Rustic Dutch Oven Bread
There’s something so simple yet completely decadent about a delicious loaf of warm bread. That crunch on the exterior paired with the airy soft interior is a delectable combination. Add a creamy bit of butter spread on top and it becomes otherworldly. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.
Stopping off at the local bakery to pick up a fresh loaf of bread for our family table is out of bounds due to food allergies. It simply isn’t a safe option for our family. Those food allergies may prevent me from buying fresh loaves of crusty bread from our local bakeries, but it can’t keep us from enjoying delicious bread at our dinner table. Instead, we have taken to making our own right here in the Farmhouse Kitchen.
I’ve been making loaves of bread for toast and sandwiches for years, but the crusty rustic bread for our dinner table had been a hit or miss. While many of those bread experiments were perfectly tasty, the combination of texture and flavor that I was looking for continued to elude me. It’s taken me a few years of experimenting to reach this point, but I finally have an easy to follow recipe that you can make for your dinner table.
While many bread recipes require special holding conditions, a lot of hands on time and attention, and even specialty bread baking equipment, this recipe does not. The only tools you need are a bowl, a piece of parchment paper, and a Dutch oven style pot with a lid that can withstand the baking temperature of 430 degrees Fahrenheit. I happen to have several of those pots in the Farmhouse Kitchen. I use them for braising in the oven and cooking on the stovetop. Lately, they’ve been called into duty for bread baking more than any other use.
This bread pairs beautifully with soups and other hearty meals during the colder months of the year. It’s so easy to make and comes together quickly. You don’t need to be an accomplished bread baker to turn out beautiful loaves of this bread. In fact, our 12 year old made a loaf completely on his own to test out the recipe and instructions for me. He was very proud to be eating his own fresh loaf of bread at dinner that night.
I hope that you’ll give this simple recipe a try and that you’ll be enjoying homemade loaves of this satisfying bread at your family table. I have included three versions of the recipe. The extra-large loaf is ideal for 4-6 people. The large loaf is sized for 3-4 people, and the smaller half loaf is the perfect size for one or two people to share or for a meal that needs just a bit of bread to round it out. Those smaller loaves also freeze beautifully and can be allowed to thaw at room temperature and then warmed up in a hot oven for a few minutes. I plan to stock the freezer with those smaller loaves later this spring so that we’ll have homemade bread to enjoy with ripe heirloom tomatoes fresh from the garden this summer.
Once you’ve mastered baking your homemade bread, you’ll need to learn all about the best way to store it. Different types of bread benefit from different storage methods. You can learn all about them by reading The Best Way to Store Fresh Bread.
If you’d like to learn more about the tools I use when making this recipe, you can find them right here:
Rustic Dutch Oven Bread - Large Loaf
+ 5 – 6 quart oven safe Dutch oven with lid (Euro models may be marked with a “26” on the bottom or underside of lid)
+ Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons (14 grams) honey
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 2 cups (240 grams) bread flour
- 1 cup (120 grams) wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the warm water and honey. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow it to proof for a few minutes as you measure the remaining ingredients. Add the flours and salt to the bowl and stir until it is fully incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with a lid, clean kitchen towel, or piece of plastic wrap. Set the bowl in the refrigerator and allow it to rest for 2-4 hours. A longer proof in the refrigerator leads to a better tasting loaf. Two hours should be sufficient if the water was warm to the touch and the yeast was allowed to proof before adding the dry ingredients. You will know that the dough is ready to shape when it has risen slightly and has visible bubbles on the surface.
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of flour on a clean work surface. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a square or rectangle about 4 inches larger than your Dutch oven.
- Remove the dough to the floured surface. The dough will be very sticky at first. Knead and turn the dough, shaping it into a ball as you go. Turn the dough a quarter turn with each kneading motion. The dough will quickly take shape and begin to lose its sticky texture. I usually knead it 30 turns. Place the ball of dough on the middle of the parchment paper.
- Place the base of a Dutch oven on an oven rack set in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. The Dutch oven will warm gradually in the oven and provide a hot surface to lay the bread dough on. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for the 30 minutes as the oven and Dutch oven come up to temperature.
- When the 30 minutes have elapsed, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Taking great care to avoid the hot surface of the Dutch oven, lower the parchment paper and dough down into the pot. Don’t worry about the parchment paper as the bread will push it to the walls of the pot as it rises during baking. Place the lid on the Dutch oven (the paper can be allowed to hang to the outside of the pot) and transfer to the hot oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
- When 30 minutes have passed, carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Set a timer for 12 minutes to brown the top crust of the loaf. After 12 minutes, visually check the loaf. If it is browned to your liking, remove the Dutch oven carefully. If you prefer, it can be allowed to bake for another 3-4 minutes to brown more deeply.
- When the loaf is browned to your liking, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the hot oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. At the end of the 5 minutes, use the edge of the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the Dutch oven. Serve and enjoy every last bite!
