YaYa's Artisan Bread

This old-fashioned Artisan Bread recipe makes a beautiful golden loaf with a crisp crust and soft, chewy inside. Using just flour, yeast, salt, and water, it’s a no-knead bread that’s simple enough for beginners yet tastes like it came from a bakery. The long, slow rise gives it a deep flavor, making it perfect for sandwiches, soups, or spreading with butter while it’s still warm.

Course Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Rustic European

Keyword artisan bread, homemade bread, no knead bread, crusty loaf, easy bread recipe, rustic bread, simple yeast bread, bakery style bread, traditional bread recipe, old fashioned bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Servings 4 Loaves

Calories 110kcal

Ingredients

3 cups warm water
1 ½ tablespoons salt
6 ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 ½ tablespoons yeast

Instructions

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
Add flour and salt to the water mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined.
Cover the bowl loosely and let it rise at room temperature for 2 to 5 hours. Then refrigerate overnight, covered.
When ready to bake, flour your hands and pinch off dough about the size of a grapefruit.
Fold the dough under 4 times to smooth the top. Place on a board sprinkled with cornmeal and let rest at least 20 minutes.
Dust the top with flour and cut 3 slits across it.
Bake at 450°F for 25–30 minutes on a stone or ungreased cookie sheet. For a crusty loaf, place a shallow pan of water in the oven while baking to add steam.