Here’s a simple, reliable recipe for homemade bread—soft inside, golden crust outside, and made with basic pantry ingredients.
🍞 Homemade Bread (Basic Loaf)
🧾 Ingredients
- Flour (all-purpose or bread flour) – 3 cups
- Warm water – 1 to 1¼ cups
- Yeast – 2¼ tsp (1 packet)
- Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Salt – 1½ tsp
- Oil or melted butter – 2 tbsp
👨🍳 Steps
1. Activate yeast
- Mix warm water + sugar + yeast
- Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy
2. Make dough
- In a bowl, combine flour + salt
- Add yeast mixture + oil
- Mix and knead until smooth (8–10 minutes)
3. First rise
- Cover dough
- Let it rise 1–1.5 hours until doubled
4. Shape loaf
- Punch down dough
- Shape into a loaf and place in greased pan
5. Second rise
- Let rise again 30–45 minutes
6. Bake
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30–35 minutes
- Top should be golden brown
7. Cool
- Let it cool before slicing (important for texture)
🍽️ Serving Ideas
- With butter and jam
- For sandwiches
- With soups or stews
🔥 Tips
- Don’t kill yeast with hot water (use warm, not boiling)
- Kneading builds soft texture
- For softer crust, brush with butter after baking
If you want, I can also make:
- 🧄 Garlic herb bread
- 🥖 No-knead artisan bread
- 🍞 Soft sandwich bread (store-style)
- 🥯 Whole wheat healthy bread version
