You see them. The $7 big beautiful loaves of bread. You reluctantly hand over your money because you think..no, you know you could never create such a delight. Crunchy on the outside, but chewy and soft and on the inside. It’s a work of art really. Artisan Bread is within your reach, my friends, and it only takes 4 simple and inexpensive ingredients.
If you ever watch a video of a baker making bread, they use 4 ingredients: yeast, salt, flour, and water. It’s pretty amazing that 4 simple ingredients can turn into something so delicious. And we’re talking minimal skill level here. All it takes is your time and it does take time. Good bread takes time.
If you have 3 hours in your day, try this. Take a look at the ingredient list on your package of bread at home and let me know if it contains more than 4 ingredients. I would probably say yes.
Bread is very forgiving. You can leave the first rise in the fridge for an entire day if you need to. Take it out, shape it into your ball of dough and let it rise again.
This can also be divided into smaller bread bowls right before the second rise. They will just have a slightly shorter baking time. I made bread bowls with this recipe. This will give you 4 good size bread bowls.
It’s all about small changes. We are faced so often with processed foods and it is too hard to limit them completely. What’s important is that we try to minimize the amount of ultra-processed foods in our diets. Start with bread.
Print 4 ingredient artisan bread
Make your own artisan bread at home with only 4 ingredients.
- Total Time: 47 minute
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups warm water (bathwater temperature)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups bread flour
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, add yeast and water and let sit for 3 minutes
Add flour and salt
Stir until combined, ensuring the flour is completely incorporated using your hands if necessary (you can knead it a little in the bowl right here, just to get the flour mixed in)
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours
Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet or stone
With floured hands, take the dough out of the bowl and shape into a ball – tuck the seams under the bread and place on the parchment paper
Let rest for another 30-40 minutes
Preheat the oven to 450°F
Make 2-3 criss cross slits on the top of the dough
Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown
Remove from oven and let cool before slicing
Notes
You can experiment with this recipe and use it for pizza dough, baguettes, and rolls.
- Prep Time: 2.5 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes