This easy (and we mean EASY!) homemade French bread recipe is sure to be a hit! Homemade dutch oven bread that's ready in just a few hours - no overnight rise. Crispy crust on the outside and soft, airy bread on the inside! Vegetarian.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS BREAD. ⬆⬆⬆ ⬇⬇⬇
What you need to know about this crusty bread:
- It's ready in under three hours. No overnight rise necessary!
- It's ultra-forgiving. Read through ALL of our recipe notes for best results!
- No Dutch oven? You can still make great bread - check out this post for our best tried-and-true alternatives.
- YOU CAN MAKE THIS BREAD ⬇⬇⬇. I PROMISE.
The basic order of operations for this artisan bread:
The instructions may look a little long, but they're all basically just notes on technique - so don't let the number of steps intimidate you!
After a couple of adventures with this bread, you'll be able to throw it together in your sleep.
- Mix the dough (10 minutes) This is a very slack dough (also known as a wet or sticky dough) - it won't form a ball or be immediately elastic like some recipes you might be used to! The dough will be shaggy and somewhat sticky, but it will smooth out as the gluten develops while it rises and again when it's time to shape.
- Let the dough rise (1 hour) Kick back, relax, and let your dough do it's thing!
- Shape the dough (5 minutes) Lightly flour a cutting board, tip the dough out, and gently form it into a round loaf (watch the videos below to see exactly how we do this!)
- Let the dough rise one final time (30 minutes) When your dough is shaped, pop it into a medium-sized bowl or proofing basket to rise for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Bake (45 minutes) Carefully transfer the bread to your preheated Dutch oven (or use an alternative method!) I like to use a piece of parchment paper to make it easier to lift the bread in and out of the pot. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake another 10-15 minutes to help the bread develop more color.
- Let the bread cool, slice, and enjoy!
If you're serious about homemade bread, you may enjoy using a proofing basket (it's one of my favorite kitchen tools!) to help the bread keep its shape while it rises. You also end up with beautiful flour rings on the crust! We like to use an 8- to 9-inch proofing basket for a single loaf of bread.
If you don't have a proofing basket, no worries! Just use a medium-sized (8- or 9-inch diameter) mixing bowl to let the bread do its final rise before you bake it. Flour the bowl well to prevent sticking!
The crackly brown crust here is the result of baking this bread in a Dutch oven. By keeping the lid on while the bread bakes, you create a nice steamy atmosphere inside the pot - and the steam is what gives the bread that crispy, magical crust. (Read more about the importance of steam in bread baking here!)
HOMEMADE BREAD FAQ
This section is LONG - but we wanted to cover the most frequent questions we get! Feel free to skip right to the recipe, but please do utilize this section if you run into questions while you're baking. For additional training videos, tips, and recipes, check out Everyday Artisan Bread!
- My dough feels too wet. This is a very slack (wet) dough - the dough should feel quite shaggy and a bit sticky when mixed. This dough should NOT pull away from the sides of a bowl into a smooth, elastic ball like other recipes you may have used. Don't worry - it will become more elastic as gluten develops while the dough rises! If you are still worried about the consistency of the dough, feel free to mix in more flour ¼ cup at a time - especially if you measured your flour by volume (in cups, which can frequently result in using too much or too little flour) rather than by weight with a kitchen scale.
- Related: Please use a kitchen scale! If you already have a scale, please use it. Just set the scale to grams, place an empty bowl or container on top, set the scale to zero, and add your ingredients until it reaches the right weight. If you don't have a scale, you can still make great bread without it - just make sure to follow the notes in the recipe below - but if you plan to bake bread a lot, a scale is definitely worth the investment!
- Can I use rapid rise or instant yeast for this recipe? Yes - just reduce the amount of yeast to 1 ½ teaspoons (about 25% less than we use with Active Dry Yeast).
