Even if you’ve never made homemade bread or worked with yeast before, this homemade crusty artisan bread is for you. It’s the perfect beginner recipe because it only requires 4 ingredients without any special pans or mixer, there’s no kneading or complicated shaping involved, and 95% of the work is hands-off. Bread masters will appreciate this recipe too because it delivers with delicious flavor, a slightly crisp and mega chewy crust, and those signature soft holes inside like ciabatta or French bread.
Bread Beginners—Start Here
Have you ever wanted to master homemade bread? Real, crusty, chewy, delicious bakery-style loaves that taste incredible with dips, soups, sauces, and comforting dinners? This recipe is where you start. This artisan bread is for beginners, but even bread masters will appreciate its flavor and ease. It’s so fresh, so flavorful, and so surprisingly easy because it basically makes itself.
You only need 4 ingredients without any special pans or mixer, there’s no kneading, no poolish or dough starter required, and you can add herbs, cheeses, and spices to make a variety of bread flavors.
This base recipe will soon be on repeat in your kitchen. After you realize how easy it is to make real homemade bread, you’ll find any excuse to bake a loaf.
What is Homemade Artisan Bread?
When it comes to bread, the term “artisan” doesn’t mean 1 particular thing. But generally, artisan bread is homemade, fresh, crusty, and deliciously rustic looking. An artisan is a skilled worker, one who works with their hands. But ironically, there isn’t much “work” involved with this recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Bread
- Easier than you ever imagined
- Soft + flavorful
- Chewy, slightly crisp crust
- Shape however you want
- No special pans, poolish, or dough starter required
- Only 4 ingredients
- You decide the length of time it rests
Homemade Artisan Bread Video Tutorial
Like sandwich bread, whole wheat bread, focaccia, homemade English muffins, seeded oat bread, and homemade bagels—the process is surprisingly easy. If you’re new to yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Only 4 Ingredients
The crustier and chewier the bread, the less fat in the dough—also known as a “lean dough.” We’re using a lean dough for our artisan loaf today. (If you’re curious, a “rich dough” is a soft bread dough with the presence of fat, such as butter and eggs—the kind we need for overnight cinnamon rolls and honey butter rolls.) Without fat, we’re left with the basics.
- Bread Flour: While you can use all-purpose flour in this recipe, I strongly recommend using bread flour. Just like when we make olive bread, bread flour produces a stronger, chewier bread and that makes a big difference in recipe with only 3 other ingredients.
- Instant Yeast: Instant yeast is key in this recipe. While you can use active dry if that’s all you have, any quick rise or instant yeast will produce flavorful results in less time. I use more yeast in this recipe compared to my cranberry nut no-knead bread and no-knead jalapeño cheddar bread. Why? Those doughs rest and rise at room temperature. However, for more flavor and just as much rise, I use more yeast and let the this dough rest in the refrigerator. (Cool air slows the fermentation process.)
- Salt: You can’t make good bread without salt and for best flavor, I recommend a coarse salt, such as coarse sea salt. I find the bread’s flavor lacking with regular table salt.
- Water: I normally encourage you to use warm liquid with yeast because warm liquid helps the yeast work faster. However, use cool or room temperature water here. Not freezing cold, not super warm—cool to touch. 70°F (21°C) is great, but the exact temperature doesn’t matter as long as it’s not hot or warm. The cooler the water, the longer the dough takes to rise and, usually, the better the bread’s flavor. (This is important since there are so little ingredients to add substantial flavor!) We use the same cool water method for no knead honey oat bread.
- Optional Cornmeal: Dusting the pan with cornmeal adds a pop of flavor and a little crunch to the bottom crust. This is completely optional. If you have it, use it. If you don’t have it, don’t worry about it.
You can also add herbs and seasonings such as garlic, rosemary, dill, chopped onion, jalapeño, shredded cheese, chopped nuts, dried cranberries, etc. My no yeast bread is the quick bread alternative here—you can add flavors to that loaf, too!
Baker’s Tip: Avoid adding too much flour to the dough as you work with it. The stickier it is—and the longer it sits in the refrigerator—the more likely you’ll have those big airy pockets of air in the crumb.
How to Make Homemade Artisan Bread in 5 Steps
- Mix the dough ingredients together. At first the dough will seem very dry and shaggy and you’ll question if it will even come together. But it will. Use a spatula at first, then switch to your hands to ensure all of the flour is moistened. The dough is actually a little sticky after it’s thoroughly mixed.
- Let it rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 2-3 hours until doubled in size.
