I stole this recipe for Homemade Artisan Bread from Sallysbakingaddiction.com. Looking for another bread recipe to try? Make this easy to follow yeast bread. First flour, yeast and salt are mixed together. Then cool water is added in, while other recipes use hot water that you have to test with a thermometer. The dough is shaped and left to rise at room temperature for two hours. Next the dough is refrigerated overnight. The next day the dough is shaped into loaves and proofed before baking. Baking in the oven with a separate pan of boiling water helps the crust taste like artisanal bread you can buy at a bakery.
Did you know? In the last quarter of the twentieth century, the revival of interest in artisanal produced foods encouraged many small-scale bakers to penetrate urban and affluent areas. Resulting in exquisitely handcrafted loaves and specialty pastries of astounding variety.⁵ (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)
For this recipe you will need: 3 ¼ cups bread flour, 2 tsp instant yeast, 2 tsp coarse salt, 1 ½ cups cool water (70 F) as long as not hot or warm.
In a large ungreased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast and salt together. (It is important to use bread flour, unlike in other recipe where all-purpose flour is used.)
Then pour in the cool water and gently mix together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best as you can.
Next, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foul and set on the counter at room temperature. Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. Place the covered dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days
Lightly dust a nonstick baking sheet with flour. Turn the cold dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough in half. Using floured hands, shape 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each about 3 inches apart.
Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 475 F. When ready to bake, score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about ½ inch deep.
While the oven preheats, place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan on the bottom rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3-4 cups of boiling water into it. Place the baking sheet with the bread on a high rack and quickly close the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Remove the bread from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
If you liked the recipe for Homemade Artisan Bread you can try other yeast bread recipes like Olive Garden Breadsticks, Sandwich Rolls, Yeast Rolls or Featherlight Dinner Rolls.
Homemade Artisan Bread
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups bread flour spooned and leveled, plus more for hands and pan
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tsp coarse salt if using fine table salt reduce to 1 ½ tsp
- 1 ½ cups cool water 70 F as long as not hot or warm
- Cornmeal for dusting pan optional
Instructions
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In a large ungreased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast and salt together. Pour in the cool water and gently mix together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. If needed, use your hands to work the dough ingredients together. The dough will be sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best as you can.
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Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foul and set on the counter at room temperature. Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl and have a lot of air bubbles.
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Place the covered dough in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days (18 hours is best). The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days, this is normal.
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Lightly dust a nonstick baking sheet with flour and/or cornmeal. Turn the cold dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough in half. Some air bubbles will deflate as you work with it. Place the dough halves on the prepared baking sheet. Using floured hands, shape 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each about 3 inches apart. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 475 F.
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When ready to bake, score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about ½ inch deep.
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Place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan on the bottom rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3-4 cups of boiling water into it. Place the baking sheet with the bread on a high rack and quickly close the oven.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Gently tap the loaves, if they sound hollow, the bread it done.
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Remove the bread from the oven and cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for 5 days or refrigerate for 10 days.