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Jump to recipeThis fast and easy Italian bread recipe is ready in less than an hour. It’s not about perfection. Simple and rustic and made with only four ingredients!
Do you bake homemade bread?
I go through phases where I do more often, and then times when I just don’t. I think I forget how quick it can be, because if I remembered, I think I’d make it a lot more often.
This fast bread recipe is just 4 ingredients and is ready to eat in under an hour…start to finish!
Isn’t it pretty?! I brushed the top with a little butter for added flavor and shine after taking it out of the oven.
Sadly, just like with people–pretty doesn’t always equal good and I made one fatal error with this loaf that I’ll warn you in advance not to make: I forgot the salt. Ugh!
I’ve made this bread recipe dozens of times. It’s delicious! But bread without salt tastes like paste and there is (to my knowledge) no saving it once it’s baked. So I’ll say it again: Don’t forget the salt!
Easy Bread Recipe
One of the things that makes this bread recipe so easy is that there is no kneading involved, it’s all made in the mixer.
Mix your yeast with a little honey and warm water and let it sit until it’s foamy. Then add in your flour and salt and mix for several minutes.
It’s my perfect kind of loaf…simple and rustic. No worries about perfection here. Just plop your dough down and stretch it out a bit into a longish shape.
I use my baking stone, but you could use a sheet pan as well (I’d probably either give a metal pan a spray or sprinkle a little cornmeal under the loaf to prevent sticking. Not necessary with a stone, though).
Baking stones tend to be either love ’em or hate ’em and I am definitely in the LOVE category. We use ours for everything from homemade pizza and cookies, to chicken nuggets, to bread of course!
Let it sit, covered with a clean towel, for about 20 minutes while your oven preheats. Cut a few slits in the top and bake it up.
Brushing it with butter when you take it out is optional. I like the pretty shine and extra bit of flavor it adds, but it’s really not necessary. (And you could add even more flavor by mixing in a pinch of dried herbs with your butter…yum!)
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I like to serve this with…well, just about anything. It’s perfect as is alongside a bowl of soup (this loaf was set to join a big pot of creamy chicken and rice soup), or anything saucy to dip it in (I’m thinking spaghetti or lasagna). But slather some butter, and maybe some honey or jam on top, and we love it with just about any main dish.
Make it today!
Here’s the recipe:
One Hour Bread: Fast & Easy French Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 Tblsp honey
- 1 Tblsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Instructions
- Combine water, honey and yeast in mixing bowl
- Let sit about 5 minutes, or until foamy
- Add flour and salt
- Using dough hook (if you have one) mix in flour until dough is not sticky to the touch. (Start with 3 1/2 cups and add small amounts until proper consistency is reached). This usually takes about 5 minutes of mixing.
- Scoop dough out of bowl and onto baking sheet or baking stone, forming into a longish loaf
- Cover loaf with a clean towel and let sit for about 20 minutes while you preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Using sharp knife, cut slits in top of loaf
- Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown
- Optional: brush top of loaf with butter before slicing
This looks delicious! Do you think it could be successfully made with sugar instead of honey? Nothing against honey, I just don’t have any in my cupboard right now!
I think sugar would work just fine!
It worked and it was delicious!
Yay! So glad you liked it. 🙂
Love this recipe it is my go-to on busy days when I need a loaf of bread to compliment the meal.
Easy, quick, & positively delicious! Baked into a large, soft, airy loaf. Kids and husband devoured it. Posted this inside our cabinet for a go-to.
Cannot have sugar or honey. Can Stevia be used? Thank you.
I have never used Stevia, so I can’t speak from experience. But a quick Google search indicates that Stevia can be used in place of sugar in bread baking. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Can you use fast acting/rapid rise yeast?
I think that would work okay. I would maybe just watch the rise time, it may not need to rise quite as long?
You can use stevia in baking. But mixing honey or sugar in with yeast and water is to feed the yeast. It speeds up its growth. You can add a tiny bit of flour into the mix instead to get the yeast going. It may take a bit longer than a sugar, but it’ll work.
Good to know!
Stuck to my stone and it was more work to get it off the stone than too actually make the bread…but…oh my…so worth it!!
Oh no! I’m glad you enjoyed it anyway. I wonder if sprinkling a little cornmeal or flour on your stone might help until the stone is more seasoned?
You can put parchment paper on the stone. The bread/dough won’t stick.
That is true–great idea! With a well-seasoned stone, I haven’t really have any trouble with sticking even adding nothing. But I hadn’t even thought of parchment. Yes!
