Description
This Dutch Oven Bread recipe yields a rustic, crusty loaf with a tender crumb, perfect for homemade sandwiches or enjoying fresh with butter. Using a Dutch oven to bake creates steam that gives the bread its characteristic crispy crust inside and out, making it an excellent choice for home bakers seeking artisanal quality without professional equipment.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 500 g strong bread flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon active dried yeast
Wet Ingredients
- 350 ml warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the strong bread flour, salt, and active dried yeast to evenly distribute all dry components.
- Prepare Wet Ingredients: In a measuring jug, stir the warm water and honey until the honey fully dissolves, ensuring it will blend easily with the flour mixture.
- Mix Dough: Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the water-honey mixture. Stir using a wooden spoon or your hands until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead the Dough: Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead it for about 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic, which helps develop gluten for good bread structure.
- First Rise: Place the kneaded dough into a clean, greased bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size, allowing the yeast to ferment and the dough to become airy.
- Preheat Oven & Dutch Oven: Preheat your oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Place an empty cast iron Dutch oven with its lid inside the oven during preheating to get it very hot, which creates steam during baking.
- Shape the Dough: After the dough has risen, punch it down to release gas. Shape it into a round ball and place it seam side down on a piece of baking paper for easy transfer.
- Prepare for Baking: Carefully lift the dough along with the baking paper and place it inside the preheated Dutch oven. Cover with the lid to trap steam and bake evenly.
- Bake Covered: Bake the bread for 25 minutes with the lid on. This step locks in moisture and helps develop a crisp crust.
- Bake Uncovered: Remove the lid from the Dutch oven and continue baking for an additional 10-15 minutes until the crust turns a beautiful golden brown color.
- Cool & Serve: Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. This prevents the crumb from becoming gummy.
Notes
- Using warm water helps activate the yeast effectively, but water should not be too hot to avoid killing the yeast.
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use any heavy, lidded oven-safe pot with good heat retention.
- Allowing the bread to cool completely before slicing ensures a better texture.
- You can add seeds or herbs to the dough for additional flavor if desired.
- Store leftover bread in a paper bag at room temperature to keep the crust crisp.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: European
