When I hear someone say that they can’t bake bread, I automatically assume that they don’t know about this dutch oven bread recipe. It is the perfect way to break into the bread baking game. It is simple, requires zero kneading or loaf shaping skills and can be ready between your afternoon cup of coffee and dinnertime.
There are many no knead bread recipes out there, but most of them require a long resting period of overnight, 24 hours or sometimes even longer. While time spent resting does increase the flavor of bread, it doesn’t mean that the quick version will not be absolutely delicious. This recipe requires about 90 minutes of resting and 45 minutes of baking and while it is best to allow freshly baked bread to cool before slicing, this loaf can be ready in just over 2 hours with the right amount of rest in a warm place and a piping hot dutch oven.
Let’s get started…
This is by far the easiest bread recipe you can make, but most of your success will hinge on the amount of flour you add to the dough. Since the amount of flour is so important in the finished product, I highly recommend everyone use a kitchen scale to weigh the flour out. If you use 450 grams of bread flour in this dough, it will turn out exactly how mine did, which is fabulous! If you eye ball 3 1/2 cups of flour, your bread may turn out great, but it may also be too dense or dry or too loose or soggy. I don’t like those options, so even after making this bread many times, I grab my kitchen scale for this and most bread recipes I am baking.
Place 450 grams of bread flour into a large bowl. If you don’t have bread flour, but really want to make this loaf now, you can use all purpose flour, but the loaf will be softer and less chewy.
Add 1 teaspoon of salt and a packet of instant or rapid rise yeast (.25 grams) and whisk to evenly distribute.
Add 1 1/2 cups of warm water (between 100-120 degrees) and use a silicone spatula to mix until you no longer see dry flour in the dough. The dough should be shaggy and sticky…
Be sure to flip the dough over a few times to prevent any dry flour from hiding on the bottom of the bowl. Working the dough into the center of the bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
Rest the dough in a warm place for 75-90 minutes. My oven has a “proofing” setting, which maintains a nice warm 90 degree temperature. You can also rest the dough in a warm sunbeam on your counter top or if your house is particularly chilly, you can pop a bath towel in the dryer and wrap the plastic covered bowl in the warm towel.
After 75 minutes in a warm place, this dough has easily doubled in volume. If your dough hasn’t risen much, let it rest longer. Cold temperatures can delay your dough from rising properly, so finding a warm place for the dough to rest will help things move along quickest.
Towards the end of the resting time, place your dutch oven and the lid into your cold oven on a center rack and start to preheat the oven to 450 degrees. You want the dutch oven to preheat with the oven, so it is piping hot by the time you are ready to bake your bread.
While your oven is preheating, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly coat your hands in flour and begin gently pulling the edges in toward the center to shape the dough into a round shape.
Lightly coat a sheet of parchment paper in flour and transfer your dough, smooth side up onto the center of the sheet. Use a sharp knife or bread lame to cut 1 long or 3 short shallow slits into the top surface of the dough. This will help to control where the dough splits as the bread bakes.
Note: Be sure to use parchment paper that is rated for high temps. We are baking this bread at 450 degrees and if you use underrated parchment paper or wax paper, it will burn.
Once your oven is preheated, carefully transfer the piping hot dutch oven onto a heat proof surface such as your stovetop or a wooden cutting board. Close the oven door quickly to help keep the oven as hot as possible.
Use the four corners of the parchment paper to lift the dough and set it down into the center of your dutch oven. Quickly add the lid and return to the 450 degree oven.
Bake the bread covered for 35 minutes and then carefully remove the lid and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the crust of the bread is crisp and golden brown.
This is exactly what you are looking for. The crust is hard and crunchy to the touch and has split right down the slit that I cut giving it a beautiful, inviting appearance.
Use the parchment paper to transfer the loaf out of the dutch oven onto a cooling rack.
It is always best to allow freshly baked bread to cool before slicing into it. When bread is piping hot, the moisture within the bread needs time to slowly redistribute throughout the entire loaf as it cools. Occasionally, if you slice into a freshly baked loaf, the bread can look, feel and taste a little gummy due to the moisture redistribution process being interrupted.
If your dinner is ready and the loaf looks to good to resist, use a serrated knife to slice it up warm. Although I know I should wait until it has cooled, sometimes you just can’t wait.
This bread has a lovely crisp crust, but a tender, chewy crumb inside and if you let the bread rest in an airtight container overnight, the entire loaf will soften in a beautiful way.
Every time I bake a loaf of bread, I find myself surprised at just how delicious 4 simple ingredients can be. In just a few hours, they are transformed into something that often brings my husband and I to the kitchen island standing next to each other silently enjoying a slice smothered in salted butter and rolling our eyes back in appreciation.
If this bread is being served with dinner, I like accompanying it with some softened salted butter or a little dish of olive oil garnished with a splash of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of italian herbs and red pepper flakes. This dutch oven bread is perfect next to roasted chicken, pasta or a big salad.
If you are new to baking bread or have been doing it successfully for years, this simple no knead dutch oven bread is something I would love for you to try.
No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
Ingredients
- 450 grams of bread flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 1 packet of instant or rapid rise yeast (.25 ounce)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of warm water (between 100-110 degrees)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk 450 grams of bread flour with 1 packet of instant or rapid rise yeast and 1 teaspoon of salt until combined
- Add 1 1/2 cups of warm water and mix until you have a sticky, shaggy dough and no longer see dry flour in the mix (add another splash of water if absolutely necessary)
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and rest in a warm place for 75-90 minutes
- Towards the end of the resting time, place your Dutch oven onto the middle rack of your oven and set the oven to 450 degrees
- Once the dough is fully rested and has doubled in volume, flip the dough out onto a floured surface a gently form into a round ball by pulling the sides under
- Set the ball of dough onto a floured sheet of parchment paper seam side down and use a very sharp knife or bread lame to cut 1 to 3 shallow slits into the top surface of the loaf
- Carefully transfer the preheated Dutch oven onto a heat proof surface and remove the lid
- Carefully pick up the dough using the four corners of the parchment paper and gently drop it into the hot Dutch oven as evenly centered as possible
- Carefully place the lid back onto the Dutch oven and transfer back into the 450 degree oven
- Bake covered for about 35 minutes
- Carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven and bake the bread for another 10-12 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crisp
- Transfer the loaf onto a cooling rack to cool
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature
