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The Best 1 Hour Bread Recipe is the easiest homemade bread to make –ever. I admit I laughed skeptically at the idea of putting all the dry ingredients together (including yeast) into the bowl first. It was just, well…not right.
I’m from the old school of allowing the yeast, sugar and water to work together for a few minutes before adding the dry ingredients. However, the reviews of many of the recipes I read online convinced me it was possible.
The idea of homemade bread in an hour was alluring. This was definitely Baking Outside the Box for me!
I gathered my ingredients from my pantry only to discover that Ididn’thave better-for-bread flour nor the ‘instant’ yeast called for in most of the recipes.
In fact all I had was Walmart ‘Great Value’ flour and regular yeast. But I crossed my fingers and forged ahead.
I admit some trepidation as I placed the first batch of it in the pans because I could see little yeast-speckles in the dough. Would it rise that way? It rose. Really fast.
It worked well the first time I tried it.
You can see from the picture below, that I heeded the suggestion that the loaf may need to be slashed just prior to baking. It supposedly would keep it from rising quickly and cracking in the oven.
I haven’t slashed a rising loaf since the first time. I just make regular loaves and they turn out beautifully.
Update: Bettering the Best 1 hour Bread Recipe.
Over time I have played with the amounts of all the ingredients and mixing methods until the dough came out as Goldilocks said, ‘Just right.’ While you can use the original dump method which is spoken of at the beginning of this article, I suggest that you follow the updated recipe as written. Including allowing the yeast a bit of sugar, water and a little time to work.
So for about an extra 7 minutes, you can have a superior, soft, fine crumb bread that slices well and is nice for sandwiches. Trust me, It’s an improvement. (I never did get used to the yeast specs in the dough!)
So if you’re still hoping for it, the dump method I used originally is in the notes section of the recipe. It explains the dump method I used to use, and then you just carry on with the instructions as written at #6. It makes a fine batch of bread. Questions? Please leave a comment.It slices well for toast and sandwiches. The bread has a lovely, fine texture that is lightly chewy. The One hour bread also makes a great cinnamon bread as well as Artisan bread. (See note on recipe below.)
Next time I make this I may use slightly more water for a stickier dough and I’ll be making rolls out of it. I’ll let you know how it turns out! –Enjoy! ~ Laura
No Mixer? Try Hand Kneading
I was asked if it was possible to make bread without a mixer. The answer is a resounding yes! Here is my advice for making bread by hand.:
For the first 25 years I made bread I didn’t own or use a mixer. Hand kneading takes a bit of extra ‘elbow grease’ but you can still turn out a nice batch of bread.
Start by combining the water, oil, sugar and yeast in a small bowl and set aside for about 5-7 minutes until it looked a bit bubbly.
Use a big mixing bowl and wooden spoon and put in the first two cups of flour. After the yeast has begun to bubble up, stir the liquid mixture into the 2 cups of flour.
Add in more of the flour and the salt, stirring in thoroughly.
Then when it is still a bit sticky but has become hard to stir and there is about 1 cup of flour left to add, dump the dough onto a clean, floured surface and knead in the rest of the flour by hand. See the videos about kneading below the recipe to see how it’s done.
Then after the dough has become glossy (5-7 mins) shape it into two loaves and proceed as directed for the rising time, baking etc.
The texture of the finished bread will be somewhat courser, like a country loaf, but will taste fantastic.
Please Note: This recipe has been updated to create a slightly softer, more pliable dough. After making it many times, the version below is my family’s favorite. (The original dump method is in the recipe notes.) Enjoy – Laura
Best 1 Hour Bread Recipe
Laura
Simply delicious bread. Easy to slice. It’s moist, chewy and great for sandwiches. Wonderful slathered with honey and butter straight out of the oven.
5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course bread
Cuisine American
Servings 24 slices
Calories 80 kcal
Ingredients
- 4 1/2-5 cups flour
- 2 T yeast
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 tsps salt
- 2 1/2 cups warm water (not too hot and not tepid)
- 2 T olive oil
Instructions
Pour 1/2 cup warm water into a small bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp of the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and stir gently to combine. Set aside and allow yeast to work about five minutes while prepping the pans and ingredients in the mixer.
Grease two bread pans. (Glass or ceramic preferred.)
Combine 2 cups of the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients in mixer using dough hooks for a few seconds on low. (The salt in the flour will not harm the yeast.)
Pour yeast mixture and 1 cup warm water and olive oil over the ingredients in the mixer. Mix ingredients on slow speed.
With mixer on low, add 1 cup of warm water and then 2 cups of flour.
After ingredients are combined, turn mixer speed to medium. If dough is too wet and sticky add up to 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons at a time while mixer is running (or while kneading) till it comes away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Dough should still be soft, stretchy and a bit sticky.
Mix for 5 minutes on medium. Dough should mix together and come away cleanly from the sides of the bowl during this time. Dough will be smooth at the end of mixing. Optional hand kneading: Turn dough out onto a clean, floured surface and knead turning it a quarter turn each time for 5-8 minutes till dough is smooth.
Oil or grease hands and remover dough from bowl onto clean and lightly-floured counter or silpat and knead it 4-6 times. This is a soft dough, but if it is too sticky too handle, knead in a bit more flour.
Divide dough evenly into two balls and shape into loaves and place in prepared pans.
Lightly cover loaves with plastic wrap or clean dish towel and sit in a warm place to rise till dough is about double in volume up to 30 minutes.
While dough is rising, heat oven to 400°.
Bake loaves for 15-20 minutes, till golden brown. Turn them out onto cooling rack. (And of course while it will slice better when it cools, it is irresistible when warm out of the oven, dripping with butter and honey. Enjoy.)
Notes
Please Note: Only add the last 1 cup flour as needed to absorb the liquid. (This last cup will vary slightly according to climate and weather. You may use some or all of it to get the dough to come away cleanly from the sides of the bowl, but it should not be stiff.)
The dump method: Stir all the dry ingredients together in mixing bowl. Add all the liquid and mix on low till ingredients a make a dough. Then turn up to medium and continue from #6. This method works, but the yeast will not fully dissolve and will be visible in the sliced bread.
Baker’s Secrets: To make the crust pliable and the bread easier to slice after it cools, brush a tiny bit of butter or olive oil over the loaf tops when they first come out of the oven.
Variations: Cinnamon bread: Heavily grease two pans. After kneading, pat and spread each dough ball on floured surface into a rectangle shape about 7” x 10”. Stir together ½ cup brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Divide and spread 1 T. butter on rectangles. Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over rectangles, leaving about an inch on one end (7” side) plain. Roll up dough firmly toward plain end. Pull plain end over dough and press to seal. Gently pull open sides toward seam and place seam side down in pan. Bake as directed.
Artisan Bread: This is sooo good! Grease a large cookie sheet and dust with a small amount of cornmeal. Shape loaves into rounds or elongate them to look like French bread. Deeply slash the loaves (I use kitchen shears). Sprinkle with a bit more cornmeal over the top for authenticity if you like and allow them to rise. Place a cake pan with about 2” of hot water into oven and heat oven to 450° while loaves are rising. Bake 20-30 minutes till crust is deeply golden. (Do not butter the top.)
Keyword 1 hour bread, homemade bread recipe
The bonus here is that kneading is a great way to take out one’s frustrations on the dough.;). Best of luck with this method!
Here is a short video about kneading:
Here is another brief video to help you tell when the dough has been kneaded enough:
thanks to these Inspirations::
…and many more!
