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.
Hi Sally,
Loving the recipe, i’ve Made it many times. Question for you, all the previous loaves I have made taste amazing. The appearance of the loaf/loaves is always flat – not nicely ‘rounded’ as yours. Is there something I can do to get a heartier looking loaf?
Many thanks, happy new year.
Hi Kathy! You want to be very gentle with this dough when shaping to maintain all the air bubbles in the dough. It’s ok if they flatten our a bit when shaping – just use floured hands and do your best. Hope these tips help for next time!
I loved this recipe! I made the dough on 12/31/22 and sat it out for about 2.5 hours, then I put it in the fridge for another 2 to 3 hrs. At that point I halved the dough, let half of it rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, then shaped it and baked it (I didn’t let it rest the 45 minutes you’re supposed to – oops!). My family raved about it. It was amazing. The second half I left in the fridge until today – 1/2/23 and then I shaped it into 4 hamburger style buns, and they were equally excellent. Both times I baked at 425 for just a bit longer than I would have at 475 (we don’t cook inside at that high of a temperature) and they turned out great.
I have baked a lot of bread in my life and this was truly the easiest recipe I’ve had – including those using a bread machine. With just 4 ingredients it comes together in a snap (weighing ingredients I barely dirtied any dishes making this). It is a lot more sticky than I’m used to, so I did use a bit of flour to shape the buns. These will definitely be on the menu again in the near future!
I saw this recipie and tried it over the holidays. I loved it, and so did my family! The taste is great, but for me it was also the simplicity. It was so easy to prepare and put in the fridge the day before and just as easy to finish it up, easily timed to be hot out of the oven for dinner.
I was terrified. I looked at the bread flour and the yeast and thought, “no way this 52 year old lady could take on what she’d successfully avoided her entire cooking career.” But I tried it and it was amazing. My boys and husband said it was better than any bread they’d ever had. Mind you, they were being nice to encourage additional bread baking. But I have to say, it was easy and delicious. Sally, I am grateful to have discovered your recipes, books and blog. Thank you!
I’ve made two plain batches and both came out perfectly. It’s so easy yet so good.
I’ve made this recipe so many times in the last few years, and it hasn’t failed me yet! My mother asks me if I’m making “the bread” for every holiday/get-together.
One question: Could this be made in a bundt pan?
Hi Mimi, I’m glad you enjoy this bread recipe! I haven’t made this dough in a Bundt pan before so I am unsure.
It’s just so great when you study recipes for an hour, grab one, and run with it – and it’s a winner! That would be this one, Sally, and it’s good for 8-10 stars. Great texture, flavor, crust….it’s natural to expect a “decent” result the first time out, but this is just so great. It’s going to be great fun to try some variations with additives……these loaves (I multiplied by 1.5 for 3 loaves) are heading to church tomorrow for Communion. I especially wanted something that I felt everyone would be pleased with – this fits the bill to perfection. I’m just so impressed and pleased. Thank you!
By the way, it’s really interesting to see how many very recent (great) reviews are showing up – how’s it feel to be famous?
I can’t believe that I, Michael Crawford, successfully made bread that was delicious. Thanks for this easy and very tasty recipe.
Well, it was going great until I took it out of fridge from overnite rest…I had added 1 cup of raisins and they are not within the dough…wasn’t sure if I “needed” to rest (unclear) in the recipe once taken out of the fridge to warm it up. It’s not like I haven’t baked bread before…trying different methods.
Fingers (sticky) crossed…
FYI…the Chocolate Coconut Snowballs are delish! It was fun to lick my hands covered with chocolate!
Could you let me know how much boiling water to place in the pan in the bottom of the oven? Many thanks!
See step 7! You’ll need about 3-4 cups boiling water.
Hi, can I use kitchen aid mixer with bread hook, or does this need to be done by hand?
We do not recommend a mixer for this particular dough– it’s very loose and sticky. A mixer wouldn’t be doing you (or the dough!) any favors. Luckily, it only requires a really quick mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Not much work involved!
I always use my KitchenAid. I’ve made this exquisite bread at least 400 times, and it never disappoints.
I’ve made this a few times including the Rosemary-garlic version and the jalapeño-Asiago one; both were great! Going to brush with garlic oil next time Always comes out great!
I made this recipe today. I really loved how easy it was compared to other artisan/yeast bread recipes, super easy to measure and mix in one bowl. Convenient and easy to clean up. I added in probably 3+ tsp garlic powder, 2+ tsp onion powder, a tablespoon of dried rosemary and a good bit each of dried thyme, basil, Italian seasoning and oregano (in descending order of amounts) as well as almost 2 whole tsp of Himalayan pink sea salt (not coarse, but coarser than regular table salt). Mixed it up entirely with a spoon and just a tad of added flour, covered and let sit at about 68° for 3 hours. It rose a lot and was very sticky, as you said it would be. I made it without the fridge rise to get an idea of taste/consistency – scraped it out onto floured surface and did just a little bit of flouring and light folding/kneading with dough scraper. Kept it in one big loaf, not quite a boule but a rounded football shape. Parchment paper baking sheet with corn meal, 45 minute proof. Didn’t score quite as cleanly as I wanted because the dough was so sticky/tacky and not as firm/dense, but still got 3 good deep cuts. Baked at 475 with the steam added. Great rise and crust, but I ended up under cooking it a bit, put it back in to finish and slightly burnt it on top. Oh well, still fantastic. The shape, rise, crust and especially TASTE were amazing, great mix of herbs and seasoning, which I’ve wanted to try since starting making bread last month. Exactly what I was looking for recipe wise. Next time I will cook it longer or break up into two loaves. It was Soo delicious, and very bubbly inside, the fridge part doesn’t seem necessary at all for a great bread, but I will do it anyway next time to see how much it improves! It must be out of this world if it really makes as much of a difference as you say. Thank you for a great recipe, video, and site. Merry Christmas and Happy New year.
LOVE. THIS. I’ve made this 3 or 4 times and every time it’s delicious! Perfect for dipping in homemade garlic oil. Amazing with garlic butter brushed on top before baking–if you do after baking as well, it can get a little soggy.
I love your blog can’t wait to try it! I don’t have a baking tray like you use- only have cookie sheets. Can it be baked on that with parchment paper underneath?
Yes, absolutely!
HI, I don’t know if my oven can reach 246C. Can I use a lower temperature like 220C and bake it for a longer time?
Hi Paulyn! Yes, that should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
You didn’t mention in your instructions if you deflate the dough after the first rise before placing it in the refrigerator. Or do you go straight into the refrigerator?
Hi Kathy, no need to deflate the dough before placing in the refrigerator.
Loved it even though I drank too much wine and fell asleep and forgot to put it in the refrigerator. It sat out for 10 hours, and then I put it in the refrigerator for two days. Formed it into two loaves and baked. Delicious!
Good morning!!! I’ve made this bread a thousand times and love it! Actually making a few loave for my grandparents for Christmas and I stupidly left the dough proofing at room temperature overnight(fell asleep from all the Christmas cooking) and am worried the dough is ruined. My apt is 62 degrees all the time(by choice) and though the dough didn’t collapse in on itself I’m worried it will come out sour and unappetizing. Do you happen to know if it is ruined? I know even a slightly different alteration of bread dough can drastically affect the finished product. Ps you’re my go to for all of my cooking, your food is always simply the best!!!
Hi Richard, I’m actually just seeing this comment now! It was buried underneath many others in this particular recipe and many others left on other recipes around this same time. The dough *should* be fine, especially at 62F. How did the bread taste?
Hey! No worries whatsoever!!! I went ahead and made a new batch, just in case the first didn’t turn out well, and they both turned out perfect. My grandparents got their bread(which they loved) and my fiancé ended up eating and loving the first one which she said turned out perfect as well!!!
I’ve used this recipe and it worked great! I’m using it again today and wanted to make four small loaves instead of the two. Should I decrease the bake time for this? Thank you!
Hi Lauren, 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 absolutely love this recipe and use it often! I’d like to make crusty buns/rolls for Christmas. Can you suggest how many this recipe could make (8? 10?) and how long they might take in the oven? Thanks so much!
Hi Julia, we’re so glad you love this recipe! You can make smaller loaves/rolls, yes. Yield and bake time will depend on how small/large you make them. Bake until the crust is golden brown and when you tap the loaves– they will sound hollow when done.
IMPORTANT QUESTION: I am going to freeze the dough, but is it still OK to put in the fridge for at least 12 hours as recommended for better flavor before freezing?
Hi Loraine, absolutely. You can freeze after allowing the dough to rest in the fridge.
Could you please describe the inside texture when cutting into it after baking and resting for 5 minutes? I can’t tell if mine is done. The inside texture is airy but squishy and damp, like a damp sponge. The outside looks good. The thermometer read is good. The tapping is hard for me to tell…I think it sounds dull. A toothpick comes out clean.
Hi Joanne, it sounds like your bread may need a few additional minutes of bake time if the inside is damp. You also may want to wait a bit longer to cut into the bread — that will help with some of the “dampness” you mention as the bread cools down. Hope you enjoyed the bread!
This bread is so easy to make and is delicious! It works so well as French loaves or one large loaf. My family loves it!
Thanks…your videos are so helpful!
Hi! I tried the recipe twice and unfortunately it didn’t work. can you advise what I can do better as I am eager to get this right! The first time by dough was too wet so it collapsed after I shaped it ready to go in the oven (dough was left in the fridge for 2 days). The second time I added 30ml less water and the dough held together & looked more like the dough in the video, however the dough didn’t rise much in the oven (it did double in size the first proofing before placing in the fridge) and came out dense and undercooked (I also extended the baking time to 40mins and lowered the temp to 230C), it wasn’t raw but was underdone and the top was too brown and extremely hard/crusty.
