Making bread from scratch is daunting. I get asked if it’s possible to make good tasting bread without a starter, fancy tools, days of work, days of kneading or even a kitchen scale. Yes, yes it’s possible (but you should still get a scale). This recipe is a compilation of my favorite low-lift bread recipes, including Julia’s — which I require you to watch immediately. What you’ll get is a beautiful round loaf with crusty outers and flavorful, bouncy inners in less than 3 hours with 4 ingredients I bet you already have.

Note: You will need a dutch oven or a big oven-safe pot with a lid (~ 5 or 6-quart works great). I recommend making this in a stand mixer, but if you don’t have one you can make it with a little extra elbow grease by hand. And lastly, you may not need all of the flour called for in this recipe. If your kitchen is cold or humid, you may need more or less than what’s called for. Just trust your gut.  

Makes 1 loaf // 3 hours start to finish

PARTS
— 1.25 cups warm water (about 100°F)
— 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
— 2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast (~a packet)
— 2 teaspoons kosher salt
— 2.5 to 3 cups all purpose flour (plus some extra for dusting)
— Parchment paper

CLUES
1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture is foamy and the yeast comes aliveeeeeee. 

2. Once the yeast is foamy, add the salt and then the flour, a little bit at a time, and mix (on low speed if in a mixer, or with a rubber spatula by hand) until the flour is incorporated and the dough begins to smooth out and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

3. Once a somewhat smooth and slightly tacky mass of dough comes together, lightly flour all sides of it to keep from sticking and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let it rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until it’s doubled in size. 

4. Once the dough hath risen, lightly flour a clean, dry surface and gently tip the dough out of the bowl onto the surface. Shape the dough into a round loaf, being careful not to punch the dough down (as you want all the rise you can get). I like to pull the corners toward the center and then flip the dough over so it’s a clean, smooth surface on top. Sprinkle flour in a clean bowl that’s double the size of your dough ball (or a proofing basket!) and add your dough seam-side down. Cover with a kitchen towel again, and let rise in a warm environment for 30 minutes more. 

5. While your dough does the second rise, place an empty dutch oven or large oven-proof pot with the lid on in your oven and heat to 450°F. 

6. Once the dough has risen the second time, carefully tip it out directly onto a large piece of parchment paper (about double the width of your dough). If you want to add a design now’s your time: gently slash the top of your dough ball with a serrated or very sharp knife a few times. Using the sides of the parchment paper, lift and place the dough into the hot dutch oven, parchment paper and all. Carefully close the hot lid, transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. 

7. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake, uncovered, ~20 minutes more, or until the bread is golden brown in color and crusty. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes before slicing and slathering with salted butter.