Homemade Two-Hour Buns: A Quick and Nostalgic Solution for Fresh Bread
I don’t know about you, but in the hustle and bustle of daily life, I rarely have the luxury of spending an entire day making bread. Two-hour buns though? I’ve got time for that!
Oh, the memories I have of bread-baking day! Growing up, once a week, like clockwork, my mom would make a big batch of bread. The house would be filled with the comforting aroma of freshly baked bread, and we’d have buns and homemade loaves to last us the rest of the week.
It was a ritual that brought warmth and togetherness, not to mention the unbeatable taste of homemade bread.
These days, with inflation and grocery prices skyrocketing, making your own bread isn’t just a nostalgic practice—it’s a practical one. Store-bought bread can be expensive, and often, it’s full of preservatives and additives.
Making your own bread at home can be a fantastic cost-saving measure, and you have control over the ingredients. But who has time for traditional bread recipes that require hours of kneading, rising, and baking?
That’s where this two-hour buns recipe comes in. It’s been my savior on countless occasions when I needed fresh bread in a hurry. This recipe is a family favorite, passed down from my mom and grandma.
They often turned to this quick and reliable recipe if they ran out of bread before the week was over and needed more in a pinch. It’s a perfect blend of convenience and tradition.
One of the things I love about this recipe is that it uses regular yeast. I’ve tried rapid rise and instant yeast, but I never get the same results. There’s something truly gratifying about watching a bowl of yeast rise, the bubbles forming as the yeast works its magic. It feels like a small, rewarding accomplishment every time.
But that’s just me. If you prefer to use rapid yeast, go right ahead. Just substitute the rapid yeast for the regular yeast in this recipe, and you are good to go (you can skip the part about setting the yeast mixture aside to rise).
Another thing that I love about this recipe – no kneading required! You just mix everything up in a bowl, then leave it to rise.
If you are not familiar with homemade bread, it doesn’t last as long on the counter as store bought bread (because it doesn’t have all of those additives – a good thing, in my book!). If you don’t anticipate using all the buns in 2-3 days, I suggest you freeze some and thaw as needed.
Here’s my go-to recipe for two-hour buns, perfect for those days when you want homemade bread without the time commitment.
Homemade Two-Hour Buns: A Quick and Nostalgic Solution for Fresh Bread
3
dozen20
minutes20
minutesIngredients
2 Tbsp regular yeast
1/2 c water
2 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp salt
3 c very lukewarm water
4 tbsp melted shortening, lard, or cooking oil
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
8 c flour (approximately)
Directions
- Mix the first three ingredients together; set aside to rise for 10 minutes.
- Mix the remaining ingredients together, except the flour, then add the yeast mixture.
- Add the flour in small increments until it forms a soft dough.
- Cover with clean tea towel, and let rise one hour.
- Punch down and form into buns, place in greased pans, cover with clean tea towel and let rise one hour.
- For a lovely golden brown top, brush the buns with an egg wash after rising and before baking (1 egg whisked with about 2 Tbsp water).
- Bake at 350F for about 18 minutes until tops are brown.
Notes
- Do you know what’s better than homemade bread? Homemade bread with homemade jam! Try pairing these buns with our classic Strawberry Jam recipe – you won’t be disappointed!
And there you have it—fresh, homemade buns in just two hours! These buns are soft, fluffy, and perfect for sandwiches, burgers, or just slathering with butter and jam. Plus, the satisfaction of making your own bread in such a short time is priceless.
So next time you’re in a pinch for fresh bread, give this two-hour buns recipe a try. It’s a little slice of nostalgia, brought to you with the convenience of modern-day baking. Enjoy!
