Make a Nice, Simple White Bread with Four Simple Ingredients

This is the easiest and most versatile bread recipe I have ever had the privilege of making! I was ecstatic when I was told about this bread because for someone with a busy schedule, baking bread is usually a luxury that takes too much time and culinary skills. Not only is this recipe extremely easy and fool proof, it's vegan because it contains no dairy products at all!

This bread recipe creates a nice heavier bread with a wonderful crunchy crust that goes well with comfort foods such as stews, soups and rice. If you like old fashioned, artisan loaves then you should really give this one a try!

Ingredients

4 cups of self-rising flour (or 4 cups all purpose flour and 1 tablespoon baking powder)

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

warm water (amount depends on the humidity in the air, usually around 2 cups)

Directions

Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add the water, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn the bread out on a floured surface and knead for 5 to 8 minutes until it is soft and everything is combined well.

Use non-stick cooking spray or oil to grease a clean bowl and put the dough into the bowl covering it with a soft towel in a fairly warm place to rise for one hour. It should be about double in size once the hour is up.

Divide the dough ball in half and place each half into a greased loaf pan or flatten on a greased cookie sheet (or use corn meal like in the photo). Set your timer for another hour and recover each loaf with a soft towel. Allow it to rise again for that hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You can take a sharp knife to score decorative cuts into the top of the bread after the second rise. I brushed the top of the flat loaf with olive oil and sprinkled some basil, paprika and freshly grated Parmesan cheese (obviously the cheese can be left out or replaced with olives and sun dried tomatoes) to go with our lasagna tonight. Bake for approximately 30 minutes for the flat bread or 45 minutes to an hour for the loaves. The time will vary depending on your oven and the type of pan you use.

This also makes a great pizza crust, breadsticks and other breads, just use your imagination!