This Dutch Oven Bread has a perfectly crusty texture and a soft, chewy crumb. With just 5 minutes of prep, there is no kneading and it looks like artisan loaf, but made with no effort - The easiest bread you'll ever make!
First published in New York Times, a no-knead bread, developed by Jim Lahrey of the Sullivan Bakery in Manhattan, was a major breakthrough for home bakers, to achieve a professional-looking artisanal loaf at home.
Enameled cast iron 6-quart Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid is best for this recipe. However, I have included instructions on how to make the bread without a dutch oven, or try the easy no knead dinner rolls with avocado.
Long overnight fermentation results in a complex flavor, because the fridge slows down the fermentation of the yeast, allowing to transform starch into sugar which creates a more flavourful bread.
But I wanted a Dutch oven bread recipe, I can make within a few hours to enjoy for dinner alongside my family's favorite chicken pasta dishes or comforting soups.
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Why this recipe works?
A dutch oven is the perfect environment to create and trap steam with its thick walls and small internal volume, to create a shattering crisp crust and a dramatic open crumb.
The loaf gives off steam, as it cooks, creating a very humid environment in the dutch oven, resulting in the loaf heating up more rapidly, since moist air transfers heat much more efficiently than dry air. This causes the air bubbles to expand faster, leading to a more open crumb.
As the steam condenses on the surface of the bread, it keeps the crust soft, allowing the bread to continue to expand until the crust dries. It also causes the starches to form a thin sheath that eventually dries out, giving the dutch oven bread a shiny crust that stays crisp.
With a higher hydration than most rustic breads and standard sandwich breads, the water helps the gluten strands to form and take the place of kneading.
Fool proof bread recipe! If your dough feels stiff, mix in more water. Very wet, stir in more flour. Have more time, let it ferment in the fridge!
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- All purpose flour - It has 10 to 12 percent protein, adds structure and is perfect for home bakers.
- Yeast - This recipe uses rapid-rise or instant yeast, which does not need to be dissolved in water.
- Salt - Its role is much more than adding flavor. Salt strengthens gluten to form a chewy bread.
- Sugar - I add some sugar to my Dutch oven bread recipe, to add sweetness like in cream biscuits recipe, and help the crust caramelize efficiently. It also reacts with the proteins to form a wonderful flavor and dark brown color.
- Water - A dough with a higher level of hydration, is more capable of expanding, promoting the formation of larger bubbles.
Pro tip: Like more chew, use bread flour instead! With 12 to 14 percent protein, bread flour is designed to produce a lot of gluten, resulting in a chewy dutch oven bread.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
1.Mix all purpose flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
2.Add water.
💡 Did you know? Yeast is a living organism, whose function is to consume sugars and starches in the flour and then convert them into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Yeast gets activated with water that is heated to 110 to 115 degrees F. Any hotter than 135 degrees will kill the yeast and cooler water will not help activate the yeast.
3 & 4. Using a wooden spoon, mix until all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be wet and shaggy.
5 & 6. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and then wrap tightly with a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm area for about 2 hours or doubled in volume.
Pro tip: Refrigerate 12 to 18 hours for better flavor, before proceeding on to the next step.
7 & 8. Sprinkle work surface with some flour. Using a greased rubber spatula, scrape dough, out of bowl onto the floured surface. Sprinkle top with ½ tablespoon flour. Using the rubber spatula, fold the sides inwards, about 6 folds, to roughly form a roundish shape. Don’t be too meticulous here.
Tip: Don't make a perfectly smooth ball! Rougher edges results in a rustic loaf!
Pro tip: Turn the dough and not punch! To create a coarser crumb, fold the dough over onto itself. It reactivates the yeast without pressing out as much air, when compared to punching down the dough, as in most bread recipes.
9. Slide a large piece of parchment paper ( I like to spray of coating of cooking spray on the parchment paper) next to the dough, then flip the dough onto the middle of the paper. Hold the four corners of the paper and place it in a large bowl or pot, and wrap the bowl or pot with a kitchen towel. Let rise for 15 minutes.
Tip: A 12-inch by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper works best.
10. After 15 minutes, adjust oven rack to the lower third position, place a Dutch oven with a lid, and preheat to 450°F for 30 minutes. When 30 minutes are elapsed, remove the piping hot Dutch oven from the oven, place it on a rack and open the lid. Transfer the dough, along with the paper, into the pot.
Tip: Hot oven results in more rise! Cranking up the heat maximizes the initial lift in the yeasted Dutch oven bread, resulting in a higher rise.
Pro tip: Score the dough for a more artisanal look! Using a sharp serrated knife or single-edge razor blade, make a 6-inch long, ½-inch deep slash along the top of the dough, before placing it in the Dutch oven.
11 & 12. Place the lid back on and bake for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and then continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes or the top looks deep brown and crispy.
How to serve?
Dutch oven bread is best eaten the day it's made, slathered with salted softened butter. It is perfect to make into sandwiches, dunked into soups, make into garlic bread, perfect to mop up arrabbiata sauce or just snack plain! It's that good!
How to store?
- At room temperature: Wrap cooled dutch oven bread in double layer of plastic wrap and store for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Wrap bread in a layer of plastic wrap, and then in a sealed zip lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Leave overnight at room temperature to thaw.
Helpful tips
- Longer rise – Rise dough per recipe, then leave in bowl and refrigerate up to 2 days. Shape into round and place on paper per recipe, then leave for 30 to 60 minutes to take the chill out of it, then bake per recipe. Cold dough won’t rise as well.
- Use bread flour - Bread flour will give a chewy, fluffy texture like bakery Artisan bread because it has higher protein.
- Yeast - Use yeast labeled “instant”, “rapid rise” or “active dry yeast”.
- Water temperature – Ideal temperature is 110 to 115 degrees. A simple trick to check, is to drop a few drops of water on your inside wrist. No hot or cold sensations? You're good to go!
- Pot size does not matter as long as it’s about 10 inches or larger. Pot acts as a steamer and does not shape the bread.
Recipe FAQs
Although a cast iron dutch oven will work, this recipe yields best results in an enamelled cast iron dutch oven.
Place unwrapped dutch oven bread in a pre heated 450 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes.
Prepare bread as instructed. Preheat oven with a 9-inch metal baking pan and a loaf pan (glass may shatter) for 30 minutes. Meanwhile have some water boiling in a kettle.
Place the risen loaf in the 9-inch metal baking pan and immediately transfer it into the hot oven. Pour some boiling hot water into the empty loaf pan (this creates a steamy environment). Bake until deep golden in color.
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Dutch Oven Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all purpose flour addional flour for dusting
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ cups luke warm water (you might need an addional
Instructions
Dough
- Mix flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Pro tip: Like more chew? Use bread flour instead! With 12 to 14 percent protein, bread flour is designed to produce a lot of gluten, resulting in a chewy bread.
- Add water, then use a wooden spoon to mix until all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be wet and shaggy.Tip: Yeast gets activated with water that is heated to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Any hotter than 135 degrees will kill the yeast and cooler water will not help activate the yeast.
Rise
- Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and then wrap tightly with a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm area for about 2 hours or doubled in volume. Pro tip: Refrigerate 12 to 18 hours for better flavor, before proceeding on to the next step.
Shape dough
- Sprinkle work surface with some flour. Using a greased rubber spatula, scrape dough out of bowl onto the floured surface. Sprinkle top with ½ tablespoon flour.
- Using the rubber spatula, fold the sides inwards (about 6 folds) to roughly form a roundish shape. Don’t be too meticulous here. Rougher edges results in a rustic loaf!Pro tip: Turn the dough and not punch! To create a coarser crumb, fold the dough over onto itself. It reactivates the yeast without pressing out as much air, when compared to punching down the dough, as in most bread recipes.
- Slide a large piece of parchment paper ( I like to spary of coating of cooking spray on the parchment paper) next to the dough, then flip the dough onto the middle of the paper. Hold the four corners of the paper and place it in a large bowl or pot (along with the parchment) and wrap the bowl or pot with kitchen towel. Let rise for 15 minutes.
Baking
- After 15 minutes, place an empty dutch oven with lid, on the lower third of the oven. Preheat to 450°F for 30 minutes. Tip: Hot oven results in more rise! Cranking up the heat maximizes the initial lift in the yeasted Dutch oven bread, resulting in a higher rise.
- When 30 minutes is elapsed, remove the piping hot dutch oven from oven, and place it on a rack and open the lid. Transfer the dough, along with the paper into the pot. Place the lid back on and bake for 30 minutes covered. Tip: Be careful when working with the hot pot!Pro tip: Score the dough for a more artisanal look! Using a sharp serrated knife or single-edge razor blade, make a 6-inch long, ½-inch deep slash along the top of the dough, before placing it in the Dutch oven.
- Uncover and then continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes or the top looks deep brown crispy.
- Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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