Easy Artisan Bread—4 Ingredients, NO Special Tools!

Even if you’ve never made bread before, you can make this super easy, gorgeous artisan loaf for your family! 

Or switch it up and bake it in loaf pans for sandwich bread.

Ingredients:

6 cups flour (I used all-purpose flour, you can also use freshly milled whole wheat!)

1/2 tsp. dry active yeast

1 Tbsp. salt

2 2/3 cups cool water

Instructions:

Mix all dry ingredients together, add water and stir until a shaggy dough ball forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours.

With floured hands, form dough into a ball and place on a piece of parchment paper. Cover gently and let rise for approximately 1 hour.

Place dutch oven (or ceramic crockpot insert with glass lid) in your cold oven and preheat oven with pan inside to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully remove pot and place dough ball on the parchment inside. Cover with the lid and place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove lid and bake for 20 minutes uncovered.

Remove bread from pan and allow to fully cool before slicing.

To make sandwich bread, after the 12-18 hour rise, split the dough into two greased or parchment-lined loaf pans. Let them sit gently covered at room temperature until approximately doubled in size. Then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove bread from pans and cool on a wire rack.