Your very first loaf of bread in under one hour!

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The loaf on the left was made with this recipe. If this will be your first loaf, let me reassure you that you can do it! If you've baked bread before, give this a try. It really is simple, quick, and tasty.

 You will need:

a loaf pan about 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches

3 cups of All Purpose flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon fresh baking powder

1 Teaspoon salt

11 or 12 ounces of your favorite beer (non-alcoholic works fine too)

a mixing bowl and spatula. (A plastic scraper is great too.)

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees 

That's it. Once you get all that in front of you, you're ready to mix.

If you're still a little unsure if you can do it, click the video link below for a demo.

Then come back to this page and go through the tips below. Get baking!

The beer not only helps the bread rise, it also imparts aroma, color, and taste to the bread. A light beer will give the bread a very mild flavor and very stout beer will give the bread a stronger flavor and darker color. Your favorite beer is a good start. Non-alcoholic beer works fine too! If your beer is only 11 ounces, just add 1 ounce of water. Tip: If you add all the beer at once, your dough may be too sticky to handle. Start by adding about 3/4's of it and add more if the dough seems dry. Most flours can take at least 11 ounces.

Remember to start the oven heating to 375 degrees before you start mixing. Dump the 3 cups of flour, the sugar, the fresh baking powder and the salt, into your bowl. Stir it up to get it all dispersed. Make a well in the flour and pour your choice of beer (remembering the above tip!) into the well and begin stirring in the flour. Don't spend a lot of time on this step just make sure it's all combined well and no dry spots of flour. Three or four minutes should be enough. 

Get some Criso or vegetable oil and coat the inside of your pan, bottom and sides, well. Remove the dough from the bowl and plop it on the counter. A plastic scraper might help here. Wet hands can help the dough not stick to your fingers as you shape it into a log. Get the loaf pan in front of you and make your log about the same length as the pan. It's OK if it is not perfectly round. Place the shaped dough into the pan and smooth it out with your fingers trying to cover the bottom of the pan. Take a sharp knife or a razor blade, and make a 1/2 inch deep slit down the middle of the loaf. This "score" will help the bread expand evenly as it bakes. Remember. there is no need here for perfection. If your oven is at 375 degrees now, stick the loaf in and set a timer for 45 minutes. I think you will be surprised at your results.