How to Make Artisan Bread at Home with Simple Ingredients

Table of Contents

• Why This Recipe is Worth Making
• Ingredients
• Step-By-step Instructions
  • Step 1: Mix the Dough (The 5-Minute Mix)
  • Step 2: The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
  • Step 3: Shaping the Loaf
  • Step 4: The Second Rise (Fermentation)
  • Step 5: Baking the Bread
  • Step 6: Cooling
• Extra Tips for Perfect Results
• Storing It Plus Leftovers
• Conclusion

There's something really satisfying about hauling a loaf of homemade artisan bread from the oven. That glistening golden-brown crust, the airy, soft crumb of the bread, and that wonderful smell filling up your kitchen all combine to make pure magic. You might imagine that it takes a professional bakery and years of training to produce such a masterpiece. But in fact, in this recipe we 'll show you how using just four simple ingredients--flour, water, salt and yeast--you can produce a loaf of bread that is the equal of any made by any artisan bakery in the world. This formula is designed for virtually everyone. Whether you are a beginner at baking or an old hand, the time has come for you to turn your kitchen into a little boulangerie and start baking bread that people will rave about.

Why This Recipe is Worth Making

What ticks of this recipe as a particularly special bread-making method is its almost breathtaking simplicity. The bread has maximum flavour with minimum effort. Unlike many bread recipes that need a lot of kneading and strict timing, this way of making bread is based around a long, slow fermentation. The process does all the work for you, resulting in bread characterized by its nice unique textures and complex tastes. This is a recipe that gives you a lot of flexibility to make adjustments for your own busy schedule. You can mix the dough for this recipe in less than five minutes, let it stay up overnight, and then stick it in a Dutch oven to bake.

The Dutch oven is the secret to that crispy, crusty exterior crust.Because the bread bakes in steam, just like in a professional steam-injection machine, it creates an environment where steam is trapped.This steam keeps the crust soft at the beginning of the bake, enabling the loaf to expand fully (a phenomenon called "oven spring").Then once the lid is removed, the crust quickly turns a deep golden brown & deliciously crisp.The result is an authentic, kaiyou-style handmade loaf with a taste that is a little sour and a pulled chew all its own.

Ingredients

• 3 cups (400g) all-purpose or bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (2g) instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups (350ml) lukewarm water (about 95-105°F or 35-40°C)

Note: Bread flour yields a somewhat chewier crumb because of its higher protein content; all-purpose flour also works beautifully. Use lukewarm water to properly activate the yeast without killing it completely.

Step-By-step Instructions

Step 1: Mix the Dough (The 5-Minute Mix)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Whisk them together so all the yeast and salt are equally dispersed throughout the flour. This step is important; if a large quantity of yeast comes right into contact with salt, it can slow down its enyeastment.

At last, stir in the warm water. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula, mix everything together until just combined. The dough will appear shaggy, sticky, and messy. Don't be anxious, that's just perfect! There is no need to knead the dough. Simply ensure there are no dry patches of flour left at the bottom of the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and bring the dough together into a rough ball.

Step 2: The First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Put it in a warm, draft-free spot in your kitchen and let it rest for 12 to 18 hours. The perfect temperature is around 70°F (21°C). If your kitchen is warmer than this, the dough may be ready sooner (around 12 hours). If it's cooler, it may take the full 18 hours or even a little longer.Over this long, slow fermentation, the yeast get all of its miracles going. It slowly gives off carbon dioxide. The dough will rise and form bubbles as it does so. When the surface is dotted with bubbles, and the dough has more than doubled in size, it is ready. It will also be somewhat jiggly and have a nice, slightly alcoholic odor.This long fermentation develops the complex flavors characteristic of artisan bread.

Step 3: Shaping the Loaf

Lightly flour a clean work surface. Gently scrape the sticky, bubbling dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface. The dough will be quite slack and tacky, which is normal. Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough.

Now it's time to shape the dough. This gives it surface tension that will allow the bread to rise in the oven. Fold your dough onto itself a couple of times. Stretch one side of the dough towards the center, and then fold it gently over. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat three more times, as if you were folding a letter.

After folding, flip the dough over so that its seam side is down. Now cup your hands around the dough and pull it towards yourself. As it touches the work surface, friction causes a tight, round ball to form (a boule). You'll feel the dough starting to tauten up.

The Second Rise (Fermentation) Step 4

To start the second rise, lay a large piece of parchment paper on your work surface and sprinkle it lightly with flour before transferring the dough onto it. With the seam-side down, place the shaped dough in center of parchment paper. If you would like a more rustic, flour-dusted top on your bread this time around (maybe to hide some unevenness in shaping), add another light coat of flour.

