17 bread recipes that take less than 3 hours

If your oven and jar of yeast have been on summer vacation, it can feel intimidating to jump back into bread baking. But it doesn’t have to be an all-day affair — with the busyness of back-to-school, you can still fit quick, easy sandwich breads into your schedule. Start here, with these bread recipes that take less than three hours, to ease yourself into bread-baking season.

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

1) Quick and Easy Flatbreads 

True to their name, these flatbreads require minimal resting time (30 minutes) thanks to the combined rising power of baking powder and yeast. In just about an hour, you’ll have enough flatbreads for dinner tonight and leftovers tomorrow.

Get the recipe: Quick and Easy Flatbreads

Shop the recipe: Bread Flour and SAF Red Instant Yeast 

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

2) English Muffin Toasting Bread      

Like English muffins, this pan bread is slightly tangy and has plenty of nooks and crannies. But it’s far easier to make, requiring only one rise, so you’ll be slathering some butter and jam for your weekday breakfast in no time.   

Get the recipe: English Muffin Toasting Bread 

Shop the recipe: Standard Bread Loaf Pan 

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

3) No-Fuss Focaccia  

Many focaccia recipes call for the no-knead method and extended rest times overnight, but this recipe takes a few shortcuts and is ready in less than two hours. This super-simple focaccia dough is mixed in a stand mixer, rises in the pan, and has a plush texture and wonderful flavor thanks to the generous quantity of olive oil in the dough. Use it to make a next-level muffaletta, or really any combination of your favorite cold cuts.  

Get the recipe: No-Fuss Focaccia 

Shop the recipe: 9" x 13" Pan and Pizza Dough Flavor

4) The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake

This crusty bread deserves a spot in your regular bread-baking routine. Its failproof shaping and dough-slashing methods have converted the most novice of bread bakers, and its crusty exterior and soft crumb has made it a go-to for more advanced bakers. Watch Martin make it in the video above to guide you to success. 

Get the recipe: The Easiest Loaf of Bread You’ll Ever Bake 

Shop the recipe: Bread Flour and SAF Red Instant Yeast 

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

5) Soft Wrap Bread

Potato flour is an unexpected addition to this flatbread, giving it a soft, pliable texture but enough structure to handle a mountain of fillings. While the dough rests, use that time to prepare fillings — reviewers particularly enjoyed it with shawarma, fried eggs, and all types of sandwiches.  

Get the recipe: Soft Wrap Bread 

Shop the recipe: Potato Flour 

John Sherman

6) Bread Machine Bread

This soft, high-rising loaf may just be the perfect sandwich bread recipe for busy schedules. A bread machine practically does all the work for you here — it’s merely a matter of weighing a handful of basic ingredients and pressing start.  

Get the recipe: Bread Machine Bread 

Shop the recipe: Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine

Photography by Kristen Teig; Food Styling by Liz Neily

7) Rosemary Potato Rolls  

Perfumed with fragrant rosemary, these classic potato rolls are soft and tender. Use them for slider sandwiches or serve as a sidekick to a bowl of soup.  

Get the recipe: Rosemary Potato Rolls 

Shop the recipe: Baker’s Special Dry Milk and Potato Flour 

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

8) Soft Sandwich Bread with Flax 

Looking to change up your sandwich bread? Add some flax meal for a hint of chew and a boost of nutrition. A few hours (mostly hands-off) on a Sunday evening will pay off with bread for the coming week! 

Get the recipe: Soft Sandwich Bread with Flax 

Shop the recipe: Standard Bread Loaf Pan  

Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

9) Pane Bianco 

Cheesy, herby filling? Check. Impressive-yet-easy shape? Check. Ready in under three hours? Check. Basically, this tomato and garlic-studded bread will never disappoint.

Get the recipe: Pane Bianco 

Shop the recipe: Half-Sheet Parchment and Sheet Pan Set and Bread Flour 

Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

10) Beautiful Burger Buns 

We’re still hanging onto the last few weeks of grilling season, but burger buns are forever. Use these plush, slightly sweet buns for fried chicken sandwiches or tofu sliders long after the cookouts have moved indoors. (And let the 1,200+ five-star reviews speak for themselves.)  

Get the recipe: Beautiful Burger Buns 

Shop the recipe: Hamburger Bun and Mini Pie Pan  

Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

11) Peasant Bread 

One reviewer’s experience with this recipe says it all. They shared, “I decided at 4:00 p.m. to bake bread for dinner.” (We’ve all been there, right?) “This is my go-to fast bread. Always comes out perfect!” This hands-off, no-knead bread is a weeknight winner.

Get the recipe: Peasant Bread 

Shop the recipe: SAF Red Instant Yeast  

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

12) Classic Sandwich Bread

For an everyday sandwich bread like this, ease and speed are the priority. A handful of kitchen staples like flour, butter, milk, and yeast are all you need for a better-than-storebought loaf.  

Get the recipe: Classic Sandwich Bread 

Shop the recipe: Ankarsrum Original Stand Mixer

Photography and food styling by Esra Mese

13) Yeasted Banana Bread Sandwich Bread 

For a banana bread that’s actually bread, just add yeast. Think of this as a classic white bread but sweetened with honey and chopped bananas. It’s less dense than its traditional quick bread counterpart, so you can use two slices for a sublime PB&J or French toast with a twist.

Get the recipe: Yeasted Banana Bread Sandwich Bread 

Shop the recipe: Bowl Covers and Mixing Bowls 

Photography by Mark Weinberg; food styling by Liz Neily

14) Back-of-the-Bag Oatmeal Bread

Everything you need to make this loaf is likely already in your pantry, which can sometimes be the biggest hurdle to bread baking. After a few short rests and straightforward shaping, you’ll be rewarded with this hearty, oat-topped loaf. Once you’ve graduated from the original recipe, take it to the next level and shape the dough into dinner rolls or add fruit mix-ins.

Get the recipe: Back-of-the-Bag Oatmeal Bread 

Shop the recipe: Standard Bread Loaf Pan and Pastry Brush 

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

15) Sour Cream & Chive Potato Rolls 

Sour cream and chives are great on baked potatoes, but even better in these potato rolls. Whether you make them as tear-and-share dinner rolls or lunchbox-friendly sandwich buns, these rolls are packed with comforting flavor.  

Get the recipe: Sour Cream & Chive Potato Bread or Rolls 

Shop the recipe: Pizza Dough Flavor and Parchment Paper 

Photography and food styling by Liz Neily

16) Cinnamon Bread Recipe 

Slicing into this loaf reveals a lovely, swirled cinnamon sugar surprise. This loaf is like an everyday version of cinnamon rolls. For maximum deliciousness, toast and butter the slices.  

Get the recipe: Cinnamon Bread

Shop the recipe: Vietnamese Cinnamon and Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine 

Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

17) Rustic Sourdough Bread 

If your sourdough starter is not perfectly ripe, add some instant yeast to the mix to give it a boost. (It’s not cheating, we promise!) The result is a failproof, rustic loaf with the familiar tang of sourdough and a wonderful, crispy crust. 

Get the recipe: Rustic Sourdough Bread  

Shop the recipe: Fresh Sourdough Starter and Glass Sourdough Crock Set and Bread Slashing Lame 

Cover photo (Cinnamon Bread) by Liz Neily.