This Dutch oven bread is my simplest bread recipe to bake at home. With no kneading required, no starter to make, no mixer, and no special skills needed, you’ll soon be making it daily.
Dutch Oven Bread
This no-knead bread is a super easy and forgiving recipe. If you’re worried about baking ratios, measurements, or kneading, this is the perfect recipe to start with. You’ll get a delicious loaf with about five minutes of hands-on time and almost no way to mess it up.
I’ve been making a version of this bread for over 10 years and it’s never failed me. There’s rarely a time a loaf is not sitting in my bread box waiting to be eaten.
Why I Love This Recipe
- This is my favorite bread for any sandwich, from ham and cheese to my daily PB & J.
- I love the crisp crust and soft, tangy inside.
- With just a small time investment, I get impressive results. Try it for yourself!
I have a couple of similar bread recipes that are flavored and a bit larger. My garlic rosemary bread and my bacon cheese bread are both amazing! Give those a try if you’re looking for something different. If you need bread for toast, give my honey whole wheat sandwich bread a go, it’s amazing and simple, just like my round challah bread recipe.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: I use it for it’s versatility and it gives this loaf good structure.
- Warm, filtered water: It helps activate the yeast (bring them back to life from their dehydrated state) properly for a successful rise.
- Granulated sugar: This feeds the yeast, aiding in the rising process.
- Finely ground sea salt: Or any other finely ground salt.
- Instant rapid rise yeast: I use this type as it works quickly for this recipe and doesn’t require separate proofing.
How To Make Dutch Oven Bread
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Step One: So, I grab a big bowl and pour in water, yeast, sugar, and salt. Then, I whisk it all together until it starts to bubble.
- Step Two: Next, I dump in the flour and mix it up with whatever I have handy – could be a spatula, a wooden spoon, or even just my hands. Ends up with a wet, shaggy dough, but that’s perfect.
- Step Three: I cover up the bowl with cling wrap and find a cozy spot for it to hang out. It needs about 2 hours to double in size, so I usually go catch up on something else while it’s rising.
- Step Four: Once it’s puffed up nicely, I plop the dough onto a piece of floured parchment paper. Then, I quickly shape it into a round ball, make a few cuts on top, and cover it up with a tea towel while I get the oven going.
- Step Five: Now, here’s the fun part – I crank the oven up to 450°F (230°C) and make sure my Dutch oven is in there with the lid on.
- Step Six: When everything’s heated up, I carefully pull out the Dutch oven and use the parchment paper to gently lower the dough inside. Cover it back up and let it do its thing for about 25 minutes.
- Step Seven: After that, I take off the lid and let it bake for another 15 minutes until it’s golden brown and smelling amazing.
- Step Eight: If I’m second-guessing if the bread is done, I might check the internal temp with my instant-read thermometer – it should hit around 210°F (99°C).
- Step Nine: Finally, once it’s all done, I carefully take out the Dutch oven and let the bread cool on a wire rack. It’s tough, but I hold off slicing into it for about an hour.
Recipe Tips
- It’s important to use warm water ((around 110°F/43°C) because it helps activate the yeast properly, which encourages fermentation and rising of the dough. Water at this temperature ensures the yeast is activated without being too hot, which could kill it. Use an instant read thermometer to check your water temp if you’re unsure.
- I use filtered water for bread making so the bread isn’t affected by any off tastes or impurities that might be present in tap water. I find I get a cleaner and better-tasting final product.
- You can also make this bread without a Dutch oven (the crust will not be as crisp). Just place the dough on parchment, on a cookie sheet on the top rack. In the bottom rack, place another rack with 1 cup boiling water in it. The steam will allow the dough to bake evenly throughout. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- I know it’s hard, but try to hold off on slicing until at least an hour after baking. Slicing while it’s too hot crushes the bread down flat.
Storage and Freezing
- This bread will last for four days in a bread box wrapped in saran wrap or in a Ziploc bag.
- Make extra because this bread does great in the freezer! If you have a regular freezer, I don’t like to keep bread frozen more than a month, but if you have a deep freeze it’s great for up to six months.
Serving Suggestions
- Make my grilled Caprese sandwich with this bread!
- Use this bread to make my butter-almond crusted fish sandwiches, they are amazing!
- Serve this bread next to a bowl of my minestrone soup – perfect for a rainy day.
- Dunk this bread in a bowl of this kale and white bean sausage soup!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Dutch Oven Bread
This Dutch oven bread is my simplest bread recipe to bake at home. With no kneading required, no starter to make, no mixer, and no special skills needed, you'll soon be making it daily.
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories: 178kcal
Equipment
- bread scoring tool ,knife or kitchen shears
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups lukewarm filtered water (should not be hotter than 110 degrees F)
- 2-1/2 tsps. instant rapid rise yeast
- 2 tsps. granulated sugar
- 2-1/2 tsps. finely ground sea salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for working the dough)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add water, yeast, sugar and salt. Whisk until mixture is bubbly.1-1/2 cups lukewarm filtered water, 2-1/2 tsps. instant rapid rise yeast, 2 tsps. granulated sugar, 2-1/2 tsps. finely ground sea salt
- Mix in flour with spatula, wooden spoon or your hands. You will be left with a wet, shaggy dough.3 cups all-purpose flour
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place in a warm place to rise, until the dough has doubled in size; about 2 hours.
- Pour the risen dough onto a sheet of floured parchment paper and quickly shape it into a round ball with the seam on the underside. Score the dough with a sharp knife, kitchen shears, or a razor blade to allow it to expand while baking. Cover the scored dough with a tea towel. (Let it rest while the oven heats.)
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with the Dutch oven inside, including the lid.
- Once the oven is at temperature, carefully open the Dutch oven and use the parchment paper as a sling and carefully transfer the loaf, still on the paper, into the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Bread should be golden brown on top. (If you're unsure if the bread is completely baked, you can always, use an instant-read thermometer inserted in the top or side. It should register 210°F.)
- When finished carefully remove the Dutch oven and place bread on a wire rack to cool. Even though it's hard, give it one hour to cool before slicing into it.
Notes
For optimal outcomes when preparing this Dutch oven bread, it's recommended to refer to the recipe details within the post. The recipe post commonly includes valuable notes, expert tips and frequently asked questions, that are not presented in the recipe card, often including how to make this recipe dairy-free, gluten free or vegan and ideas for healthy ingredient substitutions or variations.
The provided nutrition information is merely an approximation, as variations can arise depending on the specific ingredients/brands you select.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Dutch Oven Bread
Amount Per Serving (51 g)
Calories 178
Calories from Fat 5
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.5g1%
Saturated Fat 0.1g1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
Sodium 425mg18%
Potassium 61mg2%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 1.4g6%
Sugar 1.2g1%
Protein 5g10%
Calcium 8.7mg1%
Iron 2.2mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
John Booth says
GREAT! GREAT! GREAT!
Patty says
Perfectly crusty and tender, this bread is amazing! It was so easy to make too. Thank you for the recipe.
Audra says
This bread bakes up perfectly ever time!