Easy Yeast Bread Recipe – Golden Crust Artisan Bread

This easy yeast bread recipe is my all-time favorite! It is one of the best artisan bread recipes you will find. If you are new to bread making, you will love how simple this recipe comes together, requiring no kneading or sourdough starter. If you are a bread lover, you will appreciate the rustic artisan bread qualities, the crusty outside and chewy inside.

If you are trying to make an easy yeast bread that has big holes like the ones you find in sourdough, this is the bread for you. This bread recipe takes just 5 minutes to put together and requires no kneading (amen!!!), no mixer, and no sourdough starter (whew!)

Here’s the video with a step-by-step guide on how to make this easy bread recipe:

You can have this bread dough prepped in minutes and then just sit back for a few hours to let it rise (called fermentation). In less than just 4 hours, you can have fresh-baked artisan bread. Prepare the dough the night before and bake it up for breakfast, or mix up the dough in the morning and bake it up for dinner. Either way, once you bake this bread, you won’t want store-bought bread anymore!

EASY artisan bread recipe

This is one of the easiest bread recipes with consistently perfect results. What I love about it is this recipe is super forgiving. When you are bringing the dough together, you can simply use a wooden spoon to mix up the ingredients. No kneading is needed!

Beginners will love how easy it is to make the dough with traditional flour. And experienced bakers will appreciate how beautiful this bread looks coming out of the oven with its rustic qualities.

The outside crust is golden and crusty, and when you cut into the inside, you are met with those signature sourdough-looking large holes that everyone ooooooo’s and ahhhhhh’s after.

Once I made this homemade bread, I didn’t want to buy bread from the store ever again. I’m betting once you’ve made this bread and see how easy it is to make, you won’t want to buy bread from the store either!!!

Here’s why it’s so easy to make this artisan bread:

• You can use traditional flour. You don’t need bread flour.
• You don’t need a sourdough starter to make this bread. Just keep instant active yeast on hand to make this bread whenever you want.
• You can bring the dough together with just a few stirs of a wooden spoon.
• No standing mixer is required. No kneading is required.
• The dough is ready to bake after rising for just two hours.
• A dutch oven or cast-iron skillet can be used for baking.
• It bakes up golden and beautiful every time. It’s hard to mess up this recipe!

What you need to make this easy yeast bread recipe

All you need is 4 simple ingredients to make this easy yeast bread recipe. You probably have the main ingredients already which makes this one of the easiest homemade bread recipes to make. All you need to make this bread is yeast, flour, salt, and water. That’s all there is to it!

All-Purpose flour vs. Bread Flour: All-Purpose flour works great for this homemade bread – I’ve actually tested this recipe with both all-purpose flour and bread flour, and in my opinion, bread flour makes it too dense and tough. Generally, bread flour has more protein in it than normal flour, so it creates more gluten. You can definitely test out using bread flour for this homemade bread, but I know most people have all-purpose flour on hand, so just know that all-purpose flour creates a soft chewy bread.

Tips for how to make this easy artisan homemade bread

Here are tips for how to make this easy yeast bread recipe at home. Check out the video as well so you can get an idea of dough consistency and how to form the dough ball. The best part about this bread recipe is that it is hard to mess it up! These are just tips to help you feel more confident making the dough, proofing it, and baking it. The artisan bread recipe can be found below these steps.

1. Keep the dough wet and sticky

Mix together the flour, yeast, and salt (see full recipe below). Then add warm water and mix. The dough should be pretty wet and sticky. You don’t need to knead it. Just bring the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and keep it in the bowl and cover it with cling wrap.

2. Let the dough rise (ferment)

Place the bowl in an enclosed oven for at least 2 hours. If your home stays warm like mine, you may not need to warm the oven. But if your home is cold, pre-heat the oven to about 80 degrees F. After two hours, the dough should double in volume and look very bubbly and jiggly. You can allow the dough to sit in the oven for up to 8 hours.

If you desire a more flavorful bread, allow it to rise the first 2 hours in the enclosed oven, and then place it in the refrigerator for an additional 6-48 hours.

3. Preheat the oven with the dutch oven or cast-iron skillet inside

Preheat your cast-iron skillets or dutch oven in an oven set at 450°F. You can use a cast-iron skillet with a cake pan turned upside down as a topper (shown above) if you don’t have two cast-iron skillets.

4. Scrape the dough

While the oven is heating, prepare a non-stick counter or surface with some flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl using a scraper or your fingers cupped (you can add flour to the top and edges of the sticky flour to work it out of the bowl). Scrape the dough out as one unit onto the surface.

5. Fold the dough corners over, flip, and shape into ball

This little trick will help you shape the dough into a ball and make it easy to pick up and move into the hot skillet or dutch oven.

Looking at the dough in front of you, grab the top part (north part) of the dough and gently pull it up just a few inches, and then set it down on the center of the dough. It should stick to itself. Grab the bottom of the dough (south part), and pull it up and to center. Grab one side and pull it to center, and pull the other side to center.

Next, flour your hands and the dough lightly and take the entire dough and flip it upside down so the pulled parts are now upside down and on the surface. Take your hands and gently cup under the dough and rotate the dough around in a circle as you keep cupping it. It’s okay to grab light amounts of flour for this part. And continue tucking the dough under itself and rotating until you have formed a dough ball.

