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Do you ever run across something that you think is just too good to be true?
I'll never forget the first time I read about 5 Minute Artisan Bread. The loaves in the pictures looked like the came from a wonderful French or Italian bakery, the process sounded simple and the whole thing seemed way too good to be true. I'd made bread the traditional way for years, and knew it was a labor-intensive process requiring a fair amount of hands-on time. To say I was a skeptic was an understatement.
I also knew that yeast was a bit tricky and a bread recipe's success or failure was often dependent on a baker's "yeast competence". So when I read the recipe and discovered that you basically just throw everything in a large container, give it a stir and set it aside .......... well .... let's just say I was sure it wouldn't work.
I tried it and was shocked when, 45 minutes later, the dough had doubled in size. I followed the rest of the instructions carefully and before long the most wonderful aroma was emanating from my little (non-European) kitchen. When I pulled the rustic, golden-crusted loaf from the oven I did a happy dance because too-good-to-be-true was true!
I've made this delicious bread quite frequently since then and, over the years, simplified and refined the process. The original recipe made a huge batch, requiring either baking three loaves at a time or having a fairly large refrigerator space to store the extra dough. I've scaled down the ingredients to yield just one nice size loaf and have adjusted the technique to make it easier.
Are you skeptical? It's okay, I understand. Nothing can be that easy, right? That's why I had Scott click some photos of the process so you could see for yourself. Try it, you'll become a believer, I promise. You can find the original recipe and method in the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes book. Below is my simplified method.
Gather the ingredients; a large bowl, some measuring spoons and cup. Be sure you have a sturdy wooden spoon or a whisk.
Add warm water to a large bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar. Let it sit for a few minutes, then add remaining ingredients.
Mix until all of the flour is incorporated.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside.
While the dough is rising, take a 3-4-quart pot (with or without a handle*) and place on top of a piece of parchment paper. Trace a circle, slightly bigger than the bottom of the pot. Cut out the parchment circle and set aside.
Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 2 teaspoons of flour.
Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle another teaspoon of flour over the paper. This will keep your bread from sticking to the pan and parchment paper. Set pot aside.
Spread out ¼ cup flour on a dinner plate.
Transfer dough to the floured plate. Flip several times to thoroughly coat dough with flour.
Shape into a smooth, flat ball by stretching the surface of the dough and tucking it underneath with the palms of your hands, rotating a quarter of a turn as you go.
Dust with more flour from the plate as needed to prevent stickiness.
Transfer the ball of dough to the prepared pot and cover.
Let it rest for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size. (Rising time will depend on how warm your kitchen is.) Then sprinkle the top with a bit more flour.
With a sharp knife make horizontal cuts across the top of the loaf. You can also cut an x (or just make little random cuts with a kitchen shears all over the top of the bread for a fun whimsical look.)
Now, cover on the pot and pop the whole thing in the oven.
Before long, unbelievable aromas will fill your kitchen. You'll flip when you open the oven door and see the rustic rounded top of the golden loaf peeking out of the pot. I'm quire certain you'll be doing a little happy dance too!
- 1 ⅓ cups warm water 320ml at 100-110˚F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons granulated yeast*
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt or 1 teaspoon regular salt.
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh finely chopped herbs optional
- 1 cup 130g whole wheat flour**
- 2 ⅔ 330g cups all-purpose flour
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Add warm water* to a large bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar and let sit for 4-5 minutes till mixture begins to bubble a bit and get foamy.
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Add remaining ingredients and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon. (A Danish whisk works wonderful for mixing this dough and can be purchased online very inexpensively.) Stir vigorously until all flour is incorporated. This will only take a minute or two.
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Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. (It could take a little longer if your kitchen is cooler.)
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While the dough is rising, take a 3-4-quart pot**** (with or without a handle******) and place on top of a piece of parchment paper. Trace a circle, slightly bigger than the bottom of the pot. Cut out circle and set aside.
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Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with 2 teaspoons of flour. Spread out with your fingers if needed. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle another teaspoon of flour over the paper. This will keep your bread from sticking to the pan and parchment paper. Set pot aside aside.
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Place ¼ cup flour on a dinner plate. Spread with your fingers to cover surface of plate with flour.
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After dough has risen and collapsed, dump it out onto the floured plate. Flip several times to thoroughly coat dough with flour.
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Shape into a smooth, flat ball by stretching the surface of the dough and tucking it underneath with the palms of your hands, rotating a quarter of a turn as you go. Dust with more flour from the plate as needed to prevent stickiness, but don't try to incorporate a lot of extra flour into the dough.
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Preheat oven to 400˚F.
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Transfer the ball of dough to the prepared pot and cover with lid. Let it rest for 30-40 minutes or until doubled in size.
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Remove cover and sprinkle top of dough lightly with flour.
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With a sharp knife make parallel cuts, 1 ½ inches apart across the top of the loaf. You can also cut an x (or just make little random cuts with a kitchen shears all over the top of the bread for a fun whimsical look.)
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Place pot in oven with cover on. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove cover and continue baking another 15-25 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.
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Allow to cool on a cooling rack, uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove bread by inverting onto a cooling rack. (If bread sticks to pan at edges, use a sharp knife to loosen any areas that are stuck.) Cool bread, right side up.
