Recipe of Today: Artisan Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water (lukewarm )
• 1 ½ tbsps active dry yeast
• 1 ½ tbsps salt
• 6 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

• Activate the yeast. Add warm water, salt, and yeast to a medium bowl and whisk together. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast bubbles up. If you're using instant yeast, you don't have to wait 10 minutes for the yeast to activate.

• Make the dough. Get your Kitchenin KM50 Stand Mixer, add all the flour and the yeast mixture, then mix for about 5 to 7 minutes until they are fully combined and the dough comes out clean from the sides of the bowl. 

• First rise. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and poke small holes in the top with a toothpick. Let the dough rise for 2 hours in a warm, unventilated environment.

• Prepare the baking sheet. It is recommended to bake this bread on a stone, but a regular baking sheet will do just fine. Cover the baking sheet, or stone with parchment paper.

• Shape the dough. Flour your hands and divide the dough into two portions. Add more flour to your hands as needed. Form the dough into the shape of your desired loaf, then place it seam on a baking sheet. Sprinkle some more flour over the top of the bread.

• Second rise. Let the loaves sit for another 30 minutes so they puff up a little bit. Preheat oven to 450°F. Before putting the bread in the oven, add a cup of water to the pan and place it on the bottom rack.

• Bake the bread. Use a very sharp knife to score the top of the loaf to allow the gas to escape. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes. The water will allow the bread to form a nice crusty top.

• Cool on a rack before serving and enjoy!