Artisan Bread II: Love this Homemade Bread

Click picture to enlarge for close-up of bread.

Just wanted to share some more about the Artisan Bread. Good to my word, I've been baking homemade bread EVERY SINGLE DAY! Not because I'm Supermom, or Suzie Homemaker, or Mrs. Cleaver... I'm far from that.

I'm able to make this bread because IT IS SO EASY!

This afternoon, I pulled apart just enough batter to bake a small loaf for my daughter and myself. Less than 5 min prep time, pop in oven, fresh bread for lunch!

After cooled, slice in half...

Create your favorite sandwich and share ---- This sandwich consisted of tuna, chopped onions, tomatoes, grated cheese, sea salt, pepper, and Mayo. Pictured above: cheddar jalapeno potato chips.

I want to stop here and say nothing compares to a FRESH gourmet sandwich!

For dinner, I tried an experiment that my mother had suggested --- rolling batter into small bread sticks. I sprinkled with minced garlic, grated cheese, and popped into the toaster oven. PRESTO, and PERFECT!

All I can say is WOW.

Due to a lot of interest/questions about this recipe, I'm going to share a few tidbits my mother and I discovered along the way.

Easy 5-Minute Artisan Bread

This is one of my favorite bread recipes because it requires no kneading and can stay in the refrigerator for up to 14 days, allowing you to bake fresh bread whenever you need it. The longer the dough ferments, the better the flavor becomes.

Helpful Tips

• No baking stone is required. I bake mine on a regular cookie sheet with excellent results.
• You can use either bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Regular table salt may be substituted for kosher or sea salt. (I usually use sea salt because that's what I keep in my kitchen.)
• Feel free to experiment by replacing up to ½ cup of the white flour with whole wheat flour.
• Once you start making this bread, don't be surprised if you always have a bowl of dough fermenting in your refrigerator. Fresh homemade bread becomes wonderfully convenient!

Ingredients

• 6½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 cups lukewarm tap water
• 1½ tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1½ tablespoons kosher or sea salt

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast, and salt.
2. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Do not knead.
3. Cover the bowl loosely with a lid or plate. Do not use an airtight lid.
4. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
5. Transfer the covered bowl to the refrigerator. The dough may be used immediately after chilling but develops even better flavor after a day or two. It will keep for up to 14 days.

One batch makes approximately four loaves.

Baking the Bread

1. Remove the amount of dough needed for one loaf.
2. Dust lightly with flour if necessary and gently shape into a round or oval loaf. Avoid kneading or overworking the dough, as you want to preserve the air bubbles that create the artisan texture.
3. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with a little cornmeal and place the loaf on top.
4. Let the loaf rest for about 40 minutes while the oven preheats to 450°F.
5. Using a sharp knife, make one or two shallow slashes across the top of the loaf.
6. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
7. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

A Slice of Texas

One of the things I enjoy most about this dough is its versatility. Besides baking beautiful artisan loaves, I've also used it to make homemade hamburger buns, dinner rolls, pizza crust, breadsticks, and more. Keeping a bowl of dough in the refrigerator makes it easy to enjoy fresh bread with very little effort.

Heavenly burger: The Best Homemade Hamburger Buns from Artisan Bread Dough