6. Prepare the skillet or dutch oven

Take the hot dutch oven or cast-iron skillet out of the oven carefully. Sprinkle some flour lightly into the bottom of the skillet or dutch oven.

Scoop the dough ball up and place it in the middle of the skillet. It’s okay to drop it in to avoid the hot pan.

Take a sharp knife or bread lame and score the top of the dough in a few places to allow it to expand.

7. Bake, Cool, and Enjoy!

Cover the skillet with a cake pan or another skillet. Place the covered pan in the hot oven on the middle rack and back for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F.

Then uncover and turn the pan 90 degrees so it bakes the bread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.

The bread crust should be a beautiful golden brown when removed. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before cutting into it. Enjoy!

Questions about making this easy yeast bread recipe…

How do I get a crisp crust on my bread?

The secret to a crisp crust is in the baking process. The bread is baked at a high temperature in a covered dutch oven or covered cast iron skillet. This helps to create a steamy environment which gives the bread dough time to rise before the crust sets. Once the crust forms and sets, the dough stops rising. When you bake the dough, the first part of baking is creating a steamy environment. Then you remove the lid and continue baking to evaporate the moisture in the bread quickly, creating a crisp outer crust.

Why is it important to let the bread rise for at least 2 hours?

The fermentation process (rising the dough) allows the yeast to do its work and create a flavorful, well-aerated dough. If you don’t let the bread rise for at least 2 hours, you may end up with a dense loaf of bread. Yeast loves a little warmth, so if your home is 70 degrees F or cooler, then try warming up your oven to between 78-90 degrees and place the covered bowl inside the warmed oven.

What happens if the bread dough rises for longer?

If the dough rises for longer than 2 hours, you will end up with a more flavorful dough. You can let the dough rise and ferment for 2-8 hours in a bowl covered with cling wrap placed inside a slightly warmed oven. If you want to let it ferment longer (giving it added flavor), let it rise for the first 2 hours in the enclosed oven and then place it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Placing the dough in the fridge slows down the yeast rising time and gives the enzymes time to break the starches down into sugars.

My personal preference is to put the dough together in the morning and wait until evening to bake it. Fresh baked bread for dinner is the best!!!

What is the perfect amount of time to let the dough rise?

The perfect amount of time to let the dough proof is 8 hours. This allows the yeast to do its work and create a flavorful, well-aerated dough. You will get a more tasty bread if you let the bread rise for 8 hours.

What is the best place to allow the dough to rise?

The best place to allow the dough to rise is in a warm, humid environment. If your kitchen is on the cooler side, you can proof the dough in an oven that has been turned off, but not too hot (78 – 90 degrees F). We always allow our dough to rise in a bowl covered with cling wrap in an enclosed oven (our home is usually around 78 degrees F.) If it is cooler in our home, we preheat the oven and then make sure it is reading around 80 degrees F.

Can I make this bread without yeast?

No, this bread requires yeast in order to rise and create the big, beautiful holes. I recommend active dry yeast for this recipe.

I don’t have a dutch oven- can I still make this bread?

Yes! If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can place the loaf on a baking sheet and bake it at the same temperature. The bread will not be as crusty, but it will still be delicious!

Our favorite way of baking this bread is in a cast-iron skillet with either another cast iron skillet turned upside down to act as a lid or a 9″ cake pan that fits the bottom skillet.

How do I know when the bread is done baking?

The bread is done after about one total hour of baking- lid on for the first 30 minutes, then lid off for the second 30 minutes. The bread should have a golden-brown crust and sound hollow when tapped. If you are unsure, you can always insert a digital thermometer into the center of the loaf- it should read 190 degrees F.

How do I get big holes in my bread?

The key to big holes is a well-aerated dough. This recipe uses only 1/2 teaspoon of yeast for the entire recipe, which allows the bread to rise slowly and create bigger holes.

What is the difference between this easy yeast bread recipe and sourdough bread?

The main difference between this bread and sourdough bread is that this bread does not require a sour-dough starter. This bread also has a shorter rising time, so it is a great option if you are short on time.

How do I store this bread?

You can store the bread wrapped in a towel on the counter overnight once it has cooled. Or you can keep the bread in a ziplock bag in your refrigerator for a week.

Of course this bread is best eaten fresh right after baking. But it will keep for up to 2 days stored on the counter wrapped or in a bread box.

I keep my bread in Ziplock bags in the refrigerator for weeks and slice it before toasting it. You can also freeze the bread, and take it out an hour before using it to let it thaw. Slice it and store it in freezer-grade Ziplock bag if you would like to have it ready to toast and eat warm.

What goes well with this easy yeast bread recipe?

Definitely try this fresh baked bread with some blackberry jam for breakfast! You will feel like you are at a French restaurant.

You could also make fast and easy pizza bread by spreading some instant pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Toast until cheese is melted and you have instant pizza’s!

Or toast up the baked bread with butter and use it to dip into this amazing curry leak carrot soup, the crockpot chicken soup, or our famous pot sticker soup.

Get the easy yeast bread recipe below, give it a try, and let us know if you enjoy this easy bread recipe!

I hope you enjoy this bread as much as I do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram @sweetiepieandcupcakes so I can see your homemade bread!

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Here’s the Easy Yeast Bread Recipe: