This herbed Dutch Oven Bread is crusty on the outside, and so soft on the inside. It has a little bit of an Italian flair with the added spices and garlic flavors, and it’s the perfect dipping bread for dinner.
Dutch Oven Bread
This recipe for Dutch Oven Bread is one of those recipes that I come back to over and over. Partly because it’s so easy to make and partly because of how perfectly it turns out every time.
Now I know yeast can be a turn-off in a recipe to some people. I get it. It can be a temperamental ingredient. But believe me when I tell you that you can’t mess this recipe up! If you follow the easy instructions, it will rise every time, and you will feel like a pro at bread baking!
How to Make Dutch Oven Bread
- Combine all of the ingredients in one bowl, and let it rise. You should let it rise for at least 12 hours, but honestly, I’ve left it on my counter as long as 24 hours and it turns out just fine.
- Pre-heat the oven and the pot together.
- Pat the dough into a rounded ball and place it in the hot pot. Put the lid on top and bake!
- Uncover the pot toward the end of baking to let the bread get nice and golden. That’s it!
One of the great things about this easy dutch oven bread is that you don’t need to babysit it, do a 2nd rise, or knead the dough (hallelujah!). There is a slight downside though. You have to make the dough in advance. Don’t let that hold you back though. I promise it’s worth it. Plus you get to smell the dough rising on your counter all day long! I usually make it either the night before or early in the morning so it will be ready for dinner.
There are a lot of recipes out there for “no knead bread,” and they all have 3 cups of flour. I’ve tried to half my recipe a few times down to 3 cups and, unless you use a teeny tiny dutch oven, your bread will just spread in the bottom of the pan and not rise up the sides. So I know this seems like a lot of flour but I promise you, it’s worth it. Even with this much flour, I still only use a 3.5 quart oval dutch oven. You can actually use any oven-proof pot that has a lid.
Dutch Oven Recommendations:
I really love my Le Creuset 3.5 Quart Dutch Oven. I know it’s pricey, but the Le Creuset cast iron pots last forever! Cuisinart has a nice (cheaper) alternative with their 3-quart cast iron pot. And once you have a Dutch Oven, you can make other things like Dutch Oven Pot Roast too!
Here are a few more bread recipes you might enjoy:
- Brioche Loaf Bread
- Honey Whole Wheat Bread
- White Sandwich Bread
- Homemade English Muffins
- Diane’s No-Fail French Bread
- Rich Egg and Butter Bread
- Homemade Subway Bread
- Sweet Challah Bread
Dutch Oven Bread
Ingredients
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 cups warm water (105 degrees F)
Instructions
PREPARE THE DOUGH:
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the warm water. Stir to combine. Add the warm water and mix together until a dough forms. The dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean dish towel and allow to rise for at least 12 hours and no more than 24 hours.
BAKING THE BREAD:
- When you are ready to bake the bread, place your Dutch oven pot and lid in the oven and pre-heat the pot and the oven at the same time to 450 degrees.
- While the oven is heating, sprinkle some flour on a board or on your clean countertop and spill out the dough onto the flour. Sprinkle the top of the dough ball with a little bit of flour as well to keep your hands from sticking to it. The dough will be very soft so do your best to form it into a circle.
- Once the pot and oven are heated, remove the pot from the oven and gently place the dough into the heated pot. (It doesn't need to be perfect as the dough will take the shape of the pot).
- Using oven mitts (and I say this because I've forgotten before OUCH), place the lid back on the pot and put the pot back into the oven. Cook for 30 minutes covered.
- After the 30 minutes, uncover the pot, and cook for another 15 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. Let cool until it's safe to touch before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
i don’t have the above menioned dutch ovens i have a stainless steel one…will that work for me???
The Dutch oven is what is needed for making Dutch Oven Bread. Did you try the stainless?
Mine did not work out..it was not cooked inside enough. Still doughy and really dense…in my 5 quart. Not sure what I did wrong. Usually I do the 3 cup recipes….but I wanted to make a bigger bread.
I don’t have a Dutch oven. Can this be made in anything else?
You can try any heavy pot that is oven-safe.
Making it for the first time. Every other recipe for this says 2 hours to rise. This says 12 hours. Is this a mistake or 12 hrs. is correct. Please answer in less than 12 hrs. lol
At least 12, and no more than 24 🙂
This is the best recipe and comes out perfect
Loved the ease, seasonings were great! Made mine in a 5 quart dutch oven so it was flatter and more dense. Also, the bread stuck to the bottom of the dutch oven. Next time I will use a 3.5 quart dutch oven as suggested, and oil and flour the pot before dumping in the dough.
I have a question, do we grease the Dutch Oven. If not, won’t the bread sitck in the pan?
It should be fine, but you can rub a little oil on it if you’d like 🙂
My dough did rise to about double, then sank back to original size and is very loose. Should I let it keep rising or working or start over?
I’m not sure!
do you add the yeast to the warm water,or just mix it with the dry ingredients
The yeast is just mixed with the dry ingredients, and then the water is added to the dry ingredients.