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 or creamy chicken noodle 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.
Hi Sally your recipes are all terrific. This turned out wonderfully and we are looking forward to having it with our New Year’s Eve crab bisque. Thank you!
This recipe is great!! So easy peasy. I am wondering if I could make the size into 4-ish inch loaves? The idea behind it is to make a hearty delicious sandwich with each loaf. Would this work?
Hi Michell, You can, yes! Bake time will be similar, even a couple minutes shorter.
The mini loaves came out great! I mixed the seasoning blend of your sea salt, garlic, & herb dinner rolls. (another huge favorite in our house!) Sooooo good!! Our only hiccup now is there is never enough to go around. Lol. I am wondering if the is recipe can be doubled or even tripled? If so, do I need to change anything? I just love Sally and this baking team! You all have taught me so much!! Thank you!!
Hi Sally’s Baking Addiction Team!
I’m a HUGE fan of all your recipes. I enjoy making bread like this but for some reason, my bread always seems to turn out dense and gummy on the inside, I use all-purpose flour and fresh yeast so I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Hi Sadie, Scoring the bread helps it cook in the center and expand. Use a very sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a bread lame (recommended) to make a few large slashes. This is key! It could be dense from over-baking and adding too much flour as well. I hope all this helps for next time!
I’m thinking of trying this recipe in my new loaf pan. Have you ever tried it in a loaf pan? Do I need to adjust anything to do this?
Hi Kelli, There is a little too much dough for a standard size (9×5 inches) loaf pan, so you could try dividing the dough in half and using 2 loaf pans. The edges should still crisp up and the bake time may vary.
Yum! I made this bread with my 20-year old son — we are licking our lips! Easy and delicious. Thank you!
I have made this bread about 5 times in the last couple of weeks. Today I tried rolls. Fantastic.
First time making bread and this recipe is awesome. Added a bit of oregano, basil, thyme, pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder & garlic powder and it came out incredible! Applause to the recipe creator ❤️
Hello! I’m using regular yeast instead of instant. It says that the recipe stays the same if using regular yeast, but do I still need to activate the yeast? How will the normal yeast activate if I mix into dry ingredients and use cold water, I thought warm water was the key to activating yeast? Any help is appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Nicole! No need to make any changes to the recipe, you want a slow rise with this bread. Enjoy!
I did the same thing. How long did it take your dough to properly rise?
Can you use convection when baking this artisan bread?
Hi Judy! We always recommend conventional settings for baking. The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
This recipe didn’t seem real!!! BUT IT IS!! My bread was so easy to make, perfectly crispy on the outside, soft yet chewy on the inside and super easy! Thank you! My family thinks I’m a super star when it comes to homemade artisan bread making!
Hi Cyndi, we are so glad you and your family love this recipe! Happy baking!
WOW… first time I have EVER attempted to make home-made bread, and to add a twist I used my Ooni Pro 16 wood-fired-pizza-oven to cook it… Oh my, it turned out fabulous I’m going to make another batch of dough and let it set up a full 2 days. The world may never be the same. Sign me an older geezer with a new trick .!!
We just got our Ooni 16 last summer and love it! I’d like to experiment with things other than pizza. Can I ask how long you baked your bread for in the Ooni and at what flame setting? Did you preheat it to the same temp you would if you were making a pizza? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! I’d hate to scorch it after patiently waiting all that time for the dough to be ready!
Absolutely the easiest bread recipe I’ve ever used! I made this for the first time yesterday for Christmas dinner. I added fresh chopped rosemary & thyme. My family was amazed that it was homemade! We ate it all day, with cheese and meat, and with homemade pasta for dinner. Will probably never use another recipe, unless I make sourdough again, and will probably never buy bread again! Thank you so much! PS- wish I could add a pic!
I’ve made this recipe many times and usually add minced garlic to it. My family loves it and refuses to eat store bought artisan bread as a result. Thank you, Sally, for your amazing recipes.
I followed the directions exactly, used a food scale to measure, tested the yeast ahead of time. At every step my dough looked like the pictures. When baked, it was flat and dense. Any ideas?
(I have successfully made ciabatta many times.).
Hi Janice, Thank you for trying this recipe and we are happy to help troubleshoot. If you followed the recipe exactly, and your dough rose properly before baking, the main reason it wouldn’t rise when baked is not scoring your loaf deep enough. This step is KEY to the bread’s texture and ability to rise/expand properly in the oven. Use a very sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a bread lame (recommended) to make a few large slashes. I hope this helps for next time!
