5 Minute Artisan Bread
- 3 cups (24 oz) lukewarm water (100°F), plus more for pan in oven
- 1 packet (or 1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
- 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt
- 780 grams (6.5 cups) bread flour OR
- 580 grams bread flour and 200 grams wheat flour
- Warm the 3 cups water just a little so that it feels just slightly warmer than body temperature. That should put it at about 100°F (or use thermometer).
- In the large bowl of a standing mixer or a 6-quart container with a lid, mix the yeast, warm water, and salt. Don’t worry about getting the yeast to dissolve. Add the flour all at once, then use a spoon or stand mixer to mix until the flour is completely incorporated and you have a blobby dough. Don’t knead the dough! It’s not necessary. You just want the dough to be uniformly wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container. All you need to do is be certain that there are no dry patches of flour.
- Loosely cover the container and let the dough hang out at room temperature until it begins to rise and collapse or at least flatten a little on the top, 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, stash the container of dough in the fridge. That’s it. (If your container isn’t vented, you want to ensure the gases can escape by leaving the cover open a crack for the first couple days in the fridge; after that, you can seal it.) You can use the dough anytime after the initial 2-hour rise, although the refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than dough at room temperature, so it’s best to refrigerate the dough overnight before handling it. Once refrigerated, the dough will seem to have shrunk back upon itself as though it will never rise again—that’s normal.
- Whatever you do, do not punch down this dough. You’re trying to retain as much gas in the dough as possible, and punching it down knocks gas out and results in denser loaves. Just be certain to use the dough at some point within 14 days.
- When you want to bake a loaf of bread, line a pizza peel or a baking sheet turned upside down with parchment paper. Grab a hunk of the dough and use a serrated knife or scissors to cut off a 1-pound piece of dough. Hold the dough in your hands and, if necessary, add just enough flour so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Shape the loaf: this has a huge impact on the final rise and may take some practice. Gently stretch the surface of the dough, tucking the ends underneath the ball and rotating it a quarter turn as you go. The bottom of the ball of dough may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. Your round loaf of bread should be smooth and cohesive, and the entire shaping process should take no more than 20 to 40 seconds—don’t work the dough any longer or your loaves may be dense.
- Place the shaped ball of dough on the prepared pizza peel and let it rest for about 40 minutes. It doesn’t need to be covered. You may not see much rise during this period, but don’t fret. It will rise much more during baking.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat a baking stone on a middle rack for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Place an empty metal pan/tray/etc on any rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread. (Do not use a glass pan as it could shatter.)
- Dust the top of the raised loaf generously with flour and, using a serrated bread knife, slash a 1/2-inch-deep cross or tic-tac-toe pattern in the top. There’s no need to dust the flour off the loaf.
- Place the far edge of the peel or the upside-down baking sheet in the oven on the baking stone a few inches beyond where you want the bread to land. Give the peel or baking sheet a couple quick back-and-forth jiggles and then abruptly pull it out from under the loaf. The loaf should land on the baking stone with very little drama.
- Quickly but carefully pour about 1 cup hot water into the pan and immediately shut the oven door to trap the steam. Bake the bread for a total of 20 to 35 minutes, until the crust is richly browned and firm to the touch and makes a thunking sound when tapped on the bottom.
- Let the loaf cool completely (HAHAHA yeah right), preferably on a wire rack for the best flavor, texture, and slicing. The crust may initially soften but will firm when cooled.
