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4.72 from 14 votes

Homemade Artisan French Bread

Anyone with an oven, flour, yeast, salt, and water could make authentic, artisan bread in just five minutes a day. Yes! We can. Makes four free-form artisan loaves, about 1 pound each. Recipe is easily doubled or halved.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: French
Servings: 32
Calories: 93kcal
Cost: About $.40 per loaf

Ingredients

  • 3 cups lukewarm water 100 F or below
  • 1 tablespoon granulated yeast (0.35 oz.; 10 grams)
  • 1 to 1½ tablespoon Kosher salt (0.6 to 0.9 oz.; 17 to 25 grams)
  • cups all-purpose flour (2 lbs.; 910 grams)
  • cornmeal or parchment paper for the pizza peel

Instructions

  • Warm the water slightly. It should feel just slightly warmer than body temperature or about 100 F.
  • Add the warm water to a 6-quart bowl or preferably lidded container. (If you don't have a lid, you can use plastic wrap instead.)
  • Add yeast and salt to the water and stir to mix. Don't worry about getting it all to dissolve.
  • Add all the flour at once. Using a large wooden spoon or “dough whisk,” mix to incorporate but don’t worry about getting it to dissolve completely. 
  • Cover with a lid that fits well to the container but can be cracked open so it's not completely airtight. Or cover loosely with plastic wrap.
  • Allow to rise on the counter at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on top), about 2 hours.
  • Leaving the cover slightly ajar, set container in the refrigerator, where it can remain ready to use for up to 14 days. Do not punch down this dough.
  • On baking day set baking stone on lower oven rack and preheat oven to 450F.
  • Prepare pizza peel or baking sheet with cornmeal or parchment paper to prevent your loaf from sticking, and so that you can slide it onto the baking stone.
  • Set the loaf on the pizza peel and allow it to rest uncovered and rise for about 40 minutes.
  • Place an empty metal broiler tray or another pan (NOT GLASS!) for holding water on any oven rack that won't interfere with the bread.
  • Carefully, slide the dough from the peel onto the preheated baking stone (or baking sheet if you do not have a baking stone). Bake for about 30 minutes (use a food thermometer to check internal temp, which should be at least 195 F., or as dark as you prefer.
  • Remove from the oven to a cooling rack. For best results, allow cooling fully for 2 hours before serving. It's not easy to wait, but this will make all the difference in texture and taste.
  • Yield: This dough will yield about four 1-pound loaves.
  • Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator with lid attached loosely. The dough will remain useful for up to 14 days. And expect the flavor to develop and improve during this time!
  • When your dough bucket is finally empty, or nearly, it's time to make more dough. Don't clean or wash the bucket. The aged dough that remains on the sides of the container will give your new batch a head start on sourdough flavor!

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg