Easy Homemade Bread (No Sourdough)

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Fast, fluffy, flavourful… and no “starter” guilt required.

My Journey with Homemade Bread as a Mom

My baking journey started the way a lot of ours did… with the comfort of sourdough bread. It felt like a fresh start. A way to ground myself in the chaos of early motherhood, lockdowns, and the ache of uncertainty. I poured myself into it like it was therapy (it basically was).

There was something healing about the rhythm of it all: feeding the starter, stretching the dough, waiting for the rise. And nothing felt more satisfying than the perfect crumb; the crispy crust and the pointed ears. If you know, you know. Sourdough is art.

For a while, it became part of our family routine. We lived off sourdough everything… bread, pancakes, pizza crust, you name it. It felt good to do something wholesome and from scratch for my family. But over time, what once felt like a hobby slowly turned into a burden… and I couldn’t keep up.

Homemade Bread Became Something It Shouldn’t

The starter that used to make me feel accomplished started to feel like another thing I was failing at.

I’d look at the jar and feel guilty. I’d forget to feed it, then beat myself up for wasting flour. I felt overwhelmed by the discard, the endless timing, the mental load of keeping it all going when I was already stretched so thin as a mom.

Eventually, I let it go. Quietly, without much thought, I just stopped feeding it and put it in the fridge. And for a few weeks, we did the store-bought bread thing. The jar of starter made its way further and further into the back of the fridge until it was forgotten.

Honestly, it broke my heart a little. Every time I pulled a piece of bread from the plastic bag, I had that gnawing feeling: You’re capable of more than this. I felt like I had let something go that mattered. Not the starter itself, but the intention behind it.

The Mindset Shift With Homemade Bread

One morning, I looked at the sad loaf on the counter and just thought, What am I doing? Why was I making this so hard? Why did I think it had to be all or nothing—perfectly fermented sourdough or nothing at all?

I Decided To Do Something I Swore I’d Never Do

I did something that felt a little rebellious: I bought yeast.

The “lazy person’s” ingredient. The thing I once turned my nose up at when I was deep in my sourdough phase. I had to swallow my pride and admit that maybe I had let my sourdough identity get in the way of what actually mattered—feeding my family something homemade, simple, and real.

And I’ll be honest: I regret not doing it sooner.

I started playing with recipes, combining everything I’d learned from sourdough and applying it to yeast. And eventually, I came up with a go-to bread recipe that’s everything I wanted it to be. Soft, fluffy, golden, flavorful—and most importantly, doable. I can whip this up on any given day, and since it makes two loaves, I only have to bake a couple of times a week.

It’s great for sandwiches, toast, French toast, grilled cheese—basically anything—and there’s just something magical about pulling fresh bread from the oven and slathering it with butter.

This recipe only uses six ingredients. Buy them in bulk, and you’ll be making homemade bread for weeks at a fraction of the cost of store-bought.

Why I Decided To Make Bread At Home

For us, bread is a staple. We go through a lot of it—toast in the morning, sandwiches at lunch, snacks in the afternoon. And for something we eat every single day, I just can’t ignore what’s in it. Making it at home gives me peace of mind. I know exactly what’s going into my boys’ bellies, and I get to feed them something made with love instead of preservatives.

And honestly? It just tastes better.

What’s The Difference From Store-Bought Bread?

Have you ever turned a loaf over and looked at the ingredients list? You’ll see things like:

• Added sugars (even in “whole grain” loaves)
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Bleached flour
• Seed oils like soybean or canola
• Artificial preservatives and dough conditioners

These kinds of are why many families choose to be more mindful and intentional about the bread they buy or make at home.

What Is In Homemade Bread?

Just six ingredients:

• Flour
• Water
• Salt
• Yeast
• Oil
• Sugar or honey (to feed the yeast)

That’s it. No mystery. Just simple ingredients that I feel good about serving to my family. I don’t have to analyze labels or second guess what’s inside. For me, that simplicity brings peace of mind. Not because store bought bread is “bad”, but because homemade just feels more aligned with my overall values and the lifestyle that fits our family during this season.

How Does Yeast and Sourdough Bread Compare?

