Dutch Oven Bread

Do any of you remember that artisan bread article that got passed around a while back (like 2007), the one about baking bread in your dutch oven? It was a New York Times article originally, before it went viral. Well, that was before I was interested in baking any kind of bread much less something in my dutch oven, but a few months ago, my mother gave me a black and white photo copy of the article from The Mother Earth News Guide To Fresh Food All Year. It seemed interesting, but I wasn't quite ready to tackle it then. Well, I decided recently it was time to try it.

Easy, No Knead Crusty Bread

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting.
You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two. [I used whole wheat pastry flour.]
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting [I just used my flour.]

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. The dough is ready when it's surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it's ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least 20 minutes before dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6 to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that's OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don't worry if it's not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.

5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15-20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread form the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Yield: One 1 1/2 pound loaf.
Adapted from The New York Times


I was skeptical of the recipe, and leery of cooking bread in my dutch oven. However, I'm skeptical no longer. It had a hard crunchy crust and a super soft texture. The flavor was plain, but when the recipe only calls for yeast, water, flour and salt, plain is how it turns out. And, plain isn't always a bad thing.

I think next time I'll experiment with herbs and flavorings, but this is perfect to go with soup or chili (especially since corn bread doesn't work for my allergic little guy). Or, honestly, it's great spread with some butter and enjoyed on its own.

I linked to the Mother Earth article above, but here's the link again. It's very interesting, and contains more info about how this method works.