Nothing beats a nice crusty bread. This Dutch Oven bread recipe is easy to make and results in a beautiful crusted loaf every time.
A shatteringly thin crust and a super light and stretchy interior is the bread most beloved by my family. This crusty bread delivers on all of it. The simple ingredients mixed with a short autolyze (just a fancy word for making a slurry of flour and water, then a quick rest), gives the bread the beautiful interior texture.
Check out a few more of my favorite bread recipes:
- A classic banana bread with pecans
- Tender and flaky homemade biscuits
- Raspberry swirl bread from do-it-all dough
What’s The Secret of Crusty Bread?
It is the baking that delivers the gorgeous crust. By baking the dough in a preheated Dutch oven, you’ll get the most exquisitely thin crust on your bread. No need to add water for steam, since the lidded pot traps the dough’s moisture and creates the perfect environment for a shiny, delicate, crisp crust that shatters when you slice it.
Dutch Oven Bread Video Tutorial
Crusty Bread Ingredients and Tips
- Platinum Yeast by Red Star: I found that the dough enhancers in this yeast help the rise and give the dough better stretch, but you can use any granulated yeast.
- King Arthur All Purpose Flour: You can use any AP flour, but different brands may have different protein content, which could affect the texture.
- Let The Dough Rise: Follow the instructions below for rise times. This recipe is simple, but you want to make sure the dough rises enough!
- Halve the Recipe: You can use a 4 qt Dutch Oven and cut the recipe in half.
Dutch Ovens
The Sublime Dutch Oven is super lightweight and because of its new ceramic technology it retains and conducts heat even better than cast iron or stainless steel. Not only does it bake gorgeous bread, but it is also perfect for cooking the soup I served along with it. We all need a pot that can go from high temperatures for frying to a gentle, low simmer on the stovetop, can be baked at high temperatures in the oven, and is elegant enough to serve at the table. Sublime can be used on direct flame, stovetop – gas, electric or glass, charcoal or gas BBQ grills, in the oven, microwave, and is dishwasher safe. That’s a game changer!
You can also use a Bread Cloche, which works very well and doubles as a place to store your delicious crusty bread.
How to Serve Dutch Oven Bread
I served this crusty bread with a delicious, bright lentil soup! Everything from sauteeing the onions to simmering the stock was flawless. The Dutch oven conducts heat so evenly that you never have to worry about hot spots that may burn or stick while you’re cooking. The Dutch Oven is so beautiful I used it to cook and then brought it straight to the table to serve the soup. You’ll find the recipe at Eat Something Vegan. I used the 7.5-quart Sublime Dutch Oven, but it will also fit in the 6-quart. One of the best qualities of the Sublime is that it is dishwasher safe, which sets it apart from my cast iron and metal pots.
Video
Ingredients
- 500 g flour I used King Arthur all-purpose flour
- 375 g water room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp yeast I used Platinum Yeast by Red Star*, but any granulated instant yeast will work.
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Using a spoon mix 125g flour and 100g water in the bowl of a stand mixer and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining flour, salt, water, yeast, and honey to the flour/water mixture and knead with the dough hook attachment on medium-high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
- Reach into the bowl with a plastic bowl scraper and stretch the sides of the dough up and over the center of the dough, it may take about 5 or 6 times to move all the way around the bowl, creating a loose ball. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Pull the dough into an oval with the short end closest to you. Fold the top end of the dough into the middle. Stretch the bottom end of the dough out to the sides, to create a rough triangle shape, then fold those two stretched points into the center. Flip the dough over, so the smooth side is now up and scoot the bottom of the dough in a circular motion on the counter to create a tight ball.
- Dust a proofing basket** with flour and put the dough ball, smooth side down into the basket. Cover with plastic and allow to rest about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. On a rack in the middle of the oven, heat a 6-quart Sublime Dutch Oven*** for about 20 minutes before baking.
- Invert the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Score the dough: Using a knife or Lame, score the top of the dough with ½-inch-deep slashes. This helps the loaf rise and gives it is nice shape.
- Using the parchment as a sling, gently drop the dough into the preheated pot, cover and bake for about 35 covered. Remove the cover and continue baking for 10 minutes or until the bread is deeply caramel brown.
