The Dutch oven is often considered the workhorse of the kitchen. You can use these hefty, hearty pots to make homemade chicken broth, meltingly tender pot roasts, simple and classic red beans and rice, belly-filling stews and even golden, crusty bread. Dutch oven bread may seem like one of those unexpected Dutch oven recipes, but anyone who loves a good crusty boule knows the Dutch oven is the trick.
For this reliable recipe, you need just three pantry ingredients and your trusty Dutch oven (here are the best Dutch oven brands if you don’t own one already). Oh, and did we mention you don’t even knead the dough? That’s right, it’s truly one of the easiest recipes of all time. The most complicated part is simply planning when you’ll bake your loaf.
The yeasted dough takes up to eight hours to rise, so plan your timing accordingly. You can start this recipe first thing in the morning and have fresh, warm bread for supper that evening, or start it the night before, and bake off your loaf in the morning.
Either way, ready your collections of hot sandwich recipes and soup recipes, because you’re about to have homemde bread on deck!
Ingredients for Dutch Oven Bread
- Flour: All-purpose flour works with the yeast to bubble and rise into a structured dough that will become crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Yeast: Before mixing the dough, check the date on your packet of active dry yeast to ensure it hasn’t expired. Old yeast might not activate when it mixes with the warm water, which will result in a sagging lump of dough (not the risen pillowy dough you’re looking for!).
- Salt: You won’t want to skip the salt in this recipe. It’s the only ingredient that adds flavor to this rustic bread.
Directions
Step 1: Combine the ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in water and enough remaining flour to form a moist, shaggy dough. Do not knead the dough. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise in a cool place until doubled, seven to eight hours.
Step 2: Shape the loaf
Place an oven rack in the center position, and preheat the oven to 450°F. Place your Dutch oven with the lid on the center rack, and let it heat for at least 30 minutes. Keep the lid on the Dutch oven as it heats, as this allows heat to build inside the pot.
Once the Dutch oven is heated, turn the dough onto a generously floured surface. Using a metal scraper or spatula, quickly shape the dough into a round loaf. Rather than kneading, simply use the scraper to pull the dough under itself as you turn it. Gently place the rounded loaf on a piece of parchment.
Step 3: Score and bake the bread
Using a sharp knife or a bread lame, make a 1/4-inch-deep slash across the top of the loaf.
Using the parchment, immediately lower the dough into the heated Dutch oven.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the bread is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped, 15 to 20 minutes longer, partially covering the loaf if it begins to overbrown. Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Recipe Variations
- Make it citrusy:Â This no-knead Dutch oven bread benefits from sweet additions like cranberries and orange zest. The bright citrusy taste will make this a perfect breakfast bread.
- Add nuts and spices: Cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and/or pecans turn will this bread into a cozy, warming loaf for breakfast or as a dinner side. You’ll likely find yourself just munching on it as a snack!
- Mix in herbs: For more subtle flavor, add caraway seeds, thyme, rosemary or sage to the dough. These earthy flavors will pair especially well with saucy Italian dinners and charcuterie spreads.
How to Store Dutch Oven Bread
Bread should stay fresh three to five days in an airtight container on your counter. Former Food Editor Rashanda Cobbins says you can also freeze bread. Consider slicing it beforehand for easy toasting and enjoy it within six months if you do freeze it. Learn more in our ultimate bread baking guide.
Dutch Oven Bread Tips
Why do you cook bread in a Dutch oven?
Dutch ovens are excellent conductors of heat, so they’re ideal vessels for baking bread. Dutch ovens can yield crusty, golden loaves with soft, fluffy interiors. Baking bread in your Dutch oven is a great way to expand the versatility of your cookware, as are these other delicious Dutch oven recipes.
What can I use if I don’t have a Dutch oven?
If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can bake your bread in a traditional cast-iron skillet or on a baking sheet instead. If you’re in the market for new baking gear, these are the best sheet pans according to our Test Kitchen.
