Description
This Artisan Bread recipe yields a crusty, flavorful loaf with a chewy crumb, made using simple ingredients and an easy no-knead method. Ideal for beginners and bread lovers looking to create bakery-quality bread at home, the long fermentation time develops deep flavor and perfect texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups (395 grams) all-purpose flour or bread flour
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ¼ ounce instant or active dry yeast packet (or 2 ¼ teaspoons)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water (105°F)
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt, and yeast thoroughly to ensure even distribution.
- Add Water and Form Dough: Pour the warm water over the dry mixture and stir until the ingredients come together into a sticky yet manageable dough.
- First Rise: Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 10 hours, or preferably overnight, to develop flavor and texture.
- Shape Loaf: Wet your hands to prevent sticking, transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently fold the edges into the center to form a round loaf. Alternatively, divide into two smaller loaves, tucking the ends underneath for a neat shape.
- Second Rest: Place the shaped dough onto parchment paper. Dust the top lightly with flour, score with 1 to 4 shallow lines using a bread knife to allow expansion, and let it rest 20 to 30 minutes to relax before baking.
- Preheat Oven: Heat your oven to 450°F (232°C) with a baking stone, pizza stone, Dutch oven, or iron skillet placed inside to create a hot baking surface.
- Create Steam: Transfer the dough on the parchment paper onto the hot surface in the oven. Immediately add 1 cup of hot water or 5 ice cubes to the bottom of the oven to generate steam, then close the oven quickly to trap moisture, resulting in a crustier loaf.
- Bake: Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp.
- Cool: Remove the bread from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing to allow the crumb to set properly.
- Storage: Store the bread in a paper bag to maintain a crisp crust and avoid moisture buildup.
Notes
- Using bread flour will yield a chewier, more elastic crumb compared to all-purpose flour.
- Long fermentation (overnight) significantly improves flavor and texture.
- Scoring the dough controls expansion and creates an attractive appearance.
- Adding steam during baking is essential for a crusty exterior.
- Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing to avoid gummy texture.
- Store in paper rather than plastic to keep the crust crisp.
- This recipe can be doubled if using two loaves.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: No-Knead Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 56 grams)
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 0.2 grams
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Fat: 0.5 grams
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.3 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 31 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 5 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: artisan bread, no-knead bread, homemade bread, crusty bread, easy bread recipe, bread baking, simple bread
