of the loaf with egg white and meted butter before i baked the bread, and it gave the loaf a crisp and golden crust. Thanks for taking the time to put up the instructions!


Apr 21, 2009. 8:03 AMBridgetBBL says:
I made the bread today and it was really good. I make a lot of things from scratch at home, up until this point, I hadn't made bread. It was amazingly easy. Its was also a cool thing for my 4 1/2 yr old join in with. Thank you for the instructions.


Apr 10, 2009. 8:30 PMFrasi1966 says:
I made this bread once already, it came sooo good! I am making it righ now again, one loaf with ham inside. Thank you sharing!


Apr 17, 2009. 8:13 AMVrebelrider says:
Ok when I made this my loafs kind of dropped like chesse cake does when someone slams a door while your cooking it, do I need to let it rise higher they were about the hight of the loaf pans before I put them in oven


Apr 17, 2009. 1:32 PMdougyd says:
brilliant, worked a treat!


Apr 10, 2009. 11:14 PMRhiKemp says:
Wow! I googled 'How to make bread' and you were the first link and I am so glad I went onto this page, I love it and it's made me very excited about making bread (have never done it before, can you tell!) But I was just wondering, I doubt my partner and I would be able to eat 3 loaves before they start to go off so I was wondering, how would it go if we halved (well, thirded) the ingredients, would that work?


Dec 29, 2008. 12:39 PMcantxcape says:
I have never made bread before, am worried about this tempature thing. Now what happens if my water wasn't quite warm enough and the yeast doesn't activate as quickly. It's been 10 minutes and not quite as bubbly as it should be. Can I still go on with the next steps or wait longer? I might not even get a response in time to figure this one out. :) I guess I'll see what happens.

Apr 9, 2009. 7:52 AMabhix1 says:
cantxcape, If your yeast is good, the tempature is not that critical. It just takes longer to rise. you can even put your bread in the fridg to rise. Good luck

Mar 28, 2009. 6:49 AMhuskersrback says:
two questions--can I substitute Wheat Flour in this recipe-- and can I use less salt without impacting the recipe? thanks

Jun 25, 2008. 6:20 PMshell217 says:
Do you use dried yeast or real yeast! I don't want it to taste like yeast. Thanks!

Feb 24, 2009. 9:32 PMbucsrule07 says:
if you mix all ingredients right including the yeast (active Dry) comes in a packet you can find it at your local grocer, well if you mix it right your bread will come out great , which means it will rise awesome, if you mix it wrong it will be flat, and for the taste you cannot taste it if you mix it right. well good luck and have fun!!!

Jan 29, 2009. 4:12 PMkitsuken says:
This uses yeast, but there are plenty of non-yeast recipes around. Personally I'm quite fond of irish soda bread, which has a good, rich flavour to it and, since it doesn't use yeast, would be ideal for your purposes.


Oct 18, 2008. 5:52 PMgregr says:
Dried yeast is real yeast.



Jan 23, 2009. 9:27 PMred-king says:
yeast is an organism(its alive!!!) and it releases CO2 through respiration (the same way humans breath) creating bubbles in the bread which are what make it rise... I think...


Jan 20, 2009. 3:42 PMGh0stT0wnC0wb0y says:
In America Dried yeast seems to be most common. Yeast cakes are found mostly at specialty stores. However unless they are using the jars of dried yeast (which are some what expensive) assume 2 Tbsp mean from a yeast cake. I could be wrong on this of course. I do know that you use more from live yeast ( a cake) than you do from a packet. I really don't see getting 2 Tbsp from 2 of those little packs. However because the directions call for hot water... I have no clue which they are using. LOL sorry I went in a huge circle... Poster Please Clarify for us.

Jan 22, 2009. 6:40 AMmizzoumike76 says:
Using the freeze-dried Fleischman's yeast or similar: This recipe would need only 3 packets or equivalent. I'm living overseas right now and can't get my hands on one to let you know the conversion. The bread tastes great with the commercial yeast; using a 'starter' (wild yeast) or yeast cakes will give you a different flavor, often a sourdough flavor, very good stuff :)

Feb 24, 2009. 10:30 AMproudcanadian says:
Great recipe, family enjoyed, no trouble what so ever, thanks


Feb 11, 2009. 11:01 PMthepelton says:
I have been looking for a recipe like this, because I am trying to trim as much unnecessary spending off my budget as I can, and I make a lot of PB&J sandwiches, even at 58 years of age. It makes for a lunch of less than a dollar, compared with $3.50 for a fast food lunch, and much less bad Cholesterol!

