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Dutch Oven Bread is the easiest, no-knead bread I have ever made. It has a crunchy, flaky outside and a soft, flavorful inside.
Featured with this Recipe
Bread in the Dutch Oven
I have always been intimidated by bread. However, when I saw this easy, no-knead, recipe on Girl Versus Dough, I had to give it a try. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make! The dough takes less than five minutes to put together and then you just let the yeast and the oven do the rest. My whole family LOVED this bread and they said it looked like something that came out of a fancy bakery. Thanks, Stephanie!
Ingredients in Dutch Oven Bread
This bread comes together with 4 simple ingredients.
- all purpose flour
- sea salt
- active dry yeast
- really warm water
Why Bake Bread in a Dutch Oven?
Dutch ovens are great for lots of recipes because they distribute heat evenly. For this bread, that means you are going to get a super consistent, beautiful, crunchy crust all the way around. Cooking the bread with the lid on also keeps the steam inside which gives the crust a crunchy but not tough texture.
Ideas for Serving
Honestly, I will be shocked if this bread lasts long enough in your house to actually serve it with something! My family ate this up right out of the oven with butter and jam (it would be AMAZING with our Raspberry Peach Freezer Jam). You could definitely use this bread to make our Grown Up Margherita Grilled Cheese or The Ultimate BLT Sandwich. It is the perfect bread to serve alongside some Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes and pasta. You’ll definitely want to use it to scoop up every last drop of sauce!
Rave Reviews
“This bread baked up perfectly for me! It has a great crisp crust and perfect texture in the inside. It was so easy too!”
– WILHELMINA
“I’m not much of a bread baker either but it is nearly impossible to go wrong when the instructions are as simple as this! Thank you for sharing!”
-IZZY
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, using whole wheat flour is a healthier option, but It will slightly alter the taste and texture.
There are a lot of benefits to homemade bread from a Dutch oven, one being that there’s no kneading necessary and is a super simple recipe. One of the other benefits is when it’s cooked in the Dutch oven is that the internal temperature is even through which helps to bake your bread just perfectly.
The piece of parchment paper isn’t to prevent the bread from sticking to the pot so you don’t need to worry about cooking spray or vegetable oil, as the high temperatures of the Dutch oven prevent it from sticking. The parchment paper makes it much easier to handle the loaf of bread without burning yourself on the Dutch oven.
I like it with just butter. You could also try a butter with fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme.
Be sure to use a razor sharp knife with ridges so you don’t squish or flatten the bread while cutting.
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How to Make Bread in a Dutch Oven
Dutch Oven Bread
Equipment
- Enamel Coated Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups really warm water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt, and yeast until combined.
- Pour water over the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a shaggy dough forms.
- Cover tightly and let rise for a minimum of 8 hours, but no longer than 18 hours. Dough will be done rising when it has almost doubled in size and the top is flat and bubbly.
- Heat oven to 450. Place empty dutch oven and lid in the oven and heat for 30 minutes.
- While the dutch oven is heating up, punch the dough down and using floured hands place dough on a floured sheet of parchment paper. Quickly shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Once dutch oven is done baking and the dough has been resting for 30 minutes, uncover the dough and transfer the dough and parchment paper to the dutch oven. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a little bit of flour.
- Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
Some ideas for serving. Have it warm out of the oven with some butter or try one of these tasty options.- Raspberry Peach Freezer Jam) – serve with some butter and jam on top.
- Grown Up Margherita Grilled Cheese – make this tasty adult version of a kids favorite!
- The Ultimate BLT Sandwich – another yummy classic sandwich.
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes and Pasta – you’ll definitely want to use it to scoop up every last drop of sauce!
my kids and hubby love this and it is so easy and impressive.
I’m not much of a bread baker either but it is nearly impossible to go wrong when the instructions are as simple as this! Thank you for sharing!
This bread baked up perfectly for me! It has a great crisp crust and perfect texture in the inside. It was so easy too!
Does anyone know what size dutch oven the recipe is recommending?
We used a 6-qt dutch oven!
I followed the recipe to the letter. About 2 hours after it was covered, it had risen to double the size and I knew it should be 8-18 hours so I left it until 12 hours had elapsed. When I did the next step the dough was no longer doubled and was totally deflated. Why did it happen?
The dough deflated because it was left to rise for too long. I’m surprised the dough had already doubled in size after 2 hours, this is unusual. The dough should take a minimum of 8 hours to rise.
It looks really great. I want to do this. Thanks.