Easy Homemade Artisan Bread

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Easy Homemade Artisan Bread

Servings: 1-lb loaves

Author: Zoë François

Equipment

Ingredients

3 cups (680g) lukewarm water
1 tbsp (10g) granulated yeast
1 tbsp (17g) kosher salt
6 1/2 cups (910g) all-purpose flour see notes

Instructions

Mixing and Storing the Dough

In a 6-quart bowl or lidded dough bucket, add yeast and salt to lukewarm water (about 100℉).
Using a Danish dough whisk (or a wooden spoon or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), stir in the flour just until the dough is uniform.
Pro Tip: Because this is a wet, sticky dough, you don't need to knead it. The dough will look a little shaggy and not as smooth and neat as traditional dough when you first stir it together. There shouldn't be dry bits of flour left, so make sure they are all incorporated.

Resting and Rising the Dough

Cover the container with a lid that fits well but isn't airtight, or use plastic wrap. Allow to rise on the counter for about 2 hours.
Pro Tips: My husband drilled a tiny hole in the top of my plastic lids, so I could snap them shut but have a way for the gas from the yeast to escape.
If your kitchen is quite cold, you can place the dough bucket in your oven (turned off) with just the oven light on for the 2-hour rise.
Once your dough has risen, store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.
Baker's notes: I like the dough between 2 to 5 days, beyond that it gets a bit fermenty for my taste. My co-author, Jeff, sometimes let his dough go beyond the 14 days because he LOVED that flavor. You decide which suits you best.
I tend to make a half batch these days because the boys are out of the house, and Graham and I don't go through as much bread. You can easily half or double the recipe, just be sure to adjust the size of the container.

On Baking Day

Prepare a pizza peel with cornmeal or parchment paper to prevent your loaf from sticking to the peel when you slide it into the oven (the parchment paper slides right onto the stone along with the loaf).
Pro Tips: I almost always use parchment paper to prevent the cornmeal from creating smoke when it hits the hot stone. The parchment paper also acts as a sling to more easily lower the bread into a preheated Dutch oven.
WARNING: parchment paper will generally say it can only go up to 450°F, but I regularly bake it at 550°F. It may darken when baking, but otherwise it is just fine.

To Shape the Dough

Dust the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife or kitchen shears.
Dust the dough with more flour, then gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball as you go to form a smooth ball. The shaping process should take about 30 seconds—don't work the dough longer or your loaf may be dense.
Pro Tip: The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of straggly ends, but it will smooth out during resting and baking.

Allow the Loaf to Rise

Place the shaped ball on the prepared pizza peel or parchment paper and allow it to rest for about 1 hour, covered loosely with plastic wrap or a large bowl that will not interfere with the rising dough. You may not see much rise during this period; much more rising will occur during baking.

Preheating

While the dough is rising, preheat a baking stone, Dutch oven, or bread cloche near the middle of the oven to 475℉, which takes about 30+ minutes.
Pro Tip: The thicker the baking stone, the longer it will take to preheat. Be sure to give it plenty of time to come to temperature, or your bread will not rise as well, and the crust won't be as thin and crisp.
If using a baking stone, place an empty metal broiler tray or roasting pan for holding water on any shelf that won't interfere with rising bread.
WARNING: Never use a glass pan to catch water for steam—it's likely to shatter.

Score the Loaf

Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will prevent the knife from sticking. Slash a 1/2-inch deep pattern into the top, using a serrated bread knife held perpendicular to the bread. You can also use a bread lame. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before eating.

If Baking on a Baking Stone

Slide the loaf onto the preheated stone. Quickly but carefully pour about 1 cup of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray or roasting pan and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch.
Pro Tip: The water will burn off after about 10 minutes and that's normal, no need to add more water, it's already done its job. The steam it produces softens the dough to help it rise. It also helps to create a shiny crust.
Pro Tip: If you have a gas oven, it may not trap the steam well and your loaf will come out with a duller looking crust. If this happens, try using a Dutch oven for your next loaf.
Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking times. Because the dough is wet, there is little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust.

If Baking in a Bread Cloche or Dutch Oven

Use an oven mitt to carefully remove the lid of the preheated Dutch oven, then place the loaf in the vessel.
Pro Tip: If you've placed the bread dough on parchment paper, use it as a sling to carefully lower the loaf into the preheated Dutch oven.
Cover the vessel and allow to bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the lid and and continue to baking for another 10-12 minutes until the crust is deep caramel brown.

Cool

When you remove the loaf from the oven, a perfectly baked loaf will audibly crackle or "sing," when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely (up to 2 hours), preferably on a wire cooling rack, for best flavor, texture, and slicing. The crust may initially soften, but will firm up again once cooled. This bread is best eaten the day it was made.

Storing Dough

Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded container and use it over the next 14 days. You'll find that even one day's storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the 14-day storage period. You can freeze the dough, but it does reduce its rising power.

Notes

This recipe was tested with Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour, which has a protein content of about 10%, as do most supermarket brands. Some flours, like King Arthur, Dakota Maid, and most Canadian all-purpose flours have a higher protein content and will need a bit of extra water. Use 1/4 cup extra water if you're using one of these flours or if you know the protein is higher in the flour you're using.

When measuring your flour, if you aren't using a kitchen scale, be sure to use the scoop-and-sweep method. Gently scoop up flour, then sweep the top level with a knife or spatula; don't press down into the flour as you scoop or you'll throw off the measurement by compressing.

It's easier to scoop and sweep if you store your flour in a bin rather than the bag it's sold in. It can be difficult to get the measuring cups into the bag without making a mess. Don't use an extra-large 2-cup-capacity measuring cup, which allows the flour to overpack and measures too much flour.