Jan 24, 2009. 11:00 PMJindel says:
Wow!! my bread came out so soft and yummy!!! This recipe is a keeper. By the way the instructions were very clear and easy to understand.

Jan 24, 2009. 3:43 PMsayralynn says:
Thanks for the suggestions. I have made a few batches since my last post and have found that two loaves is definitely better. In addition I only used one packet of yeast which yields a much better flavor. I also turned my oven on and sat the bowl on the warming burner. I am experimenting with whole wheat flour, half with bread flour for the glucose. Thanks again! What a great recipe!

Jan 22, 2009. 6:35 AMmizzoumike76 says:
If you live in America, chances are you have no idea just how good home-made bread can be! I give it to friends as gifts and they love it; can be eaten by itself it is so good. If you have a less than warm house and the bread takes forever to rise, I usually fill a mixing bowl or pot with a few inches of hot tap water, then place the dough bowl over this to help the dough rise. Once you do this a few times, it's easy and aside from the rise time takes maybe 15 minutes total. Try subbing in 2 or 3 cups whole wheat flour and honey for the sugar for a nice honey whole wheat bread. Excellent instructable; thanks for putting it together! Michael


Jan 23, 2009. 1:33 PMpmetro says:
I agree on just how good home made bread can be, You may even eat less because it is so satisfying and filling.

Jan 22, 2009. 2:28 AMyukuui101 says:
hey this bread is really good. it helped me a lot........literally(good for practicing boxing) >-)

Jan 21, 2009. 4:27 PMmeko says:
thanks for the great instructions... my first time making homemade bread from scratch and it turned out great! The whole process went smoothly and I received thumbs up from the kids and hubby (my toughest critics!). the only change i will make for next time will be to make only two loaves instead of the three. (i think my pans are slightly larger than the pans used here.)

Jan 18, 2009. 4:29 PMsayralynn says:
Ok, so I have read all the comments and I need help. I live in Florida by the ocean and today I tried this recipe it was fairly cool outside, moderate humidity, and my kitchen was warm b/c I was cooking, my water was warm not hot. My sponge did not bubble in 10 minutes, more like 30. My first rise took three hours and my second never rose. I did discover that three pans was too much. I have baked from scratch for some time and have never dissolved the yeast first? Any advise???? I will try again tomorrow as this took me ALL day. Thanks in advance!

Jan 20, 2009. 6:33 AMMiKOTRON says:
It may help if you heat up your water with the sugar dissolved in it on the stove. Use a thermometer. It should be about 130 deg F. or so. Then pour it in your bowl and let it cool to 110 deg F. Then through your yeast in. Use water from the cold side as that will bypass your hot water heater. The water that's in the tank is loaded with dissolved minerals. Also when you let the dough rise, try pre-heating your oven to the lowest setting. Once it's pre-heated turn the thing off. Open the door, wait 6 seconds or so and then put your damp towel covered bowl into the now off, oven and close the door. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. I hope that helps!


Jan 20, 2009. 6:29 AMClayOgre says:
...my what lumpy lookin' loaves (try saying that three times fast).

Just some thoughts.

For starters, it is my understanding there are three types of baker's yeast: Regular, Rapid Rise, and Instant (which might be what is sometimes referred to as "bread machine" yeast). Regular takes longer to rise, Rapid Rise is the next quickest, and Instant is a hair faster. Longer rising yeasts supposedly make for a more "full flavored" bread.

I personally don't much care for Fleishman's regular yeast. Their rapid rise stuff in the little jar's isn't too bad, and their instant yeast is good stuff. I buy the instant in large packages at Sam's club, it's way cheaper than those little packages or the small jars. Just keep it in the fridge or freezer and it will last a long time.

Another brand that is very good is SAF instant yeast (this is a professional baker's yeast) I get mine from the King Arthur Flour Company. They have lots of other goodies, too...but they ain't cheap. The SAF yeast isn't too pricey, tho.

Tricks for rising bread. Put it on top of your hot water heater. Or, if you have a crock pot, put some hot water in the pot, set it on low, and put your bowl on top. (haven't tried this one myself)

You could also put the bowl with your dough inside a large bowl filled with hot water.

As for adding water when mixing your dough, there is a handy trick you can do...dunno how well it works if you are mixing by hand, I use a stand mixer.

...however, if you mix your dry ingredients up good, including the yeast, so the yeast granules are distributed amongst the flour, you can take fairly hot water (I use it straight from the tap on full hot), and pour it in while mixing. This doesn't kill your yeast, even tho the water is actually too hot (BTW 120 F is considered the upper limit). Because the yeast isn't "all in one spot", the flour tends to cool the water down while you are mixing, and you end up with nice "warm" dough. But....if hand mixing, not sure if that would be fast enough. Anyway, this method has never failed for me using my KitchenAid mixer.

Jan 19, 2009. 2:14 PMmpiazzisi says:
Temp is well below zero here. I put the bowl in front of the oven exhaust. Mine just happens to be on top of my stove. The temp there runs around 90-100 F.

Jan 18, 2009. 4:50 PMsayralynn says:
Let me add that I baked them anyway and they looked odd but like bread. they tasted much like french bread and very god but, a little too yeasty in flavor.

Oct 24, 2008. 10:34 PMmahak says:
I made this bread, but my bread was very hard. Also the dough didn't rise at all. Some suggestions please?

Jan 8, 2009. 9:07 AMMolant says:
Sounds like your water was too hot and killed the yeast. It just needs to be a little warmer than room temperature.

Jan 1, 2009. 9:55 AMArcticFrogs says:
I've had luck with covering my bowl with a cloth while it rises. As the others have said, warm water is important. I haven't tried these instructions, but my own recipe is very similar. Something I've noticed is that sometimes the bread will be hard (almost like a thick shell) after it cools - to remedy this, I brush/rub butter all over the top while it's still in the pan. Keeps the bread nice and soft. Good luck!

Oct 27, 2008. 7:00 PMjzx2sr says:
mahak / drinkmorecoffee Make sure you use WARM water and not HOT. The yeast is what makes the dough bubble and rise, if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast. I have never made bread before and just sucessfully made it again tonight following these instructions. I used Fleischmann's instant yeast, it comes with 3 8g orange packages. Good luck!

Oct 27, 2008. 7:02 PMjzx2sr says:
I just wanted to clarify, you only use 1 of the 3 8g packages. This is for the entire recipe. Also, both times I made this bread, I only made 2 and not 3.

Sep 15, 2009. 2:25 PMjeremydominguez0 says:
did it still come out good? jd

Sep 16, 2009. 12:39 PMjzx2sr says:
Came out great. I still use this recipe from time to time. NOM, NOM, NOM!


Oct 26, 2008. 9:29 AMmahak says:
This is my third attempt at making bread. I used 1.5 tbsp of dry yeast. First two times I let it rise for 1 hour and subsequently another hour each. They hadn't risen well. On my third attempt I let it stay for 6 hours on the top of my refrigerator. It had doubled in size by then. Also the dough I get after kneading it is very sticky, so on my third attempt I used a wooden long-handled spatula to knead it. This time the dough was very satiny. Yet even after baking it for 25 mins at 200C, the bread was half-baked from the inside, with a very hard top. The sides and the bottom of the loaf which was touching the bread pan did not bake at all. Please help. This is very frustrating as usually my tarts and pan cakes turn out really nice and are appreciated by my family.

Jan 5, 2009. 4:21 PMcantxcape says:
I have a serious question here. What if I don't punch the dough down after the first rise and just separate it into two pans, and just kind of let it rise from whatever state its in at that point. It's so nice and fluffy after the first rise, can't we skip this first step and just let the rise the first time in the pans and then throw them in the oven?

Dec 29, 2008. 3:01 PMcantxcape says:
Ok, I guess I should've read all of these comments before I started. After putting the dough in the pans to rise again, I was unsure how long to let them rise, and so got impatient after a half hour. So I gave up and put them in the oven anyway after they had only risen to just about half way up the pan. Then I started reading the comments and realized that I could just wait longer. Did I make a mistake in taking them out of the oven after 2 minutes to see if they'll rise higher? Have I ruined them? Help please.

Dec 29, 2008. 2:32 PMcantxcape says:
I'm just wondering how long I'm supposed to keep them in the pans to rise, another hour? What if they don't rise as much as they should? The dough managed to rise to double its size in the bowl. I punched it down, then separated them, and now they're in their pans. I guess I could try to leave them there for another hour to see how high they rise.

Dec 22, 2008. 2:27 PMolahadi says:
is regular flour the same as bread flour??


Dec 19, 2008. 10:05 AMfireraisr says:
Hi just wanted to add a tip. I have been told not to punch the dough as this gets rid of some of the natural fluffyness of the bread. Dropping your dough onto the counter from a height of 2 ft or so always worked well for me.

Dec 19, 2008. 9:29 AMmschrief says:
I have the dough on the second rise. Put in just two pans. Hope I don't have a MEGA loaves of bread. After an hour, I'll see. If too large, I'll punch and rise again in three pans

Dec 15, 2008. 10:40 AMmashirk says:
I love this instructables site. I just recently started baking my own bread. I found it costs me .50 a loaf compared to the $2 a loaf at the market. Plus I know what's in the bread and what's not.