Notes
Rustic Dutch Oven Bread - Extra-Large Loaf
+ 5 – 6 quart oven safe Dutch oven with lid (Euro models may be marked with a “26” on the bottom or underside of lid)
+ Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 Tablespoon (21 grams) honey
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2 3/4 cups (330 grams) bread flour
- 1 1/4 cup (150 grams) wheat flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the warm water and honey. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow it to proof for a few minutes as you measure the remaining ingredients. Add the flours and salt to the bowl and stir until it is fully incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with a lid, clean kitchen towel, or piece of plastic wrap. Set the bowl in the refrigerator and allow it to rest for 2-4 hours. A longer proof in the refrigerator leads to a better tasting loaf. Two hours should be sufficient if the water was warm to the touch and the yeast was allowed to proof before adding the dry ingredients. You will know that the dough is ready to shape when it has risen slightly and has visible bubbles on the surface.
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of flour on a clean work surface. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a square or rectangle about 4 inches larger than your Dutch oven.
- Remove the dough to the floured surface. The dough will be very sticky at first. Knead and turn the dough, shaping it into a ball as you go. Turn the dough a quarter turn with each kneading motion. The dough will quickly take shape and begin to lose its sticky texture. I usually knead it 30 turns. Place the ball of dough on the middle of the parchment paper.
- Place the base of a Dutch oven on an oven rack set in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. The Dutch oven will warm gradually in the oven and provide a hot surface to lay the bread dough on. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for the 30 minutes as the oven and Dutch oven come up to temperature.
- When the 30 minutes have elapsed, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Taking great care to avoid the hot surface of the Dutch oven, lower the parchment paper and dough down into the pot. Don’t worry about the parchment paper as the bread will push it to the walls of the pot as it rises during baking. Place the lid on the Dutch oven (the paper can be allowed to hang to the outside of the pot) and transfer to the hot oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
- When 30 minutes have passed, carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Set a timer for 12 minutes to brown the top crust of the loaf. After 12 minutes, visually check the loaf. If it is browned to your liking, remove the Dutch oven carefully. If you prefer, it can be allowed to bake for another 3-4 minutes to brown more deeply.
- When the loaf is browned to your liking, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the hot oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. At the end of the 5 minutes, use the edge of the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the Dutch oven. Serve and enjoy every last bite!
Notes
Rustic Dutch Oven Bread - Half Loaf
+ 4 quart oven safe Dutch oven with lid (Euro models may be marked with a “24” on the bottom or underside of lid)
+ Parchment paper
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoons (7 grams) honey
- 1 1/8 teaspoon (1/2 packet) active dry yeast
- 1 cup (120 grams) bread flour
- ½ cup (60 grams) wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the warm water and honey. Sprinkle the yeast on top and allow it to proof for a few minutes as you measure the remaining ingredients. Add the flours and salt to the bowl and stir until it is fully incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with a lid, clean kitchen towel, or piece of plastic wrap. Set the bowl in the refrigerator and allow it to rest for 2-4 hours. A longer proof in the refrigerator leads to a better tasting loaf. Two hours should be sufficient if the water was warm to the touch and the yeast was allowed to proof before adding the dry ingredients. You will know that the dough is ready to shape when it has risen slightly and has visible bubbles on the surface.
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator. Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of flour on a clean work surface. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a square or rectangle about 4 inches larger than your Dutch oven.
- Remove the dough to the floured surface. The dough will be very sticky at first. Knead and turn the dough, shaping it into a ball as you go. Turn the dough a quarter turn with each kneading motion. The dough will quickly take shape and begin to lose its sticky texture. I usually knead it 30 turns. Place the ball of dough on the middle of the parchment paper.
- Place the base of a Dutch oven on an oven rack set in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. The Dutch oven will warm gradually in the oven and provide a hot surface to lay the bread dough on. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for the 30 minutes as the oven and Dutch oven come up to temperature.
- When the 30 minutes have elapsed, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Taking great care to avoid the hot surface of the Dutch oven, lower the parchment paper and dough down into the pot. Don’t worry about the parchment paper as the bread will push it to the walls of the pot as it rises during baking. Place the lid on the Dutch oven (the paper can be allowed to hang to the outside of the pot) and transfer to the hot oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
- When 30 minutes have passed, carefully remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Set a timer for 12 minutes to brown the top crust of the loaf. After 12 minutes, visually check the loaf. If it is browned to your liking, remove the Dutch oven carefully. If you prefer, it can be allowed to bake for another 3-4 minutes to brown more deeply.
- When the loaf is browned to your liking, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the hot oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. At the end of the 5 minutes, use the edge of the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the Dutch oven. Serve and enjoy every last bite!
Notes
Did you slice the top before putting in pan?
