Because has she ever steered us wrong?  

By Lauren Wicks and Zee Krstic
Updated: January 22, 2019

If there's anyone who knows how to hack a complicated recipe, its Joanna Gaines—the HGTV star recently released her first cookbook that's chock full of recipe hacks. Which is why many home cooks listened up when Gaines raved about a special appliance, and the one "dump" recipe that makes it so useful, on her Instagram story over the holiday season. Now that we're in the dead of winter, there's no better time to 

Shot using a phone in what seems to be her personal kitchen, NBC's Today reported back in December that Gaines suggested that we all add a new bread maker to our wish list—and so we did so right away.

But Gaines also has a foolproof recipe for making a fresh loaf of bread with just about three minutes of prep time. In her Magnolia blog, Gaines shares that "the thought of homemade fresh bread used to overwhelm me"—but also shares a bread recipe that can be simply placed into a bread maker before walking away.

More tips and tricks from Joanna Gaines:

Joanna's bread hack is designed to be more sweet than savory, but we find that simply reducing the amount of sugar used can make for a better slice—and will help keep sugar intake in control. The ingredients in Joanna's recipe are: 

  1. (1) Cup warm water
  2. 1/4 cup white sugar
  3. 1 (.25 ounces) package of bread machine yeast
  4. 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
  5. 3 cups bread flour
  6. 1 tsp salt

Gaines says to combine all ingredients into your bread maker, and select the "basic" mode to bake to perfection.

The bread maker shown in Gaines’ Instagram story is a Breville Custom Bread Maker. This user-friendly appliance is equipped with 13 automatic settings (one programed for gluten-free bread, which is exciting!), three crust settings, and four loaf sizes, ensuring it will produce bread to your exact specifications.

It even comes with a fruit and nut dispenser for a perfectly timed release, allowing the ingredients to be evenly dispersed throughout the loaf.

Courtesy of Amazon.

Shop Now: Breville BBM800XL Custom Bread Maker, $249.96

The Hamilton Beach HomeBaker is a budget friendly option, a quarter of the price of the Breville. It has 12 settings, including a gluten-free option, three crust settings, and two loaf sizes. It also can double as a great place to prep other doughs for pizza, cakes, flatbreads, and more. This would make a wonderful gift for both new and avid bakers in your life this holiday season.

Shop Now: Hamilton Beach 29882C HomeBaker, $62.25