- Use right away or refrigerate. After 2-3 hours, you can immediately continue with the next step. However, for ideal flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting the dough sit in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Yes, 3 full days! I usually only let it rest for about 18 hours. During this crucial step, the cold air slows the fermentation process and adds so much flavor and texture. So, you can bake bread in 2-3 hours or in 3 days. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. 🙂
- Shape into 2 loaves or 1 boule. Rest as oven preheats. You can shape the bread into a round loaf (boule) or two longer loaves. I usually make 2 longer loaves side-by-side on a flat baking sheet, about 9×3 inches each. Score with a sharp knife or bread lame. Preheat the oven to a very hot 475°F (246°C). The extremely hot air will immediately set the crust so the bread rises up instead of spreading all over. To help ensure a crispier crust, after the oven pre-heats—pour boiling water into a metal or cast iron baking pan/dish on the bottom oven rack. Immediately place the dough inside and shut the oven door to trap the steam. The steam will help create that coveted crisp crust. If you have a dutch oven, shape the dough into 1 round loaf, and bake it inside the dutch oven with the lid on.
- Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Gently tap the loaves because if they sound hollow, they’re done.
Look at those deliciously soft holes inside! Reminds me of ciabatta or a French baguette, both of which can be a little more complicated to make.
Serve Artisan Bread With
- Slather with homemade honey butter
- Slice and dunk in crab dip, beer cheese dip, or roasted garlic bacon spinach dip
- Serve alongside slow cooker chicken chili or pumpkin chili
- As a dunker for minestrone soup, creamy chicken noodle soup, or crab soup
- With a big bowl of mac & cheese
- Use for my goat cheese & honey crostini
- It’s the perfect starch in breakfast casserole
- With anything because homemade bread is everything’s best friend
See Your Homemade Artisan Bread!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintHomemade Artisan Bread Recipe
- Prep Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 8-inch loaves
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Even if you’ve never made homemade bread or worked with yeast before, this homemade artisan bread is for you. Watch the video tutorial below and review the recipe instructions and recipe notes prior to beginning. If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
- 3 and 1/4 cups (about 430g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and pan
- 2 teaspoons (about 6g) instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons (about 9g) coarse salt (see note)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) water, close to room temperature at about 70°F (21°C)
- optional: cornmeal for dusting pan
Instructions
- In a large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together. Pour in the water and gently mix together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. If needed, use your hands (as I do in the video tutorial below) to work the dough ingredients together. The dough will be sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can.
- Keeping the dough in the bowl, cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!). Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
- You can continue with step 4 immediately, but for absolute best flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting this risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Place covered dough in the refrigerator for 12 hours – 3 days. I usually let it rest in the refrigerator for about 18 hours. The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s fine and normal—nothing to worry about.
- Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet (with or without rims and make sure it’s nonstick) with flour and/or cornmeal. Turn the cold dough out onto a floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half. Some air bubbles will deflate as you work with it. Place dough halves on prepared baking sheet. Using floured hands, shape into 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each (doesn’t have to be exact) about 3 inches apart. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes. You will bake the dough on this prepared baking sheet.
- During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).
- When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife or bread lame (some even use kitchen shears), score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about 1/2 inch deep. (“Score” = shallow cut.) If the shaped loaves flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to narrow them out along the sides again.
- Optional for a slightly crispier crust: After the oven is preheated and bread is scored, place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet (I usually use a metal 9×13-inch baking pan) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3-4 cups of boiling water into it. Place the scored dough/baking pan on a higher rack and quickly shut the oven, trapping the steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust.
- Place the shaped and scored dough (on the flour/cornmeal dusted pan) in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Gently tap the loaves—if they sound hollow, the bread is done. For a more accurate test of doneness, the bread is done when an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads 195°F (90°C).
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, so this is a wonderful recipe to begin ahead of time. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze the dough. Complete the recipe through step 3. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container. To bake, allow dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Continue with step 4 and the rest of the recipe instructions.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Baking Sheets | 2-cup Measuring Cup | Bread Lame | Instant Read Thermometer
- Flour: For absolute best flavor and chewy texture, I strongly recommend using bread flour. You can use a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose flour in a pinch with no other changes to the recipe. I recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough. If necessary, use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit dense.
- Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast, but I highly recommend an instant (aka “rapid rise” or “quick rise” yeast). The bread will rise faster. I usually use Platinum yeast by Red Star, which is an instant yeast. 2 teaspoons is a little less than 1 standard packet. If using active dry yeast, there are no changes needed to the recipe. The rise time in step 2 may take longer.
- Salt: Use a coarse salt, such as coarse sea salt, in this bread. I find the flavor slightly lacking when using regular table fine salt. If you only have fine salt, reduce to 1 and 1/2 teaspoons.
- Water: Use cool water. 70°F (21°C) is great, but the exact temperature doesn’t matter as long as it’s not hot or warm.
- Round Loaf: If you want to shape the dough into a boule (round loaf) simply shape into a round ball instead of 2 loaves in step 4. Baking instructions are the same, but the loaf will take a few extra minutes in the oven. If you want to bake the boule in a dutch oven, see next note.
- Using a Dutch Oven: Follow this dough recipe through step 3, then follow the simple shaping/baking instructions (steps 2-5) in my Cranberry Nut No Knead Bread recipe including using the parchment paper. If your parchment paper can’t withstand heat this high, you can either lower the oven temperature and bake the bread for longer or grease the Dutch oven instead.
- Using a pizza stone: If you want to bake your bread loaves on a pizza stone, place pizza stone in the preheating oven. In step 8, place the shaped and scored dough on your preheated pizza stone. If the bottom of the shaped dough is pretty sticky, dust the hot pizza stone with some extra cornmeal. Bake as directed.
- No Nonstick Pan: If you don’t have a nonstick baking sheet, line it with parchment paper instead. Coat with a dusting of flour and/or cornmeal before placing the dough on top. Parchment paper can burn, so it’s best to check the box to see how much heat yours can tolerate. Lower your oven heat if necessary and bake the bread for longer until golden brown and when gently tapped, sound hollow.
- Flavor ideas: Before pouring in the water in step 1, add any of the following ingredients/combination of ingredients to the dry ingredients in the bowl: 4 cloves minced garlic + 3 Tablespoons chopped rosemary, 3 Tablespoons your favorite fresh herb (chopped), 1 cup your favorite shredded cheese, a diced jalapeño, 3/4 – 1 cup dried cranberries and/or chopped nuts, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, etc.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour & Red Star Yeast, similar method originally from Jim Lahey.
Wow! This is a great recipe. I love that it does not take any fancy equipment or ingredients. The directions were clear and easy to follow. I just made my first two loaves and will definitely be making more. Thanks, Sally!
Another winner, Sally! This bread was so easy to make, and delicious. I know I will experiment with different flavors. My husband and son have requested I make this often! Thank you for making yeast approachable. I have made many of your yeast recipes and had luck with most of them the first time.
So easy and delicious!
Such an easy to follow recipe! My dough was pretty wet after the first rise so I did add a bit more flour before putting in the refrigerator overnight. Despite being sticky, it turned out wonderful, tasted great, plus I had such nice air pockets!
So I’m attempting to make this bread and it’s been about 7 hours since I made the dough and my instant yeast still had not entirely dissolved (it’s speckled on top)… is it in any way salvageable? I will also add that I used all purpose flour instead of bread flour. I’m afraid to put it in the fridge because it had not yet dissolved. Smells pretty strong too. My yeast is new and works fine.
Pat, that’s happened with some bread recipes for me before too. I would just continue on with the recipe– I have a feeling it will still turn out.
Best bread I’ve ever made! And so easy. Let it rest in the fridge for about 18 hours so will try longer next time because I will definitely make this bread again!
I added cheese, garlic, and chives to my first loaves. They were delicious! I also used active dry yeast, and the bread had a great texture.
Made the bread as instructed last week and am about to pop some more in the oven with added seasoning. The first time I kept it in the fridge for 2.5 days, this time it will be 1.5. The recipe is so easy to follow and the bread is DELICIOUS!!
This bread is fantastic. It is easy to put together. A little sticky to work with shaping but very doable. I added dried rosemary (didn’t have fresh which would been better). The flavor is delicious with Nice chewy texture and crispy crust.
Made this bread to go with soup and it turned out great! The texture was a little dense so hopefully next time I make it I will have more time and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Super easy to make though and tasty! I used the dutch oven to bake it
How made yeast breads before but not as frequently as I’d like because it can be hard to find the time to prepare it. This recipe was the easiest I’ve ever tried and the payoff is incredible. The bread is lovely, chewy, flavorful. I let it rest overnight in the fridge and it turned out perfectly. Do be careful to prep your baking sheet well – I rushed on mine and ended up having tons scrape the bottom crust off the pan. Will definitely make again!
This bread was incredibly easy to bake and delicious to boot! Next time, I’ll probably add a few herbs and caramelized garlic cloves. It is already quite tasty toasted with butter and jam!