- Carefully remove from the Sublime Dutch Oven using a spatula to help lift it out and cool to room temperature before cutting.
Rate and Review!
- If you've made this recipe, please leave a rating and review! I love to hear how you've adapted my recipes to your own tastes, so please share how it went for you. It helps other people find my recipes. Thank you!
Excellent bread! Followed the recipe exactly, except for the knead time. The recipe calls for kneading for 5 minutes in the mixer with the dough hook.
I’m a huge Alton Brown fan. He says most American bakers don’t knead long enough. So, I kneaded this in the mixer with the dough hook on speed 4 until the dough cleared the sides of the bowl. It took about 15 minutes.
I have been wanting to finally use my dough hook on my kitchenaid for years, but was intimidated by many of the complicated bread recipes out there. This does take patience but oh what fun!!! I see why in the video she gets so excited when it turns into dough. It’s quite magical. The moment I took off the lid to my Dutch oven and saw a gorgeous, loaf of crusty bread – it was all worth it. This is going to be my new favorite recipe.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the process.
Needed a simple recipe to augment a simple twice baked spaghetti diner for the family and grandchild. This was perfect, thank you.
I never in a million years would have thought that I could make bread this amazingly good! I recently got a stand mixer and am just learning how to make bread. Thank you Zoe, for showing me how to handle dough and for this fantastic recipe! Made it with a turkey cabbage soup and cannot move now because I ate wayyy too much!
I have been making this crusty loaf for a year or two now and it is delicious every time. Easy instructions especially with the video. My oven runs a bit hot so I check the loaf at about 25 minutes then bake another 5 minutes with the lid off and internal temperature is 195-200. This is the most requested bread in my house – thanks, Zoe!
Yay! We’re so thrilled your family enjoys it!
Two niggly questions: I don’t have a plastic bowl scraper? Any suggestions? Likewise, no banneton; alternatives? I’m thinking this might be a fun project for this weekend!
This bread is absolutely fantastic. .My first attempt as a novice bread baker was successful and I’ve been obsessed ever since.
We’re thrilled to hear you’re enjoying the recipe!
I follow the recipe and let it develop in the refrigerator overnight. I form it when it’s cold because it’s easer to work with. I use King Arthur a mix of bread and wheat with some malt powder. The end result is flavorful.
Love this so much!! My family and friends beg for this now. I’m just wondering if I can refrigerate the dough at any point, because I want to double the recipe and then bake each one separately. When I tried this, the second loaf rose too much.
Finally – a crusty bread that pairs immaculately with my Dutch oven! As described, the crust is thin with a light and soft interior. Miraculous!
I omitted the honey and salt for personal preference. Salted butter and sweet jam take the taste into the final lap for a well rounded bread experience. LOVE! Thank you Zoe 🙂
Thank you so much for this easy and versatile bread recipe! I’ve made it four times already and each time, it turned out perfectly- thin, crisp crust and soft crumb. I’ve added fresh rosemary to it to make crusty rosemary bread, which smelled so good and tasted delicious! I just finished making cheese bread using this recipe by adding Asiago cheese and freshly ground peppercorns. Another winner!!!
I made this yesterday and turned out pretty good for first time making a boule and use banneton. I bought a 9 inch banneton on Amazon and seemed fine for this recipe. What size did Zoe use in her video?
If I proofed in an oval basket or brotform how do you bake it?
I do t have a wooden board but wondering if I just did on my quartz counter for the dough working if it would do as well as it looks for Zoe on her board?
Thanks!
My very first attempt making this bread and using a banneton proofing basket. I was a bit nervous but I watched your video quite a few times. I can for sure improved on the last part pulling the dough with the bottom of palm. I also don’t have a wooden board but used a X-Large Wilton pastry mat. Might have worked better on my quartz countertop. So, just took out of oven and crossing my fingers tastes good and I made it correctly. I also think I might have put too much rice flour in the proofing basket but of course it did come out easily so that was good.
I am going to try this bread tomorrow. I just received my two banneton baskets (with few supplies that come with them). They are rattan and I rinsed the round one before planning to use so time to dry. I noticed a little odd smell after rinsing. I guess this is normal?
Also, I received an oval basket so could this dough from your recipe be placed in the oval instead of the round?
Thank you!
