TH2001

Artisan Bread
Artisan bread is not easily defined because it has been adopted by small-scale independent bakers and
industrial producers. This bread is usually referred to as a short shelf-life bread that is usually offered
unpackaged in baskets and consumed immediately after baking for maximum freshness.

This bread is usually baked in hearth-style ovens and ovens that are designed to inject or exhaust steam into
or from the baking chamber. The steam slows down the process during the first 15 minutes of baking to
produce a thinner crust. This type of baked goods is usually crusty, with a large and open-cell structure. It also
has a rustic look, ornate scoring, and/or flour dusting on top. This is a contrast to the standardized, repeatable,
and industrially-produced bread that is often found in the supermarket bread aisle.

Characteristics of Artisan Bread

Artisan bread is made by artisan bakers who are masters of their craft, shaping bread by hand and only using
the basic bread ingredients: flour, water, yeast, salt, and time.

• It is made by hand using traditional processing techniques. Most artisan bread has a high amount of
water resulting in a dough that can only be handled by hand. Handwork plays an important role in
artisan bread production, and the manual skill and judgment of the baker are essential. Autolyse [auto-
lees], created by French artisan baker Raymond Calvel, is a simple technique that requires kneading
only the flour and water briefly before resting the dough for 20 minutes.

• It is made with high-quality ingredients without additives and preservatives. It is crisp-crusted bread
that contains flour, water, and salt and leavened by pre-ferments. Artisan bread dough is fermented
to low pH levels (4–5), which acts as a natural preservative. All ingredients used to produce this type
of bread should be familiar with food items to the consumer.

• It preferably uses unbleached, unbromated, and organic flours. Artisan bread is made with low
protein flour that tends to be darker and has distinctive flavors.

• It generally uses pre-ferments and sour dough or culture starters. Artisan bread uses leavening
agents like baker’s yeast, wild yeast, and naturally occurring bacteria. The following are the five (5)
important types of yeast pre-ferments.

Poolish is a type of pre-ferment that is made from equal parts of flour and water with
a portion of commercial yeast.

Biga contains 100% flour, 50 to 60% water, and 0.8 to 1.5% yeast and is usually used
for stiff pre-ferments that ferments slowly.

Levain-levure [loo-vahn loo-vyooh] is usually stiff like a biga, but the term is
sometimes used for thin pre-ferments like the poolish as well.

Scrap dough, also known as Pȃte fermentée [paht fer-mawnt], is a piece of

fermented bread dough saved from a previous batch.

Mixed fermentation is when a pre-ferment and addition of yeast are used to provide
better leavening of the bread.

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It has a longer fermentation time. Artisan bread is made by taking the time and letting the bread ferment and
develop a deeper flavor. A lower temperature at 22-24°C (72-75°F) of fermentation takes about three (3)
hours at minimum to 24 hours to develop its deep flavor.

Table 1 shows the differences in ingredients and procedures in artisan bread from other types of bread.

Artisan Bread Other Types of Bread

Commonly uses unbleached, unbromated, and Often require higher protein flours to
Flour organic flours or those with lower protein withstand dough machinability.
content.
Has high water amounts. The resulting higher Water quantity differs depending on
Water hydration doughs will be loose and sticky and the desired product.
can only be handled by hand.
Uses leavening agents like baker’s yeast, wild Instant and active yeasts are commonly
yeast, and naturally occurring bacteria. Longer used in big scale production to leaven
Leavening fermentation times of these provide unique other bread.
flavor, aroma, and volume development at
lower concentrations.
Most of the commercially produced
Fermented to low pH levels (4–5), which acts as
Preservatives bread is added with preservatives for
a natural preservative.
longer shelf life.
After resting, the yeast or pre-ferment, salt, This is rarely done in other bread
Autolyse and other ingredients are added, and the production.
dough is kneaded until it is fully developed.
Other types of bread are preferably
A lower temperature at 22-24°C (72-75°F) of
fermented at a higher temperature
fermentation takes about three (3) hours at
Fermentation 24°C and 29°C (75°F and 85°F) for one
minimum to 24 hours to develop its deep
(1) to two (2) hours until double in size
flavor.
(see 05 Handout 1).
Artisan bread is baked in hearth ovens. The Other types of bread are directly baked
oven is injected with steam the first 15 minutes with heat and have that oven kick.
Baking
of baking to slow down the process and to
produce a thinner crust.
Table 1. Differences in ingredients and procedures in artisan bread from other types of bread.

References:
Artisan bread. (n.d.). Bakerpedia. Retrieved April 14, 2020, from https://bakerpedia.com/processes/artisan-bread/
DiMuzio, D.T. (2010). Bread Baking: An Artisan’s Perspective. John Wiley & Sons
Gisslen, W. (2017). Professional baking (7th ed.) Wiley & Sons
Labensky, S.R., Martell, M., & Van Damme, E. (2020) Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals (4th ed.). Pearson
Philip, M. (2020, February 5). Baking with preferments. Retrieved April 14, 2020, from King Arthur Flour.
https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2020/02/05/baking-with-preferments

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