Homemade One Hour Bread

The easiest homemade bread recipe that takes just an hour to make from start to finish! You can make a delicious loaf of bread with a golden brown chewy crust that’s also soft inside. If you thought you didn’t have enough time to make bread, you need to try this One Hour Bread Recipe.

Yes, you can make bread with yeast in one hour and, yes, it’s delicious! This is one of the easiest bread recipes ever and my go-to when I’m short on time.

Bread Ready in One Hour

The secret is instant yeast which doesn’t need to be activated in water first. It’s formulated to make bread rise quickly and you don’t have to do it multiple times. Once you mix up the dough, just shape it and it’s ready to go into the oven.

I also use a water bath in the oven when baking the bread. This creates steam that helps the bread rise more as it bakes and helps create a chewy, crusty crust.

You don’t need any fancy flours, bread flour, or special ingredients. Just some all-purpose flour, water, yeast, oil, and salt!

This bread tastes like fancy artisan crusty bread with a chewy crust – make a loaf and everyone will think it took all day to make. Your secret is safe with me! 

It’s great with a bowl of soup, with a salad, use it to make a sandwich or toast a piece and add some butter and jam or honey. It also makes great French toast! There’s so many ways to use it.

There is nothing better than fresh bread baking in the oven. With this easy one hour bread recipe, you can make a loaf whenever you get a craving. It really is the best.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Water – warm it so it’s lukewarm but not hot.
• Olive oil
• Instant dry yeast
• Salt

Recipe Steps

Whisk the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add the oil to the dry ingredients. With the mixer running, add the water a little at a time to the mixture.

When the dough is almost combined, add the salt and knead with the dough hook until the consistency of the dough is smooth and compact. This should take about five minutes or so.

Place the bread dough on a lightly floured surface and form it into the shape you want. Place the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can also bake it in a loaf pan or Dutch oven if preferred. Cover the bread and let rise 45 minutes in a warm draft free area.

Place an empty pan on the bottom rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Once the oven is hot, pour hot water into the pan. This will create steam while the bread bakes.

Score the top of the bread dough with a sharp knife and then place the baking pan on the middle oven rack. if you use a Dutch oven, you don’t need to cover the bread with the lid. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer the bread to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving it.

Can you use active dry yeast instead of instant dry yeast?

No, I don’t recommend using anything but instant dry yeast. It’s made to work quickly so your bread rises in the oven. If you use dry active yeast it will take longer to make the bread and it may not puff up as much when you bake it.s

How do you get a crispy golden crust for bread?

For this recipe, the secret is the pan of water under the bread in the oven. As the water heats, it steams the outside of the bread which initially keeps it from drying out. This makes it easier for the dough to stretch so the bread can puff up. 

As the outside of the bread browns, the steam creates a delicious crispy crust that’s also chewy – just like bread from a bakery.

How should you store homemade bread?

Once the bread is completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap. You can store it at room temperature for several days or you can freeze it for several months.

How does homemade bread in an hour sound? Pretty good, right? I can’t wait for you to try this one hour bread – you’ll love every last slice. Enjoy!

More Homemade Bread Recipes

• Sourdough French Bread Recipe
• Sandwich Bread
• Rosemary Focaccia