Easy No Knead Crusty Artisan Boule Bread Recipe

Nothing beats the satisfaction of baking your own bread, especially when it’s this crusty, golden-brown artisan boule bread recipe.  

With minimal effort and simple ingredients,  I promise you can make this crusty loaf that tastes similar to a French boule.

Alex was home last week for a few days to get in some ski days before heading to Vietnam for work.

It had been awhile since I had cooked a good meal, with Manservant being in Texas helping his dad, so I decided to get cooking while my boy was home.

Since it was chilly and I hadn’t had pasta in awhile, I made some red sauce but decided I needed some bread to add to the meal.

I came across this simple homemade bread recipe from Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois that is very similar to the Jim Lahey 5-minute bread recipe, except there is no need to let this rise overnight.

Just flour, salt, yeast and water and you can have a loaf of bread just like this artisan boule bread recipe, in about 3 hours.

The original recipe makes four loaves and you can see it here.

Actually, you could even keep some in the fridge to use as needed over 14 days, but I wanted bread that night!

This is a crusty bread recipe that is great with butter, perfect for sandwiches, and can be shaped as required.

It may not have as much flavor as the type that sits overnight, but you could let it sit overnight to develop more of a sourdough bread, but then you won’t have bread the same day!

This no knead artisan bread can be baked as a loaf, a boule, or baguette and in a hot cast iron Dutch oven or on a pizza stone.

No need for a stand mixer or dough hook attachment; this great recipe means homemade bread tonight!

Ingredients You’ll Need for this Artisan Boule Bread Recipe:

• All-purpose flour
• Kosher salt
• Active dry yeast or instant yeast
• Lukewarm water

Equipment Needed:

• Large mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon 
• Plastic wrap
• Baking stone or pizza stone OR
• Preheated Dutch oven with lid
• Parchment paper
• Razor blade or very sharp knife
• Wire rack for cooling

Step-by-Step Guide to making this Artisan Boule Bread recipe:

1. Mixing the Dough:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast and salt into the lukewarm water.
• With a wooden spoon stir in flour, until there are no dry patches, and a sticky, loose dough forms.
• At high altitude where it is dry-like Colorado-I often have to add a bit more water. 

2. First Rise:

• Cover the bowl with a tea towel, not plastic wrap, and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 – 5 hours. 

3. Shaping the Dough:

• Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, you can get it ready to bake or place it in the refrigerator, covered, for up to two weeks and use as needed.
• When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on the dough. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and lumpy bottom. (It will be quite shaggy!)
• Place dough on a piece of parchment paper, sprinkled with corrnmeal if using a baking or pizza stone, (I did not use it) and let rest for 40 minutes. My kitchen is cold, so I often let it go a bit longer.
• OR: Stretch rounded dough into an oval and place in a greased nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if baking fresh or an extra hour if refrigerated.

4. Preheating the Oven: (2 Ways)

• Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees. Heat stone for 20 minutes.
• OR: Place Dutch oven with lid in the oven to heat  and forget the broiler pan and baking stone or pizza stone.

6. Scoring the Dough:

• After dough has rested for 40 minutes, slash the top with a serrated knife or a very sharp knife or a razor blade three times. This allows the bread to expand and creates a beautiful pattern.

7. Baking with Steam: (2 Ways)

• Carefully transfer the parchment paper with the dough onto the preheated pizza stone using a pizza peel or a baking sheet.
• Pour one cup of hot water into the broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until golden and well browned, about 30 minutes.
• OR: Carefully remove the lid of the Dutch overn and lift the dough on the parchment paper and place it into the Dutch oven. 
• Place the lid back on the pot to create a steamy environment, which is essential to create a crispy crust.
• If the bread dough is in a loaf pan, bake an extra 5 minutes.

8. Crispy Finish:

• Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the bread is a deep golden brown.
• Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches around 195 degrees. 

9. Cool and Enjoy:

• Once baked, transfer the boule to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing. 

Tips for Perfect Boules:

1. High-Quality Flour:
   • Opt for high-quality flour or a combination of bread, all-purpose and whole wheat flour for the best results. I use King Arthur all-purpose flour for most of my needs.
2. Add Other Flavors:
   • Stir in some rosemary leaves. Stud with sliced garlic cloves. Add some sliced olives. Your imagination is what counts!
3. Experiment with Scoring:
   • Get creative with scoring patterns to add a personal touch to your boule. Just don’t overdue it!

Troubleshooting this Artisan Boule Bread Recipe

1. Sticky Dough:
   • If the dough is too sticky to handle, add a little more flour during the shaping process. If the dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water at a time.
2. Flat Loaf:
   • Ensure the dough rises adequately during both stages to prevent a flat outcome. Make sure your yeast is fresh!
3. Overly Dark Crust:
   • If the crust darkens too quickly, reduce the oven temperature slightly.

Baking an artisan boule at home is an easy way to get started bread baking.

I love the way my home smells when I’m baking bread.

With little effort this artisan boule bread recipe is one of the best things I’ve discovered.

Taken from the New York Times, this recipe has over 7500 5 star reviews.

So if this is your first time baking bread, rest assured that so many others have tried it first!

But if yeast scares you, I do have many other bread recipes on TIHIC.

Irish soda bread requires no yeast and neither does beer bread.

Trust me, nothing makes a meal more speicial than a homemade loaf of fresh bread!

And this homemade artisan bread rocks!

Still Hungry?

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No Knead Cinnamon Swirl Bread

No Knead Yeast Rolls

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