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Easy Perfect Yeast Bread – Simple no fail yeast dough makes the best artisan loaves. So simple, no mixer required. These rustic loaves are amazing and perfect versatile loaf for dinner, sandwiches and more!
What you’ll love about this bread dough recipe:
- No mixer required!
- So versatile. You can use a mixer if you have one.
- Recipe uses only 4 ingredients plus water!
- It’s the perfect beginner’s yeast bread loaf.
- This simple method is forgiving. You don’t have to get it perfect!
- It makes two beautiful fresh loaves.
Ingredients needed for this recipe
- flour
- yeast
- salt
- sugar
Tips for better bread:
- I use a stone because it heats up ahead of time. Sliding the dough onto a baker’s stone allows the crust to bake up with a crisp outer shell. With results like you would expect from a bakery.
- Preheating the oven to a high temperature about 30 minutes before baking is also essential for getting the bread to bake quickly and perfectly.
- At home we don’t have a commercial oven but we try to mimic that but heating the oven hot and adding steam. This is why we heat up water and add it to a try in the oven while the bread bakes. It creates a steam environment that helps the bread bake up with a nice browned crust and a perfectly cooked
I come to you fully confident with this recipe. I’ve made it over 50 times and if you’ve been to my house for a meal recently I’ve probably served a loaf of this with the meal. I came across this recipe over a year ago. I’ve served it for our Christmas ‘cheese’ party, with soups and for some of my favorite sandwiches.
So this recipe has been baked up in my kitchen plenty. I hope that you find it easy to make as well. It really is the easiest most perfect yeast bread recipe I’ve come across yet!
It’s foolproof as well. And if yours don’t look this good the first time around… just know that mine probably didn’t look this good the first time either. But it’s not just the looks that get you with these loaves.
It’s the crisp crust and soft crumb that rises and bakes all within 2 hours. And it leaves you with these gorgeous artisan loaves that look like they came straight from a bakery. You’re sure to impress all your guests with these.
This recipe works amazingly well with my recent appetizer recipe.
I’ve had such rave reviews whenever I serve these to our friends. In fact one went home with the recipe, made it the next day and sent me pictures to show it off his beautiful creation. And this friend was a novice bread baker. He had never baked bread before. So if he can do it….so can you!
I truly feel that’s what I love most about bread. It gives you such a satisfaction of knowing you created this thing of which you are about to partake among friends that will fuel your body and fill your soul. It’s just like the wonderful mercy of our Savior. The pure joy of your soul being filled by the Maker himself.
Til we meet and eat again,
FOLLOW ALONG: Gather for Bread
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Easy Perfect Yeast Bread
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 cups warm water not over 110°F
- 5 1/2 to 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
- cornmeal or flour for dusting
- boiling water
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the yeast, sugar, salt and water. Let this stand until the yeast is dissolved. Gradually add the flour, one cup at a time to the liquid and mix thoroughly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead. (This may be a little messy, but don't give up!)
- Knead It: Fold the far edge of the dough back over on itself towards you. Press into the dough with the heels of your hands and push away. After each push, rotate the dough 90°. Repeat this process in a rhythmic, rocking motion for 5 minutes, sprinkling only enough flour on your kneading surface to prevent sticking. Let the dough rest while you scrape out and grease the mixing bowl with a few drops of olive oil (preferred) or non stick baking spray. Knead the dough again for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Let It Rise: Return the dough to the bowl and turn it over once to grease the top. Cover with a damp towel and keep warm until the dough doubles in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Shape it: Punch down the dough with your fist and briefly knead out any air bubbles. Cut the dough in half and shape into two Italian- or French-style loaves. Place the loaves on a cookie sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes.
Bake it:
- Lightly slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally. I use this lame. Brush them lightly with cold water.
- Place an aluminum roasting pan on the bottom of the oven. Fill 1" deep with boiling water. Slide loaves onto baking stone in a cold oven. I use this pizza paddle to put the bread into the oven. Bake at 400°F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the loaves are golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.Allow bread to cool before slicing. It really helps to have a sharp serrated bread knife for smooth cuts and so the bread doesn't tear.
Alternate method:
- For a crustier bread, let your shaped loaves rise for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500°F and place an empty cast iron or aluminum roasting pan into the bottom of the oven. Preheat for 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat 1 cup of boiling water on the stove. Brush the loaves with cold water, place in the oven. Pour boiling water into the empty tray. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
- * If you don't have a baking stone, you are welcome to try using an inverted cookie sheet. Please note your bread will not have as crisp of a crust.
