Name: 4-Ingredient Artisan Bread Recipe
Ingredients: All-Purpose Flour: 3 cups (approximately 400g). The backbone of our bread, providing structure. While bread flour can be used for a slightly chewier crumb due to its higher protein content, all-purpose flour works wonderfully and is more commonly available. Ensure it’s unbleached for the best flavor. The way you measure flour can impact your results; using a kitchen scale for grams is most accurate, but if spooning and leveling, be gentle to avoid packing too much flour into your cup.; Instant Yeast (or Rapid Rise Yeast): ¼ teaspoon. This tiny amount is all you need for a slow, flavorful fermentation. Instant yeast can be mixed directly with dry ingredients. If you only have active dry yeast, you can use it, but it’s best to dissolve it in a portion of the warm water with a pinch of sugar for 5-10 minutes until foamy before adding it to the flour. You might need slightly more active dry yeast, perhaps ½ teaspoon.; Fine Sea Salt (or Kosher Salt): 1 ½ teaspoons. Salt is crucial not just for flavor, but also for controlling yeast activity and strengthening gluten structure. Avoid iodized table salt if possible, as it can sometimes impart a metallic taste.; Warm Water: 1 ½ cups (approximately 355-360ml), at about 105-115°F (40-46°C). The water should feel like a warm bath – not too hot to kill the yeast, and not too cold to slow it down excessively. This temperature range is ideal for activating the yeast and hydrating the flour.

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour: 3 cups (approximately 400g). The backbone of our bread, providing structure. While bread flour can be used for a slightly chewier crumb due to its higher protein content, all-purpose flour works wonderfully and is more commonly available. Ensure it’s unbleached for the best flavor. The way you measure flour can impact your results; using a kitchen scale for grams is most accurate, but if spooning and leveling, be gentle to avoid packing too much flour into your cup.

Instant Yeast (or Rapid Rise Yeast): ¼ teaspoon. This tiny amount is all you need for a slow, flavorful fermentation. Instant yeast can be mixed directly with dry ingredients. If you only have active dry yeast, you can use it, but it’s best to dissolve it in a portion of the warm water with a pinch of sugar for 5-10 minutes until foamy before adding it to the flour. You might need slightly more active dry yeast, perhaps ½ teaspoon.

Fine Sea Salt (or Kosher Salt): 1 ½ teaspoons. Salt is crucial not just for flavor, but also for controlling yeast activity and strengthening gluten structure. Avoid iodized table salt if possible, as it can sometimes impart a metallic taste.

Warm Water: 1 ½ cups (approximately 355-360ml), at about 105-115°F (40-46°C). The water should feel like a warm bath – not too hot to kill the yeast, and not too cold to slow it down excessively. This temperature range is ideal for activating the yeast and hydrating the flour.

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Instructions

Combine Dry Ingredients:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of fine sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon of instant yeast. Whisking ensures the salt and yeast are evenly distributed throughout the flour, which is crucial for a consistent rise and flavor. If you were using active dry yeast, you would have already proofed it in the warm water and would add it in the next step with the remaining water.

Add Water and Mix:
Pour the 1 ½ cups of warm water into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a sturdy spatula or a wooden spoon, mix until all the flour is hydrated and a shaggy, sticky dough forms. There’s no need to knead! Just ensure there are no dry patches of flour remaining. The dough will look quite wet and unkempt at this stage – this is perfectly normal for a no-knead recipe.

First Rise (Bulk Fermentation):
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover. You can also use a clean kitchen towel secured with a rubber band, but plastic wrap is better at preventing the dough surface from drying out. Let the dough rise at room temperature (ideally between 68-72°F or 20-22°C) for 12 to 18 hours. Some recipes even go up to 24 hours. The longer the rise, the more developed the flavor will be. During this time, the yeast will work its magic, creating carbon dioxide bubbles that give the bread its airy structure and developing complex, slightly tangy flavors. The dough should at least double, or even triple, in size and be very bubbly and jiggly. You’ll notice a pleasantly fermented aroma. If your room is warmer, the rise might be faster; if cooler, it might take longer.

Shape the Dough (Gently!):
Lightly flour a clean work surface (a wooden board or countertop). Gently scrape the risen dough out of the bowl onto the floured surface. The dough will be very sticky and full of air bubbles – handle it with care to preserve those precious bubbles. Lightly flour your hands as well.
Gently pull the edges of the dough towards the center, rotating the dough as you go, to form a rough ball. You’re essentially deflating it slightly and creating surface tension. Do this a few times (4-6 “folds”) until it starts to hold a roundish shape. Avoid overworking the dough. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth.

Second Rise (Proofing):
Place a piece of parchment paper (large enough to lift the dough into your pot later) on your work surface and lightly dust it with flour. Carefully transfer the shaped dough, seam-side down, onto the center of the parchment paper. Lightly dust the top of the dough with a little more flour.
Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest and rise again for 1 to 2 hours, or until it has increased in size by about 50% and doesn’t spring back immediately when you gently poke it (it should leave a slight indentation that slowly fills in). The exact time will depend on your room temperature.

Preheat Oven and Dutch Oven:
About 30-45 minutes before the second rise is complete, place your Dutch oven (with its lid on) into your oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). It is crucial that the Dutch oven is thoroughly preheated. This intense heat will create steam when the dough is added, which is essential for that coveted crispy, crackly crust.

Score and Bake:
Once the Dutch oven is preheated and the dough has completed its second rise, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven using sturdy oven mitts. Be extremely cautious as it will be very hot.
Remove the lid.
If you wish to score your dough (make a slash on top), now is the time. Using a very sharp knife, a bread lame, or even clean kitchen shears, make one or two decisive slashes about ½ inch deep across the top of the dough. This allows steam to escape in a controlled way and can create an attractive “ear” on the finished loaf. This step is optional but recommended for aesthetics and oven spring.
Carefully lift the dough by the edges of the parchment paper and lower it (parchment paper and all) into the hot Dutch oven.
Place the lid back on the Dutch oven.

Bake Covered:
Return the lidded Dutch oven to the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. The trapped steam inside the pot creates a humid environment, allowing the crust to remain soft initially so the bread can expand fully (this is called “oven spring”) before setting.

Bake Uncovered:
After 30 minutes, carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven (again, using oven mitts – watch out for steam!). The bread will look pale but puffed.
Continue baking, uncovered, for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown and beautifully crackled. The internal temperature of the bread should register between 200-210°F (93-99°C) on an instant-read thermometer.

Cool Completely:
Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Using the parchment paper edges as handles (or a sturdy spatula), lift the bread out of the Dutch oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack.
This is perhaps the hardest part: you must let the bread cool completely for at least 1-2 hours, preferably longer, before slicing. If you cut into it while it’s still hot, the steam will escape too quickly, and the interior crumb can become gummy and dense. As it cools, you might even hear the delightful “singing” or crackling of the crust.

Nutrition

Serving Size: One Normal Portion
Calories: 120-150
Sugar: <1g
Sodium: 250-300mg
Fat: <1g
Saturated Fat: <0.5g
Carbohydrates: 25-30g
Fiber: 1-2g
Protein: 3-4g
Cholesterol: 0mg