Simple 60-Minute Home-Baked Bread

Every summer, my kids and I purpose to do more baking. My daughter Rachel found the perfect starter recipe for bread baking a few years back (via La Fuji Mama) and we’re pulling it out again this month. It’s super simple and makes two crusty, delicious loaves in about an hour – start to finish.

60-Minute Bread Ingredients:

To download a free printable copy of this recipe, follow this link.

• 5 1/4 cups white bread flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. instant yeast
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 cups warm water (approximately 100-115 degrees F)

Directions for Baking 60-Minute Bread:

1. Mix dry ingredients together, then add oil and water.
2. Mix for about 1 minute, then check consistency of the dough. If it feels very sticky, you did it right. If not, add more water.
3. Mix for an additional 5 minutes. (Don’t add more flour once the dough has finished mixing.)
   
   
4. Spray kneading surface with cooking spray and turn dough out onto surface. Knead dough briefly (several turns) until it looks smooth and even.
   
   
5. Divide dough in half and shape into loaves on greased baking sheets. Cover with a hand towel and allow to rise for 25 minutes.
6. While loaves are rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Before transferring loaves to the oven, use a sharp knife to score several slashes across the tops. Make each cut about 1/4-inch deep at a 30o angle.
   
   

   

8. Bake until crust is golden brown (approximately 25 minutes).
   
   

Now, isn’t that easy? It makes the house smell yummy. Spread a little butter or jam on a slice and enjoy it while it’s warm!

More help in the kitchen

Love to cook? You can view a categorized list of my other recipe posts here: Our Favorite Recipes. Or — for even more Flanders family favorites, plus a wealth of ideas for making mealtime memorable — get a copy of my book Sit Down & Eat.

Want to revolutionize your meal planning? Then give freezer cooking a try! My kids and I took a class at our county extension office on how to do this. We brought our groceries along with us, and the instructor coached us through assembling the meals. It was a lot of fun to work together.

I realize not everybody has access to that kind of community educational offerings. But, thanks to the Internet, you can sign up for a FREE Freezer Cooking Class just like the one my family attended in person. The instructor provides a nice variety of delicious recipes (10 in total), a detailed shopping list, ready-to-print freezer labels, and step-by-step instruction on how to assemble everything in less than an hour.

So sign up today. Once you taste these flavorful dishes and experience the convenience of having two weeks’ worth of dinners ready to go, you’ll be sold on this meal prep method, just like I am!

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