Prep Time: 15minutes minutes
1 hour 30 minutes: 30minutes minutes
Total Time: 2hours hours 20minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm water about 110°F / 43°C
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil optional, for softer texture
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey optional, helps yeast activate
Instructions
- Activate the yeast
- In a bowl, mix warm water with sugar or honey. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
- Make the dough
- Add flour, salt, and olive oil to the yeast mixture. Stir until a rough dough forms.
- Knead
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- First rise
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Shape
- Punch down the dough, shape it into a round loaf or place it in a greased loaf pan.
- Second rise
- Cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.
- Bake
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
- Cool
- Let cool on a rack before slicing.
