Bread Beginners—Start Here
This loaf is your gateway drug to real bread baking. No kneading snobs. No fancy gadgets. All you need is flour, water, yeast, salt—and patience. You mix. You ferment. You bake with steam. You emerge with a crusty, chewy artisan loaf that makes store bread look like cardboard. Welcome to real bread.
What is Homemade Artisan Bread?
It’s that loaf with a golden, crackling crust and open, chewy crumb. It’s oven-steamy, handler-simple, impress-hosts-without-effort loaf that makes jam, butter, soups, and cheese tracks taste downright elevated. It’s the dough that proves greatness comes from simplicity.
Why You’ll Love This Bread
• No kneading—just mix, fold, ferment.
• Only 4 pantry staples.
• Works on your schedule—bulk ferment whenever.
• Crust that cracks, crumb that opens, flavor that pops.
• Looks fancy despite zero finesse.
Only 4 Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) bread flour
- 1½ cups (360g) water at room temp
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1½ tsp fine sea salt
Recipe Card
- Recipe name: Homemade Artisan Bread (4 Ingredients)
- Summary: A no-nonsense, no-knead artisan loaf with crusty exterior and open interior—baked with steam, no hassle.
- Prep time: 10 minutes hands-on
- Cook time: 30–35 minutes
- Additional time: ~2 hr bulk ferment + 1 hr proof + bake time
- Total time: ~3½ hours
- Servings: 8 slices (1 loaf)
- Diet: Vegetarian
- Method: Mix-shape-bake with Dutch oven
How to Make Homemade Artisan Bread in 5 Steps
- Mix flour, water, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Stir until shaggy dough forms. No kneading, no gadgets—just your spoon or spatula.
- Cover and let rest 2 hours at room temperature. At 30 and 60 minutes, perform a set of stretch-and-folds: grab a dough edge, pull it up, fold it over, rotate bowl—builds structure without kneading.
- Shape into a round, place seam-side down on floured towel, cover and proof 45–60 minutes. It should gently rise, not double.
- Preheat oven to 450°F with your Dutch oven inside for 30 minutes. Remove pot, drop dough in, slash the top, cover and bake 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake 5–10 minutes to crisp the crust.
- Cool on rack at least 20 minutes before slicing. Don’t cut too early or the crumb will be gummy.
Serve Artisan Bread With
Drizzle it in olive oil and coarse salt. Serve with soup, cheese, jam, or butter so soft it melts on the crumb. Or just rip and eat. No judgment.
Notes
- Don’t skip the steam—you need the Dutch oven lid or a hot pan of water for crust.
- Shaggy is ideal—avoid overmixing.
- Crumb sets as it cools—don’t slice hot.
- Make ahead by delaying bake up to 8 hours. Just refrigerate covered dough.
This is not your average loaf. It’s crusty, chewy, dynamic. It’s homemade flour and water flexed into something majestic. You mix. You bake. You own this.
Want more kitchen swagger with real results? Email me at [email protected] and tell me what recipes your readers are craving—I’ll send the next dough or skillet star your way.
