Crusty Artisan Bread
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This crusty bread recipe is astonishingly easy—no kneading required—and makes three beautiful loaves, which you can bake as needed.
This homemade artisan bread recipe is astonishingly easy, and it makes enough for three delicious loaves, which you can bake as needed. What’s more, the dough takes just five minutes to make, does not require kneading or any special equipment, and can rest in the fridge for up to two weeks (the flavor becomes more complex the longer it sits). The recipe is modestly adapted from one of my favorite baking books, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day by Jeff Hertzberg M.D. and Zoë François.
What You’ll Need To Make Crusty Artisan Bread
- All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of the bread; using high-protein flour, such as King Arthur, yields better results. If using a lower-protein flour, you may need to add a few more tablespoons of flour.
- Kosher salt: Enhances flavor and controls yeast activity; essential for a well-balanced taste.
- Instant/rapid-rise yeast: Leavens the dough, helping it to rise quickly without needing to activate it in water beforehand. Active dry yeast can be used instead, but it requires longer rising time. To activate, dissolve it in lukewarm water and let it sit until frothy before adding to the flour mixture.
- Lukewarm water: Hydrates the flour and yeast, helping to create the right dough consistency; lukewarm water (about 100°F) is ideal for activating the yeast.
- Cornmeal: Used for dusting the baking sheet to prevent the dough from sticking and to add a slight crunch to the crust.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a very large (6-quart) bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Mix to combine.
Add 3 cups of lukewarm water (no need to be exact but lukewarm is about 100°F).
Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is uniformly moist, without any patches of flour.
The dough should be sticky and conform to the shape of the bowl. If your dough is too dry, add a few tablespoons more warm water. If it’s too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter in a warm spot for 2 hours. As you can see below, it will rise a lot!
When you’re ready to bake a loaf, pull out one-third of the dough.
Coat the outside lightly with flour (you don’t want to incorporate more flour into the dough, you just want to be able to handle it). Gently work the dough into a smooth ball, stretching the surface and tucking the ends underneath.
Put the dough ball onto a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet and let rest at room temperature, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. (If the dough has been refrigerated, allow it to rise for 60 minutes, or up to 90 minutes if you want a more open and airy crumb structure.) The dough will rise a bit. It may also spread/flatten a bit; that’s okay.
The dough will rise a bit.
Generously dust the dough with flour. Using a sharp knife, make a few 1/2-inch-deep slashes in the dough — a scallop, cross, or tic tac toe pattern all look nice.
Set a metal pan on the bottom rack of a preheated 450°F-oven. Slide the baking sheet with the dough into the oven, and carefully fill the metal cake pan with one cup of hot tap water. This creates steam in the oven. (Try to do this quickly so as not to let heat out of the oven.) Bake until the loaf is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
This bread is best enjoyed fresh on the day it is made. Once sliced, place the loaf cut-side down on a cutting board or plate and leave it uncovered.
Freezing Instructions
The dough can be portioned into thirds and frozen in airtight plastic containers for up to 1 month. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then shape, rest and bake as usual. The baked loaves can also be frozen whole or sliced. Wrap in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. To thaw, take the bread out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature, about 3 hours. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
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Artisan Bread
This crusty bread recipe is astonishingly easy—no kneading required—and makes three beautiful loaves, which you can bake as needed.
Ingredients
- 6½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off (preferably King Arthur; see note)
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoons instant/rapid-rise yeast (see note)
- 3 cups lukewarm water (no need to be exact but lukewarm is about 100°F)
- Cornmeal, for dusting the pan
Instructions
- In a very large (6-quart) bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is uniformly moist, without any patches of flour. The dough should be sticky and conform to the shape of the bowl. If your dough is too dry, add a few tablespoons more warm water. If it's too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour. (See the step-by-step photos for guidance on what the dough should look like.) Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter in a warm spot for 2 hours. If you plan to bake a loaf immediately, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator to be used over the next 14 days. (Once refrigerated, the dough will shrink back a bit; that's okay. Do not punch down the dough at any point, and keep it loosely covered with plastic wrap.)
- Dust a sturdy baking sheet with cornmeal.
- Dust the surface of the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Pull out one-third of the dough and coat the outside lightly with flour (you don't want to incorporate more flour into the dough, you just want to be able to handle it). Gently work the dough into a smooth ball, stretching the surface and tucking the ends underneath, adding more flour as needed so it doesn't stick to your hands. (Don't overwork the dough; this process should only take about 30 seconds.) Put the dough ball onto the prepared baking sheet and let it rest at room temperature, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. (If the dough has been refrigerated, allow it to rise for 60 minutes, or up to 90 minutes if you want a more open and airy crumb structure.) The dough will rise a bit. It may also spread/flatten a bit; that's okay.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Set one rack in the lowest position of the oven and one rack in the middle position. Place a metal pan (any metal cake pan or broiler pan will work; just don't use glass) on the bottom rack. (You will fill this with water later to create steam in the oven).
