Make-It Monday: Artisan Bread

Artisan Bread

5 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
2 C All-Purpose Flour
2 packets yeast
1 T Salt
1/4 C Vital Wheat Gluten
4 C Luke Warm Water

Measure & Mix all of the Dry Ingredients (I use the dough hook on the kitchen-aid). Mix until it appears well blended.

Add water all at once and mix (NO KNEADING!) until all flour is worked in (again, using the dough hook on the kitchen aid - this works so easily, otherwise you will have to use a spoon.)

Allow to rise in a large bowl with a lid. Place the lid on top but do not seal it. If you don't have a lidded bowl you can use plastic wrap over a bowl, just don't seal it all the way. Allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours, then place in the refridgerator. Let it be in the refridgerator for at least 3 hours before making your first loaf. Leave the lid unsealed for the next 48 hours.

Dough will make four 1-lb. loaves. Use dough within 14 days.


To bake, take out a 1 pound section (you make need to cut it off) which is about the size of a large grapefuit. Shape it into your desired shape (circle, oval, etc.) Gently stretch the dough from the sides around the bottom of the ball, this should take about 20 seconds.

Allow the loaf to rest on pizza stone  a silicone mat on a cookie sheet (or use a greased cookie sheet, but coat the bottom of the dough in cornmeal to create a pizza peel). Allow to rest for 90 minutes before baking. Cover loosely with a thin towel.

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put pizza stone in the middle rack while it preheats and an empty metal broiling pan on the bottom rack.

Just before you place it in the oven you can sprinkle with seeds and herbs and make decorative slices across the top (none of this is necessary if you don't want to.)


Quickly place the dough on the pizza stone (you can leave it on the silicone mat or cookie sheet, but remove those items after 20 minutes. Pour 1 Cup of Water in the broiler pan, this will create steam necessary for baking this type of bread. You need to do these steps quickly so that the oven doesn't decrease in temperature too much while it is open.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire cooling wrack before serving.