How to Make Artisan Bread

Artisan bread is a term that is often used to mean different things. When you see artisan bread at the supermarket, you may see elaborate breads flavored with cheeses and herbs that are marketed as artisan breads. These breads, though tasty and creatively put together, are not true artisan breads. An artisan bread is much simpler, with just the few ingredients of water, flour, yeast and salt. This recipe makes one loaf of artisan bread.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Mixing bowl Measuring cup Measuring spoons Wooden spoon 2 cups water 1 1/4 tsp. yeast 4 to 5 cups flour 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. salt Plastic wrap Cooking spray Dish towel Cookie sheet or bread pan Egg

Make the Starter

1. Combine 1 cup of warm water, 1/2 tsp. of yeast and 1 1/2 cups of flour in a mixing bowl.

2. Stir the starter ingredients together. The mixture will come together as a thick batter.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter. The starter, sometimes also called a poolah, can ferment for as little as 2 hours, up to a maximum of about 16 hours.

Assemble the Artisan Bread Dough

1. Add 1 cup of water, 3/4 tsp. of yeast, 1 tbsp. white sugar, 1 tbsp. coarse salt (kosher is best) and 3 cups of flour to the bowl with the starter. Mix the ingredients together. The dough may still be loose at this point.

2. Turn the artisan bread dough out onto a floured surface and knead it until smooth. If the dough is still loose and sticky, add in small handfuls of flour to firm it up.

3. Spray a mixing bowl with cooking spray and put the kneaded dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rise in a warm area, such as near the oven. Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until the volume of the dough has doubled in height.

4. Knead the dough again and put it in a loaf pan. You can also use a cookie sheet if you'd rather have round bread or long baguettes.

5. Cover the bread dough again and let rise for another 30 to 60 minutes.

6. Beat an egg with 1 tsp. of water and brush over the top of the bread. This is called an egg wash and will make the bread shiny and golden brown.

7. Bake the artisan bread at 425 degrees F. A thin baguette may only take about 20 minutes to bake, while a larger loaf can take 40 minutes or longer. The bread is done when it is brown on top and sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom of it.