I know I post a lot of breads and I know I often say one bread is my favorite, but this is the first time I said “Oh My!” when I took the first bite, as this bread really is Oh My!

I have several artisan bread recipes and this may be my new favorite (until another comes along.)

Artisan bread refers to any properly prepared, fermented, and shaped hand-crafted bread. Fermenting the properly mixed ingredients to optimize the chemical reactions and then baking at the proper temperature for the correct time yields a crisp, nicely browned crust and great, chewy interior. Artisan bread contains carefully controlled amounts of flour, yeast, salt and water. That’s it (unless you want to add some flavorings or herbs or maybe even some olives, yumm.)

Artisan Bread by PreppyKitchen

https://preppykitchen.com/artisan-bread/

INGREDIENTS
• 3 ¾ cups bread flour divided (450 grams)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt (10 grams)
• 1 ½ cups warm water between 120°F and 130°F (360 grams)

METHOD

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt to combine. Stir in water with a Dutch whisk until the mixture is very sticky, and no lumps of flour remain. Cover and place in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
2. Alternatively, for an overnight rise: After mixing the dough, cover and refrigerate until doubled in size. This will take about 8 hours but will keep in the fridge up to 24 hours total.
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a large Dutch oven with a lid in the oven for at least 30 minutes.
4. If refrigerated, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
5. Instead of traditional kneading, use lightly floured hands, reach down one side of the dough to the bottom of the bowl, pull up, and stretch the edge of the dough over the center toward the opposite side. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the folding and turning, working in a circle around the dough until the dough starts to hold its shape, about 8 to 10 rotations. Pinch any seams together at the center of the dough ball.
6. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, placing it seam side down. Shape into a round loaf or batard for a long loaf. Transfer the dough onto parchment paper and sprinkle it with flour. Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel for 10 minutes.
7. Using a sharp knife or bread lame, cut a slit about ¼-inch deep across the top of the dough. Very carefully place the dough with the parchment paper directly into the preheated Dutch oven. Cover with the lid.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake until deeply golden brown, about 15 to 17 minutes more. Carefully remove the bread from the Dutch oven using the parchment paper to help, and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing