Bread for Every Commitment Level

and the low-effort artisan bread I've been making on the regular

Everyone loves homemade bread and it only felt right to follow up last week’s deep dive into flour with a little ode to bread. My relationship with homemade bread has ebbed and flowed over the years from seasons of caring for my sourdough starter like a baby and churning out loaves of crusty bread on the regular to months of leaving my proofing baskets completely untouched. Whatever your current schedule or capacity, you deserve a little homemade bread so I’ve compiled a little collection of all of my favorite bread recipes to meet you where you are. Happy baking, friends!

When you want to really put in the effort:

If you’ve got the time and flexibility to spend a few minutes each day tending to a sourdough starter and can plan your day around a proofing schedule, there’s nothing better than a classic loaf of sourdough bread.

And if you find yourself wanting to embark on your sourdough journey, but don’t know where to begin, I’ve got you covered. You can follow my step-by-step guide to creating your very own sourdough culture (also attached here via PDF) and you’ll be a bread-baking machine in no time.

Sourdough Culture How To (1)

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When you want to impress:

If I’m having friends over for dinner or making food to deliver to someone as a gift, you can bet I’ll be making focaccia. Focaccia is a super star bread, and it’s fluffy, pillowy texture will have people thinking that you spent days slaving away to make it when in actuality, all you need is a little planning (it does need an overnight proof) and a lot of olive oil.

You can find my recipe for a traditional focaccia here, along with Garlic Bread Focaccia and Cheesy, Herby Focaccia if you’re feeling a little fancy.

Cheesy Herby Focaccia

When you’re looking to spend an afternoon in the kitchen:

If you find yourself with an empty afternoon and want to try your hand at something new, make a batch of challah. My buttermilk challah can be mixed, proofed, and baked all in the same day and I love playing with new braiding techniques. And an added bonus, challah freezes like a dream.

Buttermilk Challah

When you want fresh bread with the least amount of effort possible:

I have been making this rendition of the Jim Lahey No-Knead Artisan Bread on the regular lately. His original recipe is meant to be stirred together the night before, given a long overnight proof, and then simply flopped into a Dutch oven and baked. I couldn’t help tweaking it a little and found that adding a little bit of shaping and a quick countertop proof results in a close to perfect loaf of bread for our every day eating.

easy artisan bread

adapted from Jim Lahey via LeAnne Shor at Lion’s Bread

makes one boule

Ingredients:

310 g warm water

3 g active dry yeast

450 g all purpose flour

10 g kosher salt

Procedure:

1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water and yeast and let set for 3-5 minutes until water is cloudy and slightly foamy. Add the flour and salt and stir well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until no flour streaks remain.

2. Cover the bowl and place in a warm place to proof for 12-18 hours.

3. When you’re ready to bake and the dough is doubled in size and puffy, gently flip it onto a well-floured work surface.

4. Bring the corners of the dough into the center and then flip it over so the seams are down. Use the friction of the counter to roll the dough into a tight boule or round and then place in a floured proofing basket (or a bowl lined with a clean, floured dish towel).

5. Loosely cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour, until puffy and almost doubled in size.

6. Place a dutch oven in the oven and turn the oven on to 450° F, allowing the dutch oven to get hot as the oven heats.

7. When the oven has preheated, flip the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and use a lame or a sharp knife to score the top. Quickly and carefully lift the sides of the parchment paper to place the boule into the hot dutch oven. Cover immediately.

8. Bake the bread, covered for 20 minutes, and then remove the lid and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes, until the crust is deeply browned. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.