Cover dough gently with plastic or a kitchen towel and let it rest for another 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450 °F (230 °C). Put a 4-quart or larger Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid into the oven at least 30 minutes before ahead of time. A sizzling hot Dutch oven is crucial to stellar oven spring and crispy crust.

Step 5: Baking the Bread

After the Dutch oven and the oven are fully preheated, take out the pot with a pair of kitchen mitts. It will be burning, so be careful! Take off the oven lid. Pick up the dough that has been proofed with your parchment paper to make a sling. Carefully lower the Dutch oven filled with bread dough.Let your dough back rise for another three hours, then you can bake it in the oven.

Tip: If you like, you can go ahead and slice on the top of this loaf. Just do it with either a knife or a bread lame. One confident cut, just over half an inch deep, straight across the top is recommended for producing both some steam through that hole slit as well as a beautiful "ear."

Finally, put the top on the Dutch oven and return it to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Then, after 30 minutes, take off the top. Your bread will have a light cast but it is fully risen. Continue to bake, without the lid, for another 15 to 25 minutes-- until the crust is a deep, rich golden brown in color. Testing for doneness is easy: just tap the bottom of your loaf and it should sound hollow.

Step 6: Cooling

With oven mitts on, carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven and set it on a wire cooling rack. This step is crucial! As tempting as it may be to slice right into the bread, one must wait at least an hour for the bread to cool. While it is cooling off, the bread is still cooking inside itself and if you cut too soon will result in a gummy texture. The sound of the crust crackling as it cools is one of the high points in baking procedure.

These are mistakes that people often make when making bread:

• Water that is too hot (above 120°F/49°C) will kill the yeast, and your dough won't rise. Water that's too cold will put the yeast to rest. It· should be lukewarm to the touch. Using ice water will significantly retard the fermentation of the yeast.
• Perhaps the dough was not allowed to ferment long enough: Simply cutting short the first rise will result in a dense loaf with less flavor. Be patient and wait for the signs: doubled in bulk, surface nice and bubbly, dough jiggles like firm jelly. If your room is cool, give the dough an extra few hours.
• But if you overdue it, the air bubbles will collapse and you will be left with nothing to show for your work. So go ahead and shape the dough a little confidently and beautifully with no heavy hand: sashi gently to preserve the airiness.
• 3A cold Dutch oven won't provide the initial heat blast needed for good oven spring, so preheat it up with the oven for at least 30 minutes to get it screaming hot.

Extra Tips for Perfect Results

>>(Add in extras) You're already making some fine bread; why not make it spectacular? Here are a few extra tips.

• Add mix-ins: Go ahead, be creative! Stir in about ¾ cup of your favorite mix-ins at the time of initial mixing. Chopped olives and rosemary, sharp shredded cheddar cheese and jalapeños, or toasted walnuts and cranberries all stack up nicely.
• Use a kitchen scale: For the most consistent and accurate results, measure your ingredients in weight (grams) rather than volume (cups). This eliminates any variations in the way you scoop flour.
• Try out other kinds of flour: Replace about 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with a quick change of pace like whole wheat or rye flour for a nuttier, more complex taste and denser crumb.
• Serving ideas: This bread is good for anything. Enjoy it warm with some high-quality butter, use portions of it in sandwiches, put some on the side to dip into your soup, or bake it in the toaster and then layer the product out with slices of avocado on top as well.

Storing It Plus Leftovers

Home-made bread is tastiest fresh. Even so you may store it in reasonable time so long as you follow these guidelines. To store let the loaf cool thoroughly. Then keep it at room temperature either in a paper bag or breadbox for up to 3 days. A paper bag will maintain the crust fairly crisp. Your bread should not go into a plastic bag, which will keep moisture trapped and will turn the crust soft.

For longer storage you may freeze the bread. Slice the cool loaf open completely, wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and put all of them inside a bag that goes in the freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months. You can take individual pieces out to toast directly out of the freezer. To revive a day-old loaf lightly spray it with water and bake it in an oven heated to 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes.

Conclusion

Baking your own artisan venison (natural yeast) rustic bread is an incredibly rewarding experience that brings you into the ancient past. By following this simple no-knead recipe, you can make an inexpensive, good-looking, tasty loaf for your family and friends. Do n't feel confined. We encourage you to try this recipe and find the pleasure of baking from scratch. Post in the comments section below to share your favorite recipes or any dark nights with chicken cutlets created new ways.