Fast Homemade Bread Recipe
This fast homemade bread recipe makes two soft, fluffy loaves with instant yeast. Bake them free-form on a baking sheet or in loaf pans for sandwich bread. No bread machine needed.
Servings: 24 slices
Calories: 150kcal
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
- Baking sheet and parchment paper, or two 9" x 5" loaf pans
- Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
For the dough
- 28 ounces bread flour or all-purpose (about 5 ½ cups, spooned and leveled)
- 10 grams instant yeast must be instant (about 3 teaspoons)
- 2 ounces sugar 4 Tablespoons
- 16 ounces warm milk 110º F, or water (2 cups)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces melted unsalted butter ¼ cup
For the egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Before you begin: Heat the milk to 110 to 115º F. For free-form loaves, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. For sandwich loaves, grease two 9" x 5" loaf pans.
For the dough
- Combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed for 1 minute.
- Add the salt and melted butter. If the butter makes the dough slide around the bowl instead of catching on the hook, add up to ¼ cup more flour. If it still won't grab the sides of the bowl, add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of water.
- Mix on speed 2 for 5 minutes. Do the windowpane test: stretch a piece of dough between your fingers. If it forms a thin window without tearing, it's ready. If it tears, mix 2 more minutes. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4 to 5 turns into a smooth ball. (To knead by hand, knead 10 to 12 minutes, until smooth and it passes the windowpane test.) If the dough is too tight to mix or knead, let it rest for 15 minutes, then continue mixing.
- Coat a large bowl with a little olive oil. Place the dough top side down, then flip it over so the top is oiled. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm area for 25 minutes, until doubled.
To shape and bake
- Preheat the oven to 375º F for free-form loaves or 350º F for loaf pans. Divide the dough into two loaves and tuck the edges underneath to form a smooth top. Place free-form loaves on the baking sheet about 8" apart, or place one in each loaf pan.
- Let free-form loaves rest 20 minutes. Let loaf pan loaves rise about 45 minutes, until domed about 1" above the rim.
- Whisk the egg and water. Brush the loaves with egg wash. For free-form loaves, make 3 slashes at a 30º angle in the top of each loaf, about ¼" deep. For loaf pan loaves, make one slash right down the center.
- Bake free-form loaves 25 to 30 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden brown. Bake loaf pan loaves 30 to 35 minutes, until the center reaches 190º F on an instant-read thermometer.
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes
- If you don't have instant yeast, you can use regular active dry yeast, but it takes longer: let the dough rise 90 minutes or until doubled, then let the shaped loaves rest 30 minutes before baking.
- Egg wash: whisk one egg with 1 Tablespoon of water and brush on with a soft pastry brush. Without egg wash your bread will be very pale. You can use milk instead of egg.
- Free-form: 375º F for 25 to 30 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Two 9" x 5" loaf pans: second rise about 45 minutes, then 350º F for 30 to 35 minutes, until 190º F in the center. Total time is about 2 hours 10 minutes, still only about 25 minutes hands-on.
- Buns and rolls: divide the dough into smaller pieces after the first rise. They bake faster, so check them early.
- Wrap cooled bread in plastic wrap and store on the counter.
- Freeze wrapped loaves for 3 to 6 months.
- Reheat slices in the microwave for 10 seconds or in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Use oil instead of butter.
- Use water or almond milk in place of milk.
- Replace white flour with whole wheat flour (use 24 oz instead of 28 oz because wheat flour is denser).
- Don't proof the dough inside the oven. Place it next to an open oven set to 170º F, not in it.
- Don't add the salt and butter at the start. Wait until after the first minute of mixing.
- Don't use milk hotter than 115º F or you'll kill the yeast.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 164mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.3mg