Hi! Yes, both shapes will work as long as they fit in the Dutch oven. The smell is just the natural smell of the grass when it gets wet. Happy baking!
Great recipe, one of my bakes I added a tsp of red wine vinegar just to give it a little sourdough flavor.
I made this bread yesterday on a cold snowy Canadian winter day to have with soup. It was easy to put together and the results were amazing! Such great flavour and texture. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for a great recipe!
The bread turned out amazing!!! Right before I put it in the dutch oven. I drizzled honey on mine and then sprinkled sesame seeds on. The crust is crunchy and the inside is so soft! Thank you so much!
As a bread baking novice–at the age of 71–I decided that this recipe looked doable. I watched the video as I was baking & I felt like Zoe was holding my hand along the way. As Paul Hollywood would say (in my dreams!), ‘Good bake!’ It didn’t rise as much as I would’ve like but that might be ‘user error’. The crumb was good & it ‘thumped’ when I tapped the bottom. And the most important part? It tasted delicious with soft, salted butter! I’m ready for my next bread-baking experience! Bring on the sourdough!
Looking forward to fresh bread! I did not have parchment paper rated for 475 so I just popped it in my dutch oven
Which brand of parchment paper has that high of a temperature rating? So far I haven’t found one. Thank you for your help!!
Hi Sue,
None of the parchment will say that it is rated that high, but I have baked with almost every brand at 500-550 degree. The paper will get darker as it bakes but is safe.
Thanks, Zoë
2 questions:
1. Do I need to make any adjustments if I add some stoneground WW flour.
2. Can I do an overnight rise in the frig?
Hi Fran,
If you replace more than 1/2 cup (about 70g) stoneground flour, you will need to adjust the water. The amount of extra water will also depend on the flour and how finely ground it is.
You can do the second rise in the refrigerator.
Enjoy! Zoë
I have been watching how to make bread videos since the pandemic and this one is the best by far!! Very clear explanations and very accessible for those of us with lots to learn about making bread. One question – would you have a recommendation for someone who is looking for a bread recipe that has open crumb but is NOT sour dough…thank you very much
Hi Lucille,
A couple of things to consider for achieving an open crumb is to have a slightly higher hydration (this makes the dough a little more challenging to work with) and a longer rise time, so using less yeast can be the trick.
Thanks, Zoë
Awesome every time. I live at high altitude, 4750 feet, so my bread recipes always rise faster than recipe times. If a recipe suggests 1 hour, I have learned that 45 minutes usually does the trick.
I would like to know how you are using grams for the liquids in your recipe. grams are for dry measurement liters for wet.
Hi Paulette,
Both grams and ML are considered acceptable forms of measurement for liquids. In most professional kitchens the recipes are done in weights only, so they can be easily be scaled and no measuring cups to clean. Since everything has a weight, it is a more efficient way to work.
Thanks, Zoë
I have used the enriched dough for caramel rolls and they were wonderful! However, nothing prepared me for the thrill of pulling my wonderful loaf of sublime crusty bread out of my new dutch oven and hearing it “sing”. Wow!! Haven’t tasted it yet (have to let it cool), but I know it’s going to be awesome!
Oh my, this bread is amazing! The recipe is simple and straightforward, and there are great directions for what to do. This is going to be in my regular rotation now!
This is definitely my go-to recipe whenever I get the craving for bread – have made it many times and it is always perfect! Wondering if you could advise how to add things like seeds, nuts or dried fruit… I’m sure it will require some adjustments but have no idea what those might be – thanks!
Hi Samantha,
You can add about a cup of any add-ins to the dough as you are mixing. Or you can fold them into already made dough by rolling out the dough, spreading the ingredients over the top and rolling it back up into a log, then form the ball and proceed.
Enjoy! Zoë
finally i can say i made an amazing loaf!!! it was soft with and chewy and crusty and delicious! I trusted the process! i just used a stainless steel bowl lined with a cotton cloth instead of the proof basket. I am overjoyed and cant wait to make it again….maybe tomorrow!
What size proofing basket should be used.
Thank you,
Mary
Hi Mary, Zoë uses an 8-inch proofing basket. Cheers!
Thank you from all of us who found baking bread long and arduous. Being able to to bake from refrigerated dough that lasts two weeks has delighted my family everyone that tastes it. The sense of accomplishment when you see, smell and taste the bread is so rewarding. I’ve passed on this recipe to everyone who is interested or intimidated with baking.
