Rustic Artisan Bread — Full Recipe

Yield: 1 large loaf
Prep: 20 minutes
First rise: 1½–2½ hours
Second rise: 30–60 minutes
Bake: 35–45 minutes
Total: about 3½–5 hours

Ingredients
Ingredient Amount
Bread flour 500 g / about 4 cups
Warm water 350 g / 1½ cups minus 1 tbsp
Instant or active dry yeast 7 g / 2¼ tsp
Salt 10 g / 1¾ tsp
Sugar or honey 10 g / 2 tsp — optional
Olive oil 15 g / 1 tbsp — optional
Extra flour for shaping
Cornmeal optional, for the pan

The flour/water/yeast/salt proportions are consistent with common artisan and basic white-bread formulas.

About the ingredients

Flour: Bread flour gives the loaf more gluten strength and chew. All-purpose flour works too, but the dough may be slightly softer.

Water: Use lukewarm water, approximately 35–40°C / 95–105°F. Very hot water can damage yeast.

Yeast: Instant yeast can be mixed directly into the flour. If using active dry yeast, you can first dissolve it in the warm water for 5–10 minutes.

Salt: Essential for flavor and dough strength. Don’t omit it.

Sugar/honey: Optional. It adds a little sweetness and helps browning, but authentic rustic bread doesn’t require it.

Oil: Optional. It makes the crumb a little softer. For a crustier, more traditional artisan loaf, leave it out.

Step-by-Step Method
1. Activate the yeast

If using active dry yeast, put:

350 g warm water
7 g yeast
10 g sugar/honey, if using

into a bowl.

Stir and leave for 5–10 minutes.

A little foam indicates that the yeast is active.

If using instant yeast, you can skip this step and mix it directly with the flour.

2. Mix the dough

Put 500 g flour and 10 g salt into a large bowl.

Add the yeast-water mixture.

Mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until there are no dry patches of flour.

The dough should look:

soft
slightly sticky
shaggy
moist but not liquid

Don’t add lots of flour just because the dough feels sticky. A relatively wet dough helps produce the open, soft crumb seen in the finished bread. No-knead artisan formulas commonly use similarly wet doughs.

3. Rest — 15 minutes

Cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap.

Let it rest for 15 minutes.

This gives the flour time to absorb the water and makes the dough easier to handle.

4. Knead

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter.

Knead for approximately 8–10 minutes.

Use this motion:

Push the dough away with the heel of your hand.
Fold it back.
Turn it slightly.
Repeat.

You want a dough that becomes:

smoother
elastic
soft
slightly tacky

You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook, but avoid adding excessive flour.

5. First rise

Lightly oil a large bowl.

Put the dough inside and turn it once so the surface is lightly coated.

Cover.

Leave somewhere warm for approximately 1½–2½ hours, or until roughly doubled in size.

The exact time depends heavily on room temperature.

Warm kitchen: faster
Cool kitchen: slower

Don’t rely only on the clock—the dough’s volume is a better indicator.

6. Stretch and fold — optional but recommended

For a more airy loaf, perform 2–3 rounds of stretch-and-fold during the first rise.

After about 30 minutes:

Wet your hand.
Grab one side of the dough.
Stretch it upward.
Fold it over the center.
Rotate the bowl.
Repeat 3–4 times.

Cover and rest another 30 minutes.

Repeat once or twice.

This strengthens the dough without intensive kneading.

7. Shape the loaf

When the dough has approximately doubled, lightly flour your work surface.

Gently remove the dough.

Don’t aggressively punch all the air out.

Shape it into a round:

Fold the edges toward the center.
Turn the dough over.
Cup your hands around it.
Pull the dough gently toward you to create surface tension.
Rotate and repeat.

You should end up with a smooth, tight dough ball.

8. Second proof

Place the shaped loaf on parchment paper.

Cover loosely with a towel.

Let it rise for 30–60 minutes.

It should become visibly puffy.

Don’t necessarily wait for it to double.

9. Preheat the oven

For the best crust, preheat your oven to:

450°F / 230°C

for at least 30 minutes.

Best method: Dutch oven

If you have a Dutch oven:

Put the empty Dutch oven and lid into the oven.
Preheat it to 450°F / 230°C for about 30 minutes.
Carefully remove it.
Transfer the dough on parchment into the hot pot.

A covered pot traps steam around the dough, helping produce the crisp, deeply browned artisan crust.

10. Score the bread

Dust the surface lightly with flour.

Use a very sharp knife or bread lame.

Make one long slash approximately ½–1 cm deep across the top.

You can also make 2–3 smaller cuts.

Scoring gives the expanding bread a controlled place to open rather than splitting randomly.

11. Bake
Dutch-oven method

Bake:

20 minutes covered at 450°F / 230°C

Then remove the lid.

Reduce to:

425°F / 220°C

and bake another 15–20 minutes.

The bread should become deeply golden brown.

For an especially dark crust, give it another 5 minutes.

Without a Dutch oven

Place the bread on a parchment-lined baking tray.

Put a heatproof pan containing hot water on the lower oven rack to create steam.

Bake at 450°F / 230°C for approximately 35–45 minutes.

Steam is particularly useful for getting a crisp artisan-style crust.

12. Check whether it’s done

The loaf should be:

golden to deep brown
firm on the outside
hollow-sounding when tapped underneath

If using a thermometer, an internal temperature around 95–99°C / 203–210°F is a useful target.

13. VERY IMPORTANT — Cool Before Cutting

Remove the bread from the pot/pan.

Put it on a wire rack.

Let it cool for at least 45–60 minutes.

Don’t immediately slice it.

The interior is still setting as it cools. Cutting too early can make the crumb look gummy or compressed.

Once cool, use a serrated bread knife.

How to Get the Bread in Your Photo

For a loaf closest to the picture:

Use:

500 g bread flour
350 g water
7 g yeast
10 g salt
no oil
no sugar
long first rise
gentle shaping
Dutch oven
very hot oven
generous browning

For an extra-soft sandwich-style interior, add 15 g olive oil + 10 g honey.

For a crustier artisan loaf, omit both.

For a more open, chewy crumb, increase the water slightly to 365–375 g, but the dough will be considerably stickier and harder for a beginner to shape.

Full Q&A / Troubleshooting
Why didn’t my bread rise?

Possible causes:

yeast was old
water was too hot
room was too cold
insufficient fermentation time
too much salt
dough was too dry

Give the dough more time before assuming it has failed.

Why is my bread dense?

Usually one of these:

1. Too much flour
Adding flour whenever the dough feels sticky can make the finished loaf heavy.

2. Under-proofing
The dough wasn’t fermented enough.

3. Weak gluten development
The dough wasn’t kneaded or folded enough.

4. Yeast problem
The yeast wasn’t active.

Why is the bread flat?

The dough may have been over-proofed, causing the gluten structure to weaken.

It can also happen if the dough is extremely wet and doesn’t have enough strength.

Why is the crust not crispy?

Try:

baking hotter
baking longer
using a Dutch oven
preheating the Dutch oven thoroughly
avoiding covering the bread for the entire bake
allowing the bread to cool uncovered
Why is my crust too hard?

Reduce baking time slightly or lower the final oven temperature.

Adding a small amount of oil also gives a softer crust.

Why is the inside gummy?

The most common causes are:

bread was underbaked
loaf was cut while still hot
dough contained too much water
oven temperature was inaccurate

Let it cool completely before slicing.

Can I use all-purpose flour?

Yes. Use the same 500 g quantity.

Bread flour generally gives a stronger, chewier loaf, but all-purpose flour works well for this recipe.

Can I use whole-wheat flour?

Yes, but don’t replace all the bread flour initially.

Try:

400 g bread/AP flour + 100 g whole-wheat flour.

You may need a little additional water because whole-wheat flour absorbs more.

Can I make it without a Dutch oven?

Absolutely.

Bake on a heavy tray and introduce steam using a heatproof pan of boiling water. The Dutch oven is simply the easiest way to create a steamy baking environment.

Can I make the dough the night before?

Yes—and this can improve flavor.

After mixing the dough, cover it and refrigerate it for approximately 8–24 hours.

The next day:

Remove from refrigerator.
Let it warm slightly.
Shape.
Allow the final proof.
Score.
Bake.

Long, cool fermentation is commonly used for artisan bread and can develop deeper flavor.

Can I freeze the bread?

Yes.

Cool completely, then wrap tightly and freeze.

For best quality, use within about 1 month.

You can also freeze individual slices so you can take out only what you need.

How should I store it?

For the first day or two, keep the loaf at room temperature in a bread bag or loosely wrapped.

Avoid refrigerating ordinary bread if possible—the refrigerator can make the crumb stale faster.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes, if you omit honey and use sugar instead (and ensure your flour/other ingredients are suitable).

The basic flour-water-yeast-salt version is vegan.

Is it nut-free?

The recipe itself contains no nuts.

However, if you’re preparing it for someone with a nut allergy, check the flour, yeast, parchment, toppings, and work surfaces for cross-contact warnings.

Can I add nuts or seeds?

Yes. Try:

50–75 g walnuts
50–75 g almonds
50 g sunflower seeds
50 g pumpkin seeds
sesame seeds
flaxseed

Fold them into the dough after the initial gluten development.

Can I add garlic and herbs?

Yes. Add approximately:

1–2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1–2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

For a stronger garlic flavor, roasted garlic works especially well.

Quick Formula to Remember

500 g flour
350 g water
7 g yeast
10 g salt

Mix → rest → knead/fold → first rise → shape → second rise → score → 450°F/230°C bake → cool completely.