Artisan Bread Best Flavor Recipes

ARTISAN BREAD BEST FLAVOR

Steps:

• The critacal factor is using a dutch over to bake.
• Stir the salt into the flour then the yeast. Add the wet items and knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 2 hours.
• Fold several times and rise again for 2 hours.
• Spray parchment paper with Pam and form it into a rising bowl. Fold the dough again and shape into a ball and put into the parchment paper. Push down the ball and spray the top lightly with Pam and cover with plastic wrap to get a final rise until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hour).
• Sprinkle with flour and slash top.
• Heat oven and dutch oven to 500 degrees for 1/2 hour. Remove dutch oven to stove top and gently lift the partchment paper and dough and place both into the dutch oven and cover.
• Lower oven temp to 450 and bake covered for 25 minutes.
• Remove cover and bake another 15-20 minutes until golden brown or until bread internal temp is 200.
• Cool uncovered.

HOMEMADE ARTISAN BREAD (WITH OR WITHOUT DUTCH OVEN)

Steps:

• In a large un-greased mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together. Pour in the cool water and gently mix together with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. If needed, use your hands (as I do in the video tutorial above) to work the dough ingredients together. The dough will be sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can.
• Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!). Allow to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles.
• You can continue with step 4 immediately, but for absolute best flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting this risen dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Place covered dough in the refrigerator for 12 hours - 3 days. I usually let it rest in the refrigerator for about 18 hours. The dough will puff up during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That's fine and normal- nothing to worry about.
• Lightly dust a large nonstick baking sheet (with or without rims and make sure it's nonstick) with flour and/or cornmeal. Turn the cold dough out onto a floured work surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut dough in half. Some air bubbles will deflate as you work with it. Place dough halves on prepared baking sheet. Using floured hands, shape into 2 long loaves about 9×3 inches each (doesn't have to be exact) about 3 inches apart. Loosely cover and allow to rest for 45 minutes. You will bake the dough on this prepared baking sheet. See recipe note if you want to use a pizza stone.
• During this 45 minutes, preheat the oven to 475°F (246°C).
• When ready to bake, using a very sharp knife or bread lame (some even use kitchen shears), score the bread loaves with 3 slashes, about 1/2 inch deep. ("Score" = shallow cut.) If the shaped loaves flattened out during the 45 minutes, use floured hands to narrow them out along the sides again.
• Optional for a slightly crispier crust: After the oven is preheated and bread is scored, place a shallow metal or cast iron baking pan or skillet (I usually use a metal 9×13 baking pan) on the bottom oven rack. Carefully and quickly pour 3-4 cups of boiling water into it. Place the scored dough/baking pan on a higher rack and quickly shut the oven, trapping the steam inside. The steam helps create a crispier crust.
• Place the shaped and scored dough (on the flour/cornmeal dusted pan) in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Gently tap the loaves- if they sound hollow, the bread is done.
• Remove the bread from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.