Easy Crusty No-Knead Artisan Bread

I'd never even thought about making artisan bread until I came across this super simple recipe.  It requires minimal prep just a lot of time allowing the yeast to ferment, but results are absolutely amazing.  When I say it's super easy to make a child can do this,and it's very adaptable. Try using different flours, adding nuts or seeds, cheeses, dried fruit, herbs, and more. Make this yours. You won't wanna spend money on another loaf of crusty bread when you can make it yourself and without all the extra ingredients and/or chemicals added.

 I doesn't matter the type of corn meal you use just use what you have on parchment paper to keep the dough from sticking. Flour one side of your kitchen towel that will touch the dough.

I love my Dutch oven, I would highly recommend one to your cooking arsenal if you don't have one. 

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INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast

2 tsp kosher salt (or 1 1/2 tsp table salt)

**optional

I added a couple tablespoons of fresh rosemary and thyme, along with some granulated garlic to the warm water. you can add fresh garlic if you choose. do whatever you want!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix dry ingredients until combined.

2. Add warm water and mix until flour mixture is absorbed by water. Dough will be wet and sticky.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room-temp or a turned off oven for 12-18 hours, and up to 24.

4. Two hours before you're ready to bake, gently pull dough out of bowl onto a heavily floured surface, being careful not to puncture too many air bubbles. Gently form into a ball.

5. Place dough on top of cornmeal covered parchment paper and cover with a clean, floured kitchen towel for 2 hours.

6. During the last 30 minutes of those 2 hours, pre-heat your oven and empty Dutch oven to 450 degrees. Let it sit in there the entire 30 minutes.

7. When it's super hot, transfer the parchment/dough into the Dutch oven, cover and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

8. Remove lid after 30 minutes and bake an additional 5-15 minutes, or until bread registers 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

9. Immediately remove bread from the hot Dutch oven and let cool on a wire-rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing