Artisan Bread
All you need are 4 simple ingredients to make this Artisan Bread. Chewy on the inside with a crispy exterior, this homemade bread recipe is so easy, anyone can make it!
Servings 8 servings
Calories 222kcal
Equipment
- Dutch oven
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)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, yeast, and salt, stirring to combine with a large wooden spoon. Stir in water until the mixture is very sticky, and no lumps of flour remain. Cover and place in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- For an overnight rise: After mixing the dough, cover and refrigerate until doubled in size. This will take about 8 hours but will keep in the fridge up to 24 hours total.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a large Dutch oven with a lid in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Using lightly floured hands, reach down one side of the dough to the bottom of the bowl, pull up, and stretch the edge of the dough over the center toward the opposite side. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the folding and turning, working in a circle around the dough until the dough starts to hold its shape, about 8 to 10 rotations. Pinch any seams together at the center of the dough ball.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, placing it seam side down. Shape into a round loaf. Transfer the dough onto parchment paper and sprinkle it with flour. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel for 10 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife or bread lame, cut a slit about ¼-inch deep across the top of the dough. Very carefully place the dough with the parchment paper directly into the preheated Dutch oven. Cover with the lid.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake until deeply golden brown, about 15 to 17 minutes more. Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven using the parchment paper to help, and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to check your water temperature before adding it to the dry ingredients. If the water is too hot, you risk killing the yeast. However, if the water is too cold, it won’t activate the yeast.
- For a more robust flavor, refrigerate the dough overnight as it develops more flavor the longer it is refrigerated.
- Do not skip the parchment paper as it helps you move the dough in and out of the dutch oven. It also prevents the bread from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Avoid adding too much flour to the dough by measuring your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake leading to dense bread. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one, then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Make sure you are using a large enough bowl for the dough. The dough should double in size as it rises. The same goes for the dutch oven!
- Make sure you’re using a large enough Dutch oven as the bread rises as it bakes.
- Don’t worry too much about making sure the dough is perfectly round. Since it’s artisan bread, it’s meant to look a little rustic. Any uneven bits give you more crispy ridges.
Nutrition
Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 514mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg