Dutch Oven Bread
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Dutch Oven Bread, also known as No Knead Bread, is the easiest way to make a crusty loaf of bread. This Easy Bread Recipe comes out crisp on the outside and perfectly soft and fluffy in the center every time.
Very little kneading or hands-on is needed to make this simple loaf of bread. Perfect for serving alongside soups, salads, pasta, or for a delicious sandwich.
This Dutch Oven Bread Recipe only has 5 ingredients and is ready in under 2 hours (that’s pretty quick for a loaf of bread). Using the Dutch oven to cook this bread makes a perfectly crusty outside that is still easy to slice through yet soaks up all the juices from soups and sauces.
This easy bread recipe has tons of flavor, serve with butter and jam for an easy side dish.
Ingredients for Cast Iron Bread
Like I said before, you only need 5 ingredients to make this simple cast iron bread recipe. To make this bread recipe you will need:
- All-purpose flour
- Instant Yeast– instant yeast helps the dough to rise faster, because it does not require a proofing period or a second rise time.
- Warm water-with instant yeast, the water needs to be warmer, around 120-125ºF to activate it
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
Steps to Make Easy Bread Recipe
Let’s walk through the simple steps to make this easy bread!
- Make The Dough: Start by combining the yeast and the flour. Pour 4 cups of the flour into a large mixing bowl and add in the yeast. When using instant yeast, you can add it right into the flour, no need to let it bloom. Whisk together the flour and yeast until combined. Add in the warm water and start mixing to form a sticky dough.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add in the salt and the olive oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well incorporated. The dough will be pretty sticky at this point and that is okay.
- Mixing The Dough: this dough can be mixed by hand, but if you prefer, you can use an electric mixer. Just follow the instructions and mix with the dough hook attachment of the mixer until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Rise The Dough: Leaving the dough in the same mixing bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and place it in a warm place, or in the oven on the proof setting, for up to one hour, or until it has doubled in size. The dough will be airy and bubbly when it has risen.
- Form Into A Ball: Once the dough has risen, roll it out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough just a few times to make it smooth and form a round ball by folding the sides into the center and rolling the ball in a circular motion.
- Bake The Bread: Line a 4-5 quart cast iron pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Place the ball of dough into the center of the pan and put the lid on the pan. Bake the bread with the lid on in a 400ºF oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until it is golden brown.
Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing.
My family can never wait for the bread to cool before slicing into it, even at the risk of burning their fingers. I would suggest that you wait at least 10 minutes to allow the bread to cool before attempting to slice into it, but I totally understand if you can’t stand smelling that freshly baked bread and not have a slice.
Serving and Storage
Enjoy your freshly baked Dutch Over Bread with a generous helping of butter and homemade strawberry jam, one of our favorite treats!!
Store bread in an airtight container or a zip-top bag on the counter. This bread can also be frozen. I like to slice it first and then we can just heat up the slices when we are going to eat. Freeze in a zip-top bag.
What to eat with Dutch Oven Bread:
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Dutch Oven Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 2 cups warm water (120-125ºF)
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine 4 cups of the flour and the yeast.
- Add in the warm water and stir.
- Add in the olive oil and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. The dough will be sticky and stick to the sides of the bowl as you mix.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for at least an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Dust a clean counter with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour. Pour the dough out onto the floured surface and knead for one minute. Form the dough into a ball and place in the center of a parchment lined 4-5 quart dutch oven pot.
- Heat the oven to 400ºF. Place the bread into the oven on the center rack with the lid on the dutch oven.
- Bake the bread with the lid on for 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the bread is golden brown.
- Remove the dutch oven from the oven and allow the bread to rest in the pan for at least 5 minutes.
- Take the loaf out of the dutch oven and cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and just an estimate from the ingredients
- Allow to cool completely before storing
Nutrition
*Post updated 2/21/2024, recipe was not changed, just the post and images.
Dutch Oven Bread is the easiest way to make a crusty loaf of bread. This Easy Bread Recipe comes out crisp on the outside and perfectly soft and fluffy in the center every time. Very little kneading or hands on is needed to make this simple loaf of bread. Perfect for serving alongside soups, salads, pasta or for a delicious sandwich.
I just made this with whole wheat white flour & a little rosemary. Just awesome! Thanks for a quick easy awesome bread recipe!
I’m so happy it turned out so good for you! This is definitely my go to for an easy loaf of bread! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!!
Can i spkit this and make to long loafs?
I haven’t tried to split this recipe into two loaves, but it is a pretty basic recipe that could work. I suggest if you decide to give it a try, I would split it into the two loaves, cover and allow to rise for at least 30 minutes on the baking sheet before you bake them.
How long would I let it rise if I used regular yeast instead of instant? It’s what I have at home.
I would let it rise for an hour and a half, until it is bubbly and doubled in size.
Keep in mind using Active yeast vs Instant the measurement is not the same! Learned this over the weekend. I read that if the recipe calls for Active(regular yeast) and you use Instant – you need to use 25% less.
I’m new to cooking with yeast how many packets of yeast would you use for this recipe? Thank you in advance for your help
I’m excited for you to try this recipe!! Each packet of yeast has 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast and this recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of yeast. I would measure out the yeast from the packet if you can, otherwise, use 1 1/2 packets of yeast. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
First time making this and it was super easy! The bread is delicious. I always make mistakes with homemade bread recipes and this was the first time I didn’t fail. Thank you for this easy recipe!
I’m so happy it turned out so good for you!! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!! ❤️
Never before have I ever tried such a bread till now but today after coming across your post I tried making it and could really make it very easily.Thank you so much for putting up this post .
I’m so happy it turned out so good for you!!!
I have friends who eat REALLY clean, and I’m not well versed with that at all. Can this be used with gluten free flour at the same ratios, do you think? This looks amazing, and I wanted to try it for them, but I had no idea where to even start!
Gluten free flour would totally change the texture of this bread. I suggest to search for a gluten free recipe or another flour I have used with success is Kamut flour, something to look into.
I made this for the first time yesterday and the whole family loved it! Mine didn’t really get golden brown on top, so I’m wondering if I did something wrong? It still tasted great and had a wonderful crust on the bottom, but was wondering if you might be able to tell me what I can do to get it nice and brown and crusty on top? Thank you!!
I’m so happy they liked it! I find that mine browns up the most when it is cooking with the lid off of the pan, you might just need to let it cook for a few more minutes uncovered for it to get more brown and crispy on top.
Can I use bread flour instead?
Yes, you can substitute bread flour for the all purpose flour.
I need a recipe for bread for a 3 quart dutch oven
I’ve actually made this recipe in my 3 quart pan and it works well.
I was so pleased with this bread. Easy to make and so very good. This will be my go to recipe for bread. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m so happy this bread turned out so good for you!!
Since first seeing this recipe and video, I have been making this bread on a weekly basis. I use bread flour for mine. I bake in a Dutch oven and it has never failed! I will also bake it in a cast iron loaf pan but my guys prefer sandwich rolls topped with sesame seeds. I let the dough rise and then cut approximately 11, 4 oz pieces and form into a ball and flatten the top a little before I bake. They are so delicious! A little tip that I have found to always give my bread a nice browned crispy crust, is to spray a little olive oil on the top, about 5 minutes before the bread is done.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for your comment!! I will have to try the rolls, they sound delicious!!