Alan’s 3-Ingredient Artisan Bread
Ingredients:
5 c all-purpose flour
1.5 packets of yeast
1 large tablespoon of salt
Directions:
Pour yeast in a warm 2 1/4 cups of water for 15 minutes.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large glass bowl. Clear large hole in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the yeast/water mixture.
From the sides of the bowl (I use a butter knife or small spatula), pull flour and stir the flour into the middle of the bowl until a noticeable dough started to form. I then use a bread paddle to pull the remainder of the flour from the sides and under the dough ball, folding the mixture till all of the flour is gone and a basic bread roll is formed.
Sprinkle flour on a breadboard and pull the dough ball onto that. Fold dough ball into itself over and over till a moist bread roll is formed. The finished ball should still be moist, but not sticky to yours hands. Keep folding the sides under the ball and turning each time till finished. Two/three minutes of gentle mixing. NOTE: It is normal to have to add a little warm water OR bread flour to get a moist bread roll that is not sticky.
Grease the same large glass bowl with a pad of soft butter, set the dough inside, covered with saran wrap (poking two small holes in the saran wrap) and set the timer to rise for an hour. NOTE: You can set the mixture into the fridge overnight to use the next day. No mess and very little clean up.
To make rolls instead of a loaf, pull the dough from the bowl onto a floured breadboard. Roll and pull the dough into a long French-roll form and cut each roll to a good-sized finished roll. Turn each roll in on itself several times, then place on parchment covered cookie sheet.
After 2 hours rising, cut a slit on the top of each roll and sprinkle each with a little flour using a small strainer filled with flour. Baked 27 minutes at 425 degrees in middle of the oven with a small oven-safe bowl of water on the lower rack.
You can double this next time as bread lovers will devour these rolls before anyone sets down at the table. This puts a very big smile on any bread maker’s face.
P.S. If making a larger bread loaf, baking for 30-35 minutes. A light golden brown on top and bottom of the loaf for good visual clue when done.