Make Real Bread at home
With rising food costs and a growing awareness of the negative health impacts of ultra-processed foods, it’s becoming increasingly popular to make food staples at home with minimal wholesome ingredients.
Real Bread Week, celebrated annually in the second half of February, is all about appreciating real bread made without additives, preservatives or artificial flavors. Learning to make your own bread is an incredibly rewarding journey, connecting you to an ancient practice, saving you money, and improving your health in the long run by knowing exactly what’s in your food.
To get you started, here are 5 breads that you can easily learn to make from home with the simplest ingredients: flour, water, yeast (or sourdough starter) and salt!
Fumie’s Rosemary Focaccia - Jenny Lynn’s No-Knead Rustic Bread
1. Sourdough
Sourdough is a special type of bread which is made using a fermented ‘starter’ dough rather than traditional bakers yeast. The natural yeasts present in the starter make the bread rise and give the loaf it’s characteristic flavor and chewiness. It’s also incredibly gut-healthy with lower gluten levels than other types of bread, making it much easier to digest.
This bread may seem like a lot of work at first but once you have your starter, it’s incredibly rewarding to make such a beautiful loaf at home.
If you don’t have a starter, here’s a recipe for one - it uses rye flour but you can use any bread flour:
Once you have your starter, you can make your bread! We have tons of recipes for sourdough bread, sourdough pizzas, sourdough pancakesand more! Here are few recipes to get you started:
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2. White Bread
With a few simple ingredients and a little bit of patience, you can make this everyday bread at home, perfect for toasts in the mornings or sandwiches for lunch.
If you have a dutch oven, try this recipe by Elyse Rose:
You can also use a loaf tin to make a taller, fluffier loaf:
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white bread
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3. Flatbread
Possibly the easiest bread to make, it’s no wonder why flatbreads are a staple in so many cuisines - from Indian naan or roti to Middle Eastern pita, Mexican tortillas, and more. These breads don’t need an oven to bake, just bring the dough together with your hands, roll out until flat and toast them up in a dry pan.
You can use them to make your own wraps, or freeze them to eat anytime with your favorite curries, salads or soups.
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4. Homemade Bagels
The only thing better than sliced bread is bagels, and the only thing better than bagels is… homemade bagels. These Jewish breads are traditionally boiled before they are baked which help create that irresistible chewy texture. Learn to make them at home with this easy to follow recipe:
Want to make them even quicker? Try greek yogurt bagels that are made with baking powder instead of yeast and don’t require boiling.
Gluten free or want a healthier alternative? Make a slightly denser version with almond flour instead – they toast up beautifully!
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5. Bread Rolls
A breakfast staple from Germany to Malaysia, bread rolls are easy and satisfying to make at home, plus they freeze well and are perfecting for meal prepping. Try different versions of bread rolls from around the world:
- Filipino Pandesal
- German Brötchen
- American Dinner Rolls
What bread will you try this week? 🥖
Join our Real Bread Week challenge and share your recipes with other home cooks!
Or if you need more inspiration, search all our bread recipes on Cookpad:
