RUSTIC DUTCH OVEN BREAD

What is more delicious than freshly baked homemade bread? I honestly can not think of one thing! This tasty and easy everyday bread can be mixed up the night before, left out to rise overnight and is ready to bake for dinner the next day!

BAKING BREAD IN A DUTCH OVEN?

I love cooking with Dutch ovens. They are perfect for soup, stew, chili, roast…and bread! There are many different brands and sizes, but all are enamel coated cast iron. They heat evenly, can be used stove top or in the oven and cook everything like magic.

Steam is an important component in making this no-knead crusty bread. The lid keeps the steam in and it surrounds the wet dough which helps the yeast get to work and the crust becomes a delicious crunchy texture.

This bread recipe is very hands-off. The rise time does all the work for you.

HOW TO MAKE RUSTIC DUTCH OVEN BREAD

1. Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl.
2. Mix well.
3. Cover with plastic wrap.
4. Let dough rise at least 8 hours, but no more than 24 hours.
5. 30 minutes before you are ready to cook the bread, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with the Dutch oven (and lid) inside.
6. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper with some flour as needed. Let rise about 30 min.
7. Lower the parchment with the dough into the Dutch oven.
8. Cover. Cook for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the lid and cook until top is golden brown 7-10 more minutes)
10. Cool and enjoy!

This recipe is not fussy at all. Usually, I put a little olive oil in a clean bowl and put the dough in to rise. However, sometimes I just leave it right in the bowl I mixed it up in to rise…and guess what? It’s fine. 🙂

TIPS FOR MAKING DUTCH OVEN BREAD

• Plan ahead. If you know you are making soup or something you want to have bread with the next day, mix up your bread in advance so it is ready when you need it.
• Many times I mix up this bread in the morning when my kids are having breakfast, and it is good and ready to go for dinner that day.
• Make sure your yeast is fresh. Most yeast has a shelf life of about 6 months. It is best to keep it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Make sure the water is not too hot, but not cold. The warm water will help activate the yeast, but hot water may kill it. You can check the temp (about 100-110 degrees F) with a kitchen thermometer if you want, but usually I just feel it and make sure it is warm, but not hot.
• Rapid rise yeast works best. It does not have to be “bloomed”, which means activating the yeast in warm water. If you only have active dry yeast, make a well in the center of your flour, add water and salt and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water to sit for about 5 minutes until if foams/blooms before your mix everything together.
• If you are in a rush, just leave the dough to rise right in the bowl you mixed it in.
• You may omit the olive oil steps. It just serves as a way to help handle the sticky dough with less mess.
• King Arthur all-purpose flour is my favorite, but any flour will work. Bread flour will work well, too. It just has more gluten, so it will make a bread that is a bit more soft but equally delicious!

WAYS TO SERVE RUSTIC DUTCH OVEN BREAD

Obviously homemade bread goes with EVERYTHING. But here are my faves:

• slathered with butter!
• with any soup or stew
• as a side to pasta dishes or salads
• dipped in olive oil with Italian spices, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar

Since I usually have some of this bread hanging out in my kitchen, I have found many uses for it. It really only lasts one day after baking, so that next day I like to use it for toast, crostini or croutons. My favorite ways to use this day-old bread:

• drizzled with olive oil and toasted to make crostini for bruschetta.
• toasted with smashed avocado, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Muldon flaked sea salt and a few cracks of fresh black pepper.
• made into croutons for salads or soups

I hope you enjoy this yummy bread and hope it becomes an easy go-to bread in your kitchen as it has in mine!