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.
Love this recipe and the flavor of the bread, but I am having trouble with timing. Center of my single boule is still stodgy/doughy after 35 minutes at 475.
Have been letting the dough rest out of fridge for 2 hours and in fridge for 2 hours (gotta have that good bread ASAP, can’t wait for it!).
Wondering if it could be due to the amount of kneading I have been doing–currently, have just barely combined the ingredients and just barely deflated the dough while shaping into a boule. Thoughts? More kneading?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Carson! I’m glad to help. If you find the center interior of the bread not baking quick enough/properly, try reducing the oven temperature down by 25 or 50 degrees F and baking for a bit longer. All ovens are different and a lower oven temperature may be better for your loaf. No need to change how you prepare the dough.
This recipe and your super-clear video worked wonderfully for me! My first homemade bread in decades! I followed the recipe exactly as given, and the bread was just delicious with a great chew–like bread from a cool bakery! One question–could I halve the recipe and any considerations if I do so? So that I make just one loaf? (It’s so easy I’d rather make less bread more often). Thanks so much!
Have you tried this recipe with the instant sourdough yeast from red star? They say you can replace any yeast with it so I’d thought I try it for a quick sourdough loaf tonight.
Hi Chelsea, We have not tested it with sourdough yeast but let us know if you decide to try it out!
Hey Sally!
This is my first time making bread. Although after 30 min in the oven the bread hasn’t turned golden, do you know what could have gone wrong?
Thank you though! The recipe was really easy to follow!
I baked two loaves following these instructions just this morning. They were PERFECT! I have never been satisfied with my previous bread baking efforts, but Sally’s directions led me to bread heaven. Sally, thank you! I now have the confidence to work on developing more skills and doing much more baking. Courtly smooches from my wife and me!
Have made this recipe 2 times already and my whole family is in love with it! Both times when I made it it has been hard to score the bread because it’s very sticky and it sticks to the knife. Anyone know how to score it without it being so difficult?
Hi, Lu. When scoring, I would always sprinkle flour on the dough, it helps to give a clean cut. And also use a very sharp knife/blade, and just slash really quickly, with no hestitation.
Beautiful and tasty recipe so simple to make. My dough rise wonderfully in 2hrs in our climate (think hot & humid) but after leaving in the fridge for 12 hrs and settled for 45mins during baking it tends to be quite flat (maybe about 3inches tall) may I know how to remedy this?
Hi, Ashley. I think your dough was overproofed, hence why it deflated when baked. You can try to leave it in the fridge for less than 12 hours (perhaps 7-9 hours).
Hi Sally,
how long would you bake the bread if you were making one big loaf instead of two smaller ones?
Hi El, I’m unsure of the exact bake time but it will be a bit longer. Bake until the crust is golden brown and when you tap the loaf– it will sound hollow when done.
I had never baked a loaf of bread in my life when I started to use this recipe. It is fantastic. My family loves the bread and I now bake it a couple of times a week. I’d like to try adding some sesame seeds. Any tips on that?
Hi Christine, I’m so happy this bread is such a hit with your family! We haven’t tested this recipe with sesame seeds, but I’d start with 1/4 cup of sesame seeds or more depending on how seed-y you want the bread (you could toast them first for even more flavor). See recipe note #10 for instructions on when to add them!
I am officially blown! Very easy steps to follow and voila! You are making your own bread! My loaves turned out amazing, chewy inside and crisp on the outside. Didn’t have much time to keep in the fridge for hours but the dough rose for 3 hrs room temp and I baked. Turned out great with great flavour. I will definitely try it again leaving it in the fridge a day or two and compare. I am a newbie bread baker but I already feel like a pro with Sallysbakingaddiction.com recipes.
I have tried a couple different bread recipes that have not turned out so well. This one was amazing, easy and delicious. I will be making it all the time.
I just made this recipe with some butter, Italian seasoning, and cheddar cheese on top and I am blown away. Excellent recipe!
My family and I love this bread! I’ve done the initial base and whipped up some honey butter, then tried a rosemary garlic version that was a huge hit! I’m thinking about doing garlic & cheese next. Any suggestions on the kind of cheese to use? I currently have a quattro formaggio blend of Parmesan, provolone, Asiago, and fontina. Will that work with the above noted amount of garlic? Thanks!
I made this bread yesterday. It was the easiest and most delicious thing I’ve made! I want it every day lol I’d like to experiment with adding other flavors in as well! Could I add a little sugar for a sweet cinnamon raisin bread? Or would the sugar interfere? 🙂
Hi Ash, Feel free to play around with the recipe and add sweeter additions. You can try adding a little sugar.
I made this bread today. It was soooo good. My husband kept telling me it was the best bread ever. I’m a novice bread baker, and this was so easy. I have another bowl of dough resting in the fridge right now that I added shredded cheddar cheese to so we can have fresh bread again tomorrow. Thank you, Sally, for the awesome recipe.
Very good
Hi Sally! I just made this recipe twice (but I added rosemary and substituted some of the water with olive oil). This time, I allowed it to rise for 2 days and used active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, but I saw that you said above that you use them interchangeably. When I put the loaf to bake, the dough had doubled in size from the yeast and there were tons of holes and air pockets. However, when I took it out from the oven, there weren’t any holes and it looked really dense, not like the pictures you showed. It tasted delicious and really soft, but did not have any holes like in the picture. I would really appreciate any advice!
Hi Ananya, I wonder if the 2nd loaf simply needed more time in the oven. (Especially if it was dense.) Try extending the bake time– an extra 5 minutes could really help!
Thank you so much for the speedy reply and the input! Also, I was wondering if you have any recommendations for baking with multigrain flour?
Hi Ananya, We recommend avoiding whole wheat/whole grain flour in this dough. If necessary, use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit dense.
I have made this bread probably a dozen times the past few months. My son and daughter in law are vegan and will demolish an entire loaf themselves, so I always make two! It’s really easy and delicious. I would recommend letting the dough sit at least overnight in the fridge, however it’s great even if you don’t.
Wonderful! Thanks so much for this recipie.
Hi Sally,
I made this recipe and it came out very nice. Thank you. The one loaf was gone within a day as I need to force my self to stop eating it :-). I love the crust and chewiness of the bread. It is such an easy recipe to follow. I will definitely make this again.
Kind Regards
Lean Pienaar
U am 2 months into baking with yeast, and I’m hooked. Nothing is more rewarding than making a beautiful bread. I’ve made this bread a 4 times now, using both the with and without Dutch oven, plain, and versions with olives, roasted garlic and lemon/thyme. And every time it comes picture perfect. Love it.
Baked one loaf of this bread yesterday, holding the 2nd for tomorrow, it was delicious! It was stickier than yours & the scoring marks wouldn’t hold & it flattened more than yours… did 1.5 tbsp. of rosemary… Wonderful flavor & great toasted! Thanks so much!
I adapted this recipe to make a chilli and garlic loaf by replacing the 2tsp of course salt with 1tsp of chilli salt and 1tsp of Garlic salt – delicious!
Great recipe, great bread every time!
I just made this bread today.
I added 3/4 cup dried cranberries and 1 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts to the dough. I also used the water bath as described. I made one big round-shaped bread and baked It for 33 minutes. It turned out great!! The outside is crisp, but the inside is so fluffy and moist. My family really liked it!
Thanks for the great recipe!!
Hi, Do you keep the temp at 475 for the entire baking time? Thanks, Della
Hi Della- yes, keep the oven temperature at 475 for the entire baking time.
This turned out great! Thank you for sharing it.
This bread was amazing! Why are people complaining about this AMAZING bread?
I made this yesterday and it was my first time making Artisan bread. I only had regular flour and I followed the recipe to the letter. The dough came out a bit too thin so could not form it into two but used my newly purchased Bread bowl. It came out absolutely perfect!! It was just delicious !! My husband loved it. I will be making it again and again!!
Wonderful!!!
Lovely instructions, Sally. I have a question for you as I pass this along to a beginner: what is the target hydration? My calculation, using your weight measurements, is 85%. To me that is a very wet and slack dough, a challenge for the beginner to handle. This lines up with Brenda’s comment above. Am I missing a thing? Thank you!
Thanks Doug! 85% is accurate. This dough is supposed to be fairly sticky. No complicated shaping or steps involved, so it’s perfect for beginners. A little extra flour on hand helps when forming the dough into loaves. Hope you give it a try.
USE A SILICONE SCRAPER TO MANIPULATE/KNEAD THE DOUGH AFTER RISING. ELIMINATES STICKYNESS PROBLEMS SINCE IT IS NONSTICK. KITCHENAID MAKES A SET FOR $12 ON Amazon.
Hi Sally! I attempted this recipe however my dough ended up much wetter than the one in the picture. I used bread flour and used exact measurements as listed in the recipe…any reason why that is?
Hi Brenda, a dough’s consistency relies on many variables including how you measure the flour, brand of flour, even the weather and humidity in the air. While this should be a sticky dough, it sounds like yours is a little too sticky. Don’t be afraid to add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more flour to the dough before letting it rest at room temperature.
Hi Sally
my first time making bread and I will continue to do so with this amazing recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing, it was a big hit with my family and me:))
Hi! Loved this recipe. I kinda winged it a little and didn’t use exact measurements because they I’m terrible! But it turned out so good I’ve made loaves out of dough I chilled for 18+ hours and pizza out of some that was fresh. Loved it! Very versatile!