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Bread Machine 2 Hour Bread - Foolproof Basic Loaf

Three hours is a long time to wait when you just want fresh bread with dinner. The good news is that "2 hour bread" isn't a marketing gimmick — it's simply the intuitive name for your bread machine's Express cycle. Bread machine 2 hour bread uses that accelerated program to put a warm, soft, homemad
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 1 servings
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Calories: 142
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp warm water (about 40°C / 105°F)
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil or softened butter
  • 1.5 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 2.25 tsp active dry yeast (slightly more for the quick cycle)

Method
 

  1. Step 1: Load Warm Liquids, Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Yeast: Pour in the warm water and the oil or butter first, then add the flour. Make a well in the flour and add the yeast, and place the salt and sugar in opposite corners so they don't touch the yeast. Every bread machine requires keeping yeast and salt apart — salt inhibits or even kills yeast on contact.
  2. Step 2: Seat the Pan and Check the Paddle: Lock the pan into the machine and confirm the kneading paddle is clicked in place. A loose paddle is the most common beginner mistake on a bread machine — if it drops out mid-knead, the dough is ruined.
  3. Step 3: Select Express / Quick, 2 lb, Medium Crust: On the menu, pick the quick-family cycle (Quick / Express / Rapid — the names differ by brand). Set the loaf to 2 lb and the crust to medium. Once started, the display should show a total time of about 2 hours.
  4. Step 4: About 2 Hours, Fully Automatic: The machine handles kneading, the short proof, and baking on its own. The first 40 minutes are the proofing window — don't open the lid during it. Through the viewing window you'll see the dough rise quickly to nearly fill the pan and turn golden.
  5. Step 5: Unmold and Cool: The moment the cycle ends, lift the pan out with oven mitts and invert to release the loaf onto a wire rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing — hot bread has a liquid interior and will collapse if cut too soon. Once cooled, slice to reveal a soft, even crumb.