I made bread. Homemade bread from scratch. Yeast was involved.
The crazy part is I make this bread all the time, which is a true feat. I love to cook, but I don’t bake. Ever. I’ve never made cookies. I’ve never made a birthday cake. I’ve never made banana bread. (I did make my husband cakeballs . . . One time . . . Because I’m in love with him. But it will probably never happen again if I’m going to be honest.)
The only reason I make this homemade bread is because it fits into my present day criteria: Prep is less than 5 minutes and I can make the whole thing while holding a human. It is so easy. Once the dough sits in the fridge for one night, I can bake a single loaf of bread anytime I want in 30 minutes. Then my house smells like heaven, and I have warm bread that I slather with butter and honey.
Don’t take my word for it. Read the original recipe here. The writer is much funnier and knowledgable than I am.
Now Grace and I will break down the ingredients and the few simple steps. (And in case you think I’m the kind of person who bakes with their toddler for pleasure . . . the internet is a lie. Grace wanted to be in the pictures once she saw John grab his camera. She spilled half the flour and most of the yeast. I tried not to yell. Most of the time I mix the dough together at night after the kids go to bed, and then make a loaf in the morning.)
The ingredients: Yeast, Salt, Flour. That’s it. (Oh and water.)
And now for the steps:
1. Pour three cups warm water into any large, resealable container. I used a large glass bowl that has a lid. Large tupperware works great too.
2. Add one and a half tablespoons salt. This photo is riveting, I know.
3. Add one and a half tablespoons of dry active yeast and stir until completely mixed. Wait about two minutes until the yeast starts to make little bubbles.
Step 4: Add six and a half cups flour. Dump it all in at the same time. And stir it all together until a loose dough starts to form (I do this with my hands.)
Step 5: Loosely cover the bowl and let it sit out for 1-2 hours while it rises. We didn’t get any pictures of this part, because we were putting the kids to bed. After John and I watched a few TV shows, I squished the dough into the bowl because it started to balloon out. Then I sealed the lid tightly and threw it in the fridge.
Step 6: Whenever you want (the dough will last up to 3 weeks): Break off a hunk of bread and throw it on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Then I crank it up to 500 degrees for another 5 minutes if it doesn’t look crispy enough. (Reseal the remaining dough and let it wait in the fridge until you get your next bread craving.)
Step 7. Serve your hot, fresh bread to whatever lucky humans are near you. I ate it with tomato-bruschetta-mix for a light dinner.
The Easiest Homemade Bread:
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp active dry yeast
- 6.5 cups flour
- 3 cups warm water
- Pour 3 cups warm water into large resealable container
- Add 1.5 tbsp salt
- Add 1.5 tbsp active dry yeast and stir. Wait 2 minutes until you start to see tiny bubbles.
- Add in 6.5 cups of flour. Just dump it all in. And stir with your hands.
- Cover loosely and set aside for 1-2 hours while the dough rises.
- After dough rises, punch it down if needed and seal container tightly. Keep in the fridge overnight.
- Break off about one third of the dough to make one loaf of bread. Place on any baking sheet/pan/cast iron pot/etc. And bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. I usually crank this up to 500 degrees for the another 5 minutes. Depending on your oven, if it looks like its burning, take it out earlier. If it looks doughy, leave it in a few more minutes :)
- Serve with absolutely anything and it will be delicious. I love it with butter and honey. Or bruschetta (recipe below.) Or with pulled pork.
Bruschetta mix:
- 7 roma tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 shallot
- healthy pinch of kosher salt
- generous drizzle of olive oil
- slightly less generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar
- 10ish leaves of fresh basil
- Handful of fresh parmesan cheese grated
- Mix ingredients together and serve on crispy bread. Enjoy!