- How do I stop the bottom of my loaf from burning or overbaking? There are a bunch of ways to adjust if the bottom of your bread is burning! 1. use an oven thermometer to check the true temperature of your oven (I've had ovens that are off by as much as 40 degrees in one direction!) 2. Make sure your oven rack is in the center of your oven (or, if burning occurs while baking in the center of your oven, move your rack one notch farther away from your heat source). 3. Try placing a sheet pan directly underneath your Dutch oven when baking to redistribute some of the heat, or 4. preheating your Dutch oven for half the time. 5. Some testers also have good luck placing a baking steel or pizza stone on the rack directly below the Dutch oven, again to redistribute some of the heat. 6. Make sure to use a piece of parchment paper to lift the bread in and out of your Dutch oven. 7. Dust the bottom of your loaf with a thin layer of cornmeal before placing it into the Dutch oven to form a barrier between the dough and the hot surface. 8. Try preheating and baking at a slightly lower temperature (between 425 and 450 degrees F) OR preheating at the suggested temperature of 460 and then turning the oven down to 425 degrees F once you put the bread in. Don't worry if it takes a few tries to find your sweet spot - ovens and equipment can vary wildly when it comes to heat distribution, and a big part of bread baking is figuring out your oven's own unique quirks so you can consistently get the results you want!
- Can I double this recipe? Yes - double everything except the yeast in this recipe for best results*. After the first rise, divide the dough in half and form two loaves (our preference) or form one large loaf. If you bake a large loaf, you will likely need to extend the bake time and it may not cook quite as evenly - just keep an eye on it and use your best judgment! (*the converter in the recipe card below may tell you to double the yeast as well, but you really don't need to. We just can't figure out how to turn the converter off *facepalm*)
- Can I halve this recipe for a smaller loaf? Yes! We have a scaled-down version of this recipe (with adjusted measurements and instructions!) in our Small Batch Crusty Bread post.
- How hot should my water be? A good rule of thumb is "warm to the touch." Too-hot water (typically 130-140 degrees F and above) will kill your yeast, but use too-cold water and your yeast will take too long to activate. We typically use water that's between 95 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit for our Active Dry Yeast. You should be able to comfortably hold your hand under water running at about 100 degrees - it should feel warm, but not hot. Use a kitchen thermometer for a precise measurement if you like!
- A note about salt: Every brand of salt will perform a little differently. If you're measuring by volume, using Morton Kosher Salt, 1 ¼ teaspoons is usually plenty. If you're using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, you may want to use 1 ½ teaspoons since it's significantly lighter/less salty than other brands. If you're using table salt, you'll typically be fine sticking to 1 ¼ teaspoons, but if you prefer less salt in your food, you can dial it back to 1 teaspoon. We recommend measuring your salt by weight to keep things simple!
- What kind of Dutch oven should I use? We recommend using a 4- to 6-Quart Dutch oven. We have tested our artisan crusty bread recipes in Le Creuset, Lodge, Staub, and Marquette Castings Dutch ovens. All work well! Le Creuset and Staub are generally our favorite brands - they do a great job of controlling and evenly distributing heat, and are especially easy to clean. Lodge and Marquette Castings also work well (though if you're used to a Le Creuset, you may notice some differences) and are perfect if you're looking for a budget-friendly option.
- Can I bake this bread without a Dutch oven? Definitely! Read this post for our favorite Dutch oven alternatives (you likely have most of them in your kitchen already!)
- What kind of flour should I use? After extensive testing, we recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour or Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour. If you have bread flour and would like to use it, you certainly can! But it's not necessary. If you don't have Bob's or King Arthur, use whatever All Purpose Flour you have on hand (but add one of those brands to your list for next time - you'll notice a difference!) The only flour we do NOT recommend is Pillsbury - it was consistently the toughest flour to work with in our testing and always created a dough that tore rather than stretched (which we don't want here!)
