Cheap Bread Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Bread on a budget. No expensive ingredients, nothing weird you have to buy, and you'll get a loaf that your family and your bank account will love.

Prep Time45

Cook Time40

Rising time2

Total Time3 25

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

Keyword: budget bread recipe, cheap bread recipe

Servings: slices

Calories: 116kcal

Author: Katie

Equipment

Loaf pan
Plastic Wrap

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
2¼ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast

Instructions

Mix the ingredients. Add all ingredients to an electric stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Then, combine until a dough forms that holds together and does not stick to the sides or bottom of the bowl.
Knead the dough. Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes until it is smooth, soft, and reaches the windowpane stage (when you can stretch a small piece of dough thinly enough to see light through it without it tearing). If the dough feels dry after a couple of minutes of kneading, sprinkle in water a teaspoon at a time.
The first rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Then, cover it with a clean, damp tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes until the dough is puffy and has doubled in size.
Shape into a loaf. Lightly spray your loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Then, gently stretch the dough into a rectangle approximately 9 x 18 inches. The rectangle's short side should match your loaf pan's length. Tuck in the corners and roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seams closed and place the loaf, seam side down, into the prepared loaf pan.
Allow to rise again. Cover the loaf with greased plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until the dough rises to about 1 inch above the top of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake. Bake the bread at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. For the best results, use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the bread; it should reach 195-200°F. Remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

Make sure to give the dough plenty of time to rise until it’s about twice its original size. If you rush it, your bread won’t taste or feel right.

Usually, let it rise for 60 minutes at first, then another 60 minutes after shaping it. Skipping or shortening these steps can make your bread heavy and not very fluffy.

While kneading the dough, it should start feeling smooth and stretchy. If it sticks too much, sprinkle a bit more flour on it. If it seems too harsh, add some water, maybe just a teaspoon, until it feels right.

Cooling the bread on a rack helps the inside steam get out without wetting the bread. If you cut into it too soon, it might end up sticky.

If you want more bread, double all the ingredients and bake two loaves at once without changing the oven temperature or how long you bake them. It’s an intelligent way to use your oven more effectively.

Nutrition