Bread has sort of scared me. I mean, I love bread, but making it always seemed like such a hassle. So much planning and waiting…. But what I never really thought about, was that all that waiting actually means that it isn’t THAT much work to make a wonderful loaf of bread. It just means you need to be alert enough to respond to a timer going off! This no-knead dutch oven bread has the added bonus of not needing to be kneaded (hehe) so it’s a great place to start is you’re a little hesitant about bread making as well.
So let me tell you a secret – I technically have not made this bread. I have eaten it many times, and have observed the process, but this is one of those dishes that my boyfriend loves to make, and who am I to stop him! So I’ll just let you know that this is “our” recipe. Or maybe I’m just stealing it… 😉
This no-knead bread only has two rises, which is really quite nice. What I like about this is that you can make the dough right before you go to bed, and then forget about it until the following afternoon. The waiting doesn’t seem so long when you’re sleeping through half of the time! There is no kneading, only one “folding” of the dough to help it keep its shape. It is a very low maintenance bread.
Cooking it in the dutch oven makes for a PERFECT crust! It gets so crispy and crunchy while keeping the inside soft and pillowy. We usually make this to go alongside pasta or salad, and also enjoy snacking on it with balsamic or using it as sandwich bread. It’s super multi purpose and will disappear in a flash. Happy baking!
No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups Bread flour
- 1/4 tsp. Quick Rise Yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups Purified or filtered water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast and salt. Mix in the water until it is well combined. Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for 16-18 hours.
- Once rested, carefully scrape the dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle flour on the top of the dough and your hands. Push the dough out so it is sitting evenly on the surface. Fold the dough over itself in thirds. Then in the other direction, fold the dough in half. Cover with a towel let sit for 1.5 hours.
- Preheat oven and covered dutch oven to 500 degrees F. Once it has reached temperature, carefully place dough in the center of dutch oven. Put lid on and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Remove from oven, and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove from Dutch oven, slice, and enjoy.
