Hands down, the EASIEST artisan bread made right in the dutch oven at home. Easy homemade bread, c'mon, you know you want to.
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Kitchen Essentials: The Dutch Oven
So this technique to making bread is made possible by one of my favorite kitchen essentials: the dutch oven.
I have multiple of these utility pots and use them for nearly everything. From pots and stews to making easy dutch oven bread. Some brands I recommend:
Dutch ovens are typically made from cast iron or ceramic and have thick walls plus a tight fitting lid.
The sheer weight and heaviness of this pot creates an environment that retains heat very well. This is great for sautéing on the stove top then into the oven for low, slow cooking (like for my Guiness Root Veggie Pot Roast)
The tight fitting lid also makes it great for baking bread! It keeps the enclosed space piping hot. I love using my dutch oven for all kinds of recipes, even my Seared Ahi Tuna!
Artisan Dutch Oven Bread Ingredients
all purpose flour(you could use bread flour or mix in whole wheat flour)water(warmed up to 100-110 degrees)yeastsalt
Really? Yes it's that easy.
OPTION: I would also recommend trying out different herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano or dill for a pop of freshness to your artisan bread.
Pair an herbed bread with delicious butter and a glass of wine, for what I would love to eat for every meal of every day.
Does The Type of Flour I Use Matter?
Yes and no. This works totally fine without using a bread flour but you could definitely use it if you'd like!
Another option is to swap in whole wheat for half of the all purpose flour for a different spin on it!
Fast Rising Yeast or Active Dry Yeast?
For this recipe I'm using fast rising yeast. We don't plan to let this sit overnight or double rise so I'm opting for the fast rising yeast.
You could definitely use active dry yeast though!
The main difference being for active dry yeast you must dissolve it in water prior to using. Where Fast Rising Yeast can be added right into dry ingredients.
How To Make Crusty Bread
These steps are SO easy, so no need to get intimidated by the thought of attempting your own crusty bread.
- Warm your water in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the salt and fast rising yeast until well combined
- Stir in the flour until a shaggy, sticky dough has formed. Don't panic if you need to add a splash more water to get this combined. (Up to ½ cup) Different places have different humidity levels. You are looking for a sticky texture!
- Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm area of your kitchen. I like to place it next to my preheating oven.
- Let this rise for about 2 hours or until it's doubled in size.
- 45 minutes prior to baking, preheat the oven to 450 with your dutch oven inside to get it piping hot.
- When it's time to bake, lay out a sheet of parchment and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Turn the risen dough out onto the parchment using a silicone spatula and carefully form the dough into a ball
- I use my spatula to fold the dough over onto itself in 4 places, kind of like folding a letter. We just want to ensure that it is in a round loaf shape.
- Using a knife, slice a couple of slits in the top of the dough. This will allow steam to escape and give us that nice form on top.
- CAREFULLY remove the dutch oven from the oven and picking up all 4 corners of the parchment CAREFULLY place it into the pot.
- With an oven mit, replace the lid and place it all back into the oven for 35 minutes.
- After 35 minutes, uncover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the dutch oven, carefully remove the parchment & the loaf of bread, then place on a cutting board to cool.
How To Use Leftover Crusty Bread?
This is delicious sliced and served with dips or soups!
- Pesto Rosso
- Homemade Bread Dipping Oil
- or dunk it in my Chicken Potato Soup.
- avocado toast is another great option for enjoying some sliced dutch oven bread.
If your bread starts to go stale or you just need to use it up asap, try something like...
- Homemade Breadcrumbs, toast it and put in the food processor with fresh herbs!
- Garlic Kale Panzanella Salad
- or this make ahead Savory French Toast Bake
Pro Tips & Tricks for Dutch Oven Bread Recipes
DON'T SKIP PREHEATING the Dutch Oven. This is essential to creating an environment where the heat retained inside the dutch oven is hot enough for our bread.
PLEASE Use Potholders when grabbing the dutch oven and lid from the oven. Don't ask how I know this, but it's easy to forget.
When letting the dough rise, place dough in a warm place in the kitchen like next to the oven.
Storing Homemade Dutch Oven Bread
Storing In The Freezer:
Once it's cooled, simply slice and tightly wrap in Saran Wrap and inside a ziplock freezer bag then place in the freezer. You can also freeze the whole loaf!
PRO TIP: you want this to be completely cool before freezing, otherwise the steam created in the air tight bag or Tupperware will make it soggy.
It defrosts easily in the microwave or put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to get it nice and toasty again.
Storing In The Fridge:
If you don't plan to freeze it, you can wrap it tightly in Saran Wrap and place in a large ziplock in the fridge whole or sliced. This keeps most of the air out and the bread stays nice and soft.
This keeps well up to 5 days in the fridge, but it may not even last that long when your family gets a hold of it!
Easy Dutch Oven Bread
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 packet of fast rising yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups water use up to ½ cup extra to get the correct texture
Instructions
- Warm your water in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute.
- In a mixing bowl whisk together the salt and fast rising yeast until well combined
- Stir in the flour until a shaggy, sticky dough has formed. Don't panic if you need to add a splash more water to get this combined. (Up to ½ cup) Different places have different humidity levels. You are looking for a sticky texture!
- Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm area of your kitchen. I like to place it next to my preheating oven.
- Let this rise for about 2 hours or until it's doubled in size.
- 45 minutes prior to baking, preheat the oven to 450 with your dutch oven inside to get it piping hot.
- When it's time to bake, lay out a sheet of parchment and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour.
- Turn the risen dough out onto the parchment using a silicone spatula and carefully form the dough into a ball
- I use my spatula to fold the dough over onto itself in 4 places, kind of like folding a letter. We just want to ensure that it is in a round loaf shape.
- Using a knife, slice a couple of slits in the top of the dough. This will allow steam to escape and give us that nice form on top.
- CAREFULLY remove the dutch oven from the oven and picking up all 4 corners of the parchment CAREFULLY place it into the pot.
- With an oven mit, replace the lid and place it all back into the oven for 35 minutes.
- After 35 minutes, uncover and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the dutch oven, carefully remove the parchment & the loaf of bread, then place on a cutting board to cool.
I have made this recipe using my Dutch oven so many times this summer! So simple and easy to follow. Nothing like fresh baked bread!