Hi Linda, we are so thrilled to hear you enjoy the recipe so much. Thank you for leaving a rating and review!
I made two batches of this today! One just regular, the other I added 1tbs vegetable oil, and about 1-1.5tsp extra honey and made a brown sugar cinnamon loaf per my daughters request haha they turned out DELICIOUS!
This was a great bread recipe and it came out super. I think watching the video of Zoe making it, over and over, really helped me, a novice bread baker. I think shaping the dough might have been a bit confusing without watching the video, but that may be just me. The only snag I ran into was scoring the bread. Even with the lame, it still dragged a bit. Can’t wait to actually make this again and also the sourdough. Thanks for challenging me Zoe and getting me out of my comfort zone!
On a whim, I made this for the Crusty Bread Challenges and I’m so glad I did.
The day I made it, was the same day it all disappeared. I have bread lovers in my household.
My family sliced it up for sandwich bread and loved it.
I’ve made several loaves and it freezes nicely too, with just as much flavor after thawing.
The interior is soft and slightly chewy, (just they way I like it), and the exterior has a wonderful crunch and texture.
I struggle a bit with my scoring but I’m excited to keep practicing that.
Also, I experimented a bit with textured/lace cloths during the proofing process to create a lovely stencil pattern on the finished bake which made for a fun presentation.
Forgot to mention the sourdough loaf! Another lovely loaf! Glad to have the recipe!
I’ve always been intimidated by the thought of making bread and I’m so proud of myself for creating this Sublime Crusty glorious golden goodness! Zoe, your recipe, instructions, and detailed video made me feel confident that I could do this and I did! My dutch oven was larger than the one called for, but Stephani answered my question about baking vessels very quickly and assured me that mine would work. Seriously, you guys are the best. Because my dutch oven was 7.25, I think my loaf is more squat but it still looks amazing to me. I also didn’t score deep enough so I didn’t get the lovely craggy design, but again, I am so chuffed with my results. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing your awesome knowledge, skills, and recipes helping us achieve carb nirvana, lol. I’m already planning to make another loaf tomorrow! Happy baking everyone!
Hi Allison! We are so happy you enjoyed the recipe and are already excited to make it again. Cheers!
I have baked all of our bread for the past 6ish years, usually sourdough. It was nice to bake a loaf that could be finished in a day and have it be a lovely loaf! The family loved it. This is definitely going to be worked into my repertoire for when I would like a lovely loaf of bread that takes an afternoon! Many thanks for this recipe!
I made this Crusty Bread Recipe for the Bread Challenge this month. The recipe was very easy to follow. I felt the crumb of the bread was quite open but still seemed moist and dense at the same time, if that makes sense. I could definitely taste the sweetness from the honey and it made me realize I prefer my breads to be on the more savory side.
Thanks for another fun challenge, Zoe!
I made the sourdough starter and sourdough as part of the baking challenge. It definitely was a challenge – but a great one. I ended up now with a bubbly, friendly starter that I am so excited to have and even my very first loaf, maybe not gorgeous was totally and utterly delicious. And very simple!! Thank you I feel like I have been given a gift!!
I had never added honey to bread before but I love it. We’re having HOT DRY weather right now so I had to add more water and I think I added a little too much because bread was almost like pancake batter 😉 but I worked more flour in until it was manageable. Really happy that it’s totally edible ;-). First time I had scored the top and was surprised it came out as good as it did. Will certainly be baking more in the future.
Easy, beautiful and delicious – bread. Easy to make, beautiful to look at and delicious to eat – bread
Amazing and easy to make. We needed some bread for open faced leftover thanksgiving sandwiches and this did the trick. Of course we didn’t let the bread cool because we used it right away, but 100% plan on using this recipe to bake a good amount ahead of time and use throughout the week.
I have always struggled with dough recipes even though I love the idea of regularly making homemade bread in my kitchen. This recipe was a hit and I actually felt confident in completing it! Will be making again.
I needed to switch the honey out for sugar so it worked for my family. However, it was yummy and had nice flavor and texture
Zoe’s process is so great……not at all fiddly like some recipes I’ve tried!