Nov 19, 2008. 3:39 PMharleyxx says:
I followed your recipe and my bread came out great. The only problem was that my wife was turned off by the site of me wearing her apron. She kicked me out of her kitchen and rented the Clint Eastwood classic Dirty Harry for me. She followed that up by getting me a collection of his greatest Westerns. Unforgiven, Hang em High, For a few Dollars more...ect. So it's all good.

Oct 3, 2008. 12:54 PMaustinm says:
hey drinkmorecoffee could you please give me the recipe for just one loaf of bread

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Mar 1, 2008. 12:56 AMEmmaleigh says:
I wish I knew what I did wrong. I made this tonight and it turned out awful. I have three small loaves of bread that are about the size of two fists sitting side by side. I used the best flour and yeast that I could find. I assume the yeast was still good because it bubbled nicely during the sponge stage. After adding flour I kneaded the dough for roughly 8 minutes and found it to pass the "earlobe" test. Following this I let the dough set and double in size. The instructions aren't clear on how much "punching" is needed, so I only punched enough to flatten down the dough and then began to separate it into 3rds. I didn't have nearly as much dough as shown here once it was punched and divided, so perhaps I did something wrong here? At this point I was unsure what to do next because the instructions suggest to let the bread rise in the pans until it looked like the picture. It would have been nice to have a time frame instead. I let my dough sit and rise for quite some time, but it never came close to looking like what was pictured here. I waited until it was no longer increasing in size and then decided to go ahead and bake it... Is there no way to say approximately how long this process should take? My bread turned out extremely dense and only fills the bread pans about half way. What on earth went wrong? I followed the directions as written, so I am disappointed at how things turned out.

Oct 3, 2008. 12:49 PMaustinm says:
Here is what i think happend Emmaleigh i do not know if you covered the bread while it was rising or did not keep it warm enough what i did when making my bread because i did this instructable is i covered it with a towel and put it on top of a heating pad to keep it warm and after it rose i took it directly to the oven and didnt let it get any colder than it was because if it does i found out that it will shrink quite a bit

Mar 12, 2008. 7:18 PMdoomtints says:
Yeah. As I said earlier, this recipe will work for 2 loaves of bread but not three. If you try to stretch this to three loaves you'll get exactly what you ended up with. Let the dough rise in the pans until it's over the top of the pan.


Oct 3, 2008. 12:50 PMaustinm says:
you are right i made three loaves 2 big ones and the other one was just a tid bit smaller than the other 2


Mar 12, 2008. 4:21 PMsideways says:
It's not easy to give exact rising times, because humidity, flour type, yeast type and temperature all play a role in the rise. Usually I find dough can take a loooong time to rise if temps are too cool. Be patient....if you see signs of rising, it will probably get there, you may just have to wait a while. If your house is on the cool side (70-72) it may rise very slowly. Much cooler than that and it might take a good 2 hours to rise all the way. My first rise takes about 60-75 min in a warmish spot (top of the fridge, near a furnace vent, etc). The second is usually shorter, 45-60 min. If you used any whole wheat flour in your loaves, that has a big effect on both the rise and the density of the finished loaf..it rises slower and will be denser. It sounds to me like perhaps your loaves didn't have enough rising time, since you mentioned the denseness. You could try putting them in a warmer spot, or letting them go longer. I don't know what part of the country you're in, but bread making in winter usually takes longer if you live in a cool climate. Keep trying! I made lots of door stops until I finally got the hang of it. If your failed loaves aren't too solid, they make great croutons and bread crumbs. Tear off chunks and feed them into a blender or food processor.



Mar 12, 2008. 4:36 PMsideways says:
Kneading activates the gluten in flour; gluten is the elasticity that allows bread to rise and hold all those little holes. If your brand of flour has less gluten than someone else's, you may have to knead longer. Gluten can actually vary from batch to batch, even if you buy the same brand all the time. It's one of those things you learn by "feel" as you're kneading.


Mar 12, 2008. 4:24 PMsideways says:
I forgot to mention, the water temp you mix with the yeast really should be lukewarm. Icy cold is bad...the yeast won't wake up. Too hot is bad....it kills the yeast. 90F should be okay.

Sep 7, 2008. 6:08 PMizzypop says:
Hi there drinkmorecoffee, I was hoping you can tell me the size of loaf pans you use, cause I'm thinking of buying one from ebay that is 16 x 4 x 4 1/2. Do you think this pan will fit all three of yours or will I still need another pan? Thanks for your help, I can't wait to try this bread!


