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No special ceramic cast iron pot......No special ingredients....No parchment paper....
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(see notes and tips below....make it a habit to read through a new recipe a couple
of times to make certain you understand ingredients and entire process, and tips;
and remember it's usually in the doing that the learning curve happens)
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This SO EASY Artisan Loaf takes very little *yeast and produces a bread with texture somewhat like
a tender english muffin. A great way to stretch yeast and have bread on hand. I created this recipe in the shape of a loaf instead of the common rounds commonly made from Artisan bread recipes because of the simplicity of equipment and process.
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Because it is baked in a loaf pan, which must be greased/oiled, the crust is chewy and not as crispy as Artisan bread, therefore, I choose to butter the top of baked loaf to somewhat tenderize top like the bottom and sides will be (the baked bread is very tender inside so cut carefully when cooled).
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{Also note: tried this recipe with using ALL whole wheat flour and used a bit more yeast. But was
not happy with the results: the bread was too heavy and didn't raise enough, so going back to the
half wheat/half white loaf.}
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Janet's Artisan Loaf
The loaf with part whole wheat has a bit more yeast.....
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White Bread:
3 c. bleached or unbleached **bread flour
heaping 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt or sea salt
1 and 1/2 c. cool water (not warm or hot, not cold)
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Part Whole Wheat Bread:
1 and 1/2 c. whole wheat flour + 1 and 1/2 c. white flour**
*scant 1/2 tsp. dry yeast
1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 tsp. salt or sea salt
1 and 1/2 c. cool water (not warm or hot, not cold)
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*I wanted more yeast when adding whole wheat flour, to help the rise since whole wheat flour is heavier than white flour.
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In large glass bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, salt (mix these dry ingredients thoroughly to make sure the yeast is well distributed....using a wire whip works well for this). Add water and stir all with handle of a wooden spoon until it is well-mixed and forms a loose moist blob....the dough will be quite moist and sticky, it won't take long to stir it all together. (Note: occasionally, depending upon the absorption of the flour, you might need to add a bit more water). Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap; let sit undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. It doesn't need to be in a warm place.
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Generously grease a loaf pan clear up to/including the rim. Using 3 to 4 T. of flour: (as you scrape dough, flour your scraper, and scraping will naturally 'punch' it down to half the size) scrape dough onto clean work surface sprinkled lightly with part of the flour; then sprinkle top of dough with a bit of flour, pat it a bit flat. Using floured hands (or a scraper): fold and lightly flour dough 3 to 4 times gently. Put it into greased loaf pan, gently pat the top to even it out; cover with clean towel. Let raise up to 2 hours until dough reaches about 1/2-inch over top rim of loaf pan. Preheat oven to 400°; bake for 38 to 45 minutes, until the crust is very golden brown and when tapped it sounds hollow. Remove from oven, let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then if needed, carefully run a knife around edges to loosen first, remove loaf from pan, lightly butter top (can use a bit of paper towel with a bit of butter on it). Let cool completely. NOTE: because this is a tender bread, cut slices a bit thick.
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NOTE: If you happen to undercook the loaf a bit, let it cool, then put cut pieces in a toaster before eating. You will learn the right timing for your oven with practice, so don't give up. The loaf when done will be very golden brown on top and when tapped will sound hollow. Letting loaf completely cool before cutting also helps. Remember: this loaf had a good amount of water, so it tends to be a tad moist, but still we do want it to be done/cooked; that is why best to allow it to cool completely before slicing.....and do use a serrated/bread knife!!
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*dry yeast....are you keeping it in the fridge? Please do so, as it stays fresh much longer. If I know I'm going to be storing unopened vacuum packed yeast for longer than a year, I put it in the freezer. We recently found a stray pound package of yeast in our chest freezer from 2007 (I'm typing this in 2020). I put it into a quart jar, and proofed a 1/2 tsp. with a bit of sugar......wowza.....it was perfect, sponged up right fast. So we put that jar in fridge and will use it within a year.
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**If white all purpose flour is what you have, use it. Just know that bread flour has a higher gluten content than all purpose flour and is best for this recipe, and gluten is what holds the rise in yeast breads. Also, you'll know the yeast worked not only because the dough more than doubles in size (reason for large glass bowl), but also because the dough will look raggedy/stretchy when being scraped onto the floured surface. So if your first attempts are not what you hope for, still make it
but learn from it, and future loaves will be what you want.
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