Hi! I really want to make this bread and enter the competition, but my dutch oven is 7.25 quarts. Any suggestions on alternative baking vessels or can I use the 7.25 quart? Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Allison! As long as the dough fits inside of it, it doesn’t matter how large the vessel is. Happy baking!
Woot! Thank you for the fast response!
Hi! I really want to make this bread and enter the competition, but my dutch oven is 7.25 quarts. Any suggestions on alternative baking vessels or can I use the 7.25 quart? Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi again, Stephan! Can I still enter tomorrow the 15th or was today the last day?
So, if I’m proofing the 2nd time in parchment paper, is it going to change my result if I DONT remove it from the paper, and just grab it and place it in my preheated dutch oven?
Hi Mary, you can absolutely place it right on the parchment paper into your Dutch oven. I do it all the time and it works great! You can remove the parchment paper when you take the lid off for the second half of the baking time.
HI ZOE ,
I love making sourdough and I was so happy to have a new recipe to try out.
My expectations were really exceeded, at first I found the dough more sticky then I am used to.
I stuck with your steps and the bake and results are stunning!!
so much fun to bake with you
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at sourdough bread so the challenge was just the encouragement I needed. The recipe was super easy to follow and being able to ask Zoe questions helped a lot. My first attempt was a fail but after some adjustments I was able to get a loaf. A little flat but I’m going to keep working at it. I found sourdough is a journey in patience and feel. Next time I know what to expect and adjust as needed
Hi Judy! So glad we can be on this journey together. We’re thrilled you’re enjoying the process — and the bread. Cheers!
Getting ready to make the crusty bread recipe challenge and I have two questions:
1. Recipe states that you use King Arthur AP flour and I’m wondering why it’s not bread flour or Gold Medal AP (which is what you usually use).
2. I have a very unreliable gas oven (it shuts off when reaching temp and then turns on again when cooled down) Very frustrating. Have you ever had to bake in this type of oven and if so, any suggestions on baking the bread in it?
This recipe turned out so good. Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside.
This bread never fails! I always keep a double batch in my fridge. It’s so delicious and way easier than sourdough . I have the book and everything I’ve baked from it is perfection. Zoe has made me love Baking. I love her show and love her recipes. Try this. I swear you will never stop baking it.
This bread recipe is awesome! So easy to make and so delicious! I don’t have a stand mixer yet- instead I used a danish dough whisk to mix the dough- it worked perfectly! Excited to make this again!
I made the bread without any issues, until after the final proof. I took it out of the proofing basket and the bread spread everywhere. It would not hold its shape at all. The only change that I made to the recipe was that I used Red Star active yeast instead of instant. I added 1/4 tsp of sugar to activate it. That should not have made the bread have this issue. Any ideas?
Hi Terri, thanks for letting us know. In order to help, Zoë has a few questions. Let us know and we’ll do our best to help you get a great loaf!
1. What type of flour (brand) are you using?
2. Are you using weights or measuring cups?
3. Were you able to get it into a pretty tight ball before putting it in the basket?
4. How long did it rest in the basket?
This was so much fun to make! It made a truly amazing and LARGE boule of bread! I used brown sugar instead of honey. I do not have a proofing basket, so I just placed the dough on a floured piece of parchment paper. I don’t have a lame or a razor blade, so I tried my clean hobby knife. UGH—I need to invest in at least a razer blade! I also do not have a dutch oven, so I just placed it on a hot, preheated stone and added a cup of water into a preheated cast iron pan. 35 minutes later, it was totally brown/black—perhaps my oven is too hot, or it really needed to be in a dutch oven or a bread cloche?—so I didn’t bake for the additional 10 minutes.
It was so crusty, the shattered pieces covered my counter top when slicing it! I just wish it wasn’t so brown. The inside was pillowy soft with a lot of holes, not sure if it is supposed to be like that. Anyway, my husband LOVES it and that’s what counts, right??!!!
A great bread recipe for a rustic, crusty loaf. Start it before breakfast and you can serve it with lunch.
I don’t have a standing mixer. Crazy I know! lol! Can I just knead instead of using the paddle you mention?
Hi Jennifer,
Absolutely, it will be great! It’s a sticky dough, so you may end up wanting to do it with a wooden spoon if it starts to stick to your hands too much.