Aug 17, 2008. 4:58 PMScorcher21 says:
Excellent!. thank you for the recipe. I have never made bread b4 but have always wanted to. First thing I would like to say is hot-ish water is pretty dam vague. I did a little research on yeast and it reproduces best between 80 and 100 degrees (roughly not going to redig the article). Above 120 or boiling it will actually kill the yeast. Second thing is I'm not sure if I messed something up or its just a regular reaction but once the dough rose the second time, be careful, I slammed the pan into the oven rack and it deflated like a balloon. (still turned out ok though) no more criticizing, The bread was wonderful. I got two thumbs up from everyone that had it. The only difference from the recipe that I did was instead of 2Tbsp of sugar I used 3 Tbsp of honey. The dough took longer to rise than the recipe but I think if I used 1/4 cup less water it might work out. Plus since this was not only a recipe for three loaves but also an experiment, On one loaf I coated The second rise with a light garlic butter sauce, and on one I used straight honey. For the third I kept normal. All three turned out great but for the honey one next time I might try diluting the honey in some butter before I spread it. anyway, thanks again good luck all.

Aug 29, 2008. 12:01 PMbennor3 says:
the same happened to me but it was a different recipie

Aug 28, 2008. 10:41 AMJabberwoc says:
Love the "earlobe" test idea! Any tips on bread-making addiction...? I CAN'T STOP!!

Beanpod, anyone?! Beanpod

Feb 28, 2008. 2:09 PMkezabel says:
Thanks for the recipe, I'm going to go and make it now. I'll let you know how it goes. :}

Mar 15, 2008. 4:58 PMNewName says:
I have made it once and I'm making it again right now lol I almost read the recipe wrong I thought it said 2 Tbsp of salt but I reread it and added 2 tsp that cauld have tasted nasty lol. ill let you guys know how it turns out :)

Jun 26, 2008. 1:24 PMowlett says:
yea- I thought that too- if you hadnt have pointed it out I would have made it with all that salt lol!

Jun 26, 2008. 1:23 PMowlett says:
thanks. i`m gonna go try it now!

Jun 21, 2008. 2:52 AMshey2bimbz says:
hi, can i use fresh instead instead of dry yeast. if so do you know how much fresh yeast to put?

Jun 16, 2008. 6:39 PMmissmichelle says:
I've never made bread before, but I'd like to. Your instructions are very clear.. just a couple of questions. "Cover with a towel" - wet or dry or does it matter? Also, "Spray the pans" - might be a dumb question, but with what? Thanks!


Jun 12, 2008. 10:58 AMshey2bimbz says:
hi i want to know if there will be a yeast taste when eating. because most of the bread i made it had that smell and taste. please help me with it. thank you


Jun 12, 2008. 12:24 PMshey2bimbz says:
thank you i will try it tomorrow and let you know

Jun 12, 2008. 11:07 AMshey2bimbz says:
another question about the yeast. is it dried yeast or fresh yeast.


May 6, 2008. 2:40 PMjojobethrox2999 says:
sounds easy


Apr 26, 2008. 8:43 PMsleeping_gecko says:
I had been frustrated by a bread attempt last fall (trying to impress my wife, soon after our marriage), and then found this recipe. The bread was delicious. I also made this dough, then rolled it out into a 2" thick or so cylinder, flattened it, spread some cheddar cheese and garlic in there, folded the dough back up. Then, I put it in a spiral shape, let it rise again, and baked it. It was really good with soup. I'm going to try to make some now with garlic and cheese for a spaghetti dinner tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe, it's delicious!


Jul 23, 2007. 5:17 PMt.rohner says:
Hi all

i bake for more than 15 years now, it's pretty easy to make a bread. But to make a white bread, that tastes still great after a couple of days, you need to make a couple of adjustments.
I start with 40% of the flour, 66% of the water and a quarter teaspoon of dry yeast. Most of the time i use fresh yeast, but it doesn't matter in the result.
The resulting dough will be mixed and have a very liquid consistency.
After letting it ferment for 12-14 hours, i add the remaining 60% of the flour, with the rest of the water, i mix in a teaspoon of dry yeast. After it is mixed, i add the salt and if, the fatty components like butter, olive oil. Then it will be kneaded for around 12 minutes with my Kenwood (something like kitchen aid, just a little sturdier)
After kneading, i let it ferment for 2 hours. Sometimes i give it 1 or 2 turns after 30 and 60 minutes, depending how the gluten development is.
Then i punch/pat it down and form it. I only use bread/cake pans for toast bread. All the rest is "free" formed by hand.
Then i give it another 30-60 minute rise, before i bake it in a humid hot oven.

