This is my favourite bread recipe, my quick and easy bread. This bread recipe has saved me so many times! When the kids want toast or a sandwich or I need breadcrumbs in a pinch, this bread recipe always comes to mind! Its quick, in that the proving time is a total of only 30 minutes, none of this 12 hours bread proving process. Try it, you'll love it!
This recipe is truly no fuss, because you can use a typical plain flour to make this bread. I love baking with bakers flour (bread flour), it does make a stronger and more elastic dough for bread, bread rolls, and even pizza dough. But we're not looking for glorious artisan bread with this recipe, we need quick and easy bread, that's rustic and homemade, and any home cook can bake it.
I bake this bread all year round, but mostly in winter, when we need a little bread for dipping into soups and stews.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this quick and easy bread are always in my pantry. I stock them up regularly so I always reach for them when I need to make bread.
- plain flour - a good quality bread flour is great for making bread, but as a home baker, I need to use any plain flour I have, making this recipe even better!
- dry yeast - my preference is dried yeast, its keeps much longer and is a pantry staple
- honey - this is my preferred sweetener, but caster sugar is fine too
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Combine honey, yeast and water in a large mixing bowl. Cover and allow to prove until yeast has bloomed, about 10 minutes.
- Step 2: Add flour and salt and mix well, until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Step 3: Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
- Step 4: Shape the dough, put it in a tin and cover to prove for 20 minutes. Bake at 180 degrees.
Hint: Batch bake your bread! I like to make two loaves at a time so one is used for sandwiches and the other for dinners, croutons or breadcrumbs.
Variations
I love to experiment with different flavours and ingredients in bread, here are a few of my favourites;
- Walnuts and Cranberries - I love adding walnuts and dried cranberries to this bread and shaping into a round dough, then baking on a baking sheet. Instant walnut bread for a cheeseboard!
- Cheese and chives - to change things up a bit, I like to swirl in some cheese and chives into the bread, its gives it loads of flavour and make for a yummy snack with a good smear of butter.
- Cinnamon - adding cinnamon into the dough creates a lovely sweet smelling taste to this bread. It makes the yummiest French toast too!
- Sundried tomato and oregano - for a pizza like flavour, finely chop some sundried tomatoes and grab a couple of teaspoons of dried oregano and fold them into the dough before shaping.
Equipment
A stand mixer for making bread is very handy, but for this recipe, I prefer using a Dutch dough hook. Dough hooks are an inexpensive way to mix bread by hand without it going lumpy and getting your hands covered in dough!
Storage
Store in a bread bag or container for up to 2-3days.
Slice and place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to a month.
Top Tip
Once the bread comes out of the oven, rub a little butter on the top. This keeps the crust soft and gives the bread a lovely looking finish. This is especially impressive if gifting the bread or serving to guests.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favourite dishes to serve with quick and easy bread:
Ingredients
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the honey, yeast and water. Then cover and allow to prove for approximately 10 minutes, or until the yeast has bloomed.
- Uncover the bowl and add the flour and salt and combine well. You will know when the dough is ready for kneading when it starts to form a ball and doesn't stick to the sides of the mixing bowl.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Then shape the dough and place in a loaf tin. Cover and allow to prove in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Once the dough has risen in the tin, gently make a few cuts to the top, this helps release steam and control the rise of the bread. Then place in a preheated oven at 180℃ for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and a knock the base of the loaf sounds hollow. Once baked, allow to cool int he tin for 10 minutes, before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Let me know if you have tried this recipe