Feeling crumby? This four ingredient artisan bread recipe is the pick-me-up you need

Just four ingredients and nature and science do all the rest of the work for you, amazing. Photo / NZH

I spend a lot of time writing, reading and thinking about cooking, because it is my job and I love it. My rose-coloured kitchen glasses had been shattered by this lengthy lockdown though and I had lost all desire to create in the kitchen. Until I stumbled across people talking about a four-ingredient artisan bread loaf.

I was intrigued. I mean bread is pretty simple, but the idea of "four-ingredient artisan bread" seemed a bit too good to be true. I did some research, got my sifter out, shook my head and decided to do an experiment of my own. Could it really be done? An amazing loaf, at home, with no kneading?

My research showed me that this concept is not new, there are thousands of variations online and evidence that it goes back possibly hundreds of years. The mainstream appeal can be credited to Sullivan Street Bakery founder Jim Lahey who wrote about its wonders in the New York Times in 2006.

This loaf had a fanstastic aerated crumb which rivaled many of the sourdough loaves I have made. Photo / NZH

I have baked a lot of bread, including meticulously shaped and nurtured sourdough loaves, so this quick and very hands-off approach was a bit of a noodle scratcher for me. Firstly, there is only half a teaspoon of yeast, when most bread recipes would ask for at least two, and the only manual labour is making sure the four ingredients (flour, water, salt and yeast) are well combined. Time and science would do the rest.

The clincher for this loaf to be great is allowing enough time. I gave mine 16 hours and it was wonderful. I was pretty concerned as it hadn't risen like a normal high-yeast loaf would, but it came out perfectly. The end result was chewy, yet light, with a great airy crumb and a hard crust that would rival many a sourdough loaf.

Baking it with the lid on inside a dutch oven, at very high temperatures, gives you both a nice airy interior and a hard, chewy exterior. Photo / NZH

Tips for baking this loaf:

• Add the water slowly, a little at a time, until all of the flour is mixed in, you may not need it all.
• You want the water to be tepid, not hot, I wait till it feels just warm on the inside of my wrist.
• I have given the water in mls as it is more accurate, but it is about 1½ cups.
• Don't worry if it doesn't look "risen", when you shape it you will feel the dough has a nice elasticity, which means it is ready, it should stretch easily, but not break.
• Allow 12-24 hours to give the yeast enough time to eat through the sugars in the flour.
• To shape the dough, grab it in both hands and push the top of the dough over and under with your thumbs, scrunching underneath until you have a nice round ball.
• Don't forget to slice the top [I do a simple cross. Use a very sharp knife and do it just before it goes in the oven.]
• Use a generously large piece of baking paper for the second stage as it will make it easier and safer to move it to the hot oven.
• A Dutch oven is the absolute best option for this loaf, it traps in the heat and the steam, which is what gives the loaf its crumb and crust and is the same method most bakers use for sourdough. Not sure another vessel would work, but you could try.
• Allow it to cool completely before slicing.
• Feel free to get creative and add seeds like caraway, fennel, sunflower or pumpkin to this.

Four ingredient artisan bread

Just four ingredients and nature and science do all the rest of the work for you, amazing. Photo / NZH

You will need

3 cups of bread flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon active dry bread yeast
390ml of warm water

Directions

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add yeast and salt then add the water a little at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon until well combined, you may not need it all.
2. Cover with plastic and put aside for 12-24 hours, I did 16.
3. When you don't want to wait any longer shape into a ball (see tips above) and place on a sheet of well-oiled baking paper.
4. Put your Dutch oven with lid on in the oven and heat for 30 minutes on 230C, while your dough rests.
5. Carefully place bread, using sides of the baking paper, into the heated Dutch oven, place the lid on and cook for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes until brown on top and the slits you made have formed firm ridges.
7. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

That's it! You will be amazed. I am adding this one to my weekly rotation. I think it would make wonderful toast but ours didn't last that long.