There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread. A lot of people have never baked bread because they think it is too difficult. Well, if you follow this recipe you will find out just how easy it is. You don’t need any fancy kitchen equipment or ingredients.
The best part of this recipe is that you don’t even need to knead the dough.
You just mix the ingredients and let nature do the rest.
You can make it the night before, let it rise all night, and bake it for breakfast.
It just takes 45 minutes in the oven. Eat it while it’s hot with butter and jam, with your favorite soup, or use it to make delicious toast and sandwiches.
After tasting homemade bread, you will never buy store-bought bread again!
Ingredient For This Recipe
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water (105F)
How To Make Dutch Oven Bread From Scratch
- Step 1. In a large bowl, combine flour, active dry yeast, and salt
- Step 2. Add the water, and mix until all ingredients are perfectly combined and they form a ball.
- Step 3. Transfer to a greased bowl and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a moistened kitchen towel
- Step 4. Let the dough rise in a draft-free place for 18 to 24 hrs. After the 18 to 24 hrs, the dough will look like this:
- Step 5. preheat the oven to 450F and put a dutch oven inside the oven while it preheats. Baking the bread in a preheated dish makes it crunchy
- Step 6. Turn dough into a floured surface
- Step 7. Gently gather the dough into a ball
- Step 8. Carefully place the dough into a preheated dutch oven and bake, covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 mins more. Remove from the oven and cool in a rack.
Recipe tips;
- Make sure the water you use is warm. If it is too cold, the gluten will not develop properly, and if it is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Warm water is key
- For best results, use all-purpose flour. If you want to use whole wheat flour, substitute up to one cup all-purpose with whole wheat.
- If you want to jazz things up, you can add chopped garlic, onion, or Parmesan cheese
- Make sure your baking dish or dutch oven is inside the oven while preheating
- After taking your bread out of the oven, let it cool on a rack. This keeps the bottom crisp
CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME, HOMEMADE BAKERY FRENCH BREAD
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water (105F)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, active dry yeast, and salt
- Add the water, and mix until all ingredients are perfectly combined and they form a ball.
- Transfer to a greased bowl and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a moistened kitchen towel
- Let the dough rise in a draft-free place for 18 to 24 hrs. After the 18 to 24 hrs, the dough will look like this:
- preheat the oven to 450F and put a dutch oven inside the oven while it preheats. Baking the bread in a preheated dish makes it crunchy
- Turn dough into a floured surface
- Gently gather the dough into a ball
- Carefully place the dough into a preheated dutch oven and bake, covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 15 mins more. Remove from the oven and cool in a rack.
Answering Your Burning Questions:
- Can You Use Bread Flour For Easy Homemade Dutch Oven Bread? All-purpose flour works best for dutch oven bread. If you use bread flour, I would recommend you knead the dough. Bread flour needs kneading for the gluten to develop properly. This is not the case with all-purpose flour.
- What Can I Use Instead Of A Dutch Oven To Bake The Bread? If you don’t own a dutch oven, you can use any 2.5-2.75 qt round baking dish with a lid.
Doubled the recipe and turned out great, will be making it again!
At what point in the process would you add the extras like Parmesan or rosemary, etc? Thanks!
In step two when you add all the ingredients! Try not to use fresh veggies. If you want to add onion or garlic, I would rather use dry flakes.
I’m so confused about the yeast thing. When I buy active dry yeast it says you need to activate it. But your recipe doesn’t say that. Are you just putting 2 teaspoons of that dry yeast into the recipe?
They recommend you activate it to prove it is still alive because if it is too old it dies. Generally what you buy at the store is new enough but if you have some sitting at home for too, it might be time to buy new. If you feel better activating it, please do so.
If doubled recipe is used does baking time increase?
I would definitely keep an eye on it, but I wouldn’t think so. Just make sure you have a big enough dutch oven to bake it in.
Hoping this tastes as good as it looks! It’s the easiest bread I’ve ever made! Thank you!
I followed the recipe exactly but the dough would not form a ball. It was very soupy until I kept adding more flour. Are you supposed to keep adding flour when making it into a ball? It is baking now. I hope it comes out good.
No, you’re not supposed to add more flour. It is a sticky dough, though. All you need to do is place it onto a floured surface and fold it to form a ball, but it’s a sticky one. Did you check the step photos? That’s what it looks like
I had the same problem, it’s my first time making bread, maybe i just need to get the hang of it, definitely gonna try again. Wondering if the water was too hot when i added
If I wanted to double this recipe would I double the yeast too?
Yes you should double the yeast too
If I made double would it have to sit longer
No. Same amount of time
Im confused with cooking time.
dough need to rest 18to24min or actualy 18to24hours?
It’s actually hours!
Can I use regular salt if I don’t have sea salt?
Yes, you definitely can!
The dough smelled a bit sour before baking- is that okay?
It is actually, but if you prefer next time rest it for 12-18 hours. Conditions may be different at your house.
The recipe didn’t mention this, but I add a little oil to my hands and fold the dough a few times until the texture changes and it is easier to make a ball. It usually takes less than 3-5 mins.
I followed the recipe to the letter. My batter would not roll into a ball. It kept oozing out flat, no matter how much flour I added. After baking, it was more of a pancake loaf than I bread loaf. It was, however, delicious! I would love advice on how to fix whatever went wrong.
Hi! I am wondering if your yeast was alright. Next time proof it. Place it in a bowl with a bit of lukewarm water (not too hot or it will die), a teaspoon of sugar and wait for it to bubble up. If it does not bubble up, it probably is inactive and you have to buy more.