Easy Tuscan Herb Artisan Bread
You will be pleasantly surprised by how easy this bread it to make. It is our number one requested thing to make when we go anywhere. Not only is it easy but it’s also super inexpensive to make – score!
The smell of this Tuscan Herb Artisan Bread baking in the oven is one of life’s pleasures. You will find yourself wanting to cut into it as soon as it comes out of the oven—and go right ahead and do just that if you wish. Nothing like hot bread with a little melted butter. Delicious.
The key here is the yeast. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a fresh yeast packet. Make sure to check the date on your yeast and if it is close to expiration …..grab a fresher one.
Don’t be intimidated by homemade bread! I promise you this is S-I-M-P-L-E.
Easy Tuscan Herb Artisan Bread
Artisan Bread is not just for professionals anymore. This perfectly crusty, bakery worthy bread takes very little time to prepare and is super easy. The flavors from Tuscany make this show-stopper bread taste amazing.
Ingredients:
3 Cups Bread Flour (with a little extra for dusting)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast granules
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2 Tablespoons of olive oil
Directions:
- In a large bowl fold together flour, yeast, salt sugar, oregano, thyme, marjoram, and thyme with a rubber spatula. Fold in warm water and olive oil and stir until mixed thoroughly (bread will be sticky).
- Let dough sit in a covered bowl for 1 1/2 hours at room temperature, or until dough doubles in size.
- Once dough has doubled in size, generously flour a clean surface, place dough on surface, and knead dough 4-5 times.
- Leave dough on the counter and tent foil over dough and left rise another 1 1/2 hours. At the 1 hour mark, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Place dough in a covered Dutch oven or on a pizza stone and bake covered for 30 minutes. Then, remove cover and bake for an additional 10 – 15 minutes, until bread is a light golden brown.
- Enjoy it hot or save it for dinner, sandwiches or whatever your heart desires.
Love how simple this recipe is. I am always so nervous to make bread. Can’t wait to make this!
Yes!! I can’t wait either! You are going to love it!
I’m making this bread right now. You don’t specify whether to put the dough back in the bowl or leave it on the counter for the second rise. I’m letting it on the counter with the tented foil. I sure hope that’s right. You might want to update the recipe and be specific. Thank you.
Leaving the dough on the counter is correct!
Old American proverb for botched low quality : “it’s ok, it does not need to be perfect” (or even work at all, just take the money and run before the sucker finds out).
Easy recipe….and yummy! I made it exactly as recipe read first time! Second time increased herbs to 3/4 tsp. Next time willl do 1 tsp each herbs!.Also put dough on parchment paper on second rise, made it easier to transfer to my pizza stone?
I just put mine on the pizza stone to rise!
I’m not sure if I did so.lmething wrong, but the first time I made this it stuck really badly in my Dutch oven. This time I am going to put it on parchment paper.
My dough was so sticky after the first rise I had to add 2 cups of flour to fold it 4-5 times. Any tips? Or is your dough like this as well?
Thank you!
What does it mean when you say, “thyme with a rubber spatula?”
Great bread! So east. I make it all of the time.
I know this recipe was posted several years ago, but I do have a question. Is it essential to have the sugar in this bread? I have made many loafs of plain artisan bread and have never used sugar in it and they have always turned out fabulous. Any help would be great. Thanks.
Yeast needs sugar to activate, other than that… No sugar needed.
1. Is the pizza stone/Dutch oven preheated in the oven?
2. If not, can the second rise be on the pizza stone/Dutch oven?
3. Would a cast iron skillet work?
I don’t get the kosha salt obsession in American recipes. Unless you are Jewish, you can use any kind salt. In saying that, I never recommend processed table salt, or that horrid tasting iodine salt.
ARE THE OTHER HERBS DRIED? OR FRESH.
This is the best bread thanks so much I make it two times a week my family loves it try it your house will smell awesome too
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Just discovered this recipe. Made it today. It truly is simple. Doesn’t require much hands on time.
I had a few concerns and made a couple of adjustments:
#1. Just letting it rise on the counter presented the problem of transferring it to the oven so I placed it on parchment on a rimless baking sheet. After it had risen I was able to slide the parchment paper and dough off the baking sheet right onto the pizza stone inside the hot oven. I can’t imagine what would happen to that big lump of dough if you tried to pick it up and transfer it to a Dutch oven or pizza stone after it had risen and before it was baked.
#2. I questioned tenting it with foil as I didn’t want the dough to come in contact with the foil as it began to rise. So I dusted the top of the dough quite heavily with flour and made a high enough “tent” that I wasn’t worried about it sticking to the rising dough. As it turned out the sides of the dough expanded and did stick to the foil and it deflated in those spots when I removed the foil to transfer it to the oven. Then creased the foil (into an A frame) and placed it over the dough in the oven.
#3. I successfully replaced one cup of the Bread Flour with one cup of Spelt flour to enhance the rustic feel. I also added Flax seeds and sunflower seeds which worked well.
Further notes: We were not crazy about the particular herbs called for in this recipe. I cook with all of them regularly but we just didn’t love the flavors in the bread. I will omit them next time and try rosemary. I also think the bread would be excellent without any herbs.
The crust was amazing, as was the texture. We look forward to toasting it in the morning!
Do you heat the Dutch oven prior to putting the dough in?
How long do you let rise of using a proofing drawer?
Would I be able to prepare this recipe and bake in a bread machine?
Making this for the second t8me. Very easy and good. This time I added 1/2 teas. of garlic powder and a half dozen chopped sun dried tomatoes. Wish me luck !
I never write reviews but have to comment on this bread. I’ve been making it for over a year. Before I found this recipe I would try to make bread and always came out less than great. This recipe is absolutely foolproof and very easy to make. Perfect every time. Gave my daughter the recipe and it’s her go to also. I brush with garlic butter when I take the lid off. Hard to not eat it all at once!
Wasn’t sure if I should score the top before baking