Dutch Oven Bread Recipe (No Knead!)
Making delicious homemade bread couldn’t be easier with this Dutch Oven Bread Recipe. You only need four simple ingredients to achieve soft, pillowy bread with a delicious crispy crust baked in your dutch oven. This foolproof, no knead bread recipe only requires four hours to rise and makes perfectly crusty bread every time.
For more easy Bread Recipes, be sure to check out my Air Fryer Garlic Bread, One Bowl Banana Bread, and Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread Muffins.
There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread, especially if it’s coming from your very own oven. With surprisingly minimal effort and hands on time, this Dutch Oven Bread Recipe is one you will use time and time again. Plus, no professional baking skills are required! When I say easy, I mean it!
Yes, y’all, I am here to show you how to make a homemade, artisan-style bread that boasts a golden, chewy crust that will make you feel like it came straight from a fancy bakery.
The magic of this recipe happens within the confines of a preheated Dutch oven, creating the perfect environment for this simple dough to rise and develop that rustic, crackly texture.
All you need is a warm bowl of soup like Shrimp and Corn Chowder to pair with your delicious crusty bread. This is also the perfect bread for making a delicious Club Sandwich or an epic grilled cheese, or simply just for slathering in butter! Yum!
Ingredients for No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
- All purpose flour – just basic, all purpose flour is all you need. King Arthur is my favorite brand for flour, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Active dry yeast – I like to buy my yeast in a jar and store it in the fridge after opening. This provides plenty of yeast for future bread baking!
- Salt – just plain, fine grain table salt or sea salt is all you need!
- Warm water – warm, but not hot water. If you want to measure the temperature, it should be around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
A full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions are located in the recipe card below.
How to Make this Homemade Dutch Oven Bread Recipe – Step by Step
1: Whisk the flour, salt, and yeast together in a large mixing bowl.
2: Pour in the warm water and stir to combine. (The dough will be very wet, do not add any more flour.)
3: Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for at least 4 hours. The dough will rise up the sides of the bowl during this time and will look mottled and bubbly when you remove the kitchen towel.
4: Set your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place your Dutch oven in the oven to preheat. In the meantime, sprinkle your countertop or a smooth work surface with a little flour and lightly flour your hands as well. Turn the bread dough out of the bowl and on to the floured surface. Gently fold the dough into itself to form a ball.
5: Spray a sheet of parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray and place the dough on top.
6: Lift the dough using the parchment paper then place it inside of a large bowl until the Dutch oven is ready.
7: Remove the lid from the preheated Dutch oven and move the dough into the pot using the parchment paper. Cover with the lid and let the bread cook for 30 minutes.
8: After 30 minutes of baking, use oven mitts to remove the lid and take out the piece of parchment paper (it will easily come right out from under the bottom of the bread.) Return the Dutch oven to the oven and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until the bread forms a nice crust and starts to turn a golden brown color around the edges and top.
Tips and Notes
- Allow at least 4 hours of rise time for the dough. You can allow your dough to rise longer or even overnight. But stick to at least a minimum of 4 hours for your dough to rise.
- The longer your dough rises, the more pronounced the flavor will be. I have made this bread many times and tested it using longer and shorter rise times. A shorter rise time (4-8 hours) will produce a milder tasting bread, while a longer bread rise (overnight, 12+ hours) will give hints of a sourdough bread flavor.
- Only use warm water to make the dough. You’ll want your water to be around 105 degrees Fahrenheit (you can check the temperature with a meat thermometer.) Do not use hot water; it can kill the yeast.
- Don’t add extra flour to the dough. Your dough will look very sticky and you may be tempted to add more flour, but don’t! Too much flour will make your bread tough and overly dense.
- Allow your dough to rise in a warm place. The ideal temperature for dough to rise is between 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit, but this may be hard to achieve, especially in the winter time. One option is to preheat your oven to 150 degrees for a few minutes, then turn it off. Place your dough in the turned off oven and allow it to rise.
- Use an oven safe Dutch oven with an oven safe lid and knob! This is important to note, especially if you own a Le Creuset with a black phenolic knob. Those types of knobs are not safe to use beyond 390 degrees Fahrenheit and therefore won’t work for this recipe. You can easily replace your knob with a stainless steel one instead, which is safe for all oven temps. I ordered my replacement knob from Crate and Barrel.
