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Everyday Artisan Bread

An impossibly simple, perfect loaf of crusty artisan bread - no-knead, 4 ingredients, no fancy equipment necessary
Course bread
Cuisine French
Keyword artisan, Bread, crusty bread, easy bread
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting Time 18 hours
Servings 1 loaf
Author LeAnne Shor

Ingredients

  • 4 cups unbleached AP flour 600g
  • 2 cups room temperature water 472g
  • 3/4 teaspoon dry active yeast 3g
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, I use Morton's 10g

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Use a wooden spoon to mix. Add the water, and stir until blended, and a shaggy dough has formed.
  2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then drape a kitchen towel over the plastic. Let the dough rest for 18 hours at room temperature, preferably around 70*F.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450*F. Place a dutch oven in the oven while it is preheating. The dutch oven should be heated for at least 15 minutes, once the oven reaches 450*F. The dough is ready when it is very puffy, jiggly, and the surface is full of air bubbles. Generously flour a work surface, and gently slide the dough out of the bowl, onto the floured surface. I like to run a rubber spatula around the bowl to release the sticky dough, to avoid disturbing the air bubbles in the dough as much as possible.
  4. Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour, and gently fold the corners of the dough into the center. Flip the dough over, so the folds are facing down. Sprinkle a bit more flour, and gently shape the dough into a ball by pulling it towards you a few times. Don't knead, just a few times until a round shape is formed.

  5. Place the dough, seam side down, on a sheet of parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to quickly slash the top. With oven mitts, carefully remove the preheated dutch oven from the oven, and place on a trivet or on the stove. Remove the lid. Pick up the parchment paper with the dough on it, and place it in the dutch oven. Put the lid back on, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the lid, and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the crust is deeply golden brown. Let the bread cool completely on a baking rack, before slicing it, at least 2 hours.