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Easy and Delicious Artisan Bread Recipe

Nothing beats homemade fresh bread straight out of the oven, especially when it is easy! This easy and delicious artisan bread recipe allows you to have homemade bread with ease.

A round loaf of artisan bread with a crisp, golden crust sits on a wooden cutting board next to a beige cloth. Text reads “Easy Bread Recipe & Delicious Artisan Bread” and "www.homewithgraceandjoy.com".

Many people think artisan bread requires fancy equipment and a lot of hard work, but that is far from the truth. You can make a beautiful loaf with only four ingredients and with little effort.

Why You Will Love This

  • Super simple ingredients – Flour, Salt, Yeast, and Water
  • Quick Prep – The minutes of hands-on time are very minimal.
  • No kneading required – Making a no knead bread makes it so easy.
  • It is beautiful, so it is perfect to take to parties or give as a hostess gift.
  • Delicious crusty bread – The outside is golden and has a crispy crust while the inside is soft and fluffy.
  • Budget friendly – It cost almost nothing to make.

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Easy and Delicious Artisan Bread

Ingredients

Ingredients

Instructions

A round, golden-brown loaf of artisan bread with a crispy crust sits in a white bowl lined with parchment paper on a kitchen counter.

Instructions

  1. Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. A Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment works well with this, but you can use a hand mixer or even just a wooden spoon.
  2. Slowly add the water and mix to form a dough.
  3. Place the bread dough in a medium to large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
  4. Let the dough rise for 4 to 8 hours.
  5. When the dough has risen, flour your work surface (which can be a counter top). Place the dough onto the floured surface and lightly sprinkle flour on top of the dough. Do not knead the dough! Just pull the dough over like you are folding the sides, top, and bottom to the middle a few times. You only have to do this for about 15 seconds. Form the bread dough into a ball shape.
  6. Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and place it in a Dutch oven. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife. I usually make an X or diagonal lines across the top. Let it set for a few minutes while the oven preheats to 450 degrees.
  7. Bake on the middle rack with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes until it is golden brown.
  8. Remove the bread and let it cool on a cooling rack. Cover it with a light weight tea towel – a flour sack towel works great.
  9. Enjoy it while it is still a little warm with butter.
A round loaf of artisan bread with a rustic, golden-brown crust rests on a cooling rack, partially draped with a beige, textured cloth.

Notes

A close-up of sticky, bubbly artisan bread dough on a floured surface, showing its airy texture and strands of gluten ready for baking.
  • You can let the dough sit longer than 8 hours if you need to. I usually let it set for 4-5.
  • Dust your hands when working with the dough so that it does not stick to you as much.
  • If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use a baking stone (pizza stone). You will just need to put foil over the top instead of a lid.
  • Baking the bread on the piece of parchment paper allows you to easily pull the bread out of the Dutch oven.
  • Baking time may vary according to your oven.
  • Covering the bread while it cools makes the top have more of a crunchy texture.
An artisan bread loaf, partially covered with a patterned cloth, rests on a metal cooling rack on a brown surface.
  • This makes a large loaf or bread, but you could half it to make two smaller loaves.

Optional Ingredients

You can change it up by adding:

  • Rosemary or other fresh herbs
  • Honey
  • Shredded cheese

Serve With

A slice of artisan bread with butter sits on a white plate. Nearby, a rectangular piece of butter rests on a separate dish with a white butter dish lid that reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”.
A hand holds a slice of artisan bread topped with melted cheese in a cozy living room, featuring a brown couch, pillows, and wooden shelves in the background. Warm sunlight fills the space.
  • Fresh butter
  • Jelly or Jam
  • Honey
  • Olive oil with herbs and garlic
  • Soups, stew, or chili
  • Pasta dishes

Helpful Items

Text in image reads: "This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links for your convenience. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. I only recommend products that have practical life applications or that I would purchase for myself. See my full disclosure on the website." The text is centered on a white background with
A box of Reynolds Kitchens Parchment Paper, 50 sq. ft., featuring SmartGrid for easy cutting—perfect to bake bacon in oven with no mess and “Stay Flat” dispensing instructions on the packaging.
A red cast iron Dutch oven with a lid featuring a silver knob sits against a plain white background, ready to tackle your Monthly Menu for December. The pot has two handles on the sides, and the brand name "Lodge" is embossed on the lid.
A wooden-handled bread knife with a serrated blade, a replacement blade, screwdriver, cleaning cloth, packaging labeled "Bread Knife," and several types of artisan bread—including delicious sliced and whole loaves.
A Wilton Bake It Better cooling grid, 16 x 10 inches, with a label showing chocolate chip cookies on a plate. The black wire rack is perfect for cooling artisan bread or your favorite simple bread recipes.
Two white towels with a repeating brown and beige floral pattern, reminiscent of the warmth of delicious bread. The towels are displayed side by side above a beige label that reads "2 Pack" in bold black letters.

Recipe Card

You can print the recipe from the card or save it to Pinterest to use later.

Super Simple Artisan Bread

A round loaf of rustic, crusty bread sits on a wooden cutting board atop a beige cloth and a dark surface. The bread has a golden-brown, cracked crust.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Additional Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Teaspoons of Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of Yeast
  • 1 1/2 Cups of Warm Water

Instructions

  1. Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. A Kitchen Aid mixer with the paddle attachment works well with this, but you can use a hand mixer also.
  2. Slowly add the water and mix to form a dough.
  3. Place the dough in a medium to large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
  4. Let the dough rise for 4 to 8 hours.
  5. When the dough has risen, flour your work surface (which can be a counter top). Place the dough onto the floured surface and lightly sprinkle flour on top of the dough. Do not knead the dough! Just pull the dough over like you are folding the sides, top, and bottom to the middle a few times. You only have to do this for about 15 seconds. Form the dough into a ball shape.
  6. Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and place it in a Dutch oven. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife. I usually make an X or diagonal lines across the top. Let it set for a few minutes while the oven preheats to 450 degrees.
  7. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes until it is golden brown.
  8. Remove the bread and let it cool on a cooling rack. Cover it with a light weight tea towel.
  9. Enjoy it while it is still a little warm with butter.
© Susan Sikes
Cuisine: Bread / Category: Breads

Getting fresh baked bread doesn’t have to be difficult or intimidating. This easy and delicious artisan bread is proof that it can be done with ease!

A slice of artisan bread with butter sits on a white plate atop a fringed tablecloth. Decorative greenery and gold candle holders add charm in the background.

I challenge you to give this easy recipe a try. I know you will love it!

Related Posts

My Mom’s Butter Dips Recipe
How to Make My Parents’ Homemade Cornbread
Lessons from the Little Red Hen

Until next time,

Closing Signature
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disclosure: Amazon Associates affiliate advertising program (and other affiliate links) are used on this page. Thank you for supporting Home with Grace and Joy. When you purchase an item with an affiliate link, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure policy and privacy policy on the website. 

“How sweet Your Word is to my taste – sweeter than honey in my mouth.”
Psalm 119:103

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9 Comments

  1. This looks like the perfect complement to soup season, Susan. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make bread like this. Thanks for making it so easy, I’m excited to try it! Hugs, CoCo

    Reply

    1. It tastes so good! I tried sourdough once, but it was a never-ending process. It was too much! I couldn’t believe how easy this was.

      Reply

    1. That is really neat. I need to make it more often, so we have it on a regular basis.

      Reply

  3. This is one of our favorite ways to make homemade bread! It always comes out tasting so good too.

    Reply

  5. Your Artisan Bread looks delicious! I have featured your post on Full Plate Thursday, 764. Thanks so much for sharing with us and come back to see us real soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

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