Artisanal Italian Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

3 ½ Cups Bread Flour

2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Yeast

1 ½ Cups Warm Water

Tools:

Dutch Oven

Parchment Paper or Silicone Bread Baking Sheet

Large Bowl

Oven Mitts!

1. In a large bowl mix flour, salt, and yeast. (If you want you can proof your yeast first, but I don’t usually do this unless I haven’t touched the jar for a long time.)

2. Add in warm water. I mean it, make sure it is warm. Warm water makes all the difference when working with dough. It helps for it to rise as it should. Warm, not hot. Test it on your wrist, if it doesn't burn then that is the temperature you want.

3. The dough may be sticky and that’s okay. Transfer the dough into a clean bowl if needed. Cover lightly with plastic wrap or dish towel. I usually do both. Set in a warm area and let rise for 2-3 hours.

4. This is usually where I will start preheating my oven to 450 with my Dutch Oven inside. I also put another bread pan on the bottom rack filled with some water so steam gets created. This is good for a crackle crust. It is optional as most Dutch Ovens have self basting spikes on the lids.

5. Once the dough has doubled in size, flour your hands and the surface you plan to work on. Then, plop the dough onto your workspace and roll it into a ball. DO NOT KNEAD. This is an easy no knead recipe, yall. Just roll it into a ball and be done with it! Put the ball on Parchment Paper or Silicone Bread Baking Sheet.

6. By now your oven should almost be done preheating. But before we can put our dough in the oven we need to create vent cuts. This is the chance to decide whether or not you’ll try your hand at some fancy carving or just cut an X across it. I like to do one curved line and attempt a wheat stalk across from it. Sometimes it turns out and other times.. Well, it all goes to one place in the end, am I right? Carving is hard, but fun!

7. Next, put those oven mitts on and pull the Dutch Oven out. Put your dough in the Dutch Oven and cover it with the lid. Place back in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes with LID ON. Then take the LID OFF and cook for 5 more minutes or until the crust looks golden enough to your liking.

8. Once done transfer your freshly baked bread to a cooling rack or rig something so the air can circulate underneath the bread.

9. DO NOT CUT INTO YOUR BREAD UNTIL IT HAS COMPLETELY COOLED! This is so important. Yes, you removed the bread from your oven, but it is still cooking. The internal temp is still cooking the dough. That’s why letting it cool completely is so important. If you cut into it too early you will ruin your bread. Let it cool completely and then slice it. If you want some warm bread just put it in the microwave for a couple seconds. Okay? Please don’t fudge up your bread. You just put a good amount of work into it. It needs to be enjoyed.

And yeah, That’s it! Pretty easy, right? This recipe gives you a quick artisanal bread that you can pair with a good soup, pasta, or my favorite, Carrabba’s Bread Dip.

Original Recipe Credit: Ciao Florentina