Baking your own bread gets a bad rap as being one of the most intimidating, time-consuming things you can attempt in the kitchen. But if you know which easy bread recipes to start with, fluffy as hell loaves are in your future. That’s why we consider baking bread to be more like a superpower instead of a chore.
If baking bread makes you a little nervous, try out recipes that are labeled as “no-knead” or that don’t contain yeast. This means you won’t have to fiddle with the raw dough on your countertop, and you won’t have to wait for the dough to rise (which can sometimes take more than an hour or even overnight). Start with easy bread recipes that are more cake-like in texture. Think: Mom’s banana bread or a copycat Starbucks lemon loaf. It’s a lot easier to tell when these types of bread are finished baking. All you have to do is stick a toothpick into your loaf and make sure there’s no residue on it when you pull it out.
Breads that use store-bought dough are also good beginner recipes. Pull-apart breads often use store-bought dough and are one of the easiest treats for any occasion, whether you want something yummy for your Friday night in or if you’re going to a group dinner. Simply fill the dough with your choice of filling (Nutella, hey girl), pile all the dough balls into a baking tin, and bake. One thing to consider is that pull-apart breads often take more time to bake since they’re pretty dense, but the actual prep work requires minimal effort.
Once you feel comfortable making cake-like breads and pull-apart breads, you’re ready for more substantial loaves like focaccia or sandwich bread. We’re not going to explain these types of bread right now, because they’re not always the easiest to make, but once you get used to baking easy bread recipes, we’re confident you’ll be able to find and crush more challenging recipes on your own.
Before you pick the recipe of your choice and start baking like a champ, we want to mention that these bread recipe require little to no equipment. Some recipes mention using dough hooks or thermometers, but you really don’t need to invest in anything extra. As long as you have a big bowl, an oven, and clean hands, you’re ready to start making these easy bread recipes.
Savory Easy Bread Recipes
No experience is needed to make these savory bread recipes. With the exception of pull-apart breads, all the breads shared below can be frozen for later use. Slice the bread before freezing, or freeze as is. As long as the bread is in a tightly sealed container or baggie, it’ll last for months in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, either leave the bread on the counter until thawed or microwave it on low 10 seconds at a time until ready.
Sweet Easy Bread Recipes
These sweet bread recipes are best the day you bake them, as they go stale after a day or two on your countertop. Once you’ve removed the bread from the oven, let it cool completely, or at least until it’s no longer piping hot. Sweet breads don’t cut well when they’re hot, so let them hang out on your counter for a bit before digging in.
Our Favorite Easy Bread Recipes
All bread is good bread, but these easy bread recipes are our particular favorites. Make these recipes when you’re short on time and need to bake something fast. If you’re baking bread when you’re in a rush, remember to keep the oven on the same temperature throughout the entire baking period. Turning your oven up halfway through won’t make your bread bake any faster; you’ll wind up burning your crust and will likely have a soggy middle, which is just plain sad. Believe in the baking process and you’ll get epic loaves in return.