This world’s easiest yeast bread recipe is a cinch to make and is perfect for beginners! It’s quick and easy to work with and comes out with a crusty, chewy texture and signature soft holes inside.
The key to this fast homemade bread is using instant yeast which rises much faster than active dry yeast. It doesn’t need to be proofed or dissolved first, it’s just mixed in with the flour and liquid.
1. No knead
Yeast bread is usually made from flour and yeast, which rises in the process of baking. The ingredients are then combined, kneaded and baked in a oven to produce delicious, soft, chewy loaves.
The key to a successful yeast bread recipe is good kneading, which develops the gluten strands in the dough. It also helps to make the dough smooth and elastic.
To knead, place the dough on a work surface and knead for a couple of minutes. The dough should become smooth and tacky to the touch, but it shouldn’t be too sticky or hard to handle. It should still spring back easily when you press it with your fingertip.
Once the kneading is complete, you can shape the dough into loaves, rolls or plaits. Then, leave it to rise again in a warm place until doubled in size.
Alternatively, you can leave the dough to develop flavour in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours, up to 3 days. This will allow the yeast to work more thoroughly and it will give the dough a better, deeper flavour when you bake it.
Yeast is a living thing; it needs to be treated with care and respect. Sugars and salt help to round out flavours and control yeast growth. They can also help to promote browning in the bread, which improves its keeping qualities.
2. No dutch oven
In this world’s easiest yeast bread recipe, you simply mix the dough, let it rise and then bake. It’s perfect if you’re pressed for time but still want to make a delicious, homemade loaf of bread!
To start, stir the flour, salt and yeast together until incorporated. Add the water and stir until it forms a sticky, slack dough. You will probably need to add more water or flour if the dough is too stiff or too runny.
Mix for 10 minutes, until the dough is wet and sloppy (not kneadable but not runny like cake batter). Leave covered with cling wrap or plate to rise until it doubles in volume, is wobbly like jelly, and the top is bubbly! If after 1 hour it doesn’t seem to be rising, move it somewhere warmer – it may need a second or third rise.
While the dough is resting, preheat your dutch oven (or an alternative method) to 460 degC/230degF in the oven. The hot oven and the steam from the Dutch oven help to give the bread a quick, but crucial, rise boost before the crust sets.
After the bread has risen and is baked, remove it from the oven and place on a cooling rack or cutting board to cool for at least 30 minutes before you cut into it. This will help to prevent gummy, too-steamy bread.
3. No stand mixer
There’s no need to use a stand mixer when making a yeast bread recipe. Instead, all the steps for mixing the dough are done in a large bowl, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to work the ingredients together.
Mix the flour, salt, oil and yeast water together in a bowl until all the ingredients are moistened. The mixture will seem dry at first but keep mixing and working it until all the flour is incorporated. The dough will look shaggy but keep going until it’s a smooth, elastic texture and no dry flour is visible on the surface.
The next step is to let the dough rise in a warm draft free environment for 2 hours. This is called bulk fermentation and the yeast will feed on sugars in the flour to produce carbon dioxide bubbles that give bread its loftiness (rise).
After the first rise, you can store the risen dough in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Alternatively, it can be stored in the refrigerator overnight to slow down the fermentation process and allow the yeast to break down starches more completely.
This world’s easiest yeast bread recipe is so easy to make and is perfect for beginners. It produces incredible homemade bread with an incredibly crispy, chewy crust and big fat holes in the crumb like artisan bread you pay top dollar for. It’s also extremely forgiving so don’t stress if your bread doesn’t turn out perfectly!
4. Forgiving
You’re going to LOVE this world’s easiest yeast bread recipe, it’s incredibly forgiving and comes out so perfect every time. It’s super easy, requires no mixer and it’s the best homemade artisan bread you’ll ever make!
You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. This makes it really simple to prepare for essentials and meal prep, especially if you’re using active dry yeast (vs instant).
The dough is made with all-purpose flour and bread flour so it’s very forgiving. If it’s too dry, you can just add more water.
It’s also a good idea to try letting the dough rest at room temperature before you shape and rise it, as this will give the dough a better chance of rising well.
Once you’ve shaped the dough, you’ll let it rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. You can use this time to prep your ingredients and the oven for baking or you can pop the dough into the oven right away.
For extra flavor and texture, you can sprinkle a little bit of everything bagel seasoning, freshly cracked black pepper or Parmesan cheese into the dough during Step 1. I prefer to use whole milk or 2% dairy milk to keep this bread vegan, though lower fat or non-dairy milks are fine too! You can also stir some chopped herbs into the dough during Step 1, like rosemary, tarragon or sage.
5. Easy to make ahead
If you’re a beginner bread baker, this world’s easiest yeast bread recipe is the perfect starter. The process doesn’t require much hands-on work, and the end result is a lovely loaf that’s perfect for sandwiches, toast, and dunking into soup.
Start by proofing the yeast. This step is easy to do by combining the dry yeast with sugar and water in a small jug until foaming and bubbly.
After this, mix the yeast mixture with flour and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. This ensures that all the ingredients are well mixed, and that the yeast is spread out throughout the dough.
Then, knead the dough by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook until the dough is soft and pliable. Kneading is important because it introduces air into the dough, allowing it to become fluffy and light.
Once the dough is smooth and elastic, it’s time to shape it. You can do this by rolling it in a ball, or by cutting it into triangles or squares.
Deflating the dough also releases some of the carbon dioxide gas that has built up in the dough during rising. This further relaxes the gluten in the dough, making it easier to shape.
Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before shaping it into a ball, or into your desired shapes. When you do, be sure to cover the dough with a damp cloth before leaving it to rise again. This will help to prevent it from drying out too much, which can make it difficult to work with in the future.
6. Great tasting
This is a great tasting yeast bread that’s easy to make and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s a soft, lightly sweet loaf that’s perfect for sandwiches or toast. It’s also very versatile and can be used in any kind of recipe that requires a bread dough.
The basic ingredients in this recipe are flour, water, and yeast. The yeast works by releasing carbon dioxide into the bread dough, which causes it to rise and develop flavor. It’s a very simple process and only takes a few minutes of hands-on time to get the dough ready.
Proofing the yeast is the key to ensuring that it works properly and helps it develop more flavor. Dissolve the active dry or instant yeast in warm water, adding a pinch of sugar to the mixture. Leave to proof in a warm place until it resembles a frothy foam, about 10 minutes.
Add the salt and the flour, along with about 4 cups of the warm water, and mix to a smooth dough. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead until the dough is soft, elastic, and smooth, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Set aside the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise until it’s doubled in volume (it should look bubbly on top, wobbly and wobbly underneath). It’ll take about 1 hour to rise.