Basic: an essential or fundamental.
I’m all about the basics. Whether it be in what I wear, what’s in our home or what we eat, I love my basics. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good fancy meal where I can’t pronounce anything in it or a dress made of beads. I can definitely appreciate the elevated things in life – but when it comes down to it, putting on my favourite worn-in comfy clothes, turning up some Angus and Julia Stone and smelling baked bread in the oven…you may see them as basic, I see it as essential.
As I continue to work at making more food from home and buying less, a fundamental recipe I have continued coming back to is my essential, basic, easy + delicious no-knead dutch oven crusty bread. Cooking bread in a dutch oven is a somewhat new but nonetheless major obsession of mine. It gives you the perfectly shaped bread, along with the gorgeous crust that you think is only from the fanciest of French or Italian bakers. I promise you will not meet a more handsome crusty bread than one in a dutch oven pot.
Now, I am going to be honest with you…I have made this bread in a stainless steel pot & a cast iron pot. I am no snob (worn-in clothes, remember?) but I have to admit, cooking it in the cast pot made a world of a difference & made all my crusty bread dreams come true. Honestly, everything I cook in my cast-iron pot comes out better. From bread to mac & cheese. I know, I know – cast iron is expensive and a huge investment. But, actually, it isn’t.
Meet Milo. My new best friend.
We don’t go waaay back, but enough for me to vouch for his character. He’s pretty great.
The new cast iron pot that almost every type of cook can afford and will fall in love with. Now you can have the ultimate kitchen essential without selling your first-born.
Check out more on Milo here!
Now back to the yummy stuff.
This bread is a super simple recipe that is fairly quick to make (in bread timezone that is)! You have to try it!
& when you do let me know what you think! I whipped up a batch of my mother-in-law’s delicious carrot soup in our Milo afterward and this loaf gloriously soaked up every bit of it. There actually isn’t a crumb left, so I may have to make another one tomorrow.
Easy No Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour extra for sprinkling
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water room temperature
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
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Combine sugar, yeast and warm water in stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook (you could also mix this dough by hand if you like – just use a large mixing bowl instead).
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Let yeast proof for 5 minutes.
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Add salt.
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Add flour a little bit at a time and mix on low speed until incorporated and the dough has just started to pull away from the sides.
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Turn off mixer and remove dough from bowl. If the dough is too dry add a tsp of water at a time until it isn't flaky. If the dough is too wet, add a tsp or two of flour. The dough should be sticky but still able to come off the side of the bowl.
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Lightly flour around your dough, but don’t mix it in, this just keeps it from sticking
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Place back in the bowl and cover with a warm damp tea bowl for an hour to an hour and a half, or until the dough has doubled in size. Depending on how warm it is in our home I sometimes put the oven on for a few minutes and turn it off and place the bowl on the stove top. If your place is chilly, it may need to rise a bit longer!
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When dough has risen lightly flour cutting board. Do not punch the dough down, we want to keep it light and airy!
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Sprinkle a little more flour around the dough and start forming it into a round loaf. Pull the corners of the loaf into the centre like you are folding an envelope. This creates the pretty top!
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Flour a bread proofing basket or mixing bowl and place the loaf seam side DOWN.
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Cover with the tea towel and let sit for another 30 minutes.
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While the bread sits, place the empty dutch oven with the lid on in your oven & preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
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Once your oven is preheated, carefully remove the dutch oven (don’t forget your oven mitts!) and take the lid off.
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Cut a large square of parchment paper and place it in the dutch oven, this will make sure your loaf doesn’t stick.
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Tip the dough out of the basket / mixing bowl carefully onto the cutting board. Then place the dough CAREFULLY into the dutch oven (it’s hot!) seam side UP.
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*Put your oven mitts back on!
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Put the lid back on the dutch oven and put the whole thing back in your oven.
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Cook loaf for 30 minutes.
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Remove lid. The dough should be crusty & lightly browned.
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Continue cooking uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes with lid off. Bread will deepen in colour. To know if your loaf is done or not, tip the loaf over and knock on the bottom, if it sounds hollow it's done!
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Let cool for 15-20 minutes.
There is literally nothing better then fresh homemade bread! This recipe looks simple enough to make and I bet it tastes amazing! We need this carrot soup recipe too!
This bread looks absolutely scrumptious!
Wow, this looks so good! I wish I owned a dutch oven.
This recipe looks so simple! I would love to try!
Whenever I make homemade bread, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. It is so easy! Thanks for the reminder and a new recipe to try out!
I’ve tried a similar recipe before but it had a multi temperature step that didn’t work perfectly. Yours looks like it had a much better crust than mine so I’ll have to try this one next time with the addition of some spent grains.
The crust is my favorite part! My kids don’t like it, so I always end up with extra. I am excited to make this.
At one time I made this bread often. I haven’t made it in years and I need to make it again. Your’s looks so good and I like how easy it is to make.
This looks so good! I have really been wanting to try my hand at homemade bread but may have to wait till fall as it is getting too hot to bake here!!
I use to make dutch oven bread all the time and no knead helps those who really don’t know how to make bread a breeze. Now I am using my crockpot and it works just as well and is no knead.
Nothing beats homemade food. I’ve never tried to make this one before but it looks tasty and the recipe looks easy to follow.
That looks absolutely amazing! I love when I can make bread that easily and not have to knead it! I cannot wait to try this homemade bread.
This recipe is so amazing! I need to make some of this for some recipes!
I’ve never made fresh home-made bread before, but I’d love to try. Your bread looks like it came out amazing.
Wow, it must have smelled so good after you open the lid and sliced it. I would like to try your recipe, although I am not sure if I would be successful lol.
Oh wow it’s nice that you can bake your own bread so you can easily choose ingredients for your own diet. Our household is mostly gluten free so my brothers also create their own gluten free pastries.
That looks amazing! I’ve never made bread like that before. I can definitely see how good it looks through the pictures. I’d love to try the recipe, thanks! I’m sure it goes perfect with pasta or soup or with some butter!
I love homemade bread. I have to invest in a good dutch pan. Your bread looks delicious.
I love the smell, taste and texture of freshly made bread. That recipe is so simple and the bread looks like it came out as good as some of the specialty ones I’ve seen in the store.
Ok, now this sounds so easy that even I could make it! I need to try this for sure!!
I’m all about my bread here! This looks like a big winner for my kids! Now I want some toast and a tea!
I can tell by photos it was perfectly done. Crunchy in the outside and soft in the inside. I would love it on my soup or pasta meal.
Never tried baking bread in a cast iron pot before, the result is amazing! I love how the bread looks and it looks so soft in the center as well. This is something that I would enjoy!
There is nothing like having a great bread with your meal. This looks like it would taste so good!
That looks AMAZING! And now I want a Dutch oven!!
Can smell it baking from here! Nothing better than straight out of the oven bread; gracias for such an easy to follow recipe. Now, to find a cast iron to fit in our toaster oven…