Homemade Artisan Bread
This recipe is for anyone who has never made homemade bread in their life. Or, if you are a bread expert, get ready to make this with your eyes closed.
I always found baking, whether sweet or savory, totally intimidating. I simply did not grow up in a home that baked, and so I never picked it up on my own. Until now, and I can say that although I’m still a total amateur, I am a changed woman. I am no longer AFRAID to embark on a new baking project that seems so far away what I’ve ever known. There is also the motivation of homemade baked goods at your disposal anytime you want them. There is truly NOTHING that is more comforting than warm baked goods straight out of the oven.
So, making your classic white homemade bread had to be one of my very first baking project. This recipe is one of the easiest dough recipes I have come by. I want to say that it is “fool-proof” but even so I managed to mess it up a few times by undercooking it. Because of my fear of overcooking, I ended up undercooking it a few times. I made that mistake so you don’t have to.
From my experience with this recipe, the deep golden brown shell on the outside protects the inside from overcooking quite well. The temperature and baking time on this recipe is according to my oven, but if you have a much more or less powerful oven, you will have to rely on you senses.
How do we know when the bread is done?
- Rock hard on the outside
- Golden brown crust
- Sounds hollow when you knock
Baking Method
Being the amateur baker that I am, I have not yet invested in a beautiful dutch oven. It is still a kitchen dream waiting to come true. Most bread recipes will recommend using a dutch oven because of the amazing way it conceals the steam within the pot. If you do not have a Dutch oven, there is a way we can replicate this system and it works beautifully every time:
Place a metal oven-safe dish (such as a baking bowl or a cast iron skillet) on the bottom rack when you start preheating the oven. You want the dish to be hot when you are ready to bake. Right after you place the bread in the oven, quickly pour boiling water into the dish to create a cloud of steam. The goal is to trap the steam in the oven while the bread bakes. This will help make your bread crispier on the outside and keep it moist on the inside.
Spice it up!
You can get as creative as you want and flavor the bread with herbs or olives.
I hope you fall in love with this recipe as much as I have. I promise you will surprise yourself.
Happy baking & buen provecho!
Cookie
My Amazon Store
Check out my Amazon Storefront for all my favorite kitchen products.
Homemade Bread
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour 430g
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups luke warm water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the warm water with yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let it rest for 10 minutes, or until it begins to foam and you can smell the yeast waking up.
- Add your flour and salt, gentry mix with a spatula until everything is moist. Shape the sticky dough into a ball and let it rest on the bowl.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and let it rise at room temperature for at least 3 hours. For best results, let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. The longer it rests, the better the flavor (maximum 72 hours).
- Lightly dust a baking sheet with flour. Turn the dough onto the floured surface and shape into your desired form. You can make one large oval or circular bread, or divide it into pieces to make baguette sized loafs. Let them rest for 30 minutes in their final form before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 245°C (475°F).
- When ready to bake, score the loaves with three slashes using a sharp knife.
- Bake inside a Dutch Oven with the lid on. If you do not have a dutch oven, place a metal oven safe dish on the bottom rack. Once the bread is in the oven, quickly pour boiling water into the dish in order to trap the steam inside in the oven. This will make your bread crispier on the outside.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. If the crust is not rock hard when you “knock” on the bread, bake for longer.
- Allow the bread to cool for at least 5 minutes. Keep up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Leave a Reply