Homemade Artisan Bread- The Easiest recipe Six different ways - Nesting With Grace (2024)

I have shared my moms favorite Homemade Artisan Bread recipe on my blog before. I had a special sign made for her for mothers day last year with a scripture about bread. My mom made this homemade bread everyday for a year and took it to someone new. She figured it only cost her 24 cents to make and not anytime at all, but I am sure it brightened someones day to know they were thought about.

My mom and I came up with 6 different ways to make this bread. It is the easiest bread recipe ever! Seriously you don’t have to knead this bread or any fancy equipment.

I personally don’t eat a lot to bread but I love to make this recipe to give to others or to bake when we have company over for dinner. And seeing my girls light up when they can smell it baking when they get home from school is priceless.

Let’s get after it! First I will share the Basic Artisan Bread Recipe, that you can adapt from there and add in any of the mix-in’s that I share below.

Homemade Artisan Bread- The Easiest recipe Six different ways - Nesting With Grace (4)

Easiest Artisan Bread Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
  • 2 cups Water- room temperature water start with 1 1/2 cups then add more

Instructions

  • Mix the flour, salt and yeast until combined in a large bowl (the bread doubles)

  • Add in the water (start with 1 1/2 cups then add more until it isn’t dry, but you don’t want it too wet)

  • Cover with a plate or silicon wrap or plastic wrapand let sit for 6 to 24 hours (on the kitchen counter)

  • Then degas, by stirring it once to get the air out

  • Greaseyour bread pan with oil or butter (coating with flour helps it to not stick)

  • Place bread dough in your baking pan and let it rise for an hour covered (I use a dish towel or a silicon cover, make sure to grease silicon cover)

  • Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes covered (I use another bread pan on top, or you could use tin foil), then 10 minutes uncovered until golden on top

Notes

I have sped up the process to 4 hours on the counter with warmer water, didn't rise as high, but tasted the same!

Options-

  • Wheat Bread- 2 cups all purpose flour and 1 cup wheat flour (I have made this before with all wheat, I liked it, my kids didn’t as much….it is heavier)
  • Gluten Free- Use Cup for Cup Flour
  • Cranberry Bread- Before you add the water mix in-1/2 cup dried cranberries and1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
  • Jalapeño Cheddar Bread- Before you add the water mix in-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese and1 diced jalapeño *we left just a few seeds attached so it wasn’t too spicy- add more of the seeds if you like it spicy (or I chop up about 1/4 cup of the “Hot & Sweet Jalapeños” from Trader Joe’s that are in a jar)
  • Nut Bread- Before you add the water mix in-1/4 cup chopped almonds,1/4 cup sunflower seeds and1/4 cup flax seeds
  • Cinnamon Raisin Bread- Before you add the water mix in-1/2 cup raisins and2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Everything But The Bagel- Before baking sprinkle evenly over the top of the bread with Everything But The Bagel Seasoning

Favorite Bread Pan– you can find it HEREand also a fun one I use that comes out perfect is HERE

Homemade Artisan Bread- The Easiest recipe Six different ways - Nesting With Grace (5)

PS- there is a printable at the end of this post! And why you need a French Butter CrockHERE.

Wheat Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe

  • 2 cups all purpose flour (I have made this before with all wheat, I liked it, my kids didn’t as much….it is heavier)
  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon yeast
  • Follow instruction for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread

Cranberry Hazelnut HomemadeArtisan Bread Recipe

  • Recipe for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread
  • Before you add the water mix in-
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
  • Follow instruction for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread

After everything is mixed in.

After 8 hours of rising on counter covered with a plate.

After “de-gased” and ready to put in baking pan to rise for one more hour.

Jalapeno Chedder HomemadeArtisan Bread Recipe

  • Recipe for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread
  • Before you add the water mix in-
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 diced jalapeño *we left just a few seeds attached so it wasn’t too spicy- add more of the seeds if you like it spicy (or I chop up about 1/4 cup of the “Hot & Sweet Jalapeños” from Trader Joe’s that are in a jar)
  • Follow instruction for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread

Flax SeedHomemadeArtisan Bread Recipe

  • Recipe for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread
  • Before you add the water mix in-
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds
  • Follow instruction for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread

Cinnamon RaisinHomemadeArtisan Bread Recipe

  • Recipe for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread
  • Before you add the water mix in-
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • Follow instruction for Basic Homemade Artisan Bread

My Mom working her magic!

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” Acts 2:46

After making all this bread, I took it around to neighbors and friends. We used one loaf to make grilled cheese for the girls and my hubby with tomato soup. The Jalapeño Cheddar was my husbands favorite as grilled cheese.

You can see how I used this bread to make it in little flower pots HERE and my Mothers Day Bread post HERE. Let me know if you try the bread!

You can print out the Bread Recipe FREE here-Artisan Bread Recipe PDF Printable and thank you to AP Letters for this gorgeous printable!

Click on image to print your FREE Bread Recipe Printable

I shared a Paleo Bread Recipe HERE that every loved too!

I took a video last time my mom visited- of the bread stages. Hope it helps! (PS- on the video my mom says “1/2 teaspoon salt” but the recipe is 1 teaspoon

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Homemade Artisan Bread- The Easiest recipe Six different ways - Nesting With Grace (2024)

FAQs

How is bread made in 6 steps? ›

6 Steps to Making Great Bread
  1. Step 1: Measuring your ingredients. ...
  2. Step 2: Mixing the dough. ...
  3. Step 3: Letting it rise. ...
  4. Step 4: Punching and shaping the dough. ...
  5. Step 5: Proofing the dough. ...
  6. Step 6: Baking.
Oct 4, 2021

What is the secret to making good bread? ›

12 tips for making perfect bread
  • Use the right yeast. ...
  • Store your yeast properly. ...
  • Treat salt with care. ...
  • Take your time. ...
  • Try different flours. ...
  • Consider vitamin C. ...
  • Practice makes perfect. ...
  • Don't prove for too long.

What makes homemade bread light and airy? ›

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

What are the 6 main ingredients in bread? ›

Common Baking Ingredients
  • YEAST. Yeast is a single-celled living organism with a mighty big job in baking. ...
  • FLOUR. Wheat flour is the most common type of flour used in yeast baking. ...
  • LIQUIDS. ...
  • SALT. ...
  • SWEETENERS. ...
  • FATS. ...
  • EGGS.

What are the 7 stages of bread making? ›

It consists of a series of steps including mixing, fermentation, makeup, proofing, baking, cooling, slicing and packaging. Due to their critical role, these processes must be carefully operated to meet pre-set conditions and specifications.

What not to do when making bread? ›

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
  1. Failing to Weigh Your Ingredients Accurately. ...
  2. Mistakenly Adding Salt DIRECTLY on top of Yeast. ...
  3. Incorrectly Adding Too Much Liquid. ...
  4. Not Covering Up Your Dough At All Stages of Breadmaking. ...
  5. Inadequately Proofing Your Dough. ...
  6. Failure to Create Steam in the Oven. ...
  7. Don't Let the Heat Escape During Baking.
Jan 16, 2020

What is the best flour for bread? ›

While bread flour is the best option, it can sometimes be used if you don't have bread flour. “Check the protein content,” advises Chef Jürgen, since it can vary from brand to brand, and an all-purpose flour that contains protein on the higher end of the range, 12 to 13 percent, will produce a better outcome.

What gives bread the best flavor? ›

Fat. If you're looking to ramp up the taste of your favorite bread recipe, we recommend adding a bit of fat. A fat like butter, olive oil or coconut oil in small quantities will help your bread achieve a higher rise and it will also boost its flavor by tenfold.

What is the secret to a soft and fluffy bread? ›

Here's How To Make Soft And Fluffy Bread:

Bread Flour Over All Purpose Flour. Do The Windowpane Test. Proofing At The Right Temperature. Use Weights Instead Of Measuring Cups.

Does letting bread rise longer make it fluffier? ›

Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough.

How to get bread to be light and fluffy? ›

If you want a lighter fluffier bread loaf just add 2 Tbsp of dry milk to the flour per loaf of your bread.

What are the 6 main ingredients used in almost all yeast breads? ›

7.1. 2 The basic ingredients in a yeast dough are: flour, liquid, salt, sugar, fat, eggs and yeast.

How many packs of yeast do you need to make bread? ›

Well, from my experience, 1 packet of dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) can work its magic for around 4 cups (about 544 grams of flour) – slightly more than 2 packets of fresh yeast or 3/4 packet of instant yeast.

How many spoons of yeast do you put in bread? ›

You can increase the size of most bread recipes by simply doubling, tripling, etc. all of the ingredients, including the yeast. Depending on the recipe and rising time, you may use as little as 1 teaspoon, or up to 2 1/4 teaspoons (sometimes more) of instant yeast per pound (about 4 cups) of flour.

What is the 6th step in yeast bread making? ›

Step 6: Pre-shaping or Rounding

Treat dough gently at this step so as not to lose too much of the structure. Form dough loosely into the desired shape leaving the cut side down. The topside should result in a relatively smooth, stretched skin serving to hold in the developing gas.

What are the steps to make bread? ›

Directions
  1. Step 1: Proof the yeast. Before you can get to mixing and kneading, it's important to proof the yeast. ...
  2. Step 2: Mix the bread dough. ...
  3. Step 3: Knead the bread dough. ...
  4. Step 4: Proof the dough. ...
  5. Step 5: Punch down and proof again. ...
  6. Step 6: Bake and enjoy.
Mar 13, 2020

How bread is made in 5 steps? ›

Bread making involves the following steps:
  1. Mixing Ingredients. Mixing has two functions: ...
  2. Rising (fermentation) Once the bread is mixed it is then left to rise (ferment). ...
  3. Kneading. ...
  4. Second Rising. ...
  5. Baking. ...
  6. Cooling.

What 5 steps are done in making yeast bread describe each step? ›

Yeast Breads: Method
  • Kneading. Kneading can be done in a variety of ways – using a stand mixer or food processor, or by hand. ...
  • Rising (aka Fermenting or Proofing) The next step is to place the bread into a greased container, cover and let rise – pretty straightforward. ...
  • Punching Down. ...
  • Shaping. ...
  • Second Rising. ...
  • Baking.

References

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