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The Easiest 5-Ingredient Bread Recipe

Ideal for beginner bakers, use flour, oil, salt, sugar, and yeast to make this easy and flexible bread. Ready in 90-minutes, you can use it for loafs, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, and more.
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Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 Stand mixer (optional) with paddle and dough hook attachments You can also do this by hand!
  • 2 Standard loaf pan(s) OR (1) One cookie sheet

Ingredients
  

  • 4.5 tsp instant yeast (or two packets)
  • 3 cup warm water (ideally 120-130 degrees in temperature)
  • 1.5 cup olive oil (extra virgin olive oil is preferred)
  • 3 tbsp sugar (white granulated sugar)
  • 3 tsp salt (either kosher or mineral salt, but table salt works too, just use 2 tsp instead)
  • 5-6 cup flour (any combination of all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or even alternative flours like Einkorn work)

Instructions
 

Mix the ingredients

  • Using your mixing bowl, combine instant yeast and warm water. Wait a few minutes until your yeast starts to become active, which can look like bubbles or when the yeast begins to float on the water.
  • Add sugar, salt, olive oil, and 2 cups of flour.
  • Using the paddle attachment of your mixer (use a dough whisk or spatula if you are mixing by hand), mix for 2-3 minutes until the mix is well combined.

Make the dough

  • Switch the attachment to your dough hook and add 3 more cups of flour. I usually do this in 1/2 cup increments waiting 15 seconds (or so) between each one.
  • As you get closer to 5-6 cups, add the 1/2 increments slower so you don't add too much flour as the dough will be too dry.
  • When the dough is no longer sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but it is still slightly sticky to the touch, stop adding flour.

Let the dough rise

  • With wet hands, pick up the dough, scraping the sides of the bowl as-needed. Holding the dough in one hand, generously sprinkle the bowl flour. Using both hands, pull the ends of the dough together to make a dough ball and place it back in the bowl.
  • Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel (or don't--I usually don't bother) and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. Leave it next to the stove if you are cooking, stick it in your oven on "proof," or just leave it on the counter. There is really no wrong way to do this.

Shape the dough

  • This recipe will make (2) two loaves, 16 dinner rolls, (2) two pans of cinnamon rolls, or (6) hamburger buns. You can also do (1) one loaf and 8 dinner rolls depending on your needs.
  • Use cooking spray, olive oil, or butter to grease your pan(s).
  • Shape your dough and place in the pan(s). Let it rise for another 20-30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Cook the bread

  • Loaves will take 30-35 minutes to cook. You will want it golden brown on top. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then take the loaf out of the pan.
  • Dinner rolls and hamburger buns will take only 15-20 minutes. You will want them golden brown on top.