Dutch Oven Bread

Meet your new favorite Dutch oven bread recipe. This no knead bread is crusty (think golden crust) on the outside and super soft and airy (almost croissant like) on the inside. No mess, no complicated steps - it's artisan quality bread made simple.

Dutch Oven Bread has all the attributes you will ever want in a bread: beautiful crispy crust and airy artisan-style texture. Just like the finest bakery loaves! And it's perfect for bakers of all levels! This game changing homemade bread recipe will redefine your home baking experience.

Dutch Oven Bread advantage

Dutch oven is the key to making an incredibly delicious and soft bread with a beautifully crisp crust and here's why.

• Dutch oven bread cooks evenly. The heavy cast iron conducts heat evenly to all areas of our bread. Because the bread is sort of sealed in the dutch oven, the inside of the bread turns out to be moist, but the outside develops a real golden crust!
• Cost effective. Dutch ovens are very affordable and durable, making them perfect for cooking not only soups or meats, but breads!

Why you'll love this bread recipe

This is a vey easy fool proof bread recipe. You don't need any experience in bread making, nor do you need a food processor. There are no complicated measurements or ratios. Nor do you need to knead or have any special bread making skills.

Dutch oven bread is simply impossible to mess up and the result is always crispy crust and soft inside.

Simple Ingredients

• Water, filtered and lukewarm
• Instant Yeast
• Sugar: granulated
• Sea salt
• All purpose flour

Here's how to make bread in the dutch oven

Tips for success

Warmth: For the bread to rise, you will be placing the dough in the warm spot. Usually finding a warm room is not a problem if you are making your bread during the summer.

Use warmed oven in winter: However, if you are making this bread in the winter, I recommend placing the dough in a slightly warmed oven inside your dutch oven. Turn your oven on for a couple of minutes, then turn it off and place the dough in the turned off oven.

Should the yeast dough double in size?

While this is a key sign that the dough is properly risen, since we are using a dutch oven, the rise time is shorter and therefore the dough may not fully double.

However, it should noticeably expand and become puffy. A well risen dough is key to bakery-quality bread!

What if my dough not rising enough?

• Check yeast freshness - old yeast loses its potency. So check the expiration date!
• Water temperature - when the water is too hot it kills the yeast. When it's too cold - it stalls yeast activation. Make sure to use lukewarm water! Around 105 - 110 degrees F.
• Not enough warmth in the environment - this is why we want to place the dough in a slightly warmed oven.
• Not enough time - be patient and allow extra time, if needed.
• Incorrect salt amount - salt strengthens dough, but too much can inhibit yeast activity. The type of salt used matters as well - Do NOT use iodized salt!
• Dough is too dry - dough that is too dry won't expand well. We need well-hydrated dough for gluten development.

Dutch Oven Bread FAQ

Should I preheat Dutch oven? Yes. Preheating the oven with dutch oven inside creates trapped steam from the dough's initial moisture and heat, which leads to a greater rise, a more even bake, and a crispier crust.

Should I close the lid on my dutch oven bread? The lid is the secret! The lid on a dutch oven bread is essential for creating artisan-style bread. Here's why.

• Lid ensures humid environment - humidity prevents the crust form setting too quickly. This in turn allows the dough to expand more in the crucial first 20 minutes of baking.
• Even heat distribution - the heavy lid radiates heat evenly, thus ensuring a perfect golden loaf! Without it, the crust will form prematurely, leading to a dense bread texture inside.
• Lid traps steam - as the bread bakes, moisture from the dough turns into steam, which gets trapped inside the dutch oven! This mimics professional oven environment, keeping the crust soft enough for the bread to rise fully before it becomes crisp.

Should I use bread flour? No, not in this recipe. Bread flour has higher protein and  will result in a more chewy an fluffy texture.

Altitude adjustments for proper dough rise

• For baking at 3,000+ feet above sea level (think Colorado), I recommend the following adjustments:
• Increase liquid - add 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra water per cup of flour to combat dryness.
• Reduce yeast - cut yeast amount slightly to prevent over-rising
• Shorten rise time - the bread may double in size much faster than at a regular altitude Lower baking temperature slightly - reduce oven temperature by 15 F to prevent over-browning.

Storage instructions

Keep baked bread in paper bags or an airtight container - there is no need to toast this bread for 2 days, since it will stay fresh and delicious for this long. But then after that, it is definitely better warmed or toasted.

Can I refrigerate my raw dough?

Refrigerate raw dough up to 3 days - Rise dough as stated in the recipe, then add it to the ziplock bag and refrigerate up to 3 days. Take it out of the fridge for 1 hour to take the chill out of the dough, then bake per recipe. Keep in mind that cold dough won't rise as well as fresh dough.

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