Ninety-Minute Bread

I have always believed that there are few things in this life that are better than warm, freshly baked bread. After realizing just how simple and quick this recipe is to make, I have no doubt you will be feeling the exact same way! This recipe is so simple, in fact, that I have been making it since I was just 10 years old! It is the only bread recipe my family has made ever since. If you do it right, the bread turns out so soft and the crust is to die for! Even the kids I nanny, who pick their crust off of everything, eat every bite of it as fast as humanly possible, and they thoroughly enjoy helping me make it! Add some butter on top and maybe some honey or jam and you have a real winner! (Although my husband enjoys just eating it totally plain!)

I always make this recipe in my Kitchen-Aid, but before I had one I made it with just some mixing bowls and my hands, which is slightly more challenging but certainly doable! It is also incredibly simple to double, and I usually recommend doubling it because it is guaranteed to go quickly! This is a pretty great recipe for beginners, but no matter what level you feel you are at when it comes to bread making, I highly suggest reading my tips below throughout the process to get it exactly right!

Ninety-Minute Bread

Prep Time: 60 minutes    Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Servings: Approximately 15

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt 

2-4 cups flour (I usually end up using about 3)

Instructions:

1. Pour 1 tablespoon of yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar into your mixing bowl. Gently add 1 cup of warm water. *Water that is too hot will kill the yeast and the bread cannot rise properly. I usually make sure my water is slightly warmer than lukewarm. Sometimes to make sure it rises well I stir the mixture for a few seconds with a fork or spoon. DO NOT forget about it or leave it for much longer than this!! Letting bread rise too long will give it an odd flavor!* Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 5-10 minutes until it rises and forms bubbles (shown below).                  

Before Rising

After Rising

2. Once it has risen and bubbled, add the vegetable oil and salt. Then add the flour one cup at a time. After adding 2 cups, take a look at the dough. If it is still sticky and difficult to handle, start adding more flour by half a cup each time until the dough becomes easy to hold without sticking to your hands. I usually end up using closer to 3 cups of flour total. Make sure it is all completely mixed together.

3. Sprinkle a small amount of flour on a clean surface and place the dough onto the surface. Cover it again with a clean towel and let it rise for 15 minutes. *Remember that letting it rise much longer than that will give it a weird flavor.* 

   

 Before Rising

After Rising

4. For 1 minute, beat the bread with your hands. When I was a child learning this recipe from a church leader, she told me to picture my little brother's head was the dough to encourage us to REALLY beat it, and I still think about it every time I make this recipe:) Whatever works for you! Just make sure to beat it well for 1 full minute.

5. Form the dough into a loaf. I usually have to knead it in my hands for a minute after beating it to help it come back together well. This also helps it develop the gluten a bit better! 

6. Place the formed loaf into a greased bread pan and cover it up once again. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahreheit. Let the loaf rise for up to 30 minutes. If the room is warm it will rise quicker and may be done closer to 20 minutes. I like to let it rise until it has just barely risen over the top of the pan, but if it has been 30 minutes and it's not quite there it will be perfectly fine.

7. After approximately 30 minutes, the dough will be ready to bake. Place it in the oven for 25-30 minutes until it is a nice shade of golden brown on the top. I have found with my oven that when I put bread in for exactly 28 minutes it comes out perfect. When it first comes out the top of your loaf might be a bit hard. After just a few minutes it will start getting wonderfully soft, but I have found that I love to eat it both ways.

Was this as easy for you as you hoped?? Leave any questions or comments here or on my instagram and I will be more than happy to help you out! Happy baking!!