Quick and Easy Artisan Bread

At the beginning of quarantine, I had a difficult time finding flour.  You see, I thought it would be fun to have some flour around so I could bake (cookies, bread, pizza, pretzels, cake, etc.).  It took me a couple of weeks to finally find a (10 lb) bag of flour.   Scary to think that the 10 lb bag came and went rather quickly.  I can't believe how much baking I have done in the last 8 weeks.

I think everyone has entered the bread making phase of quarantine.  If you haven't, and you have never made bread, the following is an easy recipe that anyone can make.  You can't mess it up.  Trust me, I've tried.  Oh, and you don't even need bread flour!  If you need some pictures, you can find the original recipe here.

Here's the recipe:

Artisan Bread

ingredients:
1/2 TBSP Kosher Salt
1 packet active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour

directions:
Place salt and yeast in large bowl.  Pour warm water over the top (make sure the water is not too hot).
Add flour all at once.  Mix all together.  The dough should be sticky.  If too sticky, you can add 1 or 2 more TBSP of flour if needed.
Once flour is mixed in, cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap until it doubles in size.  You can let rise for 2-3 hours or 12 hours.  The longer it rises, the better.
When ready, cover the bowl tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes (dough can be refrigerated for up to one week before baking).

Ready to bake:
Put some flour on your hands and put the dough onto a (lightly) floured surface.  The dough will be a little sticky.  Do not punch dough down, knead it or roll it out.  Just work the dough into a round circle.  Lightly dust the top with flour and then, using a knife, add a few lines across the top of the loaf.
Place dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper.  Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Bake:
Oven to 450F.
Place stone or skillet in the oven and let it preheat for 20 minutes. 
Slide the dough with the parchment paper underneath onto the hot stone.  Place a cup of hot water in a broiler pan on the bottom of the oven.
Bake bread for 25  minutes or until browned.
When done, place bread on a cooling rack.  Store bread in a paper bag so it doesn't soften.

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This bread didn't last long at our house.  And by long, I mean, a few hours.

And, I tried to mess this recipe up.  Not on purpose.  The first time I made this bread, I forgot to set the timer when I put it in the oven.  The bread came out nice and crispy.  That didn't stop my family from eating the entire loaf.

If you make Artisan Bread, let me know how it turns out!

Enjoy!