- Generously dust the dough with flour. Using a sharp knife, make a few ½-inch-deep slashes in the dough -- a scallop, cross, or tic tac toe pattern all look nice.
- Slide the baking sheet with the dough into the oven, and carefully fill the metal cake pan with one cup of hot tap water. (Try to do this quickly so as not to let heat out of the oven.) Bake until the loaf is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- This bread is best enjoyed fresh on the day it is made. Once sliced, place the loaf cut-side down on a cutting board or plate and leave it uncovered. (If it lasts beyond a day, I suggest slicing and freezing.)
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions The dough can be portioned into thirds and frozen in airtight plastic containers for up to 1 month. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then shape, rest and bake as usual. The baked loaves can also be frozen whole or sliced: Wrap in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. (If you plan to use slices one at a time, place pieces of parchment between them so they don't stick.) To thaw, take the bread out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature on the countertop. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
- Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant/rapid-rise yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the lukewarm water and let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. After that, add it to the flour and salt, and proceed with the recipe.
- Note: I use King Arthur flour, which is higher in protein than some other all-purpose flours. If using a flour with a lower protein content, such as Gold Medal, you will likely need to add a few more tablespoons of flour.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 100
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 64 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Love this bread! I made it several days ago and froze one of the loaves. I let it defrost on the counter and have reheated it in the 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. My question is what is the best way to keep/store it (besides eating it all at one time, lol!)?
Glad you like it! It’s really best on the day it’s made, but once you’ve sliced into it, place the rest of the loaf cut-side down on a cutting board or plate and leave it uncovered. If it lasts beyond a day, I’d suggest slicing and freezing it (again).
I made this and it was oso good!! I wish I could share pics!!
Delicious! Thanks for this great recipe. Just made it today for our dinner tonight. I have a dough proofer because my kitchen is on the cool side so instead of resting on the counter, the bowl rested in my proofer set at 71 degrees for about 2 hours. I decided to divide and bake 2 larger loaves instead of the 3. They are beautiful and taste amazing. I think I could probably eat one all by myself but will definitely refrain and freeze the second one for later.
Can whole wheat flour be substituted for the white flour?
Hi Linda, I’ve only made this with all-purpose flour so I can’t confidently say how it will turn out with different kinds of flour. King Arthur has a variety of bread recipes that call for whole-grain flours if you want to check them out. And if you have any interest in buying a cookbook, this recipe was adapted from cookbook authors Jeff Hertzberg M.D. and Zoë François and they also have a book that focuses on whole grain bread recipes.
Hi Jenn, I’m a huge fan. I’d it possible to make this recipe with whole wheat four? If not can you recommend a recipe that uses wheat? Thanks so much!
Hi Jill, so glad you like the recipes! I’ve only made this with all-purpose flour so I can’t confidently say how it will turn out with different kinds of flour. King Arthur has a variety of bread recipes that call for whole-grain flours if you want to check them out. And if you have any interest in buying a cookbook, this recipe was adapted from cookbook authors Jeff Hertzberg M.D. and Zoë François and they also have a book that focuses on whole grain bread recipes.
If you’re not going to eat it the first day, do you rise it for 2 hours and then put into the refrigerator, or do you just put it right into the refrigerator?
Hi Lori, you let it rise for two hours before putting it into the fridge. 🙂
I just made your bread for the first time and portioned into 2 rounds and they came out perfect. The first one I used the bake feature of my oven and nice dark loaf, the 2nd on convection bake. Not as dark. Can I bake the whole recipe in 1 loaf -will the baking time be the same. As a 100%Italian it was just like we wanted. Would like 1 big loaf though. Your recommendations? Thank you
Deborah
Hi Deborah, Glad you liked it! I’m not sure exactly how long one large loaf will take to bake, but I’d start checking at about 35 minutes. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
My 2nd attempt at bread and I do NOT bake. My first was a knock off Macaroni Grill and it went in the trash. My 2nd was THIS and it’s WONDERFUL! Literally my entire family thinks I have been swapped out for an Invasion of the Body Snatchers double 🙂
It was a BIT dense, but I know I didn’t add quite enough flour and will do that next time. Thank you so much!
Hi! Would you be able to have the dough rise in a oven that has a proofing function? If so do you know what conversions I would need to make?
That’s fine and you don’t need to make any adjustments. Hope you enjoy the bread!
This bread is over the top delicious!! I’ve used it for Thanksgiving stuffing, sandwiches, croutons, and bread crumbs. The only problem I have is with cutting it. I use a serrated knife but it’s still difficult to cut through the crust safely. Do you have any suggestions on a good knife to use for slicing? Thank you as always. You’re so generous with your recipes and such a nice person. 😊😊
Thanks for your kind words — so glad you like the recipes, including this bread! This is the bread knife I use and I love it. 🙂
I went ahead and got the knife. It worked beautifully! Thanks so much for your suggestion!! 😊
👍
Thank you Jenn. I went ahead and ordered it. Btw, your dogs in their Halloween costumes are adorable and hilarious!!😂
I think you’ll like it! And the dogs look thrilled, don’t they!? 😊💜