Easy Artisan Bread

This is the easiest best bread ever. Without the rising times, it takes <10 minutes of your time. Here are the steps:

• Activate yeast
• Add flour
• Let rise 1 hour
• Form into round loaf
• Let rise 30 minutes
• Bake 30 minutes

That is it! Lots of great variations but plain (how the recipe is written) is FABULOUS! 

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour ( 400 grams) plus extra for dusting
4 to 6 quart Dutch Oven or Casserole dish with a lid (has to be able to handle 460F)

Steps

MIX THE DOUGH & FIRST RISE (1 HOUR):
Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large mixing bowl (you can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook).
Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is foamy.
Turn on your dryer.
After the 5 minutes is up, add flour to bowl. Mix with a sturdy spatula until the dough starts to come together, then add salt and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. For best results, mix until no dry bits of flour remain. Note: This is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it may seem a bit shaggy and sticky at this point. Don't worry - it will become more smooth and elastic as we go!
Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let rise in the dryer (not while it is running lol!) for 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
SHAPE THE DOUGH & FINAL RISE (30 MIN):
When dough has risen, take it out of the dryer and turn on dryer again for next rise.
Lightly flour a large cutting board.
Tip the dough out of the bowl and onto the cutting board. DO NOT PUNCH THE DOUGH DOWN - you want to keep all those nice air bubbles intact.
Shape the dough into a round loaf: Pull each corner of the dough in towards the center (like you're folding an envelope) and repeat until the dough feels tight and begins to resist your folds. Flip the dough over (envelope seams on the bottom) and put it back in the bowl.
Cover with a tea towel and put back in dryer to let rise another 30 minutes or so while you preheat the oven.
HEAT THE OVEN :
While bread is rising, place an empty dutch oven (with the lid on) or I use a white Corning Ware casserole dish with a glass lid, in your oven and heat to 460 degrees Fahrenheit.
BAKE!
When the oven is hot, you're ready to go! Use oven mitts to pull the dutch oven out and remove the lid.
Lay a piece of parchment paper down and tip your bread dough gently out of the proofing basket onto the parchment paper. Make sure the seam side is up this time - this is what will create those beautiful cracks on top of the bread!
VERY CAREFULLY (without burning yourself!) use the sides of the parchment to lift the bread up and place it into the hot Dutch oven/Corning Ware dish.
Put your oven mitts back on, place the lid back on the pot, and slide the whole thing back into your hot oven.
Cook bread for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid from your container. The bread should be taller, crusty, and very lightly browned. Continue cooking the bread, uncovered, for 5-15 minutes more until the bread has deepened in color and you have a beautiful brown crust. (I do 5 minutes as we don't like the crust too crunchy).
When bread is done, use oven mitts to pull the pot out of your oven.
Use your parchment paper to lift the bread out of the container onto a cooling rack. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into it.
Slice, slather with butter, and enjoy! 

Variations

-

add during step #4 above

Asiago 

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese, divided (you'll save some for topping the bread)

Rosemary Garlic

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
8- 10 roasted garlic cloves, roughly chopped or 2 tsp garlic powder

Wheat Nut

Replace 1 C white flour with 1 C wheat flour
1/2 C sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp flax seeds
AFTER baking, sprinkle with Nothing But The Bagel seasoning, optional

Original recipe with LOTS of detailed notes are at: https://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/easy-crusty-french-bread/