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.
I love this recipe. I’ve been using coarse sea salt to make it with great results. But I’m all out of sea salt. How much kosher salt should I use? I’m not sure if kosher salt is considered table salt or coarse salt so I wasn’t sure how to substitute. Thanks for a favorite recipe. I love making this with spinach dip!
Hi Rhetta, We are so glad you have been enjoying this recipe! Kosher salt usually has larger crystals and you can use the same amount as sea salt. If you are using regular table salt, 1 teaspoon should be fine.
I absolutely love this recipe! I picked it because it didn’t require a dutch oven, which so many bread recipes do. The crust is perfect, and I love experimenting with different flavorings to add! My favorite has been garlic and rosemary. I make this at least twice a month.
Love this simple recipe! I followed instructions exactly at every step, but did not see any holes after cutting it up. Which step may have gone wrong?Thank you!
Hi Ursula! All loaves bake up differently. The bread in the video wasn’t as hole-y as the pictured loaf we made the day earlier! See our Baker’s Tip in the post for a little help. 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.
Didnt work at all. My crust was super hard to cut and the middle was undercooked. I kept adding more time to cook and the outside just got worse amd the inside still wasn’t cooking. I’m a beginner, but I followed the recipe to a T and it didnt work at all. I’m so disappointed.
I didn’t have enough time to wait overnight but had a little longer than a couple of hours so I halved the amount of yeast and let it rise somewhat slower. Has a beautiful crumb, although it’s still not quite as tasty as one that takes even longer to rise, but I understood that going in. Still makes a beautiful crusty bread to go with soup.
I’m sorry it didn’t work. A lot can change the final product as well as even professionals get an off loaf here and there, it just happens. Do you weigh your ingredients, measure everything the way it was intended to, is you used just slightly less water slightly more flower and salt it could definitely change the composition of the breads end result. Give it another go, and have fun with it
You don’t say what size of Dutch oven to use. Please be specific
Hi Donna, You’ll need a 6 quart or larger dutch oven.
Such a good recipe, bread comes out wonderfully crispy. I find in my oven I need to bake it a bit longer than it says in the recipe though. It’s really easy to make, yet everyone will love it.
This has become my go-to recipe. It’s so easy, and is a good one for first-time bread makers.
Hi Sally — I would love to try this recipe but I live in Mexico and my Mexican-made oven will only heat to 350-375 and we love crispy crusts. Could baking this at a lower temperature work? Thanks.
Hi Linda, you can try baking it at a lower temperature for a bit longer. We’re unsure of the exact bake time. Hope you enjoy it!
Wow this turned out great! My husband was so impressed that it’s better than what you get at the KEG resto. I added 4 cloves of garlic and little rosemary and used AP coz that’s all I got. tHank you!!!!
Can I add spinach and feta cheese to make spinach bread?
Hi Janet, we haven’t tested such a wet add-in like spinach. You would want to cook it down and drain/dab away as much moisture as possible before beginning. Let us know if you give it a try!
What if I used fresh chopped spinach- not cooked? Would it be the same as the fresh chopped herbs?
Hi Jan, you can certainly try with fresh chopped spinach. You may want to use a bit more than the herbs, since the taste is not as strong. Let us know if you give it a try!
So I tried the spinach to my bread and Feta cheese and it is AWESOME! Used not quite a 10 ounce bag of fresh chopped spinach and a cup of feta cheese, and basically baked it the same way I did the recipe- refrigerate 3 days, etc! My family and friends have already placed orders and I’m bringing to the Farmers Market to sell! Yummy!
no sugar for the yeast?
Hi Cindi, it’s not necessary but feel free to proof the yeast before starting if you’d like – you can proof instant yeast just as you do active dry (non instant) yeast. For this particular recipe, we would warm 1/2 cup (60ml) of the water to about 100°F (38°C), whisk in the yeast and a very small amount of granulated sugar (about 1 teaspoon). Cover and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. If the yeast is active, the top of this mixture will foam. Then mix in the rest of the water and other ingredients. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Absolutely love it!!! This will be a regular @ our house.
Hey Sally,
I added a cup of cheese to one of my batches, the middle was raw… Was I supposed to adjust the baking time? I didn’t see any adjustments in notes. Confused.
Hi Linzy, the bake time should be the same with the added cheese, but feel free to add a few additional minutes if you find the middle to be undercooked. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped.
This is one of my go-to bread recipes! My family, LOVES it. Thank you so much!
Worked Perfectly!
Left to prove for about 14 hours (12 ofss overnight in the fridge) which seemed an odd thing to do. I was not entirely confident of a good result when my two unbaked loaves looked a little lifeless after I had shaped them to 9×3, but – they rose nicely in the oven and came out great!
Would this recipe work as one larger loaf – or even as a round ‘cob-style’ loaf?
Hi Brian! This bread works great as one large round loaf (a boule) – see recipe notes for details.
Love this bread recipe. Can you clarify what cool water is for me (degrees? F)? I’m never quite sure and sometimes I wonder if my water is more tepid than cool.
Hi Loraine, it doesn’t have to be exact for this recipe – somewhere between room temperature and slightly cool will work just fine!
If my loaf won’t be going into the fridge, but straight to the oven, do I still need to let it rest on the cookie sheet for 45 minutes before it goes in the oven? This would be after letting it rise at room temperature for the recommended 2 to 3 hours.
Hi Melissa! Yes, you still want to let your dough rest after shaping for 45 minutes on the baking sheet. Enjoy!
This is now my “go to” basic bread recipe. Easily memorized so I can now make bread anywhere, anytime. Thank you for a great recipe and easy to follow video!
The bread turns out perfect every time but this time I added two cups of whole wheat bread flour and one of white bread flour and the bread was quite dense. Is there a ratio you suggest? Thanks 🙂
Hi Sophia, See recipe notes: we recommend avoiding whole wheat flour in this dough. If necessary, use half bread flour and half whole wheat flour, but you can still expect the bread to taste a bit dense.
very easy. always turns out wonderful. everyone loves it!!
Cooked half after work,probably around 18hours in fridge.put rest back in fridge to cook tomorrow. Cooked for about 23min. Was a beautiful loaf. Flavour and texture very good, my crust did not get as crunchy as I would like, but a wonderful loaf. Reminds me of a Maltese loaf that are Cooked in wood fired ovens. There crusts are amazing, I will.work.on my crusts and let you know I heard that in Malta they get the double crust by brushing water on crust before fully browned will try it and let people know. Any tips welcome. Thanks awesome recipe thank you.
I hadn’t made bread since Home Economics class in Jr. High. Now? I own this recipe. I have mastered it. It succumbs to me every time. Like Dan’s review before, I, too, feel I can now take on the world.
Thank you so much for demystifying the process for making a tasty loaf of affordable bread!
Love your recipes thanks!
I followed this recipe almost exactly as written. The only thing I changed was the flour ratio was 1:1 bread flour to AP, because I ran out of bread flour.
I mixed the ingredients and let the dough rise on the counter for four hours. Then I stuck it in the fridge overnight. The dough didn’t rise at all in the fridge. It didn’t rise on the counter for the 45 minute rest. And it didn’t rise in the oven. Yes I scored both loaves.
Disappointing. I will try again with different yeast and all bread flour. This is such a simple recipe, I’d love for it to work.
Hi Kara! It sounds like your yeast was old if the bread didn’t rise at all. Thank you for giving this recipe a try, we hope you’ll give it another go with some fresh yeast 🙂
hi not cooked it yet, and yes its very sticky. but mine has risen massively, i used instant yeast that does not need the correct temp water to activate it. i have left it in the fridge to hopefully improve flavour. really looking forward to cooking it after work. got to admit the easiest bread recipe i have used. just hope i get the cooking right. thank you so far. simon
May I ask what baking sheet you use? I’m having trouble finding any non-stick ones that can withstand 475 degrees. Unfortunately, I just noticed this and my dough is ready to bake – but another day or two while I buy a new sheet will probably only make it yummier!
Hi Vanessa, We usually use Nordic Ware aluminum baking sheets and have never had a problem using them at high temperatures.
Thank you! It came out great. Will definitely be making it again. Do you think the dough could be used for drop biscuits?
Hi Vanessa, You can make smaller rolls, yes. Bake time will depend on the size you make them. Bake until the crust is golden brown and when you tap the loaves– they will sound hollow when done.
I have made this a few times. Love the easiness of the recipe. The only thing is after baking the bread seems dense inside, not as light as I think it should be. What could I be doing wrong? But other than we all love this bread. I make it every weekend.
Hi Chantal, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Overly dense bread can be the result of over baking or even too much flour. Be sure to spoon and level to measure (or use a food scale for weight measurements) so that you’re using just enough flour — too much can cause it to dry out and become dense. It is a heartier bread, but these tips should help for next time!
Easy to make bread! And tastes great. Thanks for the recipe!
Made the dough on Monday. Let it sit in the fridge until Wednesday afternoon. Instead of using a flat sheet I used a baguette pan. The pan said no more than 450 F so I had it in the oven at 450 F for 31 mins. Came out absolutely perfect. I have never made bread and was very intimidated but now I feel I can take on the world. Thank you so much for such a simple and delicious recipe!
I love this recipe and use it all the time. I’m trying to remove gluten from my diet and have invested in a few gluten free baking items. Can I make this gluten free using King Arthur Gluten Free AP Flour? Thank you, Sally!
Hi Devon! We haven’t tested this bread with gluten free flour so we’re unsure of the results. Although some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you try it!
I made this recipe, everything went well; however when I baked it, the outside was very hard. Did I do something wrong? I just finished Baking it, waiting to see if the inside is just as hard.
Hi Rolando, Sounds like your bread may have simply baked for too long – an easy fix for next time! You can also try moving the bread away from the heating element in your oven.