Dutch Oven Bread
No Knead
Dutch Oven Bread
An amazing recipe for no-knead Dutch oven bread, this double-rise method will give you the fantastic fluff with a perfect outside crunch. Dip it, dunk it, make a sandwich, it's al all-around great bread.Some might skip the bit of sugar but keep in mind that it is the most essential ingredient in the fermentation process. You could skip it but you will end up with a far denser bread.Be very accurate with the yeast, and as much as possible, keep the bowl in the warmest room while proofing. I have no doubt within the first 10 minutes of it in the oven, you'll have everyone around the house asking when it's going to be ready!
Ingredients
- 2 cups lukewarm water between 90˚-110˚ Fahrenheit
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp or 7.5 grams active dry yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Whisk the yeast in the water until foamy. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt by hand. Create a small well in the middle and pour in the water and yeast mixture. Wet your hands a bit to avoid sticking, and keep mixing the dough until it doesn’t stick to your fingers. The water and flour should come together and a form rough dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour in small increments of about 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Once the dough comes together, cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 2 hours). Using your hand or a rubber spatula, pull the dough loose from the sides and fold it up and towards the center of the bowl. Repeat around the circumference until all the dough has been pulled from the sides and folded towards the center. Cover and let the dough rise again for another 2 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size again, gently transfer it from the bowl to a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle some flour on top and by hand, shape it into a loaf. Fold the dough under itself several times to form a ball, then pinch together the seams of dough underneath. Place the dough seam-side down in a clean bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil and dusted with flour. Cover and let rise for 1 more hour.
- Place a 6-quart Dutch oven (or heavy cooking pot with oven-safe lid) inside the oven. Preheat the oven to 450˚F with the pot inside for 45 minutes. Carefully remove the pot from the oven and place it on a trivet or heat-safe surface. Turn the proofed dough over onto a lightly floured surface and carefully place it inside the pot. Place lid back on and return to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes covered and the last 15 minutes uncovered.
- Remove bread from pot, cover, and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
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