I think it is fairly safe to assume that we all love freshly baked bread. The sound of the crust shattering when it is first cut into, the gentle scent of freshly activated yeast and the way butter melts instantly as it is slid over a warm slice. Freshly baked bread is cozy, comforting and can really transform your mood in a way that few other foods can.
If you too love freshly baked bread, but are nervous to make your own, this is the perfect recipe to start with. This simple artisan bread requires no kneading, only 4 ingredients and there are several options time wise and shaping wise to give you lots of flexibility.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering your ingredients. You will need bread flour, water, salt and a packet of instant yeast. I love Red Star‘s yeast and can always find it in the baking aisle of my local grocery store. Always check the date on your yeast to make sure it has not expired.
When baking bread, your best insurance for success is in weighing your flour. This is not a complicated task! I have heard so many people say that they have failed at baking bread in the past and when I ask if they weighed their flour, they always say no. Why not? A kitchen scale can be found at Walmart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Amazon and some grocery stores too. Scales can be found for under $20 and they will help ensure that your dough is exactly the same as mine. Why wouldn’t you weigh your ingredients?
And when I say “ingredients” in this recipe it is actually just the flour. The water measurement is in ml, which can be seen on any measuring cup and you are using an envelope of yeast, which is already pre-measured for you. The salt can be accurately measured with a teaspoon measuring scoop, so this just leaves the flour.
Please measure your flour… you are at great risk of being frustrated if you don’t…
Although, I just went on and on about weighing the flour, if you are in need of a cup conversion, the 500 grams of bread flour required for this recipe is roughly 4 cups of bread flour that has been spooned into your measuring cup and leveled off with the back of a butter knife. Filling your measuring cups with a spoon will help to prevent the flour from compacting inside the measuring cup when being scooped.
In a large bowl, whisk 500 grams of bread flour with an envelope of instant yeast and a teaspoon of salt. Whisk in 425ml of room temperature water and mix until a shaggy dough begins to form.
Although this dough does not require kneading, be sure that all of the flour in your bowl has been incorporated into the dough. If you leave dry flour behind at this stage, you will have dry lumps in your bread and no one wants dry lumps of flour in their bread, so mix until everything is completely incorporated.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rest on your counter top for 2-3 hours.
After this rise, you can begin shaping your dough to prepare for baking or transfer the covered bowl into your refrigerator to chill for up to 4 days.
Whether you are baking this bread in one day or several days later, before you prep your loaves, prep your oven by placing one rack at the very lowest setting and the second rack in the middle. Place a deep metal baking pan on the bottom rack (empty for now) and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
This dough is quite wet and soft, so you’ll want to shape your loaves on a generously floured surface. Divide the dough into two (or more) equal portions and use floured hands to shape your loaves.
Sprinkle a baking sheet with flour or cornmeal and transfer the shaped loaves onto it. Cover the loaves lightly with a kitchen towel and let the loaves rest for about 45 minutes. This will both give your loaves a good second proof and allow your oven to get nice and hot.
Right before baking, use a very sharp knife or a bread lame (a little razor for scoring loaves) to cut several lines into the top of each loaf. You don’t want to cut very deep, just enough to pierce the outer surface of the loaves. This will help direct the spreading into these lines and will result in pretty, uniformly risen loaves.
Right before transferring your loaves into the oven, carefully pour a cup of very hot water into the metal baking dish on the bottom rack of your oven. Place the baking sheet with your shaped loaves onto the middle rack and back them for 25-30 minutes. If you are baking one large loaf, increase the baking time a bit and if you divided the dough into more than 2 portions, then the smaller loaves should be ready at closer to 20 minutes.
Fully baked bread will be 190 degrees with an instant read thermometer and will sound hollow when you tap on the underside of the loaf.
Note: The water in the bottom baking pan will steam up and help to create a wonderfully crisp crust, while allowing the interior of your loaves to stay soft and chewy.
Transfer your baked loaves into a cooling rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. This is by far the hardest part of this recipe, but if you have ever cut into a loaf of bread too early, you will know why it is am important step.
There is a lot of moisture in a freshly baked loaf and it needs time to evenly distribute as it cools. If you slice into it and disrupt this process, it can leave parts of your loaf feeling gummy and under-baked, so let it cool slowly and you will have a beautifully soft, chewy crumb.
Even after baking countless loaves, I am still always amazed at how incredibly delicious a little bit of flour, salt, water and yeast can become. These loaves have a thin, crisp crust and a fabulously soft and chewy interior that is just begging to be smothered in butter.
This bread can be enjoyed as is or sliced in half horizontally and filled with meats and cheeses to make a big, beautiful sub. It is great alongside a bowl of soup or salad and is the perfect accompaniment for pasta or pot roast.
Once you gain your confidence baking this simple no-knead artisan bread, you may never stop and nothing would make me more happy! Having the ability to whip up fresh baked bread for friends and family…. and yourself is a great skill to have and this is the perfect loaf to get started on.
Happy baking my friends!
Simple Artisan Bread
Ingredients
- 500 grams of bread flour (about 4 cups)
- 425 ml of cool water (1 3/4 cups)
- 7 grams of instant yeast (1 envelope)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Combine 500 grams of bread flour with 1 envelope of instant yeast and a teaspoon of salt into a large bowl
- Add 425ml of water and mix until a shaggy dough forms
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours
- Transfer the covered dough into the refrigerator for between 12 hours and 4 days (or continue to the next step if baking same day)
- When you are ready to bake the bread, place a metal deep baking dish on the lowest set rack in your oven, place the other rack in middle of your oven and begin preheating your oven to 450 degrees (with the empty baking pan inside)
- While the oven preheats, transfer the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes
- Lightly flour your hands and transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half with a sharp knife or pastry cutter
- Gently shape the dough into two rounds or oval shaped loaves adding flour to your hands when necessary
- Lightly flour a sheet a baking sheet and transfer the shaped loaves onto the floured baking sheet
- Cover the loaves with a light towel and let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes
- Once the bread is ready to bake, use a very sharp knife or bread lame to score 2 or 3 shallow cuts into the top of both loaves
- Right before placing the dough into the oven, add 1 cup of very hot water into the baking dish on the lowest rack of your oven
- Transfer the loaves onto the middle set rack (keeping the oven door closed as much as possible during this process) and bake the loaves in the 450 degree oven for 25-30 minutes
- The bread is fully baked when the interior temperature reaches 190 degrees and the loaves sound hollow when you tap on the under side
- Allow the loaves to rest on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before slicing
