Artisan Bread

Combine bread flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.

Add the lukewarm water and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. We love using a KitchenAid with a dough hook as it takes the sweat of mixing.

The dough should be sticky and all ingredients well mixed.

TIP: If dough too dry add two tablespoons of water/If dough is too wet add two tablespoons of bread flour.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and with a fork punch a couple holes for it to breathe.

Place the bowl by a warm area such as the oven for 2+ hours. Make sure the bowl is big enough as the dough will double or triple the size.

Once the dough is done rising. Pre-heat the oven to 375 °F.

Place on the bottom oven rack an empty baking pan and fill with 2 cups of water. This will steam up to the bread making the dough extra crunchy.

As the oven pre-heats, clean and sanitize an area of the counter for the shaping of the dough.

Lightly dust the clean counter top with flour and your hands. This will keep the dough from sticking to the counter and you.

Grab with 1/3 of the dough with your flour hands and place on the counter top. This recipe makes 3 loafs.

With a rolling pin stretch the dough out flat and roll into the desired shape.

Take a baking pan or baking stone and line with parchment paper and dust the bottom with cornmeal. Be sure to leave space and not to over crowd the pan as the bread will rise in the oven.

Place your dough shape on the cornmeal-dusted pan/stone, dust with flour and make 2 inch slices on the top with a sharp knife.

Place the pan/stone onto the oven rack that’s above the steam pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.

TIP: Another way to really know your bread is done is, take a utensil of your choice and knock on the bread. You should hear a hollow sound and feel a nice hard crust.