4 Ingredient Stuck at Home Bread {insanely easy bread recipe} (2024)

By: AutumnUpdated: 3/13/21

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In today’s post: This is the perfect easy bread recipe to make while you’re stuck at home. It only takes 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes of hands on work.

My Easy Artisan Bread Recipe has been one of the most popular posts on my site for a couple of years now – and for good reason! It only takes 4 ingredients and a tiny amount of work and it turns out absolutely amazing. There’s only one thing that could make it easier: using a normal loaf pan instead of a circular dish with high sides (like an enameled dutch oven).

So that’s what I did this week! I figured out how to make this easy bread recipe even easier. All you need is flour, yeast, salt and water and you are ready to get started. There’s no need for a mixer because this recipe doesn’t even require kneading! I have a step by step video for you that shows everything you need to do in real time – and it’s under 8 minutes long.

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Seriously, this loaf is easy enough that your kids and teens could make it for you!

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All you do is stir together the four ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, water) and then allow them to rest + rise on your countertop for a nice long time – anywhere between 8 and 24 hours will work. This long rise builds the structure of the bread, which means we don’t have to do any kneading at all! It also allows a lot of really nice flavor to develop.

4 Ingredient Stuck at Home Bread {insanely easy bread recipe} (3)

The end result is a chewy bread with large air holes that tastes absolutely amazing. Now, this isn’t your standard white sandwich bread that’s super duper soft – check out this recipe for a standard homemade white bread – but it does make an amazing sandwich. Although we hardly ever have enough left over for sandwiches since we tend to eat the entire loaf fresh out of the oven, spread with plenty of butter.

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Easy Bread Recipe Video

The video below walks you through every single step needed to make this bread and gives lots of explanation. I show you every bit of hands on work in real time – and the video takes less than 8 minutes including my commentary! This bread does require a long rise – meaning you probably want to stir it up the night before you’d like to bake it – but the hands on time is only about 5 minutes. The recipe card is below the video.

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Easy Bread Recipe Card

4 Ingredient Stuck at Home Bread {insanely easy bread recipe} (5)

Let’s Make

Easy 4 Ingredient Bread

5 from 11 votes

Serves: 16 slices

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Resting Time: 8 hours hrs

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This easy bread recipe only takes 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of hands on time!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1.5 cups Warm Water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

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Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, stir together all four ingredients. Mixture will look shaggy and a bit dry. If it seems wet, add a little more flour.

  • Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to rest for anywhere between 8 and 24 hours. Dough will get much wetter and will be full of small bubbles.

  • Generously flour a cutting board. Gently tip the dough onto the cutting board, using a spatula to scrape it all out of the bowl.

  • Dough will be very soft and wet. Using floured hands, quickly grab the top and bottom edges of the dough and pinch them together in the middle, forming a loaf shape. You can see how to do this in the instructional video.

  • Spray or grease a loaf pan. Pick up the cutting board and dust off excess flour, then tip the board gently to allow dough to fall into the loaf pan.

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

  • Use a sharp knife to make one long slice across the top of the dough. Bake for 50-55 minutes until top is deep golden brown and loaf sounds very hollow when tapped.

  • Remove bread from pan and cool at least 15-20 minutes before slicing with a very sharp serrated knife.

Tips

For full instructional video, visit: www.itsalwaysautumn.com/4-ingredient-bread-easy-bread-recipe.html

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Bread

4 Ingredient Stuck at Home Bread {insanely easy bread recipe} (6)

Meet Autumn

Hello there! I’m a busy mom of five who loves to make things. Crafts, recipes, sewing, holiday projects: I’ve tried them all, and you can too! I love EASY projects anyone can make.

Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

  1. k reynolds says

    4 Ingredient Stuck at Home Bread {insanely easy bread recipe} (12)
    I made it and added a little sugar and potato and its great

    Reply

  2. Donna says

    Super easy and turned out well. Thanks! I’ve been looking for an easy bread recipe I could make with little thought anytime I need bread. Wonder if part of the white flour could be replaced by whole wheat?

    Reply

  3. Danielle says

    Just mixed up your recipe and headed to bed I can’t wait to try this tomorrow 😁😁

    Reply

Older Comments

4 Ingredient Stuck at Home Bread {insanely easy bread recipe} (2024)

FAQs

What are the four basic ingredients in bread? ›

The principal ingredients in all bread are:
  • Flour.
  • Yeast.
  • Salt.
  • Water.

What is the secret to a soft and fluffy bread? ›

Add Milk

To make your bread soft and fluffy, another trick used by commercial bakers is replacing water with milk. Milk has fats which make bread softer.

What are the basic ingredients of quick breads and what does each ingredient do? ›

Quick breads are prepared with flour, eggs, sugar, fats and liquids including milk, buttermilk, or sour cream, and each plays a part in the overall texture and flavor of the finished product. Flour adds structure to the bread but the batter must be mixed minimally so that the gluten structure doesn't develop too much.

What is the most important ingredient in baking bread? ›

Flour is the starting point for almost all baking recipes, so we recommend having a bag of all-purpose flour, plus a bread flour and a whole-wheat flour around to cover your bases.

What does egg do in bread dough? ›

besides the nutritional benefits there are a few other good reasons to use egg in breadmaking. It makes the bread lighter and fluffier. The reason for that is the fat in the yolk that inhibits gluten formation just as any other fat would. This results in a looser dough that can expand and puff up more.

What is the formula for bread? ›

The Baker's Formula (for basic breads) can also be weighed:
Flour100%500 g
Water60%300 g
Yeast (Fresh)3-4%15-20 g
Salt2%10 g

What ingredient makes bread more fluffy? ›

Bread flour with a high protein content is ideal for making soft and fluffy bread dough. The higher protein content helps to develop gluten, which is essential for the structure and texture of the bread.

What makes bread light and airy and fluffy? ›

Carbon dioxide is responsible for all the bubbles that make holes in bread, making it lighter and fluffier. Because gas is created as a result of yeast growth, the more the yeast grows, the more gas in the dough and the more light and airy your bread loaf will be.

What do bakeries put in bread to keep it soft? ›

Hydrocolloids can retain moisture in the bread. This is important because moisture plays a crucial role in the freshness and softness of bread. By holding onto water, hydrocolloids help prevent the bread from drying out too quickly, thus maintaining its moistness for longer.

What two chemicals must be in a quick bread recipe in order for it to have a chemical leavening reaction which gives off carbon dioxide and makes quick breads rise? ›

Combining baking soda with an acid produces a chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide gas which causes the food to expand and become fluffy.

What ingredient gives flavor to quick breads? ›

Shortening, butter, margarine, and oil are all considered fats and can be used in quick breads depending on the desired texture. In addition to adding flavor and moisture, fat combines with sugar during “creaming”, to add lightness by trapping air that expands during baking.

What is the secret for mixing quick bread? ›

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients all at once. Using a wooden spoon, mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened, 15 to 20 light strokes. There should be some small lumps. Overmixing can cause quick breads to be tough, bake unevenly or cause elongated holes (or tunnels).

What is the secret to making homemade bread? ›

12 tips for making perfect bread
  1. Use the right yeast. ...
  2. Store your yeast properly. ...
  3. Treat salt with care. ...
  4. Take your time. ...
  5. Try different flours. ...
  6. Consider vitamin C. ...
  7. Practice makes perfect. ...
  8. Don't prove for too long.

What ingredient makes the bread more tender and improves its keeping quality? ›

Egg, milk, and sugar are common additions to bread dough to extend its shelf life. They can be used alone or in combination. Another addition is potato flour, mixed with the wheat flour. This helps retain moisture, but shouldn't be overdone as potato flour has no gluten.

What makes the best bread? ›

5 Key Characteristics You Should Look for in Great Bread
  • Crust. A bread without a nice, crispy crust isn't a bread that's worth your time. ...
  • Air Pockets. ...
  • Glossy Interior. ...
  • Flavor. ...
  • Finish.
Jul 14, 2017

What are the five main ingredients in bread? ›

Basic ingredients are bread flour (or any higher protein flour between 12–14%), yeast, salt, sugar and water around 25–27c (78–80 degrees Fahrenheit).

What are 4 key things to remember when making bread? ›

Follow these tips for bread that comes out right every time.
  • Use the right yeast. ...
  • Store your yeast properly. ...
  • Treat salt with care. ...
  • Take your time. ...
  • Try different flours. ...
  • Consider vitamin C. ...
  • Practice makes perfect. ...
  • Don't prove for too long.

What were the original ingredients of bread? ›

Charred crumbs of a flatbread made by Natufian hunter-gatherers from wild wheat, wild barley and plant roots between 14,600 and 11,600 years ago have been found at the archaeological site of Shubayqa 1 in the Black Desert in Jordan, predating the earliest known making of bread from cultivated wheat by thousands of ...

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