Bread is a staple food in many cultures everywhere, and for good reason. It can be crispy, crunchy, fluffy, soft, sour, and sweet. Bread can be simple, and bread can be complicated, but no matter what kind of bread you eat, it is delicious. Bread is one of my mother’s favorite foods, and one chilly winte day, when we were trapped at home in a winter blizzard during COVID, she came up to me and announced, Lilliana, I’m craving a bread that is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. After hearing this, I realized that is what we were missing that day, so I did lots of research. Pounds and pounds of flour and countless tries later, I have nailed the perfect bread recipe. This artisan bread is easy to make with no kneading and only three ingredients, with the result a delicious crusty bread that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and my mother’s idea of a perfect bread.
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
½ tsp active dry yeast
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cup water (warm, not hot, about 110 degrees)
- Add all-purpose flour, active dry yeast, salt, water into a large bowl.
- Mix until thoroughly combined. Dough should be scraggly and sticky, but that’s okay!
- Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight in bowl.
- After 12-18 hours, place dough on floured surface and fold corners in to make a nice round dough.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and put bread on a large sheet of parchment paper inside of a dutch oven. **
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, then remove baking sheet or top and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes to let bread finish baking inside.
**if you are a college student like me and don’t own a fancy Dutch oven, you can use a regular large pot! Before putting bread in the oven, put a baking sheet on top of the open pot. This helps to keep the moisture inside of the pot so the crust can get nice and crispy!
This is my favorite bread recipe. It is crispy and delicious, perfect with bread and butter, cut up and toasted with garlic as croutons, or used to make a quick sandwich for lunch! It is super easy and my favorite pairing with any meal.