Only 4 simple ingredients are needed for this homemade Artisan Bread recipe. You won’t believe how simple it is to make this crusty bread with yeast. This bread has a thick, crispy crust and a chewy crumb, and you don’t even need a mixer to make it. It’s great for novice bakers or seasoned pros looking for a new flavorful bread recipe because of how forgiving it is.
This artisan bread is the best thing since sliced bread fresh from the oven. It’s a quick and simple bread that goes well with any kind of dip, soup, or sauce. It’s deliciously chewy and flavorful on the inside and crisp and satisfying on the outside. It’s so good that you simply must have more.
This bread recipe is so simple to put together that you will want to bake it again and again. The bread practically forms itself after you combine the ingredients, and you don’t need any special equipment to do so.
Ingredients for this dish
- The higher protein content in bread flour makes for a heartier, chewier loaf of bread, but you can get away with using all-purpose flour if you’re out of bread flour.
- When using instant yeast, make sure it hasn’t gone bad. Rather than first dissolving the yeast in water, I’m using instant yeast in this bread recipe. Make my Irish soda bread in its place if you are out of yeast.
- Do not forget the salt; without it, your bread will taste bland.
Ingredients
- ▢3 ¾ cups bread flour divided (450 grams)
- ▢2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- ▢1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt (10 grams)
- ▢1 ½ cups warm water between 120°F and 130°F (360 grams)
BREADWATCH: MAKING ARTISAN BREAD
- Put the flour, yeast, and salt in a big bowl and mix them together with a wooden spoon.
- Add water, stirring constantly, until the dough becomes very sticky and lumps of flour disappear.
- It takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for the dough to double in size if it is kept covered and in a warm, draft-free area. If you prefer, you can let it rise in the fridge overnight, covered, until it doubles in size, about 8 hours.
- Turn the oven temperature up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and put a large Dutch oven with a lid in it. Next, remove the bowl from under the risen dough and, with hands lightly dusted with flour, stretch the edge of the dough over the center toward the opposite side. Repeat the folding and turning, working in a circle around the dough, for another 8-10 turns, or until the dough begins to hold its shape. The dough should be turned out onto a lightly floured surface, seam side down. Form into a loaf shape.
- Put the dough on a floured piece of parchment paper. For the first 10 minutes, cover the dish loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Make a slit across the top of the dough about a quarter of an inch deep using a sharp knife or bread lame.
- Put the dough on the parchment paper and into the Dutch oven as soon as it has been heated. Put the lid on it. Put in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes. After 15 to 17 minutes without the lid, the food should be deeply golden. Lift the artisan bread out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE LIKE A PRO
- Before incorporating it into the dry ingredients, test the water’s temperature. The yeast could be destroyed if the water is too hot. However, yeast cannot be activated by water that is too cold.
- Refrigerating the dough overnight will give it a deeper flavor due to the rise of the yeast.
- Do not omit the parchment paper; it facilitates transferring the dough from the dutch oven to the counter top. Not only does this keep the bread from scorching, but it also keeps it from sinking to the bottom of the pan.
- If you use a scale to measure your flour, you won’t accidentally add too much. The most frequent cause of bread that fails to rise is the addition of extra flour to the recipe. If you don’t have a measuring scoop, just use a spoon to aerate the flour before sprinkling it into the measuring cup.
- Be sure the bowl you’re using to mix the dough is big enough. As the dough rises, its size should double.
- The bread will rise in the oven, so use a Dutch oven that can accommodate the expansion.
- Do not stress too much over making perfectly round balls of dough. It’s supposed to have a homey appearance because it’s artisan bread. Crispy ridges form on any lumps or bumps.
FAQ
CRUNCHY BREAD: WHAT TO PAIR IT WITH?
The best way to enjoy this artisan bread is with a steaming bowl of my homemade chicken noodle soup or tomato soup. It’s great for spreading thick layers of spreads like apple butter, honey butter, strawberry jam, or pumpkin butter. If I’m serving baked brie, I also like to bake a loaf of artisan bread to accompany the cheese.
Can I flavor the dough with anything?
You can put your own spin on this homemade bread in a snap. Flavor can be amplified by adding in ingredients like herbs (fresh or dried), garlic, cheese, dried fruit, nuts, and extra flaky sea salt.
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