Easy Artisan Bread



This bread is so easy and delicious it's almost sinful. It reminds me of this crusty bread but doesn't take 17283 hours to make. Four ingredients people. FOUR. I don't even pull out my KitchenAid mixer for this... I use a large soup spoon and that's it!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 pkg)
2 tsp. salt
3 1/4 c. bread or all-purpose flour (I use all-purpose)
extra flour for dusting
corn meal for stone?

In a large bowl, add the water, yeast and salt. Stir until combined. Add the flour and stir until incorporated. Work the dough with a spoon until the lumps are gone. (Don't spend more than 3 minutes or so doing this.) Place a towel or plastic wrap over the bowl and set in a warm area for 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 450. Place a pizza stone in the center of the oven to warm as well. (I don't have a pizza stone. I use a regular cookie sheet turned upside down. The key is that whatever surface you use is as hot as the oven. And I put the dough on parchment paper without any cornmeal.) Add 2 c. of water in an oven-safe dish and place in the rack below the pizza stone. This will create steam which = a nice crust.

Once the dough has risen, form in to a ball and sprinkle flour on top. Make 2 or 3 slices on the top of the bread. (My dough is VERY doughy and is more of a blob as opposed to a ball. Doesn't matter!) Sprinkle the pizza stone with corn meal or flour and place the dough on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

I make 2 of these at a time (totally separate bowls, cooking, etc.) because my family inhales this stuff.

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