Easy Artisan Bread

A simple practice of slow living

The Calico & The Cow wants to bring you back to the roots of human existence, and what better way to usher in a feeling of belonging than a fresh, warm loaf of bread on a chilly day - that you made with your own hands and a few simple ingredients? This easy artisan bread recipe has served me well for several years. In fact, I make it *so* often that I have it memorized. I hope that soon you do, as well! The recipe for me originated from Jenny Can Cook, but I've found the way I've adapted it to be more approachable (and less messy - because who wants to worry about cleaning up when there's warm bread to eat?) My favorite part about this bread is that, if you listen carefully, you can hear the crust crackle while it cools.

This is my favorite, quick go-to bread. We use it for sandwiches (grilled or cold), toast, plain ol’ snackin’ slices with butter spread on top, and pretty much any other way you can think to use it.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour

• 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon any kind of salt

• 1 1/2 cups warm water

Equipment:

• Large bowl

• Dutch oven

• Parchment paper

Instructions:

Step 01:

Add flour, yeast, and salt to your bowl & mix together. I prefer a wooden spoon because it doesn't flex when the dough gets tough!

Step 02:

Add your water & mix it together til it’s combined. If it’s still sticky, add a little flour til you can poke it without it fully sticking to your finger.

Step 03:

Set a dish towel over this for 3 hours (SET A TIMER!)….go about your day & be excited for homemade bread. If you forget to set a timer and 4 hours go by, bake it anyways - it might just be less fluffy but will still taste delish.

Step 04:

After 3 hours, sprinkle some flour around the edges of the dough til you can lift the edge without it sticking to you much.

Step 05:

Pull the edges up and tuck into the center several times til you can form a nice smooth round loaf (you can flip it over so the top is smooth)

Step 06:

Put your dutch oven with the lid on into the oven, preheat to 450F

Step 07:

Once preheated, set your loaf on a piece of parchment paper, put in Dutch oven (with the parchment paper), & put the lid back on. Please use your oven mitts - that thang is toasty!

Bake for 30 mins.

Step 08:

Take lid off and bake for 5-15 mins longer until it’s your desired brownness on top.

Step 09:

Cool & slice (if you can wait🤣 - I sometimes eat it immediately and it's fine)

And that’s it! It’s so very easy, and the more you make it, the easier it gets. It seriously becomes second nature. For me, this was the best route to get into bread making when sourdough seemed too intimidating (even though it’s not once you try it!)…I just needed to build my confidence with this bread first.

Do you have any questions? How are you going to eat your delish loaf?!

As always, I encourage you to send me a message on my Instagram account (@calicocowacres) if you have any recipe questions or need advice while making it. I want my recipes to be something you can adapt and make your own - and I’m happy to help you do it!