Sink your teeth into this delicious homemade artisan crusty bread, we can’t wait to see what type of sandwich you whip up next!
Make all your sandwich dreams come true with this perfect homemade artisan crusty bread recipe! Nothing trumps the first bite of a delicious sandwich, the bread must be chewy and soft, and the crust needs that crisp crunch. So, what if I told you that you could make this artisanal sandwich loaf at home!? (Side note – it is also the bomb for toast).
Why you will like it:
-This bread is soft and chewy on the inside and deliciously crusty on the outside
-Simple to make even if you are a beginner
-Having fresh bread on hand makes the simplest of sandwiches or toast more enjoyable
-By making your own bread you know exactly what is going into your body
Making homemade artisan crusty bread can be a scary thing, especially if you have never made it before. I can promise, after you make this loaf, you will be hooked on making bread. All it takes is a few ingredients and a bit of patience. Use your waiting time to work on a project, do a happy dance, or play a board game, that part is completely up to you!
After testing this recipe, I kept finding my husband glued to the kitchen. Like a little kid! Instead of a cookie, I would find him, butter knife in hand and crumbs in his beard, completely demolishing half a loaf! Needless to say, I make this bread often and store extra loaves in the freezer pre-sliced because we go through a lot.
By the end of this article you’ll learn how to make the perfect homemade artisan crusty bread.
How to make homemade artisan crusty bread:
The simple pleasures of fresh homemade bread make a home feel more homey, and spending time at home all the cozier, especially with covid-19 keeping us isolated. My husband and I usually have soup and sandwiches at least once a week for dinner. Simple and easy, though, some weeks we will do fancy open-faced sandwiches, like those of my danish heritage… minus the pickled herring. With fresh bread as your canvas, channel your inner sandwich artist and get creative.
What’s really crazy about bread is that humans have been making it for thousands of years. Some records have shown that for the last 30,000 years we have been making some form of bread in our diets (History.com). Of course bread back then didn’t look like it does today and was not made with the same ingredients, however, it is safe to say we have evolved with this staple food. No wonder we love it so much.
Baking overview:
For this bread recipe, you will need a dutch oven or a large oven-safe pot with a lid. The reason for using a dutch oven when cooking bread is, it locks in moisture and allows it to evenly circulate in the pot. The steam that is created when baking is crucial to the rise of the bread, and creates the perfect environment for the yeast. When cooking most breads you do so at very high heats. By using a dutch oven, you are sheltering the bread from dry heat and allowing it to be in the oven for longer.
Homemade artisan crusty bread
Equipment
- Dutch oven or covered turkey pan
Ingredients
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1.5 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 + 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
Instructions
- In your stand mixing bowl (oven proof) add yeast, water, and honey. Gently stir and let sit for 10 mins, the yeast should start to foam at the top. If yeast doesn't foam or bubble, purchase new yeast.
- With a hook attachment, increase the speed to low, adding ½ cup of flour at a time. Once all the flour is added, increase the speed to medium. Once the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, stop mixing. The dough will look shaggy. Also note, this is a wet dough.
- Wet hands with cold water (this stops dough from sticking to hands), remove any dough from hook or stray pieces and add to the rest still in the mixing bowl.
- Liberally sprinkle flour over the dough, you may have to re-wet hands to rotate the dough in the bowl. Make sure all surfaces are covered in flour. Be sure not to work in or mix the flour into the dough, the flour is just to make sure it does not stick to the mixing bowl.
- Cover mixing bowl with a damp tea towel and secure with a rubber band. Set the oven to 175°F for 3-5 mins, then turn off the oven completely. This creates the perfect environment for bread to rise. The inside of the oven should feel warm, not hot. If your mixing bowl is not oven proof/heat proof, transfer the dough to one that is.
- Place the mixing bowl on a cookie sheet and place in the warm oven to rise for an hour.
- Once the hour is up, the dough should be doubled in size. Lightly flour your workspace and gently remove the dough from the bowl so as not to deflate it. Take the corners of the dough and tightly fold them into the center, it should feel like you are folding an envelope. The goal is to create a loaf like shape with the dough. Continue to do this until the dough resists the folds/tucks.
- Cut a long piece of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of another bowl (not plastic) and sprinkle with corn meal, then, redust loaf with flour and gently place in the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and place back in the oven on the cookie sheet to rest for another 30mins.
- Once done, remove and place on counter. Preheat the oven to 450°F and place your dutch oven in the oven to come to temperature.
- Once at 450°F, carefully remove the dutch oven. Use the sides of the parchment paper to pick up the dough, use a razor blade or very sharp knife and slice a slit on top of the bread. Then, carefully place in dutch oven and cover with the lid. Place back in the oven and bake for 30 mins.
- After 30 mins, remove the lid and bake the bread for an additional 15 mins to brown and grow crusty.
- Remove from oven and pull out the bread. Let cool completely on a wire rack overnight or a minimum of 4-6 hours. This is important as it allows the bread to retain its integrity and crispyness.
- Enjoy!
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