I put the shaped dough on a sheet of parchment paper I put on top of a flat cookie sheet. After the loaf sat for 20 minutes to rise, I slid the parchment paper with the loaf on top onto the stone which was in the oven as it preheated.
The bread came out perfect.
Hi,
I just made this wonderful bread, but the top of it is not nice and brown, what did I do wrong?
Hmmm, I would check your oven temp first, making sure it’s hot enough. I don’t usually brush mine with anything, but if it’s not browning I would maybe try brushing with an egg wash (beat an egg with a bit of water and brush over the top before baking).
So good. Can this recipe be doubled? Can you freeze the loaves?
I have not tried either, but I don’t see why not on both cases!
can I use bread flour?
I have not tried it with bread flour, but I think it would work fine. I believe the main difference is that bread flour allows more gluten production, so you may get a bit more chew–yum!
I made it with bread flour and two envelopes of Red Star yeast, otherwise just followed the recipe and used a cookie sheet with cornmeal sprinkled on it. Turned out great! Thank you for such a friendly recipe.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I made it and it was a hit in my house! Incredibly easy and Delicious!!! Thank you!❤️
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!
Very good and very easy to fix!
This recipe has become a staple in our home. Tonight I made it with bread flour and it’s even better. I do also add a splash of milk to my dough. It’s delicious!!
Fantastic! I’ll bet the bread flour adds a bit more chew to the bread? Yum!
Hi,
Do I’ve to let it sit for 20 minutes? I’m in a rush!!😅
It will be a bit more dense, but do what you’ve got to do!
Just made 2 loaves. This is such a easy great tasting bread. My go to bread. Love it.
Fantastic! So glad you like it!
Could this be made with whole wheat flour?
Absolutely! I haven’t tried it, and would imagine it would be a bit heavier, but still wonderful!
My young daughter and I tried a soup recipe for dinner tonight, and I asked her to try making this, as it looked fairly simple. She has some experience baking cornbread and cookies, but she’s never made “real” bread before. Since this was supposed to be ‘fast’ to go with our soup, we gave it a shot. She had no problem following the recipe (halved), and the bread turned out very well (although our baking stone cracked when the bread was almost done… sad!). She was very happy with the result, and I texted her the link to this recipe so she would have it for future reference. It was a great chance for her to develop her cooking/baking skills, as she will be heading to college in a few years. Thank you Susan, and thank you to everyone for all the great comments!
Cracked baking stones are the worst–so sad!! But I’m thrilled that she was successful with the bread recipe.
Can you make this in a bread machine?
I don’t have a bread machine, so I can’t say for sure, but I would expect you could.
Tried it. Added 1/4cupp olive oil. Yum!
So glad you liked it!!
Can this be baked in a loaf pan??
I’ve not tried it. I would think you might have to split the dough into two pans if you tried.
I loved this bread. So quick and so easy.
So glad you liked it! It is easy and yummy!
can this be made by hand mixing?
Absolutely! You’d just need to mix it longer.
Amazing bread recipe! I added fresh basil and garlic to the dough and it was so darn tasty!! Thank you!
Yum! That would be delish!!
I LOVE this recipe!! It has become a staple in our home. My favorite thing to do with it is divide it up and put it into a muffin tray and make rolls! Unfortunately they go pretty fast!!! I forgot to put the salt in a recipe too, but we just slathered on more butter and suffered through! Thanks! SO glad I found it!!
Oh my goodness, what a GREAT idea! I am totally doing that THIS WEEK. Thank you for stopping by and sharing that!
I absolutely love this bread!! What is the nutritional info on the bread? How many grams/ ounces is a serving? Calories per serving? Protein? Carbs? Fats? Thank you so much!!
I’m so glad you like it! It’s a fave around here too. I haven’t calculated the nutritional information, but I know there are lots of online calculators out there where you can copy and paste recipes and they’ll figure it up for you. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ is one I know of, but I’m sure there are lots if you Google them.
I made this bread tonight, it was sooooo good!!!! I was looking for a fast quick Italian Bread & this was so easy & PERFECT!!!! Thank you for sharing !! Idid not have Bread Flour so, I just used APFlour & it was so good!!! Thank You Susan it was fast, easy & Delish!!
So glad you liked it! I don’t use bread flour either…just regular old AP!
Can raisins be added?
I don’t see why not. Sounds yummy!
Thank you, I tried it and added cinnamon this morning. Delicious. Next time I will add dates.
Yum!
I totally screwed this up. I thought I put it in my top oven to rise and turned on the bottom oven to heat. But I turned on the top oven. Whoops! It still turned out great except a little over done in the bottom. Inside was chewy and yeasty just as you want Italian bread to be.
