Artisan Bread. I have always read about artisan bread, artisan chocolate and so many artisan food thing in the web. According to what I have read, there is no solid definition of the word “artisan” but it means time, dedication and attention given on how the food was prepared and done.
Every time I heard about artisan chocolates, artisan bread or artisan food, what comes to my mind is “expensive”. With the time and dedication those artisan chefs gave to the food, that must be really expensive. Well, I haven’t tasted any food done the artisan way some I searched the web about artisan bread. Luckily, There are lots of recipes on artisan bread that does not require kneading. I hate kneading.
This recipe uses bread flour and has a watery dough consistency. I proofed the dough for 4 hours before baking in a preheated oven. Just mix the yeast in a warm water and dump everything in it. Mix the flour and water and proof for 4 hours and you have your easy artisan bread. Maybe, some of you will ask, why the heck I’m supposed to make my own bread when it is readily available in the market. Well, nothing beats fresh and warm homemade bread. Just smother it it butter or jelly, take a bite and sip some coffee and you will have some nice relaxing moment for the day.
Ingredients
4 cups Warm water (55 to 60 degrees Celsius)
1 Tablespoon Instant Active Dry Yeast
6 1/2 cups Bread Flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
Procedure
In a bowl, mix warm water and yeast. In a separate container, mix flour, salt and sugar. Whisk until everything is incorporated.
Dump the dry mixture into the water mixture. Mix everything together. You will for a water dough mixture. Cover with damp towel and proof for 4 hours. If you are not going to bake it right away, store the dough in the fridge to firm it up for easy handling.
Divide the dough into two parts and roll into a ball. If you stored your dough in the fridge, you will not have hard time shaping it. In my case, I just proof the dough for 4 hours, divide it into two and I had hard time shaping it. I just place the dough on a parchment paper, dusted with flour and leave it for another 30 minutes. Dust the surface of the dough and slice some slits on the surface and baked for 40 to 50 minutes in a oven preheated at 180 degrees Celsius.
