Make your home smell good with this 1-hr white bread

Many people become nervous or fearful when tasked with baking their own bread. Fear no more when you prepare this easy and delicious one-hour white bread. You can enjoy this bread as you would any white loaf — using it for sandwiches, French toast, or even simply spreading it with butter or jam. With just six ingredients, you'll start baking your own bread more frequently to impress your family and friends.

Similar to Wonder Bread, the recipe below makes a soft but dense white loaf. Having access to a KitchenAid or other stand mixer will be helpful in making this recipe, but you can also knead the bread by hand. Kids love helping in the kitchen and being a part of the "science" behind bread baking.

Servings: 10-12
Prep Time: 35 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 1 hr

2 cups hot, but not boiling, water
1½ rounded tablespoons instant yeast
¼ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cups white bread flour
1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add the hot water and yeast together. Stir until they're mixed.

3. Add sugar to the bowl and mix.

Set aside, and allow to proof until small bubbles or foam start forming, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the oil and salt to the bowl, and stir.

Slowly add the flour, constantly stirring by hand or using a dough hook on a stand mixer.

Mix until all the flour is added and a cohesive ball of dough is formed. The dough should pull away from the sides easily.

5. Cover the dough with a dishtowel, and place in a warm corner. Allow the dough to proof in the bowl until it has doubled in size, about 25 minutes.

6. Spray two bread loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray, and put oil on your hands to keep them from sticking to the dough.

7. When the dough has proofed, cut it in half, and place each half in a bread loaf pan.

Mold the dough until a loaf shape is formed.

8. Place the loaf pans in the preheated oven, and allow to bake until the bread rises and becomes golden in color, about 25 minutes.

9. Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool. Remove the loaf from the pan, and cut into slices of desired thickness. Use as you would with any other white bread.

Pro-tip: Slice the loaf "to order" to maintain its freshness. Slicing the whole loaf too early can risk the bread drying out.

Pro-tip: Freeze the bread for up to a month if you plan to make several loaves at once.