Easy Crusty Artisan Loaf

The Baking Bookworm family loves bread. In all its different flavours, shapes, sizes and textures. We love eating it plain or slathered with butter. We love crunchy tops and squishy, pillowy insides. White, brown, rye or sour … we love it all!

Typically I use one of my bread machines to do the kneading and first rise but this time I used a new-to-me recipe that doesn't need kneading and was so easy! A little too easy! This recipe is from the very talented Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats. It makes a delicious loaf and was so yummy there was nary a crumb left after I served it last night with homemade tomato bisque and green salad. Not … one … crumb.

The magic of this recipe is that it only takes a few minutes to mix the four (yup, only 4!) ingredients, then you can sit back and read for 2 to 3 hours as the yeast works its magic. It's called multitasking!! You can bake it that day or pop the dough in the fridge and make it anytime over the next three days. It bakes in a cast iron Dutch Oven which leaves the crust crunchy while the inside is delightfully chewy with holes a la sour dough and a slightly tangy taste. It .. is .. sublime! My taste buds are thrilled (but my thighs and Grinch Belly are not so happy with this discovery).

Nagi provides more details about ingredients and method so please use the link above to stop by her blog! If you're a Carb Addict like me, and if you've been hesitant to try baking your own bread, this is the time! Nagi's recipe will help satisfy the carb beastie that dwells within you. Enjoy!

Easy Crusty Artisan Loaf

Yield: 1 loaf

3 cups bread flour
2 tsp instant (or rapid rise) yeast
2 tsp salt
1.5 cups + 2 tbsp very warm water (120F or so)

1.5 tbsp flour (for dusting surface)

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Mix until combined then add the very warm water. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, mix until the flour has been incorporated (I had to use an extra 2 tbsp of water to make this happen). Dough will look wet and mucky but still keep its shape-ish.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter, in a warm place, for 2-3 hours or until it doubles in volume. The top will have some bubbles in it and kind of look like pancake batter.  

My dough was slow to rise so I ended up heating my oven to 200F, then I turned it off and put my bowl in the oven (make sure you're using a glass or metal bowl if you do this!) for the last hour.

At this point, you can bake it right away or opt to refrigerate your dough for up to three days and bake it later. 

If you refrigerate your dough, make sure you take your dough out of the fridge about an hour before you want to bake it to allow the dough to come to room temperature then follow the instructions below.

If you're baking right away, preheat oven to 450F. Place your Dutch Oven into the oven and preheat it for 30 minutes before you're ready to bake your bread.

Lightly flour your work surface (I used a roll up baking mat) with 1 tbsp of flour.  Scrape the dough from the bowl onto this surface. It's going to be sticky so top the dough with 1/2 tbsp of flour to make it more manageable. Using a flat edge - a cake spatula would work well but I used my Pampered Chef Classic Handy Scraper ... 

… scrape the sides up and fold them inward, going around the dough in a circle. It's probably not going to look pretty but you're trying to pop the bubbles in the dough and get the dough ready to move to the parchment paper.

Cut off a large slice of parchment paper and move the dough over to the middle of the paper. Flip the dough to the seam side is down. Reshape it as best you can into a round shape. We're not looking for perfection! It's bread, not Ryan Reynold's. 

Carefully remove your VERY HOT Dutch oven from your oven. Place parchment paper/dough into the pot and cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes covered, then remove lid and bake for another 12 minutes uncovered. This will take your bread from looking anemic to gloriously browned and crunchy.

Cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Stand back because your family is going to rush you for this bread.

Note: For more details about ingredients, methods of cooking this loaf etc, please visit Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats