Homemade Artisan Bread
This delicious no-knead homemade Artisan bread is made with simple ingredients. Homemade bread is one of the coziest baked goods you can add to your staple cooking. The bread aroma in the home is calming, and the process is relaxing, one of my favorite ways to be in the moment. Enjoy!
Servings: 32 servings
Calories: 93kcal
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups lukewarm water, about 120 degrees
- 1 + ½ tbsp yeast
- 1 + ½ tbsp salt (course)
- 1 + ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
- 6 + ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour (see notes for whole wheat)
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and warm water, for about 6 - 8 minutes.
2. Add salt and vinegar. Mix in flour a cupful at a time until it's all incorporated.
3. Cover your dough with a towel and aside in a warm place (oven or on top of the fridge), to rise for about 2 - 3 hours, until the dough has at least doubled in size.
4. Cover dough (don't seal completely) and place in the fridge for 8 hours.
5. Take 1/2 of the dough out of the bowl, lightly flour your hands, and pull it into the shape of your loaf. Let rise for about 40 minutes. Make a slice on the top of the dough with a knife.
6. Preheat the oven to 450F with a cast-iron Dutch oven inside.
7. Remove the dutch oven from the stove and place one loaf into the dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 25 minutes, remove the lid, and bake for another 10 minutes until golden on top.
Notes
- You can swap white flour for whole wheat; reduce flour to 5 1/2 cups and increase only if the dough is too wet and won’t hold any shape.
- The dough is meant to be wet for gluten to form correctly, and no kneading is required.
- Let the bread cool for at least 30 min; if you slice it into a hot loaf, you'll end up with a gummy center that will seem underbanked. I like to let it cool for at least 3 hours; I find it easier to slice, but it can be cut while warm.
- Optional - You can brush your loaf with butter when it comes out of the oven; this will soften the crust.