Easy 5 Ingredient White Bread Recipe
If you are looking for one item to stop buying in the grocery stores, and want to start baking instead, this easy 5 ingredient white bread recipe is just for you! This is my go-to recipe for bread because my entire family loves the smell of bread, and it is an easy recipe to follow. This bread slices up nicely for toast with fresh butter or peanut butter in the morning, makes great sandwich’s, and makes the best toasted garlic bread.
Ingredients Needed:
Warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees F).
Sugar (Optional). If you are using instant yeast, sugar is not required. I still use it to help the proofing process as the yeast feeds off of the sugar.
Salt. Table salt is best when baking bread because it dissolves quicker. However, there have been plenty of times I have used kosher salt, and I have never noticed a difference. Regardless of the type of salt used, do not skip this ingredient! Not only does salt give food flavor, but salt is a key component in the process of making bread. It helps the bread keep shape when formed and is involved in giving the crust a pretty golden brown color.
Exra Virgin Olive Oil. Adding EVOO helps keep the dough hydrated, which will give you a softer crust, and the EVOO also increases the flavor.
All Purpose Flour. I use King Arthur All Purpose flour, but have also used King Arthur Bread Flour, and have wonderful results with both.
Equipment Needed:
Kitchen Scale
Stand Mixer
Bread Machine
Large Bowl
Bread Loaf
Substitutions:
Honey. During the proofing process, add 1 tablespoon of honey instead of white table sugar.
Bread Flour. Bread flour contains more protein than all-purpose flour. Both will work great for this recipe.
Butter. Substitute butter instead of extra virgin olive oil.
Kosher Salt
Active Dry Yeast. If you are substituting active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, sugar will need to be used for the proofing process.
Pro Tips:
Warm the mixing bowl you are using to proof your yeast
Place your yeast in the freezer to extend the shelf life.
Why You’ll Love this 5 Ingredient White Bread Recipe
I make this bread recipe every week. With only 5 simple ingredients, it is a basic bread recipe that comes together so quickly, allowing me to have more time to work on other things. It also freezes nicely, if you want to make multiple loaves of bread at a time. With such a busy schedule, I really like to keep my staple kitchen items simple. If these items are simple, I am more likely to stick with it each week.
How to make Easy 5 Ingredient White Bread Recipe:
First, place your stand mixer bowl in the sink and add hot water, allowing your bowl to warm up. This only takes a few minutes. I don’t always follow this step, but I can notice the proofing process time is quicker when I do. If you skip this step, start by adding 1 3/4 cup water to a mixing bowl. Be sure to check the temperature to ensure it is between 105 and 110 degrees. To the add 1-2 tablespoons white sugar, and then 1 tablespoon instant yeast.
Take a whisk, and gently whisk the ingredients, just to get them incorporated.
Wait 5-10 minutes, or until the yeast becomes foamy on top. If your yeast does not get foamy, the yeast may be old, and you will need to buy fresh yeast. Alternatively, if you do not have a stand mixer, and you will be kneading by hand, use a large bowl for the ingredients, following the same steps.
To the yeast mixture, add 8 grams of salt, 25 grams of extra virgin olive oil, and 615 grams of flour. I typically use all purpose flour, and have never had an issue with the rise, but bread flour would be a great alternative since it is higher in protein. Using the dough hook attachment, at low speed, start kneading the dough. Once the ingredients are combined, increase the speed and knead the dough for 6-8 minutes, ensuring the ingredients are scraped off the sides of the bowl. If you are kneading by hand, on a lightly floured surface, fold your dough back and forth, working the dough until it becomes softer, and the ingredients are well combined.
For the first rise, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, place in a warm place, and let the dough rise until doubled in size. During the cold winter months, I like to set the bowl by the patio door where the sun shines through, to help with the rise. The rise time differs, depending on the warmth and humidity of the house, but the first rise typically takes about an hour.
Once the bread dough has doubled in size, the next step is to punch down the dough. Then, transfer to a greased bread pan that has either been sprayed with olive oil, or an alternative would be rubbing butter on the inside of your pan, and adding a dusting of flour.
Either way, you do not want the dough to stick to the inside of the pan. For the second rise, I once again place a kitchen towel over the bread dough. If you are worried about the towel sticking to the bread dough, you could place a damp cloth over the dough, allowing to rise until doubled, or until the dough is a couple inches above the lining of the pan. The time for the second rise is around 40 minutes.
How to Bake Your 5 Ingredient White Bread Recipe
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Once preheated, place the loaf of bread in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes, uncovered. After the initial 20 minutes, loosely cover with aluminum foil, and bake for another 20 minutes. The foil will help ensure the top of the loaf does not burn.
After baking for another 20 minutes, the bread will have a nice golden brown color, and will be ready to take out of the oven.
Let the bread cool for about 5 minutes, and then rub some fresh butter over the top of the loaf. The butter will give your bread a beautiful shine, and will also add that extra rich flavoring, from the butter. Carefully transfer your bread to a wire rack, and take out of the bread pan, allowing to completely cool. I really struggle with this part, because there is nothing better than warm delicious bread with butter!
How to Store:
We go through the loaf of bread pretty quickly, so I store the bread in a 2 gallon zip lock bag at room temperature. If you want the bread to last longer, place it in the fridge, using a zip lock bag or a bread container.
Easy 5 Ingredient White Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 c water between 105-110℉
- 2 tbls sugar optional if using instant yeast
- 1 tbls instant yeast
- 8 g salt
- 25 g extra virgin olive oil
- 615 g flour
- 1 tsp butter
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the water.
- Add in sugar and yeast, and whisk gently, just to combine the ingredients
- Wait for the yeast to proof and get foamy. This takes 5-10 minutes.
- Add the salt, extra virgin olive oil and flour.
- Start by kneading at a low speed, so the flour doesn't make a mess. Once the flour is combined, increase the speed to medium, and knead for 6-8 minutes.
- Cover the bread dough with a kitchen towel, or plastic wrap, and place in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough down.
- Transfer to a greased bread loaf pan. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let sit until the dough has risen about 2 inches above the loaf pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Place the bread into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Next, place foil over the bread, so it doesn't burn. Bake for another 20 minutes.
- Take out of the oven, and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a wire wrack and let the bread completely cool before slicing and storing.