Oh my! So glad it still turned out!
Was amazing!! The easiest quickest bread I have ever made!!
So glad you liked it as much as we do!
I’ve made this so many times on a cookie sheet (because I don’t have a stone yet) and it turns out amazing every time! Easily both my and my husband’s favorite recipe I’ve tried!
I’m so happy you like it as much as we do. And yes, I would imagine a cookie sheet would work great!
Added a heaping spoonful of home prepared garlic butter and it was amazing and easy. Great broiled with more garlic butter and parm served with beef stew and Caesar salad. Thank you – love quick breads.
Oh my, that sounds divine– Thanks for the idea!
I’ve tried and failed at many bread recipes, but because of all the rave reviews I decided to try it. It was incredibly easy and absolutely delicious!! I will definitely be making this again…and again!! Thank you for an easy, no fail recipe. Yes, I remembered the salt. 🙂
Oh yay–so glad you tried and liked it (and remembered the salt!) Thanks for letting me know!
I’ve had my load in for around 45 mins now & it’s still raw inside! New oven, 400 degrees. I thought I shaped it as long as yours, but maybe not? Help!
Sometimes if the oven cooks hot, the outside of baked goods can brown more quickly than the inside can finish cooking. With a new oven, that would be my guess? What I would do is to lower the temperature and continue baking until done. I hope it turned out for you!!
This recipe is wonderful! Perfect for a quick load of bread to go with dinner. I like to add plenty of roasted garlic to the dough.
Ooo–that sounds YUM!! I’m going to be trying that addition.
Turned out so good! I made mine more of a round shape (increased the baking time by 10 min) and that extra time made all the difference in the browning on top too.
I used sugar instead of honey and also worked great, for everyone asking.
It is such a flexible loaf– So glad it turned out well for you!
What if I don’t have a mixer?
Can I hand mix? Should I knead for a bit after mixing?
Yes, I would knead after mixing and just add a bit a of flour at a time til it’s not sticky. My guess would be maybe 8-10 minutes?
I made this last night. I used half ap flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour. My loaf was very dense and heavy. Should it be this way??
I’ve never made it with whole wheat flour. But, it’s a fairly dense loaf as is, so I’m not surprised that using whole wheat would make it moreso. I know when I’ve made other whole wheat bread in the past it is typically heavier. If you want a lighter loaf, my suggestions would be to try adding a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and also perhaps kneading the dough a bit longer.
Hi Thank you for this simple bread recipe. It was so quick and easy. It came out perfect and I remembered the salt. 😊I made it for brunch. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! (kudos on remembering the salt 🙂 )
So glad I found this recipe! My husband said it was his favorite bread. Only mistake I made was only making one loaf! This will be our new bread to have on hand! Thank you for making this wife look good 😊
So glad you love it! It is a good ‘back pocket’ recipe to have on hand, and definitely a good one to make a few of at a time!!
Please tell me why it tastes like beer and smells like it too
I followed directions to the T
I USED THE YEAST you have in recipe as well
That odor can come from over-fermentation (which shouldn’t have happened with this recipe, since you followed the instructions) or stale yeast, from what I’m reading. Best of luck if you give it another try!
tried this recipe today with doubts about the 20 minute rise
Well it rose beautifully and the taste was amazing very good
Thank you for this keeper of a recipe
I’m so glad it worked out for you! Yay!
It is so fast to make and I always have the ingredients! This is my second time making this week. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, but it turned out great! Almost to perfect to cut into.
Thank you!
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it as much as we do! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
How much sugar would I need to use to replace the honey.This sounds wonderful I can’t wait to try it!! Thank you so much.
Hi Beth, I would say an equal amount should work.
Enjoy!
I hate to be redundant, but THIS BREAD IS DELISH! So easy, such great flavor … I did add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, but otherwise followed recipe! I’ve made all kinds of bread, but this is by far the easiest and I can’t get over the beauty and taste!!! I wish I had found it many years ago! I took pictures but there’s no way to post pics! THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!
I’m so glad you loved it, and took the time to stop by and tell me! Olive oil sounds like a YUM addition!!
I make this all the time. Sometimes I add fresh garlic n shredded cheese in with the flour or herbs depending on what I’m having for dinner. It comes out delicious.
Yum! Thanks for the ideas!!
Made this today for my aunt and uncle – they were amazed! It came out delicious!
Yay! I’m so glad!!
We make this bread all the time now! I have added some sliced olives for a special restaurant look and success!!
Sounds yum!