Sourdough uses a live culture of wild yeast and bacteria from fermenting the flour that naturally leavens your bread. It’s slow, flavourful… but it’s also time-consuming and high maintenance.

Yeast, on the other hand, is a single, predictable fungus that lifts the dough with carbon dioxide in a fraction of the time. It doesn’t give you that deep sour flavour, but when paired with quality ingredients and the right method, it still gives you soft, fluffy, flavourful loaves without the 24-48-hour commitment.

Tools You’ll Need for Homemade Bread

You don’t need fancy equipment. Most of my baking supplies are from Amazon! I use:

• A big mixing bowl or stand mixer (this is my KitchenAid Mixer… the best kitchen investment you’ll ever make!)
• Dough whisk (I’ll link my exact one here!)
• Loaf pans (I use two standard 9×5 pans—and I’ll explain below why I love these silicone ones!)
• A clean countertop
• Kitchen scale (more on this below)

That’s it. No sourdough starter to babysit. No bannetons. Just you, some simple tools, and a rhythm you can actually keep up with.

Kneading and Developing Gluten

Kneading is where the magic happens. This is how you strengthen the gluten, which is what gives your bread that soft, chewy, sliceable texture.

Some simple kneading techniques:

• Push and fold: Classic. Push the dough forward with the heel of your hand, fold it back, give it a quarter turn, and repeat.
  
• Stretch and fold: Great if you’re short on time. Pull one side up, fold it over, rotate the dough, and repeat from all four sides.
  
• Stand mixer: Let the dough hook do the work—knead for 7–8 minutes on low speed until smooth.
  

The Window Trick

If you’re not sure your dough is ready, try this:

Lift your dough and gently stretch a section between your fingers. If it stretches into a thin, translucent “window” without tearing, your gluten is developed. If it rips easily, it needs a few more minutes of kneading.

Why I Measure Flour in Grams

I used to scoop flour with a measuring cup like most people. It felt fast and easy, and when you’re juggling little ones and trying to do ten things at once, that’s what you need, right?

But I’d wonder why some batches turned out light and fluffy… and others came out dense, dry, or just off. I’d follow the same recipe every time, so what was going on?

The truth is: flour is tricky. Depending on how you scoop it, your cup could hold way more or way less than the recipe intended. Even something as small as packing it a bit too tightly or using a different brand can throw the whole dough off.

So I finally got myself a kitchen scale for less than $15 and started measuring in grams… and I never looked back.

Using a scale takes the guesswork out. It makes your bread consistent every single time, and when you’re taking the time to bake from scratch, that consistency really matters.

It also makes cleanup easier (no levelling, no extra cups, just measure straight into the bowl) and saves ingredients in the long run.

Linking the exact kitchen scale I use here.

Why I Chose Silicone Loaf Pans

I used to think loaf pans were just loaf pans… until I started baking regularly and realized not all pans are created equal. After dealing with stuck loaves, over-browned edges, and endless soaking and scrubbing, I finally gave silicone a try… and honestly? I love it… even though it’s silicone.

Silicone loaf pans:

• Pop the bread out cleanly (no greasing or parchment needed)
• Bake evenly without crusty, dry edges
• Are dishwasher safe and super easy to clean

They’ve completely simplified my bake days, especially when I’m doing more than one batch or have little ones running around while I’m multitasking.

While some people have different comfort levels with bakeware materials, food grade silicone is being widely used in home kitchens. I am a firm believer in balance, and I choose food grade silicone because it fits my routine and makes homemade bread easier to maintain. An all or nothing technique has not worked for me in the past and I believe being informed in your decisions is all that matters!

These are the exact ones I use and love from Amazon.

Why I Love This Homemade Bread Recipe So Much

This recipe has given me so much peace in this season. It’s simple enough to be part of my routine, nourishing enough to feel proud of, and flexible enough to not burn me out.

Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you’re hanging onto your sourdough starter out of guilt (like I did). Or maybe you’ve just never tried making bread and you’re not sure where to start.

Wherever you are—I see you. And I promise, this is possible.

Homemade bread doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be made with love.

My experience with homemade bread and the tools I use is my own. Please read my full disclaimer here.

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