*The small yeast packets from the grocery store work fine but I prefer the yeast that you can purchase in bulk at the big box stores like Sam's, Costco, Bj's, etc. It's infinitely cheaper than buying yeast in the small packets and it's professional grade. I keep a small jarful in the refrigerator and freeze the rest. I've kept it in the freezer for up to a year and it will keep well in the refrigerator for several months.
** You can make this bread with entirely all-purpose flour. The whole wheat flour makes the loaf a bit more rustic. If you want to use all whole wheat flour, check out the Artisan Bread in 5-minutes website for adjustments that need to be made.
*** I use warm tap water. It should feel fairly warm to the touch but not so hot you need to pull your hand back.
**** Don't worry about the depth or width of the pot. As long as it will hold 3-4 quarts, you'll be fine. If it's a deep pot, your bread will be smaller and taller. If the pot is shallower and has a larger circumference, the finished loaf will be larger and not as tall.
***** If using a pot with a handle, be sure it's oven-safe to 400˚F.
I like to slice the bread then place it in a zip lock bag. You can pull out a few slices at a time or, for a wonderful dinner bread, place the whole loaf back into the same pot you used to bake it. Cover the pot and rewarm in the oven for 30 minutes at 350˚f. The bread will be wonderful crisp on the outside with a soft and chewy center.
John@Kitchen Riffs says
This does look easy! And good. I gotta tell Mrs KR -- she's the bread baker in our household! Scott's pictures are always good, but these are exceptional. Good stuff -- thanks.
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You says
Awesome tutorial... My husband and I were thinking to make homemade bread. I can use your recipe for sure!!!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I was so impressed the first time I made this bread too Chris. I think you got me started on it actually. There really is nothing better than freshly-baked bread is there? Oh how I love baking bread!
Kim says
I love baking bread and I will try your recipe this weekend:)
Mary says
I'm always terrified of making bread! but I think I could attempt this!! Thank you for such a great post and the step by step pictures - fabulous!
Mary
Norma | Allspice and Nutmeg says
I'll be making this soon. I can't pass up good artisan bread. Thanks for the step by step, Chris.
Traci says
Thank you for this wonderful post. I love the detailed instructions and beautiful pictures. This bread looks delicious and i plan on making it very soon and i will report back. This is something i plan to give as a gift along with a pot of soup this fall when someone is recovering from an illness or surgery. I am following your website now too. Anyway, praise all the way around. Appreciate you!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, hope you have great results.
Elke - Les Mains dans la Farine says
I do also make a very simple and quick-to-make bread (5 minutes to prepare/12 hours (a night) to wait before baking), but yours seams really wonderful. I'll try it... tomorrow !!! Thanks a lot,
Chriss, for sharing this recipe.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Your bread is absolutely gorgeous and what a great tutorial! Love that Danish whisk too - it makes mixing high-moisture doughs so easy!
Pam says
What a beautiful loaf of bread!
cheri says
Hi Chris, very impressive recipe, I pinned, printed and saved this,. Love that it only makes 1 loaf and your tutorial is wonderful, thanks for this!!!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
Chris, I have made 5 Minute so many times, but I love your tips. This dough is so wet that it is not always easy to manage. Thank you for that little extra to help manage a great recipe.
Scott, your photos make me feel like I am right there. So nice.
M.
Kristin S says
I must try this.
I took a tour at La Farm this summer and Lionel totally poo-pooed the quick bread-making methods. He's a bread genius so of course he would. I really don't have the time or patience to make bread the way he does so I either need to be OK with spending the money on his and/or try this method.
Thanks for sharing!
Liz says
You sure know how to make a gal hungry right before bedtime!! I haven't made one of these artisan breads in over a year...it's time to break out the yeast again!!!
Chichi says
Amazing look bread and great tutorial
Linda says
Love AB in 5, and your website. I look forward to your recipes and beautiful photography. Do you think I could use whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Thanks for your reply.
Linda
Happier Than A Pig In Mud says
Yep, I've been make ABin5 bread for years too and hope any one on the fence will give it a try-they'll love it! Your loaf is beautiful Chris:@)
Christiane ~ Taking On Magazines says
I'm making this tonight, Chris. It looks absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for doing the legwork and reducing the recipe down to one load. While we'd probably make short order of all three, it makes more sense to just make new, fresh loaves one at a time. 🙂
Jodee Weiland says
This bread looks wonderful! I love the addition of freshly chopped herbs...thanks for sharing!
Monique says
One of the most gorgeous 5 Min tutorials I have seen.
Kudos you 2..
I need me a dough thingie like u..and I want a lame too:)
I sent one to a friend of mine and she really likes it..
Little wish lists ..Nothing huge:)
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says
ABSOLUTELY love this technique!! I will be trying this and pinning this!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Gorgeous artisan bread, Chris. Thanks for doing the tutorial .
Vicky says
gonna be a making this soon can you use a cookie sheet to cook it on i do not have a pan that goes in oven vicky
Ginny Hartzler says
Oh my gosh, my mouth is watering! This is without a doubt the most beautiful loaf of brad have ever seen! So then who would guess that it did not take all day to make, fabulous!!! Please push me a slice through the screen, I will wait...
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
Gorgeous - absolutely beautiful loaf of bread. The texture looks amazing. Nothing makes me happier than a yeast bread coming together and rising to a glorious loaf! Bravo - give me a plate with some good olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan - I could be very happy right now!