If you’ve always wanted to make rustic homemade bread, this recipe is the perfect place to start. No complicated kneading, no mixer-just a simple method that gives you a crispy crust and soft, airy crumb.
With minimal effort, you’ll create a loaf that looks and tastes like it came from a bakery. The dough is high hydration, which is the secret behind that beautiful open crumb and rustic texture.
Perfect for everyday bread, sandwiches, or serving with meals, this is one of the easiest and most reliable bread recipes you can make.
Easy Rustic Bread
20
slices30
minutes1
hour180
kcal1
hour30
minutesThis easy rustic bread without kneading has a crispy crust and soft interior. A simple homemade loaf with bakery-style texture and flavor.
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Ingredients
1 kg 8 cup Strong Flour (type 550)
800 g 3 1/3 cup Lukewarm Water
8 g 2 tsp Dry Yeast
15 g 2 1/2 tsp Salt
Extra Flour for handling and dusting
How to make Rustic Bread
- In a tray or large bowl, add the flour, yeast, lukewarm water, and salt. Mix until combined. The dough will be soft.
- Spread the dough slightly in the tray, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, gather the dough using wet hands to prevent sticking.
- Stretch and fold the dough.
- Spread it again in the tray, cover, and let it rest for another 1 hour.
- Flour your work surface and transfer the dough.
- Lightly dust the dough with flour.
- Stretch the edges and fold inward. Open slightly and repeat. Add a little flour if needed.
- Shape into a loaf, cover with a towel, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Flour a baking tray and transfer the dough.
- Dust with flour and score the top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C / 430°F for 15 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to 180°C / 350°F and continue baking for 45 minutes.
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This Bread Looks Like Bakery Bread… But It’s Made at Home
There’s something special about rustic bread.
That crispy crust, the airy interior, the slightly chewy bite—it’s exactly what you expect from artisan bakeries. And yet, this recipe lets you recreate it at home with almost no effort.
No mixer, no long kneading-just simple steps that give you professional-level results.
The Secret to That Open, Airy Crumb
The key is the high hydration dough.
With more water than traditional recipes, the dough becomes:
- softer
- more elastic
- easier to develop structure through folding
This creates that beautiful open crumb with irregular holes, typical of rustic bread.
Why Folding Replaces Kneading
Instead of heavy kneading, this recipe uses stretch and fold technique.
This method:
- develops gluten gently
- keeps the dough airy
- improves texture
It’s easier and more effective, especially for beginners.
How to Get the Perfect Crust
To achieve that golden, crispy crust:
- start baking at high temperature
- then reduce heat to cook the inside evenly
This creates a loaf that is:
- crisp outside
- soft inside
- perfectly baked throughout
When to Make This Bread
This bread is perfect for:
- everyday meals
- sandwiches
- soups and salads
- dipping in olive oil
Simple, versatile, and always delicious.