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.
Easy and delicious! The video really helped me get over my fear of giving this a try!
Its PERFECT!! Hands down the best bread ive EVER made. Its perfectly crisp and chewy on the out side soft and fluffy inside and beyond easy to make. I let mine rest 24 hours in the fridge before baking and i but the water in the pan under while it baked and its flawless. I am curious about leaving it longer. The next batch I’ll wait 48 hours and then the one after that 72 hours.
Thank you for sharing awesome recipe!! It was super easy and turned out great even though it was my first attempt at baking bread!! I will definitely make this again. This challenge made me want to try more other recipes of you.:)
Thank you for this wonderful easy recipe, Sally! Although, didn’t get many air pockets, my bread turned out great! I added rosemary, basil and shaved Parmesan cheese to the recipe and it tastes divine! I can’t wait to bake some more loaves. This will be a great recipe to play around with ingredients. Thank you again!
I tried this recipe last weekend. Wonderful, no air pockets because I skipped to #4 right away. I am making it again tonight (Thursday) to bake on Saturday for a girls night in. When you say … you let it rest for 18 hours, does that mean in the fridge or outside the fridge to get to room temperature before you bake it? Sorry. I should probably know this at my age, but I don’t, and I want this to be spectacular, thank you in advance,
Karen
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Karen! The long 18 hour rest is in the refrigerator. Then shape the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes while your oven heats up.
I was disappointed in mine, it did not turn out like the pictures with the holes in the bread. The loaves were small and dense. Not sure why mine didn’t turn out like pictures, I followed the instructions, but I forgot to score it before baking.
Hi Ruth, scoring is KEY to the bread’s texture and ability to rise/expand properly in the oven. I’m not surprised your loaves were dense. 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!
Hi Sally
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m a Mama of four boys, one of which as a life threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts which makes it very difficult to eat at restaurants or purchase baked goods from bakeries/supermarkets. Due to this restriction I thought I’d never enjoy artisan style bread again until this recipe came along. I follow you blog and make your cookie/muffin/cake recipes regularly but I’ve always stayed away from yeast breads (thinking it was too difficult). I’m proud to say I’ve made this recipe twice so far and absolutely love how incredibly simple it was to make and how delicious it tastes. I whipped some butter with honey and a sprinkle of sea salt …it’s especially amazing on the crusty end pieces. Thanks again!
This is such and easy and delicious bread recipe. I love the option to add more flavors to the bread.
Thanks Sally for a bread recipe that I can actually make!!! Loves it, simple, tasty, lovely crusty outside and soft airy inside, a roaring success.
Such a simple recipe for fabulous, crispy bread! Sally, your instructions and tips made for total yum! I enjoyed a few slices with butter and homemade strawberry jam. Thanks for the challenge.
Very delicious and so easy! Lots less steps than other bread recipes out there and out of the 5 I’ve tried the past few months, my husband voted this one the best!! It is soft and fluffy on the inside.
Super easy recipe to follow and turned out great!! Didn’t do the water trick and still love the way the loaves turned out. Thanks for another keeper Sally!
Will need to try again! Both of my loaves pushed out these weird “humps” on one side. Crispy crust. Great taste. Just a bit dense not sure why.
It was so easy to make! Mine didn’t get as dark and cursty as yours but had great texture and flavor.
So glad you tried it! Sounds like the bread needed a little longer in the oven to get a darker color and crispier crust.
I’ve made this bread several times, and it is consistently delicious every single time! This recipe is truly simple and perfect for beginners. I love to add fresh rosemary and garlic salt to my bread; it pairs perfectly with homemade tomato soup 🙂 As always, thank you, Sally, for making every recipe approachable and tasty!
So easy and not intimidating at all! My first loaves were amazing and I cannot wait to correct my mistakes and try again! Hooray for rustic bread!!!
We had made 2 batches of this bread. Added herbs to bread to liven the bread with reduced salt for low sodium diet. ur first batch we baked it on Baking sheets with out pan of water in oven. nice and fluffy bread with good crust. Second batch we used pan of water in oven, super moist bread with a good crust. was great addition for beef stew for diner.
This bread was SO EASY AND DELICIOUS. I’ve never attempted bread before and this is the perfect introduction to bread baking. It tastes exactly like bread I buy in my local bakery – I’m glad I can just make my own now!!
Hi, Sally. Thanks so much for your amazing recipes and ALL the hard work that goes into each & every one!!! Every one I’ve tried is awesome.
I’m getting ready to make this month’s challenge bread (which at 53 years old is my 1st time). Anyway, it’s just my husband and myself at home now, so I’m wondering if I could divide the dough into 3-4 loaves, freezing the ones I’m not cooking for another day?! If so, any recommended changes to the recipe?
You are welcome, Emily! Thank you so much for the positive feedback! You can absolutely freeze the dough before baking or freeze the baked loaves. See the first recipe note for freezing directions both ways. If you are making smaller loaves just keep in mind that the bake time may be shorter. I hope you both enjoy this bread!
So easy and delicious!
What a great recipe for a beginner bread maker! I added rosemary and garlic and let the dough rest for 3 days… The flavor was incredible. Can’t wait to try different variations of this recipe.
It was a wonderful success!! I will be making this again, per my opinion and per my husband’s request!!
I absolutely love this bread!!! Thank you for sharing this easy and delicious recipe!
Hi Sally
Bread was wonderful. Tasted so so good
I have always been leary about making overnight breads.; it was too easy and i thought time consuming I didn’t think it would taste good
As a side note – within a couple of hours after making this, I had to place it the freezer to keep my husband & I from eating it up
Obviously I was wrong !!! i am planning to make more of your breads that are overnight …. cinnamon sounds good. .
Just two questions
I don’t think I went deep enough when I slashed the bread
Will that affect the rise or toughness of the the bread?
How much should the bread rise after forming the loaf. ?
I did let rest for 45 min and it didn’t rise or spread
Main reason I ask, is my kitchen was cold. Should I have placed it in a warmer room?
I Always have such fun with your blogs
Thank you
Meg
Thanks Meg! I find the loaves rise a little taller around the scores if they’re deep enough. Kitchen shears are helpful if you don’t have a bread lame or very sharp knife. The loaves don’t really rise after shaping– maybe a little. This time is really just for a little rest to help settle the gluten before baking. The loaves can also spread if the dough is particularly sticky or it’s particularly warm in the kitchen. It’s no problem either way!
Great recipe for first time bread maker. Bread is so intimidating, but this turned out great on the first try!
This was such an easy recipe, especially for someone who has never baked bread. Next time I will try to bake it in my dutch oven. Thank you!
The flavor on this is phenomenal. I let it sit in the fridge for 26 hours. I was a tad worried it wouldn’t rise as well since I used active dry yeast and forgot to let it rise longer at room temp, but the flavor makes up for the less puffy bread. I might add a tad more flour next time though- the dough was extremely sticky, which made it hard to handle and get good scoring.
This bread recipe is so easy and so tasty! The hardest part is waiting the 18 hours for it to rest! Thank you so much Sally!
Loved the crispy crust! Great recipe that is super easy!
I loved this recipe! Super easy for someone not great at bread making. I made your honey butter (with cinnamon in it) to go with it, and we devoured it!
My texture for the bread must’ve been a little off because I tried to score it, and it wouldn’t stick, but it still turned out great.