Hello. I am a beginner breadmaker and I was wondering what herbs would you choose to add to your bread? Do you use fresh or dried? Thank you very much.
This bread is unbelievably easy to make, and it could not be more delicious! I made it with the garlic and rosemary additions and used the steam trick for a crispy crust. My family ate it so fast the first time that I made it again a week later. The bread reminds me of some of my favorite bread I’ve had in Italian restaurants–it’s that good! I will definitely be making this recipe again (and again and again and again). Thanks, Sally, for another wonderfully addictive recipe.
Just tried this afternoon and have never done this before. They are absolutely perfect!!! Glad that I took the challenge.
I never knew making bread could be so easy! I loved this artisan bread so much that I made another batch today and added 3 kinds of cheddar to make a cheesy bread. Can’t wait to taste it tomorrow! Thanks for a great recipe that will be used over and over again!
Love this recipe! So easy and great taste. I loved that I could mix and leave in the fridge over the weekend to be made up for family Sunday supper.
I’ve tried this recipe twice, and both times the bread was slightly raw in the center. I know it must be user error, not the recipe’s fault. I’ve tried it on a silicone mat with boiling water and with a dutch oven. I have an oven thermometer that reads 475. Any ideas what I am doing wrong or should try differently?
Hi Chrissy– are you scoring the bread? You could try cutting deeper into the loaf before baking. Scoring helps ensure the bread expands, while also cooking in the center. You can also try lowering your oven temperature and baking longer. Give the loaf a light knock– if it sounds hollow, it’s done.
I’ve already made this recipe three times this month! It always comes out great but I have not had success with scoring it. The last time I made it I skipped the rest in the fridge and added cheddar cheese instead and it still came out great! Also, all three times I have doubled the recipe with no problems.
Amazing! The family loved it! I paired it with chili. Such a simple and easy recipe to follow. I kept it in the fridge for 24hours.
I tried this bread with the steam method for an extra crunchy crust and it came out amazing. The recipe is so easy to follow and it explains the process in such detail which makes baking this bread so much fun. 🙂
Extra easy recipe and I love the fact that I can put dough to fridge up to 3 days!
The recipe was very simple to make and tasted delicious! I tried the recipe as is, but I’ll try adding some flavours next time. I learned about adding steam to help crust up the bread, so I was excited to try it. It worked wonderfully!
The dough was quite sticky, so I added a good deal of extra flour. However, that doesn’t seem to have affected the bread as it is DELICIOUS! Quite an easy process and an easy dough to work with. Would make again.
I’ve made this 3x already this month! We love playing with the add ins, the refrigeration time, but no matter how we’ve changed it up it has been delicious each time.
My husband and I had fun making this together! Next time, I’d try the water bath to get the crust a bit crispier, but it was delicious nonetheless!
This was the easiest and most forgiving bread recipe I’ve ever made. I used all-purpose flour and added shredded parmesan and served with your hearty minestrone soup. I was a little nervous that my yeast was bad because the dough rose so slowly and it wasn’t activated prior to adding to the rest of the ingredients. My loaves were flatter than yours but the texture was perfect.
Loved this recipe, so deceptively simple and delicious. It will definitely be a staple in my rotation going forward. I shared it with a friend who wanted to dip his toes into the baking world and now he’s totally hooked too!
Hi Sally,
Your recipes never fail! This bread was delicious and so easy. I have always been hesitant to bake with yeast but this recipe is definitely a keeper. My husband loved it as well!Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes!
Great recipe! I made mine with pistachios and dried cranberries. I currently only have a toaster oven at home so I’m going to see if I can take another crack at it with a real oven soon :).
This was absolutely delicious Sally!!! I made it for my Dad, who is notoriously picky about everything and he LOVED loved loved this bread. It’s crispy, delicious, and ruined me for store bought. Dad and I ate a whole loaf in 10 minutes 😀
Will be making again… in a couple of weeks or I’m going to turn into a loaf myself hehe!
I. LOVE. THIS!
I’ve been wanting to make a no-knead bread for awhile and thought I had to have a Dutch oven for it and was THRILLED when I found out I didn’t have to have one! It’s so simple and easy, and a great beginner yeast dough. It’s basically fullproof!
I let mine rest for four days, because I didn’t have time to bake til day four. Ooooh does it taste GOOD! Love all the air pockets in it. Perfect for butter to sink down into. Would be perfect with a smear of jam on it. I really struggled waiting for it to cool, cause honestly, what’s better than fresh baked bread?
Thanks for this super easy and delicious recipe! I look forward to making it again!