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I’ve been making breads for a few decades – I’m no spring chicken anymore, lol 😂! Do I have a favorite? Nope, I like them all! I think of Challah, Tortilla, Olive Bread, Ciabatta, Naan, Sourdough, Arepas, Socca, Baguettes, Grissini, etc. including this featured one… Artisan Bread!
As much as bread making can be intimidating for many, this one is actually quite easy and forgiving. It’s a great recipe that’s perfect for beginners who want to attempt bread making and also pros who appreciate its texture!
Technically, there’s no need for a stand mixer as it can be made by hand. However, if there’s a way to make my life easier, I go for it 😉 so that’s the reason why I use this appliance. With a few ingredients, this effortless recipe is perfect to enjoy with soups 🥣, using as a food vessel for dips, hummus, and so on.
Contrary to many recipes out there, I use sugar when proofing my yeast. There are a few reasons behind it…
Yeast loves 💖 sweet and helps to convert it into carbon dioxide gas which helps it to rise. It also improves the texture of the bread as well as adding flavor. In addition, it gives the crust that lovely golden-brown color. Moreover, sugar helps keep the bread moist and soft by retaining moisture.
Another ingredient I use that most don’t is bread flour. The protein in flour is what forms gluten in the dough. Bread flour has about 11.7 to 14% versus all-purpose which has 9 to 11.7%. More protein means more gluten therefore giving elasticity which helps the bread to rise higher 🍞 with an airier crumb.
After the dough is made, I lightly grease the bowl using a pastry brush. When I say “lightly”, I mean “barely”, and place the dough in. I cover it with plastic wrap and place a clean dish towel on top. I transfer to a draft-free area such as the oven. During the colder months, I like to turn the heat to 350ºF for just a couple minutes while my ingredients are mixing in the stand mixer. It makes it cozy 🥰 for the rise.
A couple hours after it has doubled in size, it’s crucial to not knock the air out! Most of the time we punch the dough after rising… we don’t do it with Artisan Bread. We gently fold it to form a ball, place it on a large piece of parchment paper lightly floured, cover with the same bowl used earlier and let it proof.
Meantime, the oven is turned to 450ºF and when the temperature is reached, we place a Dutch oven with the lid on in it. Both, proofing the dough and heating up the pot take 30 minutes ⏰. The size of my pot is 5 ½-quarts.
Half an hour later, the dough sitting on the parchment paper is transferred into the “scorching hot” pot, covered and baked for 30 minutes. When time is up, the lid is removed and the bread is baked for an additional 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
If you’re a beginner at this, this Artisan Bread is certainly a great introduction. It’s easy to make 👨🍳👩🍳 with delicious results! Soft inside with a nice crispy crust, this is a French bread that I’m sure you’ll enjoy baking often…
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Here are more incredible bread recipes for you to try… 😀
– Tomato Rosemary Focaccia
– Brioche Bread
– Easy Zucchini Bread
– Man’oushe – Lebanese Flatbread
– Homemade Pretzels
– Pull-Apart Garlic Bread
and for even more bread recipes 🥖🍞, click on this link… Recipe Category • Bread
For ingredient amounts, directions and much more, visit ➡ https://clubfoody.com/cf-recipes/artisan-bread/
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