Homemade Artisan Bread (With or Without Dutch Oven) Recipe

In a large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together.

Pour in the cool water and gently mix together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. The dough will be sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl.

Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set it on the counter at room temperature. Allow to rise for 2 to 3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.

Place covered dough in the refrigerator for 12 hours to 3 days. The dough will puff up during this time but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s fine and normal– nothing to worry about.

Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet with flour and/or cornmeal. Turn the cold dough out onto a floured work surface.

Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half. Some air bubbles will deflate while working with it. Place dough halves on prepared baking sheet.

Using floured hands, shape into 2 long loaves about 9×3-inches each about 3-inches apart. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes.

During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife or bread lame, score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about ½-inch deep. If the shaped loaves flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to narrow them out along the sides again.

Place the shaped and scored dough in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Gently tap the loaves– if they sound hollow, the bread is done.

Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve and enjoy.