Dutch Oven Artisan Bread

Is there anything better than the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven? A batch of my Biscoff cookies may come close but there is nothing like the aroma of yeasty warm bread. It’s practically begging to be cut into, slathered with butter and eaten.

I dreaded making bread for the longest time because no matter how hard I tried, I could never recreate that crusty, moist, flavorful yeasty bread that I so craved. The crust was never right, the center always too dry and the flavor always fell flat. I practically gave up on making bread after so many failed attempts.

Maybe I was doomed from the start since I always compared my loaves to ones in Parisian bakeries. My husband and I went to Europe on our 5th wedding anniversary and had so much fun exploring different cultures and tasting new cuisine. My favorite thing about Paris by far was the delicious food- the breads, pastries, macarons, crepes… need I say more? On our last night there, we picked up cheese, meats, grapes, fresh butter, and crusty artisan bread and had ourselves the best little meal we could possibly buy.  While watching the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower, I remember feeling full of life and I couldn’t have been happier.

Now to capture that feeling into a loaf of bread is pretty impossible. But I will tell you that when slicing into this Dutch Oven Artisan Bread, I am briefly transported back to those moments of bliss.

I originally found this recipe on Eating European. I used this recipe as the base for mine but tweaked a few things that I think has elevated it to achieve that Parisian loaf I was wanting.

I love making this bread because it is so easy! It takes little effort but yields an amazing and impressive loaf of bread that is perfect to serve to your family or friends. You don’t need to be a skilled bread maker to make this, all you need is time and access to a Dutch oven.  

This loaf is a no knead bread. The dough is very sticky and loose so kneading it would be next to impossible. The dough is made in advance and left to sit for at least 12 hours. During this resting time, the yeast is fermenting and developing the loveliest flavor.

My preferred method of making this bread is preparing the dough in the evening, placing it in the fridge overnight (or about 12 hours), then taking it out in the morning and letting it rest at room temp for about 4 hours. Bake in the afternoon and it’s perfect and ready to eat by dinner time!

Making the dough:

To make the dough, add flour to a large bowl. On one side of the bowl add salt and on the opposite side add yeast. With clean hands, mix each side seperately first with your fingers, then mix all together. Pour in warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together and all the flour has been absorb into the dough. Stir until no longer shaggy looking but more of a smoother consistency. See photos.

In this photo, the dough has not quite come together and is still shaggy looking, keep mixing!

 

The dough has now come together and has a smoother consistency. It looks perfect and no more mixing is required!

Shaping the dough:

When the dough is ready to