You can, but there’s no need to. As the loaf bakes, it will naturally pull apart just enough at the top to look like you have made a few slits before baking. If you would like to control the appearance of the top of the loaf, you can certainly make a few slits on top with a very sharp knife before placing it in the oven.
Hi Jennifer.
Like a lot of people, I’m having trouble finding yeast. I have ordered some and am awaiting it’s arrival. I did find some instant yeast in the market today. I really don’t know the pros, cons or otherwise of instant vs active. Can I use the instant just like the active?
#wantingasliceofhomemadebread
Thanks.
I am so glad that you found yeast so that you can bake bread! Instant yeast works very well. It does not need to be activated in water before mixing. Instead, you can measure it into your dry ingredients and add it into the dough right along with the flour. You can use the same amount of yeast and skip the step of placing it in warm liquid to activate.
I hope this helps and that you’re baking bread again soon. Feel free to ask if you have other questions about using it. I have been baking with instant yeast for the past few months because it was all I was able to buy when the pandemic began. I bought so much that I’ll be using it for a very long time!
You definitely get extra points for a fabulous hashtag. Happy baking!
I have been using it for months as it was all I could find when the pandemic began. I have so much of it that I will be using it for quite some time.
You can use an equal measure of instant yeast in any recipe that calls for dry yeast. It’s even simpler to use than rapid or active yeast because it doesn’t need to be activated/proofed in water before mixing.
Skip the step of adding your yeast to warm liquid (usually with sugar or honey) to activate the yeast. Instead, you can just add the instant yeast to your measured flour for a recipe and proceed with mixing, kneading, and proofing. I don’t notice any difference in the flavor or texture of my recipes when using instant yeast.
I hope that this is helpful and that you’ll be baking bread soon. You get bonus points for a great hashtag in your comment.
Happy baking!
I used a cast iron loaf pan and the largest recipe. It was difficult to get it in the hot loaf pan.
Didn’t fit properly, it did come out okay..
I took some pictures, but there’s no option to upload.
Hugo
I can imagine that the extra large loaf was too much dough for a loaf pan. I find that no knead loaves like this recipe are better suited to a rustic shape where the surface tension created by shaping can help to provide structure as it rises.
I hope that you enjoyed the flavor and that you’ll give it a try again in a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.
Going to try this today. Since I grind my own wheat I think I’ll play around with hard white and a combo of hard red/kamut. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I have used my own fresh milled winter wheat with great results. I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you!
I have been making bread for years. Followed many directions. Yours is thorough, including the time to warm the dutch oven. Thank you! I believe if I dont make it today, I will tomorrow, it should go grand with smoked trout I make.
Thank you again for your recipe.
I am so glad that you found the directions on this to be thorough and easy to follow. I wish that I could trade you a loaf for some of that smoked trout. It’s a favorite of mine and will be scrumptious with a loaf of homemade bread. Happy baking!
Have a question, usually breads require a bit of lard, shorteming, butter or oil in the ingredients. Your doesnt. Is this a typo or correct?
Great question! Unlike the enriched doughs I make, this recipe doesn’t need any fat to create a wonderful loaf. It bakes up beautifully every time with a crisp crust and soft interior. It’s so simple to make and always tastes delicious. I hope that you’ll give it a try!
Could I use all bread flour and not wheat flour?
Absolutely! Bread flour is the key. The use of the wheat flour is optional. I have made many loaves with strictly bread flour when I don’t have enough (or any) wheat flour on hand and don’t have time to mill a fresh batch of wheat flour. Your loaf be just as delicious. I can’t wait to hear how it bakes up for you.
Love this bread! I usually make the large loaf for hubby & I to go with dinner. It’s big enough I can have a slice with honey for breakfast for a couple mornings.
I am glad that you enjoy it. I never let a bit go to waste. It is delicious toasted the next morning. I take mine with buttter, honey, and plenty of ground cinnamon.
I plan to back this in a loaf pan for shape purposes (kids requested sandwich shaped bread). Which loaf size would you recommend for two 9×4 or 9×5 (standard loaf) pans?
Either will work for your sandwich loaves. I would use what you have on hand and normally use for loaves. I have a few of each size and use whatever I grab first. I hope that you’ll enjoy baking them and that your kids will love their sandwiches!
first time making artesian bread and this came out beautiful. i took a hint from lodge and put a cookie sheet on bottom rack to protect the bottom of the loaf from burning and set my second rack just above that with my dutch oven. this was so easy to make and the instructions were clear. every step i knew i was on the right track. My husband loves it so much he wants me to make it more often. i am so happy to find a way to utilize my dutch oven more often. I pinned this recipe and will be sharing with my adult children.
I am so glad that you enjoyed making this recipe as much as your husband loved eating it. Thank you for taking the time to leave your lovely comment. It made my day!
i dont have wheat flour can i just use more of ther bread
flour
Absolutely! I have made it that way many times. You can even make this loaf using only All-purpose flour. Bread flour will give you delicious results. Happy baking!