Cheers, Zoë
Excellent and quick recipe. I made this for our Nertz group last week and everybody thought it was sourdough, but I told them, no, it was just a crusty bread recipe. I’d post a photo, but it won’t let me.
Great, easy bread. Lives up to its Crusty name!
This is an easy and delicious crusty bread! A keeper recipe you can make in no time.
I made two mini loaves, baked at 475 in a preheated 4.5 qt Dutch oven for 35 minutes covered.
With salted butter it is perfect. If serving plain or with unsalted butter, I will increase the amount of Diamond Kosher salt.
This recipe is very simplistic in nature, though the result is so amazingly complex in taste! I will make this again and again! I must say, my dough was not as loose as yours and was worried that it would fail as a result, but it did not (happily). The recipe is only in gram measure and I did measure as prescribed, though it was very shaggy…I had to add more liquid. I wonder if I got the measure wrong… anyway, it turned out fantastic despite. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sourdough Recipees with a Dutch oven is perfect for me! Thank you for introducing us to a Dutch oven that isn’t heavy like my cast iron! Making this recipe after church!
Amazing bread!!! Thank you such a wonderful recipe!!
It truly is so good. I’m a regular sourdough boule baker but I needed bread day-of and didn’t have any ready. This was easy and lives up to the name! Thank you 🙂
Thanks so much for a fabulous recipe. I followed it exactly as written except I only have a five quart dutch oven and it turned out perfectly. I have been making many boules in the last 18 months and none of them had the interior texture I was looking for until I made this recipe.
Can sourdough starter be used in place of the yeast or with the yeast?
Hi Susie, Yes, sourdough can be used in place of the yeast, but it will depend on a few factors to know how much you should use. If you’re not an experienced sourdough baker, it’s better to start with something that you don’t have to adjust the recipe for. Zoë recommends this recipe from Heartbeet Kitchen. Cheers!
Fabulous! Easy and very forgiving. My bread slashing skills aren’t the greatest, but the boule still rose nicely. I baked it in a 5 qt. enameled cast iron dutch oven which was the perfect size. That crust is just the BEST! Thank you for introducing me to my new favorite “go to” boule recipe.
Exactly as described and foolproof if you follow the instructions. I use my 6 quart cast iron dutch oven with perfect results every time. Thanks Zoe for another favorite bread recipe.
That worked perfectly thank you. I had already made it and used 450 max which turned out great.
I’m so pleased with the result and look forward to using the remaining dough for other breads varieties.
Thanks your the link – it works.
Haven’t made this bread yet and I am curious why the choice of flour isn’t bread flour..?
Hi Thomas, Most of the breads in Zoë’s BREADIN5 series use all-purpose flour because Zoe and Jeff wanted to use flour that most people would have in their pantry. If you switch a recipe to bread flour it will also require an increase in hydration. Both flours are great, just different. Cheers!
Help.
I got everything ready to try this. On the Zoe bakes bread episode on Magnolia network when making the olive boule she never mentions the oven temp???? Preheat the dutch oven for 30 mins… no TEMP? Bake for 35. 25 with lid and 10 w/out the lid. No temp???
I’ve been trying to find it in on this site and the 5min bread site. Showing 475 degrees? Another preheat at 500 for 1.5lb artisan. This one is a 1 lb with olives.
The issue is my dutch oven with metal handle on lid shows it has a oven safe max temp of 450 – will this still work if baked at 450 in a convection gas oven?
Thank you.
Lainey
Hi Elaine, I think this is the recipe you’re looking for.
Hi Stephani,
Thanks for getting back to me so fast. I cannot open the link its says Magnolia is not available in your area. I’m in Montreal, CAN. I have made the dough and don’t want to waste it, so I already following the 910g flour, 3 cups water, 1.5 Tbsp yeast, 1 Tbsp Kosher salt. Its now rising.
Plan to use as shown 1lb of the risen dough with 1/4 cup of pitted olives. Its the bake temp that I’m concerned about. I can preheat and bake the dutch oven to a max of 450. Will that still work?
