Bread You’ll Actually Make

You don’t need a bread machine. You don’t need a starter. You just need this recipe and a little patience.

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plus a little extra)

• 1 ¼ cups warm water (around 100°F, not hot)

• 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (that’s one packet)

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tbsp sugar or honey (optional)

• 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Steps:

1. Wake up the yeast
   Mix warm water, sugar or honey, and yeast in a big bowl. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes. It should foam. If it doesn’t, your water was too hot or the yeast is dead. Start over.

2. Bring it together
   Add the flour, salt, and oil. Stir it until you get a shaggy mess. That’s your dough.

3. Knead
   On a floured surface, knead it for 8–10 minutes until smooth. You’ll feel it change under your hands. If it’s sticky, add a little more flour.

4. Let it rise
   Put it in a greased bowl. Cover it with a towel. Walk away for 1–2 hours until it doubles in size.

5. Shape it up
   Punch the dough down. Shape it into a loaf. Drop it into a greased pan or shape it freeform on a sheet.

6. Second rise
   Cover again. Let it rise 30–45 minutes.

7. Bake
   Oven at 375°F. Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden. Tap the bottom—it should sound hollow.

8. Cool it
   Let it sit for 20 minutes before slicing. I know it’s hard, but it’s worth the wait.

That’s it. Just a loaf of bread you made yourself. Keep it on the counter. Tear a piece off. Eat it with your hands. Welcome to Bread.