- How should I store this bread? Store half-loaves cut-side down on a cutting board on the counter for up to 24 hours (no need to cover!) to keep the crust crispy and the interior moist. Store sliced bread in an airtight container in the freezer for 3-4 months (toast it up as needed!) or in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days. Freeze a full loaf by wrapping the bread in plastic wrap and popping into the freezer for 3-4 months, then defrost on the counter for a few hours when you're ready to eat (we prefer to avoid plastic, but haven't found a better alternative for this yet - bee's wrap just doesn't do as good of a job here!)
- Can I make this bread with whole wheat flour? Yes! We recommend substituting no more than 50% whole wheat flour for best results.
- My bread didn't rise, or it doesn't have enough big air pockets. Because this is a quick bread recipe with a short rise time, it will typically be a shorter loaf with a tighter crumb (fewer air pockets) than a sourdough recipe or a yeast bread that rises for 8+ hours. If you'd like bigger air pockets and/or a taller loaf of bread, give the gluten in the dough more time to develop by mixing the dough, covering with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover, and letting it rise in the fridge overnight. The next day, bring dough to room temperature on the counter, shape and bake as directed! PS - We have a ton of different baking timelines and tips like this in our course!
- Can I add fruits, flavors, or other mix-ins to this bread? Yes! Check out our Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Crusty Bread or our Easy Crusty Asiago Bread for a few of our favorite flavors. Add fresh or dried herbs, spices, roasted garlic, nuts, or dried fruit to the dough right when you mix it. For anything that may release more moisture - fresh fruit, olives, etc. - we recommend folding it in as you shape the bread. Pull the dough into a large circle, spread an even layer of mix-ins across it, then fold dough into the center as directed and repeat until you've added all of the mix-ins.
- Why did my loaf flatten or not hold its shape? Typically, this happens when we haven't built enough strength into the dough before baking. Because this is a relatively quick bread recipe, we lose out on the strength that builds while gluten networks develop over a long rise - so we build strength into the dough by folding it over on itself many times during shaping. If your loaf isn't as tall as you'd like, first be sure to thoroughly mix the dough so that no dry bits of flour remain. You may also want to knead the dough a few times by hand (you can do this right in the mixing bowl) or let your mixer run an extra minute or two with the dough hook attachment. Next, while the dough does its first rise, you can perform one set of "stretch and folds" at the half hour mark to increase strength. Finally, when shaping the dough, be sure to fold the dough over on itself several times until the dough feels tight and begins to resist your folding. Keep in mind that because this bread is made on a quick timeline, it won't typically rise as high as a hearty sourdough loaf or other bread that has had hours or even days to proof. We cover a ton of techniques to bake taller, more open bread in our online course.
- Why don't you transfer the dough to an oiled bowl during the first rise? We don't find it's necessary to add this extra step with this quick recipe, and we wanted to keep it as simple as possible. We just let the dough rise right in the mixing bowl and then run our hands under cold water to coax the dough out without sticking when it's time to tip the dough onto the cutting board. You can absolutely transfer the mixed dough to a lightly oiled bowl for its first rise if you like! A previous version of this recipe had you add a dusting of flour during this first rise; we omitted this step in later revisions to simplify the instructions.
- What is the hydration of this loaf? If you're familiar with baker's percentages, this bread is about 75% hydration by weight as written.
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VIDEO 1: HOW TO MAKE CRUSTY BREAD WITH A STAND MIXER (NO PROOFING BASKET)
VIDEO 2: HOW TO MAKE ARTISAN BREAD BY HAND (WITH PROOFING BASKET)
VIDEO 3: HOW TO SHAPE A LOAF OF BREAD (TUTORIAL)
This video tutorial is an excerpt from our online course, Everyday Artisan Bread!
Easy Crusty French Bread
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Inactive Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf (about 6-8 servings) 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Easy dutch oven bread ready in just a few hours - no overnight rise needed.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (9 grams)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (4 grams) (use honey if you prefer)
- 1 ¼ cups warm water (300 grams)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons (8 grams) kosher salt
- 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour (400 grams) plus extra for dusting (see recipe notes)
Instructions
MIX THE DOUGH & FIRST RISE (1 HOUR):
- Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large mixing bowl (you can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook).
- Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is foamy.
- Add flour to bowl. Mix with a sturdy spatula until the dough starts to come together, then add salt and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. For best results, mix until no dry bits of flour remain. Note: This is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it may seem a bit shaggy and sticky at this point. Don't worry - it will become more smooth and elastic as we go!
- Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
SHAPE THE DOUGH & FINAL RISE (30 MIN):
- When dough has risen, lightly flour a large cutting board.
- Tip the dough out of the bowl and onto the cutting board. DO NOT PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN - you want to keep all those nice air bubbles intact so you have an airy, delicious loaf of bread. (Note: If the dough is sticking to the bowl a little bit, wet your hand with a bit of cold water and gently separate the dough from the bowl to get it all out).
- Shape the dough into a round loaf: Pull each corner of the dough in towards the center (like you're folding an envelope) and repeat until the dough feels tight and begins to resist your folds. Flip the dough over and pull it into a round loaf. Watch the video(s) above to see exactly how we do this!
- Flour a proofing basket or a medium bowl and place your loaf into it seam-side down. Cover with a tea towel and let rise another 30 minutes or so while you preheat the oven. Note: I like to line my proofing basket or mixing bowl with a clean linen napkin to distribute the flour more evenly and help with cleanup.
HEAT THE OVEN :
- While bread is rising, place an empty dutch oven (with the lid on) in your oven and heat to 460 degrees Fahrenheit.
BAKE!
- When the oven is hot, you're ready to go! Use oven mitts to pull the dutch oven out and remove the lid.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper down on your counter or cutting board (optional - it makes transferring the bread easier!)
- Tip your bread dough gently out of the proofing basket onto the parchment paper. Make sure the seam side is up this time - this is what will create those beautiful cracks on top of the bread!
- VERY CAREFULLY (without burning yourself!) use the sides of the parchment to lift the bread up and place it into the hot Dutch oven.
- Put your oven mitts back on, place the dutch oven lid back on the pot, and slide the whole thing back into your hot oven.
- Cook bread for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid from your dutch oven. The bread should be taller, crusty, and very lightly browned. Continue cooking the bread, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes more until the bread has deepened in color and you have a beautiful brown crust.
- When bread is done, use oven mitts to pull the pot out of your oven.
- Use a long spatula or the corners of your parchment paper to lift the bread out of the dutch oven and onto a cooling rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it.
- Slice, slather with butter, and enjoy!
Notes
How to measure flour: If you have a kitchen scale, please use it! Measuring by weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring by volume (with cups) and will give you more consistent bread. That being said, you can certainly make great bread without a kitchen scale! To measure flour in cups: If you measure flour by dipping your cup straight into the bag or bin and shaking off the excess, plan to use about 2 ½ cups of flour. If you measure by stirring the flour with a spoon or scoop before scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it off, plan to use about 3 cups of flour. You can always add more flour if you need to - just be aware that this is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it will be a bit shaggy and sticky at first (but it will smooth out and become more elastic as it rises and again as you shape it!)
Equipment. We recommend a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven for best results. Le Creuset and Staub are our favorites, but Marquette Castings and Lodge also make solid options that are more budget-friendly. If you don't have a Dutch oven, see this post for alternative baking methods (you can still make great bread without fancy equipment!) Please make sure that your Dutch oven is fitted with a metal (rather than plastic) knob on its lid for best results, and please check the care instructions on your individual equipment before baking. We use this 8.5-inch proofing basket, but an 8- or 9-inch banneton or medium-sized mixing bowl also work well for the final rise.
PLEASE READ THE POST ABOVE FOR OUR COMPLETE FAQs, TIPS, AND ADVICE. We've gotten so many amazing questions from you - we wanted to be sure to answer as many as we can as thoroughly as we can, but if we put our answers here in the recipe it would make it very annoying to print. Please check the FAQ section in the post above if you have a question or run into a problem!
Love this recipe? We'd love to see you in our online course, Everyday Artisan Bread, where we share exclusive training videos, worksheets, and ad-free recipes!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of a loaf
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 585.5 mg
- Fat: 0.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.2 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: dutch oven, baking, artisan
HUNGRY FOR MORE? OUR FAVORITE BREAD RECIPES AND RESOURCES:
How to Bake Crusty Bread Without a Dutch Oven
Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Bread
Easy Crusty Asiago Bread
Small Batch Crusty Bread (Perfect for Two!)
Jalapeño cheddar loaf
Patricia Jones
I have been trying to make bread for years, but never quite made what I set out to do.
Made this recipe today, it was amazing, so simple, so tasty, so fuss free, used bread flour instead of all purpose.
Will definitely be making it again and again, going to try your other recipes next week.
Thank you so much, Pat
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy to hear you loved this recipe!
Mary Ina Johnson
I made this bread to go with a brothy veggie soup and it was incredible! I never leave reviews, but this one deserved it! Kudos!!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! Thanks so much for your rave review!
Red
I have made this recipe many times always using the weighted measurements so I can't speak to volumetric, one thing I have to do is play with the amount of water. Depending on your heat/humidity you may actually need more or less. No matter what this recipe will deliver bread but for it to be perfect it takes a little intuition and looking for visual/qualitative markers rather than strictly quantitative.
★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy you keep coming back to this recipe! You're absolutely right that humidity and other environmental factors can affect the hydration of your dough, meaning you could need more or less water to get the same result. We go over all of these specifics and other ways to follow your intuition when baking bread in our Everyday Artisan Bread course!
Maria F. Marin
I am a beginner in bread making and found this recipe so easy to follow. I have made 6 loaves so far and all of them have been amazing, last one better than the first one obviously, but all edible! Really thank you!!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! We're so happy you're loving this recipe!
Tucson
The "Older Comments" link doesn't reveal any older comments. It's important to read lots of comments before investing time and money into a recipe, but there are none, except for one, posted this month.
Team Life As A Strawberry
Thanks for letting us know! We'll bring this to our tech team. In the meantime, if there is anything specific you'd like to know about the recipe don't hesitate to ask! This recipe has over 600 ratings with an average of 4.8 stars. We're sure you'll love it!
Kris
This bread was so tasty, what an amazing recipe. My only complaint is that o wish I had leftovers 😭. Do you think I could double the recipe, but make one loaf and use a 7 qt Dutch oven? Also, it is cast iron, does this make a difference?
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy you loved this bread! We don't recommend doubling the recipe in one loaf because it will dramatically change the baking time, but you can absolutely double the recipe (don't double the amount of yeast) and split the dough into two loaves! After the first rise, divide the dough in half and form two loaves before shaping, then bake as you would like. They can be baked at the same time if you have a second Dutch oven or use one of our alternate cooking methods, or the second loaf can rest in the refrigerator while the first loaf bakes. Just let the Dutch oven reheat while empty in the oven for a few minutes before baking the second loaf. The second loaf can even do an extra rise overnight in the fridge and shape and bake the next day!
A cast iron Dutch oven can conduct a bit more heat than an enameled version so your loaf may bake a bit faster, but all equipment and oven temperatures can vary, so we recommend following the recipe as written and adjusting only if your bread feels overdone. Unenameled cast iron can also be a bit stickier, so we definitely recommend using parchment paper to help safely get your bread in and out of the Dutch oven.
For more advanced recipes and techniques, be sure to check out our online course, Everyday Artisan Bread!