Notes
You may also like:
Farmhouse-White Sandwich Bread
Italian Ciabatta
i
It doesn’t get much better than homemade yeast bread! Your loaves look perfect!
this bread is the bomb !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
Has anyone tried inclusions with the recipe? I love this bread and would like to try cinnamon raisen.
I have added cheese, jalapeños, and Italian seasonings with great success 😋 I love this recipe and have been using it for years!
Indeed perfect looking bread looks so good. Beautifully crafted and presented! 🙂
Melanie – you are right – these DO belong in a bakery! Gorgeous loaves! Thanks for this recipe!
I can’t wait to try this! There’s nothing better than freshly baked bread hot from the oven.
I agree, Melanie. There is something particularly special about baking bread… and breaking bread. I’ve had a fear of baking bread and have avoided it until recently. I began with your pull-apart bread (choc cherry, and garlic cheese: both so delicious, then garlic knots), and have just pulled two beautiful loaves from the oven. What an overflow of bread I have now, and my husband is loving every bit of it! Thank you so much for sharing your creations.
Wow! What awesome success Leah. I’m so excited for you. There’s nothing like that feeling of accomplishing something great in your kitchen. I’d love to know what encouraged you to give it a try after seeing my recipes?
Thanks so much for taking the time to write your review Leah!
This is a really excellent basic bread recipe, and it adapted to additions very well. I added manchego, oregano, and roasted garlic and it came out smelling (and tasting) divine! Thank you!
Thanks so much for the great feedback. Those flavors sound amazing. So glad you stopped by!
How can I store this?
Best when fresh. To store up to 24 hours place in a plastic bread bag. After 24 hours I recommend freezing in a resealable freezer bag for up to 1 month. Enjoy!
“Lightly slash the tops of the loaves 3 or more times diagonally and brush them with cold water”.
Its going to be my first bread making, so is it OK using cold water instead of egg wash? beause i’ve never use cold water wash before.
Feel free to use egg wash if you’d like. Enjoy the bread!
Oh my gosh this looks so yummy, soft, and fluffy. And best of all, it looks EASY! I can’t wait to give this one a try 🙂 Homemade bread is always so much fun to make.
Hi i want to try this but you dont say how much water is needed
Can these be cooked on the cookie sheet? We don’t have a stone yet, or a roasting pan 🙁 working on buying hose.
While I’ve had cooking stones for years and that’s what I’ve always used. I’m thinking a cookie sheet would be fine. It probably won’t get as crisp on the outside but it should work. Let me know how it goes, Marjorie!
I doubled the recipe, did 2 on a flat sheet and two on a stone… honestly I can’t decide which I like better!
I made this, with only a couple variations! I used bread flour (King Arthur) and coated the tops and bottoms of the loaves with oats before baking! I followed the ingredients and kneading instruction to a T though. Also, after pounding the dough out from the first rising, I shaped it into two round loaves and left them to proof in a steamy oven (over off, pan of boiling water inside under tray of two doughs) for 30 minutes. They rose, and then I scored the tops 3 times as instructed. Baked for exactly 35 minutes at 400, and they turned out perfectly!
Yay! I love hearing readers success with these recipes. Thanks for sharing Jessica. So glad you enjoyed the bread. ????
Do you mean “1 tablespoon AND 1 packet active dry yeast”? Or “1 tablespoon OR 1 packet active dry yeast”? That part is a little confusing.
I’m so sorry about the confusion Andrea! It should read 1 tablespoon yeast. I’m not sure how that happened. Enjoy. Happy baking!
Amazing bread, even though i think 1 tbsp of salt may be too much. But does taste just like my uncle’s
New to bread making, I missed where the “boiling water” was used
Hi Tony,
The boiling water is used in step 2 of “Baking”. It’s use to create steam in the oven by placing in a pan on the bottom of the oven. Enjoy the bread baking. Can’t wait to hear how it goes for you! Please come back and let me know.
Do you have to do the water in a pan part?
It’s not mandatory but it gives the crust a nice crispness to it.
When you say to let the yeast dissolve, do you mean let it get foamy? Other recipes say let sit for 10min. or til foamy
It was sooooooooo good! Used honey instead of sugar and made it with 1/3 Rye and 2/3 a type of intense wholemeal flour
Wow great recipe! Thank you so much!! I just finished and the bread was incredible! This was my first time ever making bread so I was pleasantly surprised. I was so happy I was able to get perfect bread in a regular little (old) oven and cookie sheet lined with foil for the pan. A few notes- This took me much longer than 40 minutes but I wanted it to be an enjoyable, slow love filled process. I used the suggestion for the more crusty bread with 45 minutes of rising and a hotter oven, that had the water in it while heating up. I did not bake it as long as suggested because I have a small hot oven and I was worried about it burning, I just kept checking until I thought it was done…. probably about 15 minutes total. I also used a bit of egg whites with the water. I was left with soft yummy bread with a great crust. Will do this again and much recommended for first time bakers!, the video helps!
This seems to be a great recipe and I’m going to try it tomorrow. There is one glaring error in the recipe as written. The Bake Time and Total Time are way off. Here is a more realistic chart.
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Knead Time: 5 minutes
Total Rise Time: 1 hr, 5 mn – 2 hr, 5 mn
Bake Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hr, 30 min – 3 hr, 30 min.
Thanks for thet pulled out first loaf other I said in oven now very happy with the first one
Sorry was meant to say thanks for recipe have just pulled out first loaf of bread the other is in oven now very happy with how it rise day and how golden the loaf turned out ????
This is a great recipe, thank you so much. I have NEVER been able to make bread from scratch, this was my first success!!!
Melanie, those pictures are amazing, truly worthy of the perfect easy yeast bread! I love the homey feel!
Hi trying this now but it says grease bowl? With what?
A little olive oil works well.
Olive oil Crisco or butter whatever you like or have
I was a little skeptical about the amount of salt, but this turned out just perfect. Thanks for the recipe. My family asked why are we buying bread if I can make this.
Made this bread twice. Came out perfect each time. Making some loaves again today. Everyone is convinced I’m a genius. 🙂 Thanks for the perfect recipe. Easy and fun to make.
Thanks for the greatest bread recipe I’ve tried. Mine turned out beautifully and stress free.
So glad to hear. Thank you!
This does NOT take 40 mimutes……
Baking is one of my favorite hobbies and I used this recipe for my first attempt at baking bread. I don’t usually write reviews but I thought this recipe deserved it. It turned out WONDERFUL and it was very easy to make! Crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Both loaves were gone in less than 2 days. Instead of sugar I used raw, unfiltered honey and Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour (my favorite for using in my pizza dough). I made a second batch a couple days later. Instead of 2 loaves, I made one french loaf and 8 rolls. After the first rising I split the dough in half for the loaf and formed the rolls. I covered them and let them rise again for another 2 hours. I then shaped my bread and rolls and put them in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Before baking I did a cold water wash, dusted them all with flour (for an artisanal crust), scored them and baked as instructed. And….WOW! Delicious! People kept asking where I bought the bread from! This recipe is awesome and so versatile. I can’t wait to experiment more with it! Thank you!!
Hi Mel…I followed the instructions and measurements precise. The dough did not rise..I used fresh yeast…But, I think my flour was too cold…keep it in freezer..I am determined to make this beautiful bread…thank you
Perfection!
I halved the recipe, and added 1 TBS dill weed to the yeast, sugar, salt, and water mixture. Then followed the recipe exactly.
So delicious, toasted with butter. Oh my gosh!
Thank you! Super easy recipe.
Great to hear!
Thanks so much for this recipe. It came out great on the first try. I’m new to bread making so I appreciate the simplicity of this recipe.
Awesome!
My hubby loves this bread, and so do I, It is so versatile.I’ve put parmasen cheese in it and a herbs and then I slather it with lots of yummy butter..Thank you so much for sharing!
Mmm…
First time I’ve made bread not in my bread machine and it was so easy and so yummy! Great flavor and awesome texture! I cut the recipe in half because I didn’t have enough yeast and it worked perfectly. Thank you!!
Hrm. I made this and it looked lovely, but came out heavy and gummy.
Sorry that it didn’t work out for you!
I wanted to thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! Yesterday I was making my homemade clam chowder and decided that was the day I would finally break my fear and jump into making my own bread???? I was blessed to find your site and this fantastic recipe. How can something that reads so smoothly turn into such comedy I’m not sure but I did it! Your instructions were clear and easy to follow and my family loved the bread, I will be framing this baby, lol. The crust is one of the best I’ve had and the inside was perfectly moist yet held up with the soup but made great sandwiches for my boys lunches today. Sorry for such a long comment but I’m just thrilled to have found your site. 5 star’s hands down!
So glad you enjoyed the bread. Thanks for the feedback!
This bread is amazing and easy!!! I halved the ingredients as there are only 2 of us, now I am sad I didn’t make the full recipe! Will be my go to recipe going forward! Thanks for sharing! I used white bread flour and baked it using a cookie sheet with cornmeal to stop the sticking. Guess I am going to have to make this a couple of times a week now to satisfy hubbys bread cravings as he dislikes bread in America.
Hi, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe for this perfect bread! I made two loaves last week and am making it again today for dinner. I wanted to use this recipe to make two sandwich breads, would it come out good?
