The Best Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe
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Learn how to make a simple and delicious Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe using only flour, water, salt, and yeast for the perfect loaf. You will be blown away at how delicious this is.
Baking bread is one of the most fulfilling and satisfying procedures that you can do. If you are looking for more tasty bread recipes, try my Zucchini Bread or Homemade Bagel Recipe.
Artisan Bread
Artisan bread is a simple-to-prepare few ingredient bread loaf that takes about 6-8 hours from start to finish to make. It consists of flour, salt, water, and yeast and can often use a starter as the natural yeast.
Artisan comes from the term artisanal, which implies that a food or beverage has been primarily handmade and created in small batches using traditional methods. my culinary point of view is to focus on classical techniques as it applies to homemade recipes from scratch, and this artisan bread recipe fits right in.
Bread Making Tools
While I have a few things like a bannaton proofing basket and a flour sack towel, you do not need these things to have a successful loaf. The main tools to make this are a bowl, towel, and a pot with a lid that can sustain high heat. Do not overthink bread making. If, for some reason, you do not have a scale, there are ways to look up how to convert ingredient weight to volume.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour – I often use 00 or bread flour, but all-purpose flour can be used. In addition, I like to add wheat flour or other artisan wheat such as Kamut or Spelt.
- Water – You will need warm water between 98° and 100°.
- Salt – I use sea salt in all bread recipes, but kosher salt can be used.
- Yeast – You can use active dry yeast, instant yeast, or levain in this recipe.
How to Make Homemade Artisan Bread
To make this homemade bread recipe, you are looking at about 5 hours. If you do this recipe, you need to start in the morning to have it by dinner time.
In a large bowl, combine with your hands both of the flours and water until completely mixed together. Let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Next, sprinkle the salt and yeast overtop and mix it into the dough by pinching, stretching, and folding it over for 4 to 5 minutes.
Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and rest the dough in a warm dark place for 15 to 20 minutes before kneading the dough by folding it over for 2 minutes. You’ll notice the dough rise during this time.
Cover and rest for 45 to 60 minutes and then fold the dough over for 2 minutes. The dough may need a few more folds if the gluten is not strengthening.
Cover and rest for 2 hours or until it has tripled in size.
Dust a clean surface with flour and place the dough onto it. Sprinkle the top with flour and fold the dough over in thirds 3 to 4 times and then begin to mold the dough into a ball by cupping around the dough into the bottom.
Place the dough into a floured Benetton and cover, and rest for 60 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 475° while placing the dutch oven pot into the oven during the entire preheating cycle or for at least 30 minutes.
Flip the dough right into the hot Dutch oven pot, cover it and return it to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead – You can make this artisan bread recipe up to 1 day ahead of time.
How to Store – Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can freeze this loaf of bread for up to 6 months. Thaw it at room temperature until thawed before slicing and serving.
chef notes + Tips
- The bread should be light and fluffy inside with a beautiful hard crust on the outside.
- Bread, when done right, is loaded with all of the minerals and vitamins you need to sustain life.
- When it comes to bread baking, I only like to use a gram scale for its precision.
- You can also transfer the loaf to a sheet of parchment paper before transferring it into the dutch oven pot.
- It is not advised to do this in a stand mixer as it will tear the dough too much, relapsing the gluten strength.
More Bread Recipes
Video
The Best Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 560 grams of 00 bread flour
- 190 grams of whole wheat flour
- 600 grams of water at 98° to 100°
- 17 grams of Kosher salt
- 3 grams of active yeast
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine with your hands both of the flours and water until completely mixed together. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Next, sprinkle the salt and yeast overtop and mix it into the dough by pinching, stretching, and folding the dough over for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Cover and rest the dough in a warm dark place for 15 to 20 minutes before folding the dough over for 2 minutes.
- Cover and rest for 45 to 60 minutes and then fold the dough over for 2 minutes. The dough may need a few more folds if the gluten is not strengthening.
- Cover and rest for 2 hours or until it has tripled in size.
- Dust a clean surface with flour and place the dough onto it. Sprinkle the top with flour and fold the dough over in thirds 3 to 4 times and then begin to mold the dough into a ball by cupping around the dough into the bottom.
- Place the dough into a floured Benetton and cover, and rest for 60 minutes.
- In the meantime, place a small Dutch oven pot into the oven at 475° for at least 30 minutes.
- Flip the dough right into the hot Dutch oven pot, cover it and return it to the oven and bake for 30 minutes
- Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
This is definitely one of my go-to’s. Last couple of times I’ve used half the recipe to make one low in a pan. It doesn’t rise very much to like a full size loaf, but always so good! By the way I used your whole spatchcock turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy recipes this past Thanksgiving. What a hit they were!
Excellent!
Hello
what size Dutch oven do you use for this recipe?
5 to 8 qt will work
My first bread loaf ever! Followed exact steps. All proofing times were toward the long end of the recommended. Cooked in a Dutch oven for 30 minutes exactly. However, my crust was a bit too brown/burned particularly on the bottom. If I was to make it lighter should I decrease the temperature or duration or both. Also I’m in Denver does the dry air or altitude affect the process in any way?
It’s most likely do to things taking longer to cook at higher altitudes. Because of that, yes, I would decrease the temperature.
Hello
If I wanted a smaller loaf, could I halve this recipe? As a beginner, it is easier for me to work with smaller loaves right now. I made this recipe and believe I overproofed. It was so hard for me to shape.
I think you could.
Excellent recipe! I used King Arthur bread flour and sprouted wheat flour. Followed everything to the detail, and I have a beautiful loaf of bread. I didn’t need to cut it before baking, it has a nice ear just from flipping it over from the bannetton. Awesome !!
Fantastic!
Greetings Chef! I made this bread yesterday. It came out pretty good for my first time making bread! I noticed that some other recipes I looked at have you make a shallow cut in the top of the loaf before baking “to let the steam out.” I didn’t do this as it wasn’t in the directions. I had a few places on the loaf where the crust bubbled up and separated from the bread. Is this step something I missed?
Nope, I purposefully did not score the bread.
Hi. Chef! For this recipe can “0” OR“00” flour be used in place of AP or Bread flour? Also, can “Farina Integrale” (Caputo brand whole wheat flour) be used in place of whole wheat flour? I am trying to replace all US flour with Flour from Italy in all my cooking and baking. Given this, can you please advise which Italian flours I should use for this recipe? Also, my house is always cold so I have a Brod & Taylor electric bread proofer, what temperature should I set it for overnight proofing?
Just a thought, could beer be used in place of water?
Any guidance and recommendations you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thank you
yes
question if you don’t have wheat flour, can you use all purpose flour? In addition to the 00 flour?
yes
So simple and so good! This will be making a regular appearance at our family table. Can’t wait to see how some of the other recipes turn out.
You hit another Home Run with this recipe for the Artisan Rustic Bread. The best bread we ever made. Thanks again for sharing your expertise.
Thanks for giving it a try!
Hi, I have never seen active dry yeast incorporated into dough after it’s mixed. Usually, Active dry yeast must be rehydrated in warm water then added to the flour. What is the reason for added it after you make a dough? And I’m guessing by all the responses it dissolves fine.
it does