Brenda Medizza
This is my first try making bread it shows in the video a cute little loaf mine was huge I only use the times one recipe I did it by weight and the loaf was over 18 inches wide after folding it I have no idea what I did wrong but it’s crazy it’s in the oven now I don’t know if it’ll push the lid off the pot it’s that big
Team Life As A Strawberry
Hi Brenda! Congrats on your first loaf! If your loaf was wide and flat, it could have overproofed or you may have needed to build more strength in your dough. With proofing, visual cues take priority over time cues, so when your dough doubles in size move to the next step even if it hasn't been an hour. A warm, humid environment or too much yeast can make your dough proof much faster. For strength, when shaping the dough, be sure to fold the dough over on itself several times until the dough feels tight and begins to resist your folding. The videos above show how to do this!
If you're looking for a smaller loaf, check out our Small Batch Crusty Bread!
Sam
I just made this bread. It is the first bread I have ever made and it’s delicious! I’m eating a chunk right now as I’m writing this comment. Beautiful crispy crunch on the outside and soft inside. My husband commented on how professional it looked. I’m so happy, thank you!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! Congratulations on your first loaf of bread!
Alexandra
I've never had success with bread until this recipe and now I can't make enough! I want to make one a bit sweeter with dried fruits, will adding more sugar affect how the yeast proofs in the first step?
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
We're SO happy you're loving this recipe! Definitely check out our crusty cranberry pecan loaf to practice adding dried fruit to your dough! Sugar will impact the yeast so we recommend adding sweetness with flavors rather than adjusting the amount of sugar. We have a full section in our online course Everyday Artisan Bread about adding flavors and riffs to your dough with sweet additions like apples and cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and even caramelized onions!
Mary Frances
I've made the bread twice now and it's just the best! I'd like to make more of the dough and keep on hand in the refrigerator. Any tips? It might just not be practical for me to make the dough every day, hence having a stash in the refrigerator to bake a loaf for supper.
Team Life As A Strawberry
So glad you love this recipe! Our recommendation for making the dough in advance is to mix it, cover with plastic wrap or a reusable bowl cover, and let it rise in the fridge overnight. The next day, bring the dough to room temperature on the counter, shape, and bake as directed! This will only give you a dough stash for about a day, any longer and the loaf will be overproofed. An alternative option is baking multiple smaller loaves, like this recipe, and storing them to refresh and reheat before serving since whole loaves will maintain their texture better than a sliced loaf.
PS - We have a ton of different baking timelines and tips like this in our course!
Danielle Nolan
Could you make this in a slow cooker?
Team Life As A Strawberry
This bread is baked in the oven to get that nice, crispy crust. If you don't have a Dutch oven, we have our favorite alternative cooking methods explained in this post!
Mark
If you’re in need of a loaf of some sort of bread as quick as possible and you don’t really care about taste this could do it.
Heavy amounts of yeast, short ferment and proving leaves a bland loaf of bread.
Why I tried this I don’t know as I bake a considerable amount of breads, baguettes, focaccias.
Sourdough from a starter I’ve kept going for over 4 years now . Just so you know where I’m coming from.
★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
Sorry to hear this recipe wasn't what you were looking for! This dough is designed for bread beginners, and definitely does not have the complex flavor of a sourdough loaf! Our more advanced bread-baking content and sourdough recipes can be found in our Everyday Artisan Bread online course. Our team loves to come back to this loaf when testing new or locally milled flour varieties, mix-in components, or baking equipment without the added variables of sourdough!
Nancy MacMinn
Help ! What can you use instead of parchment paper??
I just realized I don't have any.
Team Life As A Strawberry
The parchment paper is optional so you'll be okay without it! You can use two wooden spoons or spatulas to help carefully lift the bread out of the hot Dutch oven.
Carolyn
I just made this bread and it didn't rise as much as it did the first time I made it a few years ago. I was wondering where I might have gone wrong? The yeast is new so I know it's not that.
For step 2 "Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is foamy," do you need to whisk here? I didn't, so I'm wondering if that might have been the problem.
Would over kneading or over proofing impact the rise? Or under kneading/ under proofing?
Thanks!
Carolyn
Team Life As A Strawberry
Hi Carolyn! There are SO many things that can impact the rise in a loaf of bread! The first thing to know is that the environment and ingredients can change how a dough performs, so if the temperature, or humidity, or type of flour was different than the last time you made this recipe, you may have somewhat different results.
As long as the yeast is proofing and we know it's active, it'll get to work once it's mixed into your dough whether you whisk it into the warm water or not, so we wouldn't expect that to impact the dough rise. Over-kneading isn't a big issue with a recipe like this, you'd have to over-knead a lot (like, a WHOLE LOT) for any negative impact to your dough, but under-kneading can have an impact! If your loaf isn't as tall as you'd like, first be sure to thoroughly mix the dough so that no dry bits of flour remain. You may also want to knead the dough a few times by hand or let your mixer run an extra minute or two with the dough hook attachment. Next, while the dough does its first rise, you can perform one set of "stretch and folds" at the half hour mark to increase strength. Finally, when shaping the dough, be sure to fold the dough over on itself several times until the dough feels tight and begins to resist your folding.
Over or under-proofing can also make changes to your dough! This recipe has a specific amount of yeast to fit the exact timeline described in the recipe. You can check whether it’s properly proofed toward the end of the second rise by lightly pressing your finger into the top of the dough to make a small indent. If this indent slowly starts to rise back into shape, but doesn’t quite “heal,” your dough is ready! This test is often called the fingertip test or the poke test. If the indent springs immediately back into shape, your dough needs more time to proof (I like to check back every five minutes or so until it’s ready!)
PS - We have a ton of different baking timelines and tips like this in our course!
Suzanne Hoffman
I have made this recipe no less than 25 times in the last 10 weeks and each time it is perfect. I live at 8,000 ft. ASL and made no changes in the recipe other than I bake the full 20 minutes without the pot cover. Best of all, people with whom I have shared the recipe and my pointers have also had great results. Thanks so much for this wonderful addition to my cucina.
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WOW! We're so happy this recipe has become such a favorite for you and your community! We bet you would also love our Everyday Artisan Bread online course!
Amani
Is it possible to have a gluten free version of this bread? I love this recipe it works perfectly for me but I would like to share it with others who have a gluten intolerance.
Team Life As A Strawberry
We’re working hard on a gluten-free version, so stay tuned!
Mamaward
I love making this bread on a pinch. It’s easy and requires only a few ingredients. My family love it’s taste, and it look beautiful on any table
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
YAY! We're so happy to hear this recipe has become a family favorite!
Doug Young
I made this crusty bread yesterday to go with my Italian Beef Stew instead of running off to the store. I added too much flour and it was like a 10 pound cannonball. I threw it away and made another loaf using smaller doses of flour. It came out perfect. My wife thought I bought it until I showed her the cannonball and the printed recipe. Now she wants me to bake bread more often. I’m going to try this with jalapeños and cheddar cheese. I used to bake all the time but now that I’m retired I will resume and branch out to different items to bake.
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! We're so glad you had a fun bread baking experience! We recently shared a recipe for Jalapeno Cheese Bread that has lots of tips for including mix-ins. As you venture into baking more types of bread, we have a learn to bake FREE Bread Bootcamp Webinar for tips to make taller, airier loaves, or enroll in our Everyday Artisan Bread course for personal support and step-by-step training videos that take you through every technique and buzzword!
Justine
Love this recipe! Third time I've made it in the last few months & it always turns out great! I doubled the last batch which turned out perfectly! I doubled everything except the yeast - used approx 3 heaping tsp. I also reduced the heat once I baked them & put a pizza stone in to prevent burning at the bottom & that worked!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! We're so happy you've been loving bread baking!
Meadow
I’m a bread baker now!!!
This recipe is so easy and makes delicious bread. We’ve made it twice now and it turned out perfect both times! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Team Life As A Strawberry
WAHOO! Congratulations on your bread baking success!