I’ve been trying my hand at homemade bread (without the use of a bread maker) for quite a few years. Something always went wrong. It was too dense, it just didn’t cook right, all kinds of issues. And it was frustrating! For hundreds, no thousands, of years people had been baking all kinds of delicious bread-why couldn’t I get it right?!
Until I found this recipe. It’s an easy no-knead herb-topped cibatta-like yeast bread that comes together easily and bakes to a golden-brown deliciousness that will make your house smell amazing.
The minute this bread came out of the oven my homemade bread woes were over. It’s perfect. It’s sumptuous. It’s light, it’s crispy, it’s tasty. You can dip it in oil with spices. You can make a panino. You can make a regular sandwich. You can dip it into soups or clean the plate of sauce. You can make croutons. You can just pull pieces off and eat them like I did.
Perfect Easy Homemade Bread
Ingredients
- 2& 1/2 tsp dry yeast (I used King Arthur Flower’s saf-instant yeast)
- 2 cups 110F degree water ( I used an instant read meat thermometer to be sure it’s correct)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar 2 tsp salt
- 4 cups AP flour
- Melted butter
- dried herb blend for topping
- sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Mix yeast and warm water in a glass bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
- After the 10 minutes pour the yeast and water mixture into a large stainless steel mixing bowl . Add the sugar salt and flour. Stir until just combined. Do not over-mix or your bread will not be good.
- Cover it with a tea towel, put it in a warm place without drafts and let it double in size–about an hour to 90 minutes. Just keep an eye on it.
- After rising, split it into 2 equal rounds and place each on a rimmed baking sheet drizzled with a bit of olive oil. Let rise until doubled again.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Brush the top of each with the butter and sprinkle with herb blend and sea salt. I used King Arthur Flour’s Parmesan Garlic Bread Dipping Blend.
- Bake for 10 minutes then (leaving the bread in the oven) reduce heat to 375F and bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Place on racks to cool.
I couldn’t wait for it to cool!! YUM!
Uncooked dough ready for butter and herbs.
Uncooked dough with butter and herbs ready for baking.
Bread right out of the oven.
Adapted from www.yummyhealthyeasy.com to whom I will be forever grateful for this wonderful recipe.
Sparks from the Kitchen 