Easy artisan bread

My first loaf of whole wheat bread in the earth oven was delicious, though not at all helpful to my current waistline issue, lol. It took me a couple of days but yes, I ate the whole thing.

 (See my earth oven under construction)

For more than 40 years I have been making bread by kneading the dough. That makes a fine crumb, like what you buy on the grocery shelf. But recently I’ve been reading about making artisan breads—you know, those luscious, rustic loaves with thick, crunchy crusts and a chewy crumb with large air holes. Great for dipping into herbal infused olive oil. Just three simple changes in traditional bread making results in a delicious, artisan bread. One, make a soft dough by adding more water. Two, minimize the kneading—eliminate it, actually. And three, use less yeast and give it a slow, cool rise. That’s it.

Easy artisan bread

Makes one loaf

2 ¼ cups flour (I use half unbleached bread flour and half whole wheat flour)

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp yeast

1 tbs olive oil

1 cup warm water 

1 tbs of honey

Oats or other grain for topping (optional)

Mix flour with salt. Stir in yeast. Add olive oil and honey to warm water. Make a well in the flour for the liquid ingredients. Stir until just mixed. It will be very soft. Cover with damp cloth and let rise at room temperature for three to four hours. Punch down, let rest 10 minutes. Shape into a round loaf and cut two intersecting slashes across the top. Sprinkle with optional toppings and let rise until double (app 1 1/2 hours). Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 1/2 hour.

Enjoy!