Open your gallon-size zip-top bag and add 1 cup of flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2¼ teaspoons of instant yeast, and 1 cup of warm water. The water should feel like warm bath water on your finger. Not hot.

Push most of the air out of the bag and seal it tight. Now squish, squeeze, and shake the bag until everything is mixed together. You'll have a thin, pancake-batter-like mixture. That's exactly right.

Set the bag on the counter (sealed) and wait about 10 minutes. Watch what happens. The bag will start to puff up as the yeast produces carbon dioxide gas. The batter will get bubbly and foamy. That inflating bag is proof that your yeast is alive and working.

Open the bag and add 2 cups of flour, 1½ teaspoons of salt, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter. Don't dump all the flour in at once. Add about half, seal, squish. Then add the rest, seal, squish again.

Seal the bag and start squishing. At first it will feel like a sticky mess. Keep going. Squeeze it, fold the bag over itself, press it flat, fold it again. After a couple minutes, you'll feel it change. The dough will start pulling away from the sides of the bag. It will feel like a smooth, firm ball instead of a gooey paste. That moment when it changes is gluten forming.

When the dough feels smooth and pulls cleanly away from the bag walls, it's ready. Open the bag and poke it. It should feel like a firm stress ball, smooth on the outside and slightly springy. If it's still very sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time and squish more.

Sprinkle a tiny bit of flour on a clean countertop or table. Open the bag and turn it inside out over the surface, letting the dough fall out. It should come out pretty clean.

Push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand. Fold it back toward you. Turn it a quarter turn. Repeat. Keep going for about 5 minutes. The dough should feel smooth, elastic, and slightly warm from your hands. It should not stick to the counter. If it does, add a tiny pinch of flour.

Poke the dough with your finger. If it slowly springs back and leaves just a small dent, it's ready. If it springs back fast and hard, knead a little more. If it doesn't spring back at all, you've over-kneaded (rare with hand kneading, so don't worry too much).

Rub a little butter or oil inside your loaf pan so the bread doesn't stick. Get the bottom and all four sides.

Pat your dough into a flat rectangle, roughly the width of your loaf pan. Now roll it up tightly from one short end to the other, like a sleeping bag. Pinch the seam closed with your fingers. Tuck the ends under. Place it seam-side down in the greased pan.

If you don't have a loaf pan, shape the dough into a round ball (a boule) and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. It'll bake into a rustic round loaf instead of a sandwich loaf. Both are great.

Cover the loaf pan loosely with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Set it somewhere warm. The dough needs about 30-45 minutes to rise. You're looking for it to puff up until it's just above the rim of the pan. It should look pillowy and soft.

Gently poke the side of the dough with a floured finger. If it springs back slowly and leaves a small indent, it's ready to bake. If it snaps back quickly, give it another 10 minutes.

An adult preheats the oven to 375°F (190°C). Make sure the rack is in the middle position.

An adult places the loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 25 minutes. The bread is done when the top is golden brown and it sounds hollow when you tap it with your knuckle. If you have a thermometer, the inside should read 190-200°F (88-93°C).

An adult removes the bread from the oven. Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack or clean towel. Wait at least 15 more minutes before cutting. If you slice hot bread, the inside will be gummy. Patience makes better bread.

Pat the dough into a flat rectangle roughly the width of your loaf pan.

Starting from one short end, roll the dough up tightly like a sleeping bag. Keep tension as you roll.

Pinch the seam closed. Tuck the ends under. Place seam-side down in a greased loaf pan.

Pull the edges of the dough toward the center, rotate, and repeat until you have a tight ball with a smooth top.

Set the ball seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Use a sharp knife to cut an X or a single line across the top. This controls how the bread expands in the oven and looks professional.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) for at least 15 minutes.

Place loaf pan on middle rack. Bake 25 minutes until golden brown on top.

Tap the bottom of the bread. If it sounds hollow, it's done. Internal temp should be 190-200°F (88-93°C).

Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Wait at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) for at least 15 minutes.

Place baking sheet on middle rack. Bake 25-30 minutes until deep golden brown.

Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.