FAQs
A cast iron Dutch oven works perfectly for baking bread. A Dutch oven provides plenty of heat insulation and can maintain high temperatures that remain consistent during baking. The tight fitting lid creates a warm steamy environment for the sticky dough to transform and rise, creating a pillowy soft interior and golden, crackly crust.
For this type of dough, using a loaf pan in the oven would produce a softer kind of bread with a texture similar to sandwich bread, while opting for a Dutch oven results in a crunchy crust more characteristic of artisan bread loaves.
I like to use my Le Creuset Dutch oven, which is about 5.5 quarts, though a 6-quart Dutch oven would work well also.
To keep your bread soft, you can store it at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil for up to three days. It will lose its initial crispy crust over time, but storing it wrapped this way or in an airtight container can help maintain its softness and prevent your bread from getting hard and stale.
More Dutch Oven Recipes You Should Try!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. I love to hear from you and always appreciate your feedback!
Recipe: Dutch Oven Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 1/2 cups very warm water
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven with lid
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, salt, and yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the warm water and stir to combine. (The dough will be very wet, do not add any more flour.) Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for at least 4 hours. The dough will rise up the sides of the bowl during this time and will look mottled and bubbly when you remove the kitchen towel.
- Set your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat your Dutch oven by placing it on the middle rack of your oven, covered with the lid, while the oven is heating. Let the dutch oven heat for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, sprinkle your countertop or a smooth work surface with a little flour and lightly flour your hands as well. Turn the bread dough out of the bowl and on to the floured surface. Gently fold the dough into itself a couple times to form a ball.
- Spray a sheet of parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray and place the dough on top. Lift the dough using the parchment paper then place it inside of a large bowl until the Dutch oven is ready.
- Remove the lid from the Dutch oven and move the dough into the pot using the parchment paper. Cover with the lid and let the bread cook for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes of baking, use oven mitts to remove the lid and take out the piece of parchment paper (it will easily come right out from under the bottom of the bread.) Return the Dutch oven to the oven and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until the bread forms a nice crust and starts to turn a golden brown color around the edges and top.
- Remove from the oven and let the bread cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Allow at least 4 hours of rise time for the dough. You can allow your dough to rise longer or even overnight. But stick to at least a minimum of 4 hours for your dough to rise.
- The longer your dough rises, the more pronounced the flavor will be. I have made this bread many times and tested it using longer and shorter rise times. A shorter rise time (4-8 hours) will produce a milder tasting bread, while a longer bread rise (overnight, 12+ hours) will give hints of a sourdough bread flavor.
- Only use warm water to make the dough. You’ll want your water to be around 105 degrees Fahrenheit (you can check the temperature with a meat thermometer.) Do not use hot water; it can kill the yeast.
- Don’t add extra flour to the dough. Your dough will look very sticky and you may be tempted to add more flour, but don’t! Too much flour will make your bread tough and overly dense.
- Allow your dough to rise in a warm place. The ideal temperature for dough to rise is between 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit, but this may be hard to achieve, especially in the winter time. One option is to preheat your oven to 150 degrees for a few minutes, then turn it off. Place your dough in the turned off oven and allow it to rise.
- Use an oven safe Dutch oven with an oven safe lid and knob! This is important to note, especially if you own a Le Creuset with a black phenolic knob. Those types of knobs are not safe to use beyond 390 degrees Fahrenheit and therefore won’t work for this recipe. You can easily replace your knob with a stainless steel one instead, which is safe for all oven temps. I ordered my replacement knob from Crate and Barrel.
I made this bread today and it was simple to make and turned out beautifully! It made me feel like I went to the bakery and picked up fresh bread but it came from my kitchen. It is so good! I will definitely be making this again.
Awesome recipe ! ..followed the instructions as written and i was rewarded with wonderful bread
I made this Dutch oven bread, and it’s great! Baking it in a Dutch oven gave it a crispy crust and a soft inside. The bread smells amazing and has a nice flavor and texture. It’s like artisan bread you get at a bakery.
I loved this!! One of the easiest breads I’ve ever made.
I’ve tried a lot of no knead bread recipes before but this one is my favorite! So easy to follow and the outcome is phenomenal!
I love dutch oven recipes and this one was sooooo good! Thanks!