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30-Minute Artisan Bread Recipe

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★★★★★

4.6 from 111 reviews

This artisan bread recipe yields a crusty, flavorful loaf with a chewy crumb, perfect for sandwiches or enjoying fresh with butter. Made with simple ingredients and requiring minimal hands-on time, it relies on a long fermentation to develop rich flavor and texture. The dough is mixed, left to rise slowly, shaped gently without kneading, and baked on a hot stone or pan with steam to create its signature crust.

Ingredients

Scale

Dry Ingredients

  • 3 cups (395 grams) all-purpose flour or bread flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 ounce instant or active dry yeast (approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons)

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 105°F)

Instructions

  1. Make Dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt, and yeast. Pour the warm water over the dry ingredients, ensuring the water is about 105°F to activate the yeast without killing it. Use a dough whisk, spatula, wooden spoon, or your hands to mix everything together until a wet, sticky dough forms. If the dough feels too sticky to handle, you may sprinkle a little more flour gradually.
  2. Rise: Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap sprayed lightly with nonstick spray to prevent sticking. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 10 hours, or leave it out overnight to ferment more deeply. The longer rising time improves the bread’s flavor and texture.
  3. Shape: Lightly flour a work surface. Wet your hands and gently turn the sticky dough out onto the surface. Avoid punching down, kneading, or rolling the dough. Instead, gently pull the sides towards the center to form your desired shape—typically a round French boule or two smaller loaves. Tuck the ends of the dough under to create tension.
  4. Dust and Rest: Place the shaped dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Lightly dust the top with flour. Using a bread knife, score 1 to 4 shallow lines across the top of the dough to enable controlled expansion during baking. Allow the dough to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat Oven and Bake Setup: Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Place a baking stone, pizza stone, Dutch oven, or heavy iron skillet inside to heat thoroughly.
  6. Bake: Slide the dough on the parchment paper onto the preheated hot stone or pan. For a crustier loaf, add steam by placing 1 cup of hot water in a small broiler pan or adding 5 ice cubes to the bottom of the oven immediately after placing the dough inside. Close the door quickly to trap the steam. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the bread is deeply browned and crusty.
  7. Cool and Serve: Remove the bread from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing—this resting period completes the cooking process inside and prevents gummy texture. Store leftover bread in a paper bag to maintain the crust’s crispness without softening.

Notes

  • Longer fermentation times improve the bread’s flavor and texture by allowing natural yeast activity.
  • Do not punch down or knead the dough after the initial mix to preserve air bubbles for a better crumb.
  • Scoring the dough prevents uncontrolled cracking in the oven and adds a decorative touch.
  • Using steam in the oven during baking helps develop a crisp and glossy crust.
  • Cool the bread completely before slicing to avoid a gummy interior.
  • Store bread in a paper bag instead of plastic to keep crust crispy while preventing molding.

Keywords: artisan bread, crusty bread, homemade bread, no-knead bread, easy bread recipe, bread baking, sourdough alternative, French boule

Find it online: https://recipeswithria.com/30-minute-artisan-bread-recipe/