This is probably the first thing I learned how to cook. After appreciating and loving restaurant bread, my brother went to a cooking camp to learn how to cook fancy and intricate dishes, the first being bread. Bread may not sound fancy, but nothing beats a fresh baked loaf of bread with tea in the afternoon.
This bread recipe uses all-purpose flour, something we all probably have in our pantries. For the longest time, I searched for a recipe without bread flour, because it's just not as common or versatile as good old AP.
This is a simple white bread, consisting of 5 ingredients: flour, water, salt, yeast, and sugar. This recipe also does not require a stand mixer or hand mixer and can be done easily in one bowl. I cannot describe to you how many times I found a recipe for baking that I realized I couldn't do, because I didn't have the right equipment.
Recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water, lukewarm
1 tbsp sugar
1 packet of instant or active-dry yeast
1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Bloom the yeast, by stirring the water, sugar, and yeast together in a cup. This will activate the yeast by giving it something to feed on - sugar. Wait ten minutes, you should see some bubbles forming in the water. This tells you your yeast is active. Do not continue if this does not happen.
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the water mixture. Mix until homogeneous and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 1 hour or until doubled in size. This time may vary based on your location.
Without deflating the dough, shape the dough into a loaf shape and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour.
Let bread rise again for 15 minutes. Make sure to cover the bread with another baking sheet so the dough does not dry out.
Place into preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the bread forms a light golden-brown crust and is hollow when tapped.
Enjoy!