Sweetie Pie and Cupcakes

Easy Yeast Bread Recipe – Golden Crust Artisan Bread

Learn to bake this easy yeast bread recipe from scratch. This artisan bread recipe makes a beautiful, golden crust so the bread comes out crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. If you want a sourdough style bread with big holes but don’t want to fuss with sour dough starter or kneading, this bread recipe is for you!

Servings	Prep Time
1loaf	5minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
1hour	2-8hours

Servings	Prep Time
1loaf	5minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
1hour	2-8hours

Ingredients

3Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2tsp Salt
1/2tsp Active Dry Yeast
1 3/4Cups Warm Water78 to 88 degrees F

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add 3 cups flour, 1+1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp active dry yeast. Give dry ingredients a quick stir.
Add 1 + 3/4 cups warmed (80 to 90 degree F) water to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Bring dough together but leave it loose and sticky. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place inside an enclosed oven. If your home is cold, pre-warm the oven to 80 to 90 degrees, then place the bowl inside.
Allow dough to rise for 2-8 hours in the enclosed oven. It’s ready to bake after just 2 hours. We prefer to wait a few more hours, but you can also let it rise for the first 2 hours in the oven (it should double in size) and then transfer it to the refrigerator for 8-48 hours. The longer you let the dough ferment, the more flavor it will produce.
Remove dough from refrigerator or oven and set on the counter. Pre-heat a cast-iron skillet or dutch oven in an oven set to 450 degrees F. 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.
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. 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.
Then flour your hands and the dough lightly and take the entire dough and flip it upside down so the pulled parts are now 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.
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 and score the top of the dough in a few places to allow it to expand. Cover the top of the skillet (you can use a cake pan or another skillet turned upside down). Place the skillet in the hot oven on the middle rack and back for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F covered. Then uncover and turn the pan and bake for another 30 minutes. The crust should be a beautiful golden brown and crusty when removed. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before cutting into it. Enjoy!