If you enjoy this One Hour Bread, check our Bread Recipes page for more homemade bread ideas!
Few aromas are as irresistible as fresh bread baking. The moment the scent drifts through the kitchen, it’s impossible not to daydream about the very first slice.
Warm from the oven, a slice begs for butter, jam, marmalade, a fried egg, or a thin piece of salty ham. Deciding how to eat it is a delicious dilemma.
There’s something quietly joyful about spending part of a morning watching dough become bread and then imagining how quickly it will be eaten. If the idea of fresh, homemade bread gets you excited, this recipe will be a new favorite.
This One Hour Bread is an exceptionally flavorful yeast loaf that’s ready to enjoy in about sixty minutes from the first scoop of flour to the moment it comes out of the oven. Most of that time is baking—there are no tricks, just straightforward steps that yield excellent results.
This is sandwich bread at its best: great flavor, a chewy crust, a fine, tender crumb, and the ability to slice from thick Texas-toast style to paper thin. It holds fillings and spreads beautifully.
If you’ve been hesitant about making yeast bread, give this one a try. You don’t need special equipment or advanced skills—just a large bowl and a spoon (or a stand mixer or food processor if you prefer). I include instructions for all three methods, and each is simple and reliable.
Call it “One Hour Bread” instead of “easy as pie.” This recipe is dependable, budget-friendly, and turns basic pantry staples—flour, yeast, salt, sugar, water, and oil—into something to look forward to at mealtime. Wrapped in a tea towel, a warm loaf also makes a lovely hostess gift.
Substituting whole wheat flour
You can substitute up to two cups of whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour in this recipe. Expect the dough to need slightly more time to rise—adding about 10 extra minutes is usually sufficient, which brings the total time to roughly 70 minutes.
No loaf pan? No problem.
The dough can be shaped into free-form rounds or baked in loaf pans. Both options are delicious. You can also shape mini bowls for serving soup or salad by forming small boule loaves and hollowing them after baking.
Why this recipe uses more yeast
The recipe calls for a larger-than-average amount of yeast so the dough rises quickly and the whole process finishes in about an hour. The extra yeast is intentional and helps deliver the fast, reliable rise that defines this recipe.
Start in a cold oven
Yes—start the loaves in a cold oven. Part of the rise happens while the oven heats up, so do not preheat. Place the shaped loaves in the cold oven, add a pan of very hot water on the lower rack, and then turn the oven on to 400°F. Preheating will change the rise and the final texture.
One Hour Bread
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour (about 1 lb 9.5 oz by weight)
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast (also called bread machine yeast)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 ½ teaspoons table salt)
- 2 cups very warm water (about 120°F)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Mixing the dough — Stand Mixer (preferred)
In the bowl fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix on low for 30 seconds. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the water and olive oil together. Continue mixing on low until the dough comes together and becomes smooth, about 4 minutes. Remove the bowl, scrape any dough from the hook, and shape the dough into a smooth ball by hand. Return it to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Mixing the dough — Food Processor
In the food processor bowl fitted with the blade, pulse flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt about 10 times. With the processor running, pour the water and olive oil into the feed chute and process until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Spin the dough ball 20 times, turn off the processor, remove the dough, form a smooth ball, and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.
Mixing the dough — By Hand
Whisk or fork together flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the warm water and olive oil and stir with a sturdy spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand for about 8 minutes (on a clean surface if needed). After kneading, return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let rise for 15 minutes.
Shaping the loaves
Turn the dough onto a clean surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a smooth ball and place them 5–6 inches apart on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. If using loaf pans, shape each piece into an oval approximately the size of the pan and ease into the pans. Use a sharp knife to slash the top about 1/4 inch deep to allow steam to escape.
Baking
Arrange one rack at the bottom and one in the center of a cold oven. Place the baking sheet with the loaves on the center rack and a bread or cake pan filled with very hot tap water on the bottom rack. Close the oven and set it to 400°F—do not preheat. Bake for 40 minutes. The crust should be deep brown and firm when the loaves are done. Transfer to a rack to cool before slicing, or enjoy warm straight from the oven with butter.
Originally published April 2010. Updated with new photos and notes March 2020.