Artisan bread
Artisan bread is a type of bread that is handcrafted using traditional methods and high-quality ingrediënts. It is typically made by skilled bakers who mastered the art of bread making by mixing in 80% biga,
a slow fermenting dough. This recipe will take long hours, hard labour and many stretches to get air into the dough by the fermentation of yeast. The process of fermenting and stretching the dough enhances the flavor and texture.
The bread is usually baked in a stone hearth oven or can be made at home in a Dutch oven using a lid to cover the baking tray!! This gives artisan bread it's crispy crust and chewy interior. Place a cup off water inside the hot oven or spray water with a plant mister to create steam that benefits aeration inside the loaf. Water makes the loaf expand and the bread will form a better crust. Dusting it with flour also enhances the crust. Artisan bread is often considered rustic because it is handmade and uses simple natural ingrediënts.
It is typically not mass-produced like commercial bread and made in small batches to ensure quality and authenticity. The rustic appearance with it´s uneven crust and irregular shape also defines it's characteristics.
This handmade recipe can be found in specialty bakeries, farmers markets and upscale grocery stores. It has gained popularity in recent years as consumers have become more interested in high-quality artisanal food products.
Many people choose artisan bread for its superior taste, texture, and to support local independent bakers.
- 450 g wheat flour
- 1 cup water at room temperature
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 g yeast
- 1. Prepare the pre-fermented dough (biga) in a bowl with a plastic or wooden spoon. Add 250ml or half a cup of room temperature water, 0.2 gr. of yeast and stir the yeast. Wait for 10 minute and mix in 350 gram of all purpose wheat flour and mix until it becomes a smooth massive dough without any lumps in it. Cover the bowl with a lid, a wet tea towel or some foil. Depending on the season of the year, side of the equator and room temperature, let it ferment at room temperature for about 12-14 hours.
2. In another bowl ad 1/4 of a cup or 50 ml of room temperature water and the rest of the 0,8 gr. yeast and stir. After waiting for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate mix in 100 gr. of flour and 3 teaspoons of salt and form a dough. Flatten the dough, incorporate with the biga you made earlier in the first bowl. Mix it together with your hands, form a ball and let it rest covered for two hours. In these two hours of resting the dough has to be stretched and folded three times. Make your hands wet and lift the outer end of te dough and fold towards you. Turn the bowl one quarter (90 degrees) and again pull the side of the dough which is the furthest away towards you and fold it again. Make sure you do all four sides this way and cover the bowl every time until two hour of rising time have passed.
3. Get the dough out of the bowl and stretch to form a square sheet. Pull the dough from the bottom center underneath with your hands to the outsides untill it is rectangular and flat. Fold 1/3 of the dough to the right, then fold from right to left to the outside edges and then repeat this from the other sides til you get a loaf shape. Add some oil and let it rest for another hour.
4. Sprinkle some flower on your working surface and get the dough gently out of the bowl. Stretch it a little bit and fold the outside over one third and cover with the other side to the other outer ends again with wet hands. Roll the open crack towards you and pinch the sides together so it forms a long ridge over the bread. Then put a tea towel dusted with flour inside a rectangular proofing tray and again pinch the dough on top across the whole loaf from one end to the other. Then fold the tea towel to cover the dough and let it rest for another hour.
5. Lay the bread on a sheet of baking paper, dust your bread with some flour and place the baking sheet in a pre-heated oven dish or baking tray. Remind to use or spray water inside the oven before and when removing the lid. With a sharp knife score the dough on top from one side to the other and cover with a lid. Bake first for 20 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius then lower the oven to 230 degrees Celsius to bake-off without lid for another 10 minutes. Get the loaf out of the oven and lay on a rack to cool et voilà, bon appétit your in culinairy heaven.
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