10 Easy Bread Recipes For Beginners
Cheddar soda bread. Photo, John Cullen.
Baking your own bread is an inexpensive way to have bakery-quality loaves. And it need not be a labour-intensive process—even if you've never so much as kneaded dough before. Here are 10 easy bread recipes that even beginner bakers can bring to the (proverbial) table.
Classic No-Knead Bread
No-knead bread is quite possibly the easiest bread to make because it only takes 3 ingredients, and—as the name implies–it doesn't require any kneading. It does, however, require a lot of time. But you don't need to micromanage it! Just relax while your dough slowly rises and develops, before baking. Get the classic no-knead bread recipe.
If you have an Instant Pot, try making our Instant Pot no-knead bread recipe in just 6 hours.
4-Ingredient No-Knead Bran Bread
Need a little added fibre in your no-knead bread? We've got a recipe for that too. This version has the addition of healthy wheat bran, which is a fantastic source of fibre. Get our 4-ingredient no-knead bran bread recipe.
Overnight Faux Sourdough
Growing sourdough starters is probably best left to those with some baking experience. But if you're looking for a loaf with sourdough's signature tang, give this faux sourdough loaf (from author Jan Scott) a go. Instead of a starter, she uses a combination of instant yeast and Greek yogurt. Get the overnight faux sourdough recipe.
Irish Brown Bread
This whole-wheat loaf is just the thing to get your home smelling like a bakery. The kneading is minimal (really, it's just shaping the dough into a loaf shape!), and we particularly love a slice of it toasted and slathered with tangy cultured butter. But any butter will do! Get the Irish brown bread recipe.
Classic Sandwich Bread
If you're more of a sandwich bread traditionalist, our classic sandwich bread is for you. Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook will do all the hard work for you, and the recipe makes two loaves so you can freeze one for later. Get the classic sandwich bread recipe.
Overnight Focaccia Tonight
Alison Roman's focaccia recipe is both pillowy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, thanks to the drizzling of oil and sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top. Get her overnight focaccia tonight recipe.
Buttery Soft Pretzel Sticks
This delicious pretzel stick recipe comes from Alberta's Charcut restaurant, and they are much more simple to make than traditional soft pretzels. It omits the boiling step typical of most pretzel recipes, with an easy oven method. If you're feeling extra daring, you can even attempt the classic pretzel shape. Get the buttery soft pretzel sticks recipe.
Pull-Apart Garlic Bread Rolls
These fluffy pull-apart rolls are brushed with melted garlic butter and parsley while still warm, so the bread soaks up all the yummy flavours. Warm bread rolls have never tasted so good. Get the pull-apart garlic bread rolls recipe.
Herbed Cheddar Soda Bread
Can't find any yeast in your grocery store? No problem, you can still bake bread! Soda breads is a "quick bread" that doesn't require any yeast, and instead rely on baking soda to leaven the bread. Quick breads also require zero kneading. Get the herbed cheddar soda bread recipe.
Cheesy Bannock
Another quick bread–bannock–has its roots in North American Indigenous cuisine and uses baking powder to help it rise. We like baking it in a cast iron skillet to get the edges nice and crusty, but you can use any large oven-proof pan. Get the cheesy bannock recipe.
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