It can be used for sandwiches. It’s not perfect sandwich bread, it’s more crusty. But it’s very versatile.
I just made these . I was a little concerned because I forgot to wash the tops with water . They turned out wonderful ! I’m so happy– Thank You for sharing . Their dalicious ! Nothing like hot butter bread. Debbie
Truly wonderful! Thank you!!
I accidentally left the proving bread in the oven while preheating the oven… ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH. So bummed but hoping it still tastes at least edible.
I made this bread following the recipe exactly and it came out a bit salty for my liking. Did I do something wrong?
Perhaps next time you can just go with 2 teaspoons instead for your liking.
Hi. I came on here looking for a recipe for yeast bread and wanted to ask if you could just estimate, approximately how many servings do you think is in each loaf? It doesn’t have to be exact, just a guesstimate.
Thank You.
I’d say 6-8 servings. Enjoy.
Thank you for the recipe. I let the dough proof once, then punched it down and reformed it to proof a second time overnight in the cold oven with pan of boiling water and baked it next morning with the same pan of water for 30 min.
I made this recipe and am very pleased, except the bread tastes a little on the salty side to me. It is a great recipe and I will definitely make again, but with perhaps two teaspoons (or maybe even less) instead of a tablespoon of salt.
I also dont have naking stone however an upside down cast iron pan(i used two skillets) combined with the roasting pan gave me great results.
I must say this is the best! Easy and delicious. My family raved over how perfect this bread tasted. Soft inside with a satisfying hearty crust. I brushed my hot baked loaves with melted butter. It was worthy of the cover of a cookbook. Currently making your farmhouse sandwich bread (rising as I type)and anxious to see how it turns outThank you for sharing your passion.
Do you think I could shape the dough into rolls?
Haven’t tried this myself. Let us know if you try it!
The BEST yeast bread Ive ever baked. I used the additional 45 min rise for a crisper loaf and its AMAZING !
Hello. This looks delicious. Can it be portioned into little dinner rolls?
I’ve never done this but you could try. Enjoy!
Made first loaves today in the stone . Should I have used bread flour? Tastes good but the loaves stuck to the stone. Didn’t have any corn meal. Think my proving was off.
I know everyone has already said this in the comments, but this recipe was AMAZING and so easy to follow. It was my first time making bread and I ended up with two delicious loaves and a whole lot of enthusiasm for continuing my bread baking adventures! Thank you so much Melanie for posting this simple and easy to follow recipe!
I loved this recipe because it was so simple! Very few ingredients and a single rise—who can beat that? I actually used a stand mixer to mix and knead the dough. It worked just fine. I had some trouble with the baking though. My oven has a top and bottom coil, so when I put the break in the unpreheated oven, the top started to get too brown. I laid foil over it until the coil turned off. The other problem was that that bottom of the bread was very white. I put it on a cookie sheet without the water to brown it. I’m wondering if you have some advice to avoid these problems. Despite the little hiccups, the bread was beautiful and delicious. I will definitely make it again.
Made this today and it was delish
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I have a few suggestions, though. Total time is way off, I think it should be revised to include prep/proving time. Also, I don’t think every beginner baker is going to have a baking stone (I certainly don’t) so is there a basic alternative one can use in place of the stone? I appreciate the affiliated link, at least I know what to invest in if I really get into bread making!
You could try an inverted baking sheet. However, the baking stone is best!
Today is my first time making bread. I want to use your yeast recipe and have all the ingredients I just don’t have a baking stone. Will it work on a cookie sheet?
You could try it. I’ve only ever used the baking stone though. Good luck!
wow! This bread is so simple to make and so so good! My family was beyond impressed and asked me to make it again.
The loaves turned out perfectly, though I did use a cookie sheet instead of a baking stone. All the bread was gone by the next morning. Love!
You’re right. I have baked bread today for the second time and it turned out perfectly! Thank you!
I think this would be perfect with less salt….like maybe a 1/4 of a tablespoon instead. It feels like I am eating a loaf of salt as it is.
Feel free to adjust the salt as needed. I get it!
Thanks for sharing your recipe find. I made the two loaves as ovals and is by far the best results next to a frozen challahs I buy n bake sometimes. I am going to make these again as is and experiment with grain and seed soakers.
So awesome Jennifer! I’m currently making these loaves almost every week. They seem to just bake up so nicely. Enjoy your experiment. Let us know how it goes!
My family and I love this bread. I got a Kitchenaid stand mixer about a year ago, and can’t seem to find the sweet spot for kneading. Even Kitchenaid site has great variances in conversion from manual to mixer. I’ll go back to manual if I must, but thought the purpose of dough hook was to help with manual kneading. Can anyone help?