Thanks
Lainey
My dream is to buy a Le Creuset but they are $590. ouch 😉
Ahh! Let’s see if this will work for you instead. I uploaded it as a PDF so hopefully this link will work for you. Since your Dutch oven can only handle up to 450, I’d just keep the oven at that temperature, rather than starting at 500 and then reducing as it states in the recipe. You may want to extend the bake time by about 5 minutes once you’ve removed the lid, but that is at your discretion as you check the color of the loaf. I hope this helps! Enjoy!
Will never look for another quick crusty dutch oven
baked bread recipe again! Thank you Zoe! I am so happy to have found you watching your show within The Magnolia Network. I can’t wait to receive your books and look forward trying your additional recipes! I followed this recipe as stated, the only thing recommendation that would be helpful is to specify the baking time when splitting the dough in half? I have a 4 quart dutch oven and took a guess on baking time, I wished I would have weighed my finished dough prior to splitting? My first loaf I let proof as stated in step 6 – however covered on a floured parchment paper as I do not have a proofing basket. Once hour passed, I placed on heated dutch oven as instructed and baked for 30 mins. Now the second half of dough, also sat proofing in counter while I was baking the first and 20 mins into the first loaf baking I am happy that I decided to take second half, knead a couple of times and roll tighter into a boule shaped roll. I then baked that loaf 28 mins covered and 12 mins uncovered. I wished I could share photos because regardless both loaves turned out beautifully and absolutely delicious! I was faithful and waited the hour cooling period and also listened for the cracks! Can’t wait to try different variations of this recipe by adding olives, garlic, onions etc! Thank You!
I have 2 questions I have cast iron pots will they do?
Can I use Bread Flour or Wheat Flour? Will I follow the same recipe? Thanks
Converted this to fresh stone ground whole-wheat
Added additional water for the whole wheat. Turned into kneading in more flour and going to a third rise but the dough survived! The measure by weight ws a real help in the process even though I have never baked with a scale before. Now o can adjust the water back in grams to relate to weight of flour. 60 whole wheat flour to 40 water. And only 2 proofings! Cheers.
Using 500g of flour as per recipe instructions, what size loaf does this make? 1 pound? 1.5 lb? 2 lb? Thank you for your help.
Hi Jeannette, the dough weighs about 2 lbs. That won’t be exactly the weight after baking, but hopefully this approximation helps!
Made this yesterday and it was amazing! Will be making this often.
Hello. In instruction #1 are you to add yeast to the 125g of flour and 100g of water? Curious because instruction #2 says add the remaining ingredients to the flour/yeast mixture? The mixture is just flour and water.
Thank you.
Hi Madeline! Thank you for the question and sorry for the confusion. You hold off on adding the yeast until step 2 — recipe is updated now. Happy baking!
Why do you name grams in your ingredients?
It’s aggravating to have to look this up.
Hi Maggie, Zoë uses grams when baking bread because it’s the only way to get the recipe accurate. People measure flour in so many different ways and the recipes can end up vastly different when measured that way. The rest of her recipes use both cups and grams. An estimate for you would be about 3 3/4 cups flour and about 1 1/2 cups water.
I love this recipe. So good. I only wish you would publish the nutritional information as I’m watching calories
The store was completely out of instant yeast..I got the Red Star active yeast..will that work or does it have to be instant..
No problem, Debby! That will work. Happy baking!
Thanks.. I went for it with the active yeast and just took it out of the oven..it is truly sublime.
Amazingly wonderful bread, and so easy. I just can not believe this works. I have been baking breads for years, experimenting with more recipes than I can remember, sometimes with success and other times with disappointment. This bread recipe is my favorite by far, I really love it!
Turned out perfectly- and so easy! Crisp crust, tender inside. Thank you for this!
A winner once again! I have yet to be disappointed in your recipes or instructions.
Zoe, this is exciting to me as at 75 I cannot lift heavy items per lower body items falling due to gravity (if you get my drift). I could no longer lift my Challenger cast iron at 30 pounds!! Now this is only 7 pounds! I’m ordering it due to your bread baking article above. Please tell me if the sizes they state include the handles? On the 7qt. What is the internal size? The website doesn’t say if the size includes the handles.
Thanks
I know that salt inhibits yeast growth and is not always added at the start of a dough. But, you left out the salt addition to the recipe. When do you feel is the correct time to add it?
Hi Stuart, thanks for mentioning this. The recipe has been updated. The salt should be added when you add the remaining flour in step 2. Happy baking!