Rustic French Bread

Step 1

Combine yeast, warm water and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let sit for about 5 minutes for yeast activation.

Step 2

Add half of the flour and salt to the yeast mixture. Fit your mixer with dough hook and begin to knead over medium-low speed. Add remaining flour and continue to knead until dough just comes together. Dough will be sticky at this point.

Step 3

Transfer dough to a lightly floured bowl and cover with a clean towel. Let dough rise for 2 hours. Transfer dough to a generously floured piece of parchment paper or cutting board and gently form dough into a smooth ball. Sprinkle top of dough with more flour, then cover with a large bowl (like a dome) and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place dutch oven with lid into the oven to preheat for 20 minutes prior to baking bread. * If you don’t have a dutch oven, use a baking sheet but don't preheat the sheet.

Step 5

Score top of bread with a very sharp knife. Very carefully transfer dough with parchment paper (or by itself if not using parchment paper) to the hot dutch oven. Bake bread for 30 minutes with the lid on, then carefully remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes until top is nice and golden. *If using a baking sheet, bake for 35 minutes. Internal temperature of bread should be about 210 degrees.

Step 6

Remove bread from oven and carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Once cooled, slice and serve! Store bread in a storage bag or container on the counter for up to 3-5 days.