(receipe above: 1000g flour, 600-630ml water, 27g salt, 7g instant dry yeast)

A word of caution: If you don't like crusty/crunchy bread, keep baking it in pans.

Baking bread is no rocket science of course, but experience certainly helps. For the ones who got addicted, i'd suggest to buy Jeffrey Hamelman's book "Bread".
Here a very interesting link for a french bread.
Baking with Julia


Jul 23, 2007. 5:44 PMt.rohner says:
It's me again

I just wanted to tell you that my wood fired bread / pizza oven will soon be completed. I brought a selfmade dough to the oven workshop i attended in may. It really makes it a tick better. Or you can bake a pizza in 90 seconds.

Some pictures: My buddy who helped me, the oven, baking "Flammenkuchen" and small breads in the oven we made at the workshop. Maybe i'll make a instructable of it.
In the meantime, see here:
Traditional Oven


Jul 23, 2007. 9:12 PMPunkguyta says:
I do say, what is that delicious looking pastry closest to the camera? A panzerotti in progress?


Jul 24, 2007. 12:54 AMt.rohner says:
Hi this is called "Flammenkuchen or Flammkuchen" in the Alsace. This is the formerly german part of France bordering the river rhine north of Basel. It was used to judge the oven temperature and to shorten the waiting time until the oven temp had stabilized for bread baking in the old times. It's so easy to make: Take a piece of bread dough, flatten it very thin. (You could also take a bought pizza dough, but it's not the same.) Then make a sauce out of "creme fraiche" 66% and what is called "quark" 33%, salt and pepper. Then spread it on your dough and top it with onion rings and bacon pieces. When possible i take young or springtime onions. The bacon it take is cut to 1/5 inches sidelength pieces. I pat it down a little so the sauce covers the onions so they won't dry out in the oven. I don't know what's the english word for creme fraiche. In german it's "sauerrahm" in italian "panna acidula" so it could be something like "acidified cream". Quark is a german word and it's a dairy product as well. I use the 50% fat version. I don't think using lower fat variant's is a good idea, just eat some less. (It's hard, i know) In my household oven it takes about 10-12 minutest to bake, then add some freshly ground black pepper and enjoy it.

Aug 7, 2007. 7:18 AMian says:
In the Netherlands we have 'qwark', it is blended/whipped cottage cheese (huetenkaese, ue and ae substituted for the umlauts). Perhaps that is the same? In my experience Americans call creme fraiche "creme fraiche" (often pronounced crem fresh).


Aug 7, 2007. 7:54 AMt.rohner says:
Hi Ian I just did some research in Wikipedia. There it's under the name Kwark, in english it's called curd cheese or cream cheese. Although cheesecake is quite common in the U.S. they mostly seem to use Ricotta. (according to Wikipedia) Under "creme fraiche" they say that it's name is the same in english. Sour cream seems to be a more acidic version of it. To Punkguyta above: A looked up what pancerotti is, i even made a couple. It's a deep fried thin dough patty, about 4 inches wide. It is commonly filled with different toppings and closed like a calzone as well.


Apr 15, 2008. 3:17 PMJoe Martin says:
We don't call cream cheese "Curd cheese"(well I don't know of anyone that does), nearly everyone will know it just by the name "philadelphia" or "phili". And sour cream would be more acidic, Its made with lemons! Just for you to know, Not being rude or anything.


Jul 24, 2007. 2:56 AMPunkguyta says:
It sounds delicious


Apr 4, 2008. 12:53 AMBlackbeard says:
First time making bread for over 18 Years this recipe is absolutely fantastic with out a doubt the BEST!!!!

Mar 15, 2008. 7:06 PMNewName says:
ok a little tip i stimbled apon when making this bread i ran out out of flour after 2 cups so i put in pancake batter it tasted really good after it was all done try adding 2 more cups of pancake batter and 2 cups of flour it may seem weird but trust me its really good

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Mar 15, 2008. 5:20 PMNewName says:
drinkmorecoffee this is a question i want you to answer i dont have a bread loaf pan and i wont get one so can i just put it in the shape of bread loaf and let it rise that way or any other suggestions if anyone else has an idead please post


Feb 20, 2008. 5:02 PMdoomtints says:
This is a nice starter recipe for bread. Here are some gotchas: - This recipe will yield two loaves, not three. - Don't bother with the sponge portion. Just mix it all together at once, let it sit for 5-10 minutes so it is not sticky, and then start kneading. Let it rise for awhile (until it doubles in size, or so), then punch it into the pans as suggested and let it rise to the top of the pan (or a bit higher). - I would recommend a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes instead of 350 for 45 minutes. 350 just isn't enough to ensure it bakes completely. This is a great starter recipe for bread if you use my changes. After you master this you can add any powder you want to the mixture for flavor. The contents of one bag of your favorite tea add a nice subtle twist of flavor.


Mar 12, 2008. 4:26 PMsideways says:
Tea...who'd a thunk it? I have some spiced tea that I bet would be good in a breakfast loaf. Thanks :)



Mar 12, 2008. 4:44 PMsideways says:
I do 350 for a longer time when I use my glass pans. They can't go hotter. I do go higher temp but shorter time for my metal pans cause they can take it. As long as it tastes good when it's done, eh?

Feb 20, 2008. 10:20 AMButlersmiles says:
The way I see it, it's just flour, water and yeast but....... thousands of years of baking breads all over the world. That's called experience. What kind of flour, what temperature of water, which yeast (dry or the other), how much kneading, punching, letting stay, making happy, covering, pampering, yes, it is an ART. The art of making bread. Thank you all for giving me the drive to bake my own bread! My first one will be "GAHLIK" bread, the little bulb is one of my weaknesses.

Feb 17, 2008. 2:20 PMBuster Friendly says:
I'm sitting here eating a piece of this bread fresh out of the oven, and I've already sworn off storebought bread for the rest of my life.

Jan 23, 2008. 5:30 PMtmac08 says:
i love eating bread..ill gonna try to makeit..


Jan 5, 2008. 2:13 PMnightninja87 says:
love the recipe i couldnt find any good recipes now i found a great one never did the sponge method in the begginging but if u want a good topper to fresh bread try hummus alton brown has a great recipe for it

Nov 18, 2007. 7:53 PMPoisian says:
I made the bread and it didn't work out according to the plan presented here. Must have had something to do with the ingredients. I used hard red Montana wheat that I did grind by hand instead of the fine white flour. The "sponge" did not enlarge as shown in the steps, nor did it rise the second time around when I separated the dough and put it into the baking pans. When I baked the bread, it turned out with a delicious smell all through the house, and it did have a great flavor -- but the bread was flat as pancakes. Oh, well, I just break pieces off the flat loaves and eat them -- and it tastes great. Thanks for the tips, thanks for the recipe!

Oct 4, 2007. 1:51 PMseeem says:
Good lesson! I make this type of bread, and I find it works well if I simply mix the ingredients in one go, cover it and let it sit for an hour. I like your mam's description of 'same consitancy as your earlobe' hehehe mams are great!

Sep 28, 2007. 8:02 PMtcrouch says:
putting a pan of water in the oven for the first 5-6 minutes of baking works well too...my grandmother always placed a pan of water to help with moisture in her bread & rolls...


Sep 23, 2007. 2:16 PMsleeping_gecko says:
I just made this this afternoon, and it was delicious! I shaped it into 2 loaves, and baked 1 in a regular loaf pan, and 1 in an elongated loaf shape in a large loaf pan. For a thicker crust, use a razor blade (or sharp knife) to cut some lines in the loaf. It exposes more surface and makes a, well, thicker crust. Great bread, great instructable!


Aug 7, 2007. 9:35 PMiman says:
If you like crispy crust on your bread take a turkey baster and spray about half an ounce of water on the inside of the oven (not on the burner) on the side wall right before you put the bread in.

Jul 25, 2007. 5:18 PMxallie says:
omg, so stupid of me. i tiried to make this bread but failed. i didn't think of that we use "dl" , "tsk" "msk" here. so i thought like i wouldn't make any differens if i take 1 "dl" instead of 1 cup.
1 cup is 2,8 dl
and i thought you just hit the wrong button on the keyboard beacuse 350 degrees celcius insn't possible to get, but i guess this was farenheit.
now the second this i took 175 degreeses celcius (instead of 250 :P) and took
1 cup as about 2,5 dl. and the bread tasted like heaven this time =).
very nice bread, fast to make and easy (when the cups and degreeses is converted into the right kind of warmness and take right quantity of the things)


Jul 21, 2007. 8:52 AMJoyce says:
Great job bread is so easy. 1. There is a Kitchen Aid Mixer in the back of your first picture, I use mine to do most of my bread mixing especially for French Bread or Pizza crusts. 2. The water temperature is O.K. if it feels just warm on the inside of your wrist. 3. Yeast is cheap if you buy in bulk either from a store like Sam's less than four dollars for a couple of pounds, or a health food store (make sure it is baking yeast), a Tablespoon is the equivalent of a package. 4. If you mix one third cup of instant mashed potatoes into your liquid after the yeast has softened it makes a loaf that stays moister (this is in regular white bread). 5. Yes metal pans do make a browner loaf. Time is the most important thing with bread, if it raises too slow you can always leave it to raise longer, if it is too soft of holey you can always add a little flour knock it down and let it raise again, an extra raising really doesn't hurt. Great to know there are other folks out there making bread, it really is easy and tastes so good.


