Artisan Bread Recipe (2024)

No need to visit the fancy bakery when you can make this Artisan Bread at home! The no knead dough comes together in 5 minutes and can be refrigerated for up to 14 days, making it easy to have freshly baked bread every night.

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There is nothing like a fresh slice of bread with a hot bowl of soup or a big plate of pasta! This Artisan Bread is so easy, you’ll easily be able to have fresh bread on the dinner table!

Bread is my love language. I am not that girl that can pass up the bread basket on the table. In fact, I’ll usually take the bread before I take the dinner.

And freshly baked, homemade bread? I cannot resist.

If you are like me, what would you do if I told you that it only takes 5 minutes of hands on time to have fresh bread?

Why You’ll Love This Bread

I know that bread can be intimidating to some people. I totally get it. I’ve had plenty of times when my bread didn’t rise, or when it burns on the outside but is raw on the inside, or when I just end up with hockey puck dinner rolls.

But this bread will make a bread baker out of anyone.

It is so easy. Really, anyone can make it.

This artisan bread is the best for many reasons.

1st – it’s easy. Only 5 minutes of hands on time.
2nd – it only takes 4 ingredients. And one of those is water. I bet you have everything on hand to make it right now.
3rd – make up a batch of the dough and you have enough for 4 loaves of bread. Make one tonight, refrigerate the dough, and make another loaf tomorrow. Or the next day. The dough can actually be refrigerated for up to 14 days, and it gets better with time!

Ingredients

Water: You want water that is just warmer than room temperature. If you have an instant read thermometer, you can try to get it around 100ºF, but it doesn’t need to be exact. You just don’t want it too warm because you want it to rise slowly.

Yeast: You could use rapid rise yeast or active dry yeast, but I suggest using active dry yeast. If you do use rapid rise yeast, I would cut the amount down by about 25%.

Salt: You will get the best results by using a coarse salt. I use coarse kosher salt, but any coarse salt should work.

Flour: I use regular all-purpose flour. You could definitely use bread flour, if you prefer. It will give you a chewier texture. But I usually just use all-purpose flour!

How to Make Artisan Bread

1. 1. Pour the water into a large bowl, then add the yeast and salt.
   2. Use a wooden spoon to stir it together.
   3. Add the flour all at once.
   4. Use the spoon to stir everything together.
   5. Continue to stir until you don’t have any dry patches. The dough will be sticky, but you don’t need to go crazy. Just make sure it’s mixed.
   6. Cover the bowl with a towel or with plastic wrap. Set it in a warm place to rise.
   7. Allow it to rise until it starts to flatten on top. At this point you can bake the dough or refrigerate it to use it later.
   8. When you’re ready to bake the bread, sprinkle the surface with flour, then use your hands and a serrated knife to cut 1/4 of the dough.
   9. Start pulling all of the edges to the bottom, making the top semi smooth.

1. Place the ball on a piece of parchment paper or on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal.
2. Cover, and let the dough rise again.
3. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour.
4. Use a serrated knife or very sharp kitchen knife to score the top of the loaf.

How to Bake Artisan Bread

There are a few ways you can bake this bread:

On a Pizza Stone: This is my preferred way to bake artisan bread. Simply preheat the pizza stone in oven 30 minutes before you want to bake the bread. Place a dish or a broiling pan on the bottom shelf of the oven. Transfer the dough to the pizza stone with a pizza peel, then immediately pour about 1 cup of water in the broiling pan and shut the oven door. Bake until the bread is browned and cooked through.

On a Baking Sheet: The process is much the same as a pizza stone, except you don’t need to preheat the baking sheet in the oven. Simply place the dough on the baking sheet and transfer the baking sheet to the oven to bake. You will still want to do the broiling pan with the water.

In a Dutch Oven: If you have a dutch oven with a lid, this is also an option. You’ll want to make bigger loaves, getting 2 loaves from this recipe instead of 4. Shape your dough on a piece of parchment paper so that it is easy to transfer. Cover and let it rise. Preheat the dutch oven in the oven for 30 minutes with the lid on. Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the dough on the parchment paper into the dutch oven. Put the lid back on and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and continue to bake until browned and cooked through, another 10-15 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

• This bread gets better the longer you refrigerate the dough. It is delicious when you make it right away, but continues to develop more flavor the longer it is refrigerated.
• As tempting as it is to eat the bread straight from the oven, allow it to cool before serving for the best texture.
• I like to shape mine into rounds, but you could always do longer loaves, as well.
• Feel free to make larger loaves by dividing the dough into 3 portions instead of 4.

How to Store It

Once the dough is made, you can keep it in the refrigerator with a non-airtight lid for up to 14 days.

When the bread is baked, you can keep any leftovers in a plastic or paper bag for a couple of days. It will start to dry out, so if it gets to that point, you may want to toast it and use it for crostini, turn it into breadcrumbs, or make homemade croutons.

You can also freeze the baked bread. Make sure the bread is completely cooled, then wrap in plastic wrap and then foil. Freeze for up to 6 months.

More Bread Recipes

White Bread Recipe
Polenta Bread
Dinner Roll Recipe
Whole Wheat Rolls
Easy French Bread
Potato Bread