Like my character Isabelle Baker from Volume 2 of Tales of Harriford Grange, I set out on a many months-long quest to perfect the best and easiest homemade crusty bakery bread. I scoured the internet, tested, failed multiple times, and finally succeeded. I can’t count the number of loaves I made or the number I sold through my home bakery, but let me tell you, it was a lot!
Most everyone seems to think there is a big mystery surrounding bread, but I’m here to tell you that once you get the hang of it, it’s not hard. For the first time ever, I’m sharing my Marble Fox Bakery Artisan Bread recipe with the world. I have a normal kitchen, a normal electric oven, and only a few advanced bread-baking tools. You can make my bread yourself with things you probably already have in your kitchen. So, let’s get started!
P.S. Don’t be scared off by the 10+ hours. Most of that is rising time.
MARBLE FOX BAKERY ARTISAN BREAD RECIPE
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- meat thermometer
- 1 extra large baking sheet or two normal-sized baking sheets
- parchment paper (optional)
- cast iron skillet
- sharp knife or razor blade or lame (fancy dough blade)
- oven mitts
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast active dry
- 2 tsp sugar
- 5 cups bread flour I use White Lily.
- 2 tsp salt table salt
Instructions
- Proof yeast in warm water and sugar for 5 minutes in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in flour and salt. Mix well.
- Let rise 1 hour at room temperature covered with plastic wrap. Plastic wrap is needed to seal in the heat and moisture during this rise.
- Knead and shape on floured surface into desired loaves. I prefer boules (rounds) or baguettes (long). Only knead it enough for it to come together into a ball, not too much. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet or in floured bannetons/bowls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cover with a hot or at least warm damp cloth. It needs to be warm to start, even though you are putting it in the fridge. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. (You have some wiggle room here since it is refrigerated.)
- Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 45 minutes with an empty cast iron skillet on the bottom rack.
- Set loaves out at room temperature for fifteen minutes before baking (last 15 minutes of oven heating time). Remove any loaves from bannetons or bowls by flipping the bowl over onto the baking sheet. (Do NOT put bannetons in the oven or bake these loaves in bowls.) The top of the loaf is what touched the inside of the banneton/bowl. Lightly flour the tops and slit as desired just before putting the loaves in the oven.
- WEAR OVEN MITTS AND BE CAREFUL!!! After placing the pan(s) in oven, CAREFULLY and WELL PROTECTED FROM THE STEAM pour 1 cup of water into the skillet.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.
- Cool on wire racks.