Jul 24, 2007. 8:06 AMSugarTeen52 says:
Mmmmmm, you guys are making me so hungry. I just want to go make all kinds of bread.



Jul 17, 2010. 4:05 AMbmcgon534 says:
looks like no one has made bread since July 2007 -- lol Thanks for the recipe -- and the feedback. I have just started to make our family organic bread and was searchign to find out how to make the bread rise sufficiently -- Ido not like a small amenic looking loaf! helpful suggestions here - gonna try the mashed potato idea.....hmmmmm


Jul 24, 2007. 8:01 AMSugarTeen52 says:
Wow, the texture of your ear lobe? That's awesome!!!



Jul 22, 2007. 1:31 PMkitchenwench says:
Oooh...YUMMY! I will have to try this recipe!! I am going to experiment by adding whole wheat to it and see how it goes...:-)

Jul 20, 2007. 5:23 PMLisaLisa says:
Your bread looks delicious! There is another recipe via the New York TImes for very simple, no-knead bread: I've had great easy success with this... No-Knead Bread Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/4 teaspoons salt Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. 3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf. Lisa


Jul 20, 2007. 7:20 PMBobCat says:
@LisaLisa: This is simply the only way I will ever make bread. You can't screw it up, and you save lots of money on the yeast. Just buy yourself a proper pot - I used a Corning Visions Dutch oven, but I brokeded it.

Jul 21, 2007. 5:53 PMLisaLisa says:
I agree with you, Bobcat... I actually handle the dough less than the recipe calls for and it's hard to mess up. I add tablespoon of steak seasoning (the rocky looking salt plus other spices stuff that you season steaks with...) in at the beginning and my guests love it...probably the garlic...... Lisa


Jul 21, 2007. 5:49 PMLisaLisa says:
Just looking at your sourdough instructable makes my mouth water! I'll have to try it.... Lisa

Jul 21, 2007. 5:19 AMRoyski says:
An easy way to achieve the required "hand hot" water is 1/3rd boiling to 2/3rds cold. When raising and proving the dough it should be covered with, for example, lightly greased cling-film or a damp tea towel, to prevent a skin forming on the dough. I prefer to brown my loaves more and using bread tins (rather than glass) allows better heat transfer.

Jul 19, 2007. 1:51 PMyeasterday says:
Whoa. You need to be far more specific that "hot-ish" to describe the yeast water temperature. Too cold, and the yeast won't activate quickly enough; too hot and you'll kill the yeast and end up with flour and water bricks. Use an instant-read thermometer and make sure the water is between 110 and 115 degrees ( or check the package). If the yeast doesn't bubble, expand and smell yeasty after a few minutes, you could be using old, tired yeast. Better to throw it out at this stage and start over with fresh yeast. And you should add all the other stuff later - all you need at this step is water, yeast, and sugar. Salt will actually inhbit the growth of the yeast. Add the salt with the first cup of flour. When you do add the other liquids and then dry ingredients to the yeast (in that order), make sure they're room temperature.


Jul 20, 2007. 6:32 PMmetrometro says:
Seconded. Even with breadmakers, the wrong (or dead) yeast will screw it up. The good news is, if you can keep the yeast happy, the rest is pretty forgiving.

Jul 19, 2007. 6:44 PMlemonie says:
The usual reccomendation is to allow the dough to rise in a warm place - could you add a note to that in the Instructable (your kitchen may be quite warm enough?

I prefer bread to look browner than this, and I've never heard of checking with a thermometer (interesting idea).

The glass dishes must make some difference, I think metal loaf tins are normally used because they transfer heat better, so I'd be interested to know how the two compare (you may not be able to answer that without doing it I know)

L


Jul 19, 2007. 3:01 PMgetjustin says:
There's a reason those loaves look more like cake than bread, not enough kneading and not enough rising. Five minutes is not nearly long enough to make a soft, chewy quality. You need to work it until you're sore. And then when you let it rise, punch it down and let it rise again. This time you can punch it down and cut it, or leave it as is. If you leave it you'll get a much lighter, bubble-ridden loaf.



Jul 19, 2007. 10:06 AMTheCheese9921 says:
Oooh this reminds me I have to post my moms zucchini bread recipe Its like a family thing and its soooo good. I have to wait till our zucchinis are in season though. I,m gonna make this tonight, were having pot roast!! :-)
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