Artisan Breads You'll Love: Tips & Recipes for Making Artisanal Breads

Want to take you breadmaking to the next level? Artisan breads can be more challenging to make than your average home-made bread, but their added taste and texture are worth the effort! Artisanal breads are tasty with any meal and are certain to impress your dinner guests. If you're not sure about the difference between each type of bread or where to start, I'm here to help! 

Many friends decided to take a shot at making their own bread during the 2020 lockdown out of necessity (since we were avoiding supermarkets) or simply as a means to pass some time. I was impressed by what I saw on Facebook, let me tell you (one friend even attempted homemade bagels! Impressive!). So if you've mastered some of your regular breadmaking skills, why not try your hand at some of these artisanal varieties?

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Ciabatta

Ciabatta is an Italian bread, typically containing a soft center and large holes. Like regular bread, it’s made using flour, water, yeast and salt. The dough is wetter than regular bread, which helps to achieve its signature consistency. On top of adding water to the dough, many people also add olive oil, which can help provide softness. For that typical Italian bakery powdery appearance, make sure to roll the dough in generous amounts of flour. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. 

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Brioche

Brioche is made the same way as regular bread, but has ingredients such as butter and egg added to the mix to give it more of a pastry fluffiness. Some people add ingredients such as milk, brandy, vanilla extract and even sugar to the mix to add extra flavor and consistency. Due to the presence of egg and dairy, brioche dough tends to be stiffer and requires more kneading. It can be shaped more easily than other breads because of its consistency. Brioche is typically glazed in egg whites. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. 

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Challah

Challah is a Jewish bread made the same way as brioche but with oil instead of butter. This gives it a slightly softer texture. Try this site if you’re looking for a challah bread recipe - it recommends using plenty of eggs to help achieve a rich golden appearance and extra flavor. As with brioche, challah requires a lot of patience. Not only does the dough need to be thoroughly kneaded, but you want to give it a lot of time to rise. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. 

photo from Unsplash, I. Babina

Focaccia

Focaccia is similar to ciabatta in that it uses very wet dough, however it's baked like a flatbread as opposed to a loaf (it’s the bread that typically makes up a pizza base). Another difference is the flour - ciabatta usually uses wheat flour, while focaccia is made using high-gluten flour. You can roll the dough in flour for a powdery appearance and drizzle with olive oil, too. You can also add pizza toppings, olives or tomatoes to it, or turn it into French toast. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

photo from Unsplash, I. De la Maza

Sourdough 

Sourdough is made from a fermented mixture of flour that helps it to keep longer while providing added health benefits. It also has an identifying ‘sour’ taste (hence the name) that gives it more character. There are many steps to baking sourdough bread - this guide to making sourdough is worth reading if you’re eager to jump on the bandwagon. Sourdough is wonderful for sandwiches or accompanying soups.

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Breadmaking isn't for everyone, but it's fun to give it a try! You'd be surprised at what you can achieve in the kitchen, and just how delicious and filling a warm loaf of bread can be.