Dutch Oven Crusty Bread

Dutch Oven bread is so extremely easy to make and tastes so good! If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you may want to think about buying one. You can make so many great recipes with them. The one I have (shown below) was a gift from my sister. It’s a Le Creuset Bread Oven. I love this Dutch oven, not just because it’s gorgeous (which it is!), but it does such an excellent job of baking bread.

My sister is also the one that turned me on to Dutch oven crusty bread. The recipe I have used most often is based on the Bowl of Delicious recipe. This bread turned out so good that I make it quite a lot. The good news is that there’s no kneading and the prep work is so minimal. The bread has always turned out great.

The trick is also to wait to slice the bread. I know it’s so tempting because, of course, warm bread with butter is the best! Try to wait and you’ll be glad you did. Waiting about 30 to 40 minutes before slicing the bread will help the bread to stay moist inside. Cutting into it too soon will cause too much steam to release all at once which will cause the bread to dry out quickly.

Have fun and let me know if you try this recipe and what you think.

View fullsize

Best Dutch Oven Crusty Bread

Le Creuset Dutch Bread Oven

Yield: 1 loaf

Author: Karen - Oventry.com

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Dutch Oven Crusty Bread - Easy!

This bread is super easy to make and there's no kneading!

Prep time: 8 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 48 M

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt or sea salt
• 3 1/4 cups flour (I use King Arthur)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water. Let sit for about 10 minutes so to activate the yeast.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and whisk together.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. Make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated. The dough will be wet and sticky but that's fine. You don't need to knead it at all.
4. Cover and let sit in a warm place for about 2-3 hours. The dough should have doubled in size.
5. Preheat your oven to 450° F and place your (empty) Dutch oven with the lid on inside the oven.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on floured parchment paper. My Dutch oven is rounded so I try to shape my dough into large ball. It's sticky and hard to shape but do your best. Use a sharp knife or razor to make a slit on the top of the dough. This is to prevent cracks in the bread.
7. Once the oven reaches 450° F, keep reheating for another 20 minutes.
8. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid. Place the dough in the Dutch oven (careful not to burn yourself!) using the sides of the parchment paper. Carefully replace the lid and place it back in the oven.
9. Bake for 35 minutes. Then remove the lid of the Dutch oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes. The top should be a nice golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and place bread on wire rack to cool.
11. You'll need to wait about 30-40 minutes before slicing so that the bread has time to cool. This is important. Otherwise, the bread loses moisture and may dry out by the next day.
12. Enjoy!