Simply Inspired Sisters: Homemade Artisan Bread Recipe

I have decided that I am now going to try and make my own bread each week. I am not very found of the bread options in the store and there is something great about making something yourself.. First, before I did this I needed to find a recipe that was both fast (I have a very busy schedule) and good at the same time. I came across this recipe at Make and Takes and decided to give it a try. This was by far the easiest recipe only taking me 1 hour total and it was delicious. 1 recipe produced three loaves of bread for us. Not only did it taste good but, it looked no joke just like the picture above. Since it turned out so great I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. Enjoy..

Recipe for Homemade Artisan Bread
makes 3 loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (Note: I used rapid rise east cutting my time down)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or other course salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
cornmeal for pizza peel (optional)

1. In a very large bowl, add your flour, yeast, and salt.

2. Pour in your water and stir until combined, just a few minutes.

3. Cover your bowl with foil or greased plastic wrap for 2-5 hours. We left it for 5 hours and it turned out just fine, yay!

4. Divide your dough into 3 loaves with a knife. Cover each loaf with flour and form it into a ball.

5. Lay onto a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or onto a pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal. Let this dough rest for about 30 or so minutes.

6. With a sharp knife, slash the top of each loaf into 3 lines or a criss-cross pattern. This helps let out some steam in the dough. If you don’t slash your bread, the bread will most likely make it’s own tear somewhere during cooking.