Not having success with this recipe, bought fresh ingredients and store brand fast rise yeast, followed instructions to a tee and did 3 days in fridge, dough stops rising and baked bread is dense (first batch still raw in center) and crust is just barely golden (even with pan of boiling water in bottom of oven) Switching another site.
Probably means the yeast was dead
perfect, easy, and always comes out the same! i love this recipe when i need something tasty and impressive with only a few hours to spare!
Loved this recipe!
Can it be made with oat flour ?
Hi Lianna, We recommend finding a bread recipe formulated for oat flour. It wouldn’t be ideal here.
Me and my family love it! I brought some for my class a week ago and even though there were some mishaps in the rising process, it still came out wonderful. So good!
First time bread maker here Delicious!!! So I accidentally added 2 and 1/4 tsp of yeast and I didn’t have any corn meal so I dusted with bread flour and I had to use table salt because I didn’t have course salt. I let rise for 2 hours then refrigerated for 1 hour baked in oven on parchment paper and it was amazing!
Ok, pretty sure I messed this up. I didn’t let my dough rise before refrigerating it. Can it be saved? I’m awful at reading recipes
Lesia, the dough will still be OK. Since you skipped that time, I would let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 18 hours (and up to 3 days). Then just continue with the recipe (step 4).
Thank you. Delicious bread. Left in fridge for 18 hours. The dough seemed wetter than yours. It seemed to spread out more and not firm enough to cut X in boule.
But after cooking it was beautiful and delicious. Anxiety unnecessary. Usually is.
Crust strong and inside very soft.
So what can I do to make the inside more substantial like a European bread?
Hi Glenn, We are happy you enjoyed the bread! 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 if you couldn’t cut the X. Don’t be afraid to add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more flour to the dough before letting it rest at room temperature next time.
I like the simplicity of this recipe. Interestingly, you recommend 70F for water temp. However, the instant yeast packet suggests 120-130F keeping the yeast alive. Any comment on the difference? It would affect how much the bread rises and the amount of air in the bread, I would imagine—much appreciated.
Hi Carl! We’re going for a low and slow rise time with this different bread method – hence the lower temperature. Hope you love it!
I’ve made this recipe several times following it exactly and measuring out my boule load would come out flat. Today I proofed it in the oven by pouring hot water in a pan and placed it on the bottom rack. I also proofed it this way before baking and it came out perfectly!
I have tried this recipe a handful of times and each time it comes out stodgy and doughy. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Lauren! Make sure to handle the dough as little as possible to avoid over-working it. And make sure to spoon and level your flour when measuring to avoid packing too much into your measuring cups. Here’s our baking with yeast guide that may be helpful!
I will try it. Well written article.
I made the boule shape and it came out fine. Super easy. I skipped the refrigerator proofing step as I ran out of time and didn’t plan ahead. Net, net no complaints.
Thank you for sharing this comment!! I didn’t check the timing on this one and wanted to make it to have with lunch today. I was scrolling through these comments to find someone who made it and skipped the refrigeration step! lol can’t wait to make this one!
Started the dough last night and let it rise in the refrigerator for a little more than 12 hours. I baked it this morning with some water in a tray on the lower rack. The effect it has on making the crust crunch versus the soft interior is amazing!
I think I let mine rise a little too long after taking it out of the refrigerator because the loaves didn’t rise much in the oven; they’re flatter than they appear in your pictures. They also don’t have the same interior; still soft but the air holes are a lot smaller. Not entirely sure what went wrong.
Thanks for posting this recipe! I just made it today and it turned out great, so delicious! I will definitely be using this recipe again and passing it on to others!
Do you have a dutch oven recommendation?
Hi Ann, For details on baking this recipe in a dutch oven see the recipe notes. You will use the baking directions in the post for Crusty Cranberry Nut No Knead Bread. Enjoy!
I wanted to give you some feedback on your recipe to make bread with only four ingredients. I did not think it was possible but I am surprised, it is one of the most delicious breads I have ever eaten and it was very easy to make. This bread, this recipe, is quite delicious and easy to make.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with the public.
Take care,
Lucia, a now happy bread maker.
I found this recipe during a 3 days blizzard. I made homemade soup and wanted a nice loaf of bread to go with it without having to attempt running to a grocery store. I was skeptical up until the time I cut it. Amazing!
I prepared it according to the directions and had it resting in the refrigerator for approximately 24 hours. It was so easy to assemble from start to finish. The dough was sticky and that was easily remedied using floured hands to shape.
I was nervous about the high oven temperature. I put water in an aluminum pan on the bottom rack in the oven for steam as recommended in the recipe notes.
I did use all purpose flour as that’s all I had on hand and it was fine.
I am so glad I gave the recipe a try. I will be making this recipe a lot. Thank you!!!!