I tried this bread with great success. Used honey for one loaf and maple syrup for second loaf. Second loaf was made with high gluten flour and whole wheat flour, also added 1 tbl spoon oil to dough. It came out great. I found adding a little more flour so dough was not so sticky gave me a better rise in my proofing box. Great bread!!
Love the idea of the maple syrup. Yum!
This bread is very good but it took longer than 20 minutes to bake I check it with my thermometer and it would not reach 200° so I had to bake it longer is this bread supposed to be den and if not what did I not do right thank you
Lots of times ovens bake differently. 20 minutes is generally where mine lands, but if yours takes a bit longer, do what works for you!
I made this bread tonight while I was cooking dinner I brushed the bread with some melted butter but the bread didn’t brown like the picture but the bread tasted good I also sprinkle everything seasoning
Annette
That’s odd…but I’m glad it tasted good! The butter and seasoning sound yum!
Your recipe sounds amazing. I have to watch salt and potassium so. Can I reduce the salt in half or mm omit and add garlic and basil? How much olive oil can I add for flavor?
You could do whatever suits you for the seasoning. As for olive oil, I haven’t played with that but perhaps someone else in the comments shared something helpful?
So glad I stumbled upon this wonderful recipe! My whole family loved it! I’ve done traditional and then also with some butter + garlic salt to go along with an Italian meal. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I’m so glad you liked it!
Hello! Not sure if you still monitor this, but I found it on Pinterest and I’ve been making it for the last few days. Mine keeps coming out very dense – do you have any clue why that is happening? Is there a method to knowing that it’s done cooking?
It is a denser loaf, not like a baguette. You could try kneading/mixing for another 5-8 minutes to develop more gluten…that might help lighten it a bit.
This recipe was great and so glad it had such a short rising time! Made it on the fly for my family tonight with pasta and meatballs and it was a hit! Going to be on my list of regular bakes for the week. Looking forward to experimenting with different flavors!
So glad you loved it!
Thank you!!! I have always wanted to make fresh bread but to scared to try, lol I’m a good cook but not a Baker!🤣 this was a simple and quick recipe and it came out perfect!
Oh I’m so happy it worked well for you! Congratulations!!
Loved this recipe !! I wanted a quick recipe vs a 10 plus hour wait for dough to rise. This recipe did not disappoint! I’ve made it 2x and added fresh rosemary, onion/garlic powder.
My bread has come out a little dense , husband and kids approved but I’m wondering if I need to bake longer or higher temp to get lighter bread.
I’m so glad you like it!
It is a dense loaf. If you wanted to add a little more rising time, that may lighten it.
This has been a go-to recipe for a while now. It delicious and easy, freezes great too. Leave some room, it’s hearty and you will eat more than you intend to!
I’m so glad you like it!!
This bread was so fast and easy and turned out delish. I needed bread for our spaghetti dinner and did not want to go to the store. I added a couple tblsp of olive oil and some parsley to the flour and sesame seeds to the top. I brushed some melted butter on top when done. I will definitely make this again.
That sounds yum! So glad you liked it
Sure a grat recipe. We love it. Thanks
I just made this recipe tonight and baked them as rolls. They are super simple to get ready and smell amazing. I know they will be delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Steve Craddock
Holly Ridge, NC
I’ve never tried baking as rolls… love it! I’ll be trying that. Thanks for the idea!
All I can say is yum!!!! Easy recipe so good. Wish I could leave a picture. It was awesome.
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
Delicious. No reason to make breads that take longer. Tastes great and wonderful texture
I’m so glad you liked it!
This is my go to recipe for rustic French bread and sandwich bread. It’s so wonderful! I’ve been making it for the past five years. For sandwich bread, I knead the dough until it “window panes” and put it in a loaf pan, and follow the recipe from there. I baste olive oil on the top before and after baking for a beautiful crust.
I hadn’t thought of the sandwich bread idea…thank you! I’ll be trying that
This is a great recipe that is easy, fast, and delicious. My husband spends hours making sourdough bread and he was impressed. He asked how I made bread in two hours. I told him it only took an hour and he was shocked.
Thanks for the compliment! Enjoy your sourdough too (and having a sourdough maker!) YUM!
I wanted to say thank you! I’ve been making this bread for years now, many dozen times and we all love it. At some point I started brushing the top with butter, probably because I was using it for garlic bread for spaghetti night, but I don’t think I’ve bought bread in over a year. This is our go to and it smells heavenly, my kids always notice when it’s baking. I make sourdough about every other month, but this is so easy I can make it anytime.
Thank you again!
Thank you so much for your note. I’m so glad your family enjoys it!