Hi Sandy. I’m not sure if I understand your question completely. You can use your Kitchenaid stand mixer to make this dough. But it also is an easy recipe to knead by hand. Sometimes it’s helpful to mix up the bread ingredients with the paddle attachment and once the ingredients are mixed switch to the dough hook to knead thoroughly. Let me know what else I can help with. I’m not sure that I understand your question thoroughly. Have a great day!
Your loves are perfect! My loaves look like houmps of flour lol
Thank you Elizabith!
how much water do you use in the beginning to mix with the yeast and sugar? the recipe just says water, I’m surprised no one else has asked this.
forget it, i see its two cups, i was looking at the water you put in the pan, duh lol
I hope your bread making was a success!
I’ve made this recipe a hand full of times and it’s always a hit! My husband usually takes a loaf to work with him, can’t beat homemade bread.
I am wondering if this recipe can be turned into bread rolls instead of 2 big loaves? Especially when we have no eggs in the house and the bread roll recipes call for an egg haha
I’m so glad you enjoyed the yeast bread recipe Elise. We love it here too! Let me know if you decide to turn it into rolls. I’m sure it’s worth a try!
Why does it say to put the bread in a cold oven?
It’s one of the methods used here to bake the bread. If you are afraid to try it, feel free to try the alternate method. 🙂
Came across this recipe while in bed this morning. Decided to double the recipe. I used whole wheat and all purpose flour. After making the dough I had to run and errand which took 3.5hrs. I made the breads immediatley upon my return home.. So I used half of a fresh sorano pepper (grated no seed or skin) 1n 1 loaf, hanerno jack cheese blend in another loaf and 2 plain loaves. I made 1 long, 1 twisty and 2 round shapes. Let me tell you how I was not able to keep myself in check. My daughter and I ate more than half the peppered loaf with butter almost immediately as they were pulled from the oven. The crust on the bread was dynamo! First time making bread and this is just the begining. Don’t think I can buy store bought bread again. I will be investing in some good grain flours now that I have discovered this easy bread recipe. Thank you so much!
That’s so flipping awesome. Love that you used this recipe for your first time baking bread. Enjoy and thank you for your kind words!
Awesome bread recipe. Definitely 5 star recipe. Easy to follow, no mess and can get creative with it. Thank you Melanie
Thank you for your kind words! So glad you enjoyed the bread. It’s definitely one of my favorite things to bake!
I have been using the same recipe for over 30 years. I grew tired of the recipe and wanted a better one. I found it here! My sons and husband beg me for bread and after using this recipe twice (doubled both times) they can’t get enough! This is one you have to try! So good and easy to make!
That is great to hear! Thanks for the letting us know. We certainly enjoy it too!
Why put cornmeal on top of the bread? Looking forward to baking the loaves but would appreciate knowing the purpose of the cornmeal. Thanks for such a clearly written recipe.
The cornmeal is for the bottom of the bread. It helps to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Blessings!
You said place it into a cold oven. Does that mean I do not pre heat it?
Yes, that is correct!
This is my first attempt for homemade yeast bread. It came out so amazing! It is delicious!!! I added Poppy seeds and oat fiber to the tops off the loaves. Thank you for the easy directions and simple recipe! I love this!!!
I absolutely loved reading this Crystal. That is my hope, that others can conquer an easy yeast bread. So glad it was easy for you. Blessings!
I made this last night and it was absolutely perfect. I’d like to make a couple of loaves for my co-workers to bake at home. If I freeze it, can they expect it to rise again or should I cut and package it after the first rise without punching it back down?
Victoria, I’m so glad it was perfect for you! I hope you figured out what works best with freezing. I haven’t done much of that. Blessings!
I thought I lost this recipe forever! I discovered this one at the start of 2020 as an alternative to the sourdough takeover. It NEVER failed.
Recently I wanted to make some homemade bread with dinner and could not find this page! I tried a few others from online and they were failures. How can you fail on bread?? Never in my life.
Making some shrimp Alfredo tonight and need some sort of dipping device, so I searched and searched and searched, and FINALLY refound it again. (the key search word I was forgetting was “yeast”), and yesiree, it is Easy and Perfect Yeast Bread.
Yay! What an awesome review, Amanda. Thank you for taking a risk on this recipe and loving it. Thanks for being here. Blessings!
I tried this recipe, it turned out great
Came out sooo delicious. My boyfriend and I ate almost an entire loaf with dinner.
Quite Salty! Will use 1/2 of a tablespoon next time. Looks and smells gorgeous though! Just a lil lip puckering hahaha.