Any advise?
Hi Komi, I’m glad to help. First, I would keep the dough amounts the same as the 2nd time you tried it. The other issues can be fixed with a couple changes to the oven settings. I recommend lowering the oven temperature to 204C and tenting the bread after 20 minutes with foil to prevent it from over-browning. The bake time will be longer, at least 45 minutes. 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 90°C.
I tried this tonight and while it tasted good, it was far from what I’d like. I’ll be making it again for Christmas Eve, so I’m hopeful you can help with some troubleshooting.
1 – My dough did not lift out of the bowl like your video shows after being in the fridge. It sort of poured out and had no structure. I tried to shape and score it,
but it was so wet that my efforts were fairly futile. Then the plastic placed on top during the 45 min rest ended up getting stuck to the loaves. Should I reduce the amount of water?
2 – How do you get such a brown color? I did the two loaves (don’t own a Dutch oven) and while they sounded hollow and were baked through, they were rather pale. Does the boiling water help with the coloring? Are you dusting flour on top before baking as well?
Thanks!! Looking forward to trying again!
Hi Mandie, thank you so much for explaining in detail what happened to your bread so I can help troubleshoot. 1) The dough would benefit from either more flour or less water. If the dough is so so loose, and just losing shape, it needs more structure. Start with less water. This way your dough will be a bit sturdier and shouldn’t deflate as much. I recommend reducing to 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml). This should help. And 2) Try turning up the oven temperature for the last few minutes, which can help develop a darker color. The pictured bread loaves have flour on them from shaping before baking.
I suspect this question has been asked but I can not find it in the comments. The recipe “as is” comes out perfect every time. Any thoughts on substituting all or part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour? I don’t want to monkey with perfection but I do like using whole wheat when possible.
Hi Michael! 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.
The bread didn’t come out very well. I didn’t like the taste. There was way too much salt. It overtook the taste of the bread. I put it in the fridg overnight. There were lots of bubbles but the rise was gone. Also, they were flat and small when I shaped them into loaves. I had a hard time slashing the bread. It was incredibly sticky. Would it have been too late to add more flour before the last rise before it goes into the oven? After they were baked there weren’t very many holes. I put the loaves on a silicone sheet on top of a cookie sheet. After the cooking time and I took them out of the oven, the bottom was raw. I guess I should have used my pizza stone. I put them back in the oven upside down just on the bare rack. They got toasty looking. I wasn’t very pleased with the taste. Because they were so salty, I’m going to make croutons. I was impressed with the simplicity of the recipe, but I was disappointed with the taste. I don’t think I’ll be making this again. After all the years of trying to bake successful bread, I thought this one would be the answer. Evidently not.
Sally Sally Sally!! You have done it again!! I got my dough in the fridge by 3p.m. So didn’t get started the next day until 9a.m. My loaves were looking pretty pitiful before going in the oven, but just as promised they got nice & large while baking! I used the pizza stone that came with a toaster oven I purchased years ago because none of my nonstick sheet pans can go above 450 degrees. I also used the bottom pan to my broiler pan that came with my ovens to place the boiling water in on the bottom rack! Next time will be adding some flavorings & planning to give as gifts for the neighbors for the holidays!! Thank you Sally! I have never had a single one of your recipes fail!! Happy Holidays!!
Hi, I’m a little bit confused by this recipe. I tried it a few days ago using the grams / millilitres measurements for the flour and water and the dough was incredibly wet. I couldn’t shape it really at all and it just went sideways during the final prove. You’ve said in response to other comments that it is a very wet dough, but in the video you say the dough may seem dry and your dough is clearly way firmer than mine was. I didn’t score mine because I forgot, but I wouldn’t have been able to score it anyway because of just how wet the dough was. It tasted pretty good and had a great crust, but came out very flat. Are you sure the grams and milliliters measurements are right? I’m meant to be doing this recipe for a work event week after next and I’m worried it won’t turn out well 🙁
Hi KS, 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, yours may be a little too sticky. Don’t be afraid to add 1/4 – 1/2 cup more flour to the dough next time before letting it rest at room temperature.
This happened with mine as well, I’ve just got it into the fridge now so I haven’t seen how it will bake up, but I weighed & measured very carefully and it was like the texture of the slime my nieces make, but even stickier haha… I didn’t measure how much flour I ended up adding, but it took quite a bit to get it out of that gluey state. Feels lovely and soft now tho, so fingers crossed 🙂
I am having the same issue. I used even more flour than stated in the recipe, yet my dough never looked as stiff as the one in the video. I have a feeling I’ve wasted ingredients on a bad recipe. If also like to mention to the author, your title is “with or without a Dutch oven”, but then you provide very little detail about how to do this in a Dutch oven. I’ve had to guess my way through most of this.
Hi Missy, see detailed recipe notes for how to bake the bread with a dutch oven.