Incredibly Easy Crusty Artisan Bread is a simple, 4-ingredient homemade dutch oven bread recipe that is absolutely foolproof. Perfect alongside every meal. Pair with a delicious cinnamon spreadable honey & it’s pure heaven.
I love bread. It’s one of my weaknesses. I especially love artisan bread & extra points if it’s hot & fresh right out of the oven.
But I obviously can’t hang out in the bakery at the store all day long waiting for the bread to bake. So I try to make a couple of loaves at home at least a couple of times a week.
Recipes like this one are so easy that there’s really no excuse for me to have to go without anymore. I just mix the dough before I go to bed & let it sit. After we are done with the chaos of breakfast the next morning I pop it in the oven to bake. The house smells amazing.
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Easy Homemade Bread Recipe
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Sometimes I will get the dough ready before we have dinner. That gives me enough hours of letting it rise that I can bake it first thing when I get up at 4 the next morning. My main motivation for doing this is because I want to have it for breakfast.
My favorite thing to have for breakfast is a slice of hot, fresh bread with some honey on it. It’s heavenly!
Here are some commonly asked questions
Please see the following frequently asked questions we get for this bread. This will help assure that it turns out perfect each & every time you make it.
What is the best way to store leftover bread?
I must say, we almost never have leftovers of this bread. However, if you happen to have a few extra slices laying around, place them in a zip-top bag or airtight container. This recipe should keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
How many can this serve?
Depends on how you slice the loaf. So for my family of 5 – it’s good for about 1 dinner + seconds. They are crazy for the bread. But if each guest had 2, you could feed 10 people.
Can I use Gluten-Free flour?
I have not tried that yet. If you decide to give it a go, I would suggest using one that has a 1:1 ratio for the best possible results. Please let me know how it turns out. I’d love to share that with others.
Easy Artisan Bread
To make this recipe you will need…
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- dry active yeast
- lukewarm water
Can this recipe be doubled?
Probably not because the dough wouldn’t fit in a dutch oven. You could do 2 batches and bake the dutch ovens side-by-side if you need 2 loaves.
Can I make this without a dutch oven?
Unfortunately you NEED the heavy, lidded, oven-safe pot to get the bread to cook the way it does & give it the texture that it has. You can find them for about $30-40 & you will definitely get your use out it as they are so versatile.
Can I cook an enameled cast iron at that temperature?
Per the manufacturer’s description of the product “This enameled cast-iron Dutch oven can be used on any cooking surface, including induction. It’s resistant to heat, corrosion, rust, and water. The cast-iron Dutch oven is chip resistant & the lid knob is oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Being that enameled cast iron is actually created by a particulate of glass, called frit, that is applied to the cast iron vessel and then baked at temperatures between 1200 and 1400° F. The glass frit melts and fuses to the cast iron, forming a bond. Since it is baked on at 3 times hotter than what this is baking it at, I’m not worried. But if you are worried about your enamel cracking, you can use a regular iron dutch oven.
HOW TO MAKE Easy Crusty Artisan Bread?
- In a medium-size bowl, combine 3 cups of the flour along with the other ingredients & mix with a wooden spoon until fully combined.
- Place plastic wrap over the top of the dough. (touching the dough- not just covering the top of the bowl)
- Set aside in a warm, dark place to rest at least 8 hours. (up to about 24 hours)
- Remove dough from bowl & place on a well-floured surface & work into a ball. (if it’s too wet or sticky you can work more flour in- but it should not be too firm)
- Allow to rest approx 30 minutes.
- Place cast iron dutch oven with lid in oven & preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Carefully remove once preheated & spray the bottom with cooking spray.
- Place dough in the pot, slash the top several times.
- Cover & bake 30 minutes.
- Remove lid & bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden & brown.
- (you know it’s done if it sounds hollow when tapped with your fingernail)
- Cool slightly before serving.
Products I love when making this bread…
This bread recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made homemade bread before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love this turns out. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this bread recipe.
- mixing bowl
- all-purpose flour
- table salt
- yeast
- plastic wrap
- cooking spray
- oil mister
- Dutch oven
- parchment paper
Looking for more great recipes like this one?
Easy Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks
Spinach Stuffed Chicken Parmesan
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Orange and Almonds
Bacon Green Onion Deviled Eggs
Farmer’s Market Potato Salad
Hummus Roasted Broccoli & Cauliflower
Bacon & Ranch Smashed Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts
Very Best Shrimp Macaroni Salad
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Incredibly Easy Crusty Artisan Bread
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp dry active yeast
- 1½ cups lukewarm water 115 degrees is perfect
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, combine 3 cups of the flour along with the other ingredients & mix with a wooden spoon until fully combined.
- Place plastic wrap over the top of the dough. (touching the dough- not just covering the top of the bowl)
- Set aside in a warm, dark place to rest at least 8 hours. (up to about 24 hours)
- Remove dough from the bowl & place it on a well-floured surface & work into a ball. (if it's too wet or sticky you can work more flour in- but it should not be too firm)
- Allow to rest approx 30 minutes.
- Place cast iron dutch oven with an oven-safe lid in the oven & preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Carefully remove the pot once the oven has preheated & spray the bottom of the pot with cooking spray or an oil mister. You can also place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and place that into the pot instead.
- Place dough in pot, slash the top several times.
- Cover & bake 30 minutes.
- Remove lid & bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden & brown. (you know it's done if it sounds hollow when tapped with your fingernail)
- Cool slightly before serving.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Erlene Johnson says
Everytime I make this bread, the bottom always burns and it’s hard as a rock.
Gina Kleinworth says
That could be happening for a couple of reasons. First – what position do you have your rack in the oven? It’s possible that your oven either runs hotter than most or that the area in your oven where the pot is baking runs hotter. It isn’t uncommon for ovens to have hotter or colder spots. Are you using a convection oven? Also – how are you measuring the flour? Are you scooping out of the bag or container? Or spooning and leveling off? Having too much flour in the dough by scooping instead of using the spoon and level method can result in the dough being denser – which would result in a harder bread when baked. In addition – since it sounds like you have made this more than once – I would recommend baking for less time since it seems like conditions in your kitchen require less baking time for this bread.
Amy says
It turned out just the like the picture! My husband was so proud of me as he is the bread master in our home 😉
Such a simple and tasty treat to enjoy with the family on a snowy morning. I started it yesterday afternoon and baked it early this morning- thanks for the idea!!
Looking forward to making this one again & again!
**I used a Bruntmor Dutch Oven with parchment paper. My oven runs on the cold side so I baked it for 37 minutes (instead of 30) for the lid on time.**
Melinda says
What if you use fast rising dry yeast?
Gina Kleinworth says
I would assume it would be ready faster – but I have never tried it. The worst that would happen is that it won’t rise well.
Marlee says
I LOVE this bread, and so does anyone whom I make it for!
I have never had it not turn out. Tonight, I’m going to add some roasted garlic! 🤤🤤🤤. So fingers crossed it turns out amazingly!
(I always mix it before I go to bed, and then bake the next day for supper. Live in northern Canada. I should make it more often then I do because my eldest kid would eat the whole loaf if I let him!)
Marlee Demas says
We LOVE this bread. I’ve made it dozens of times and it always turns out flawless.
I made two loaves this weekend-one normal, and the second one I added roasted garlic. To try something new. I figured I’d need more flour than normal, but for some reason, I had to add well over an extra cup.
I was then surprised that the loaf really didn’t have any garlic flavour. (I used 3 whole bulbs of roasted garlic to one loaf)
Has anyone tried adding extras with success? Any tips?
Gina Kleinworth says
I recommend brushing a garlic butter over the warm bread instead.
Amy says
I made this bread today and it was delish. I wasn’t able to bake mine within the 24 hours of rest time so I stuck the dough in the fridge until I could prepare it for the bake.
The bottom is pretty crunchy. What is a good method if we want to warm the bread up the next day?
Gina Kleinworth says
You could microwave or place in a warm oven – but both will contribute to making the bread more difficult to chew if it is already tough on the bottom. When it is too tough, I recommend just storing in an airtight container at room temperature. For best results the bread needs to be baked within the 24 hour time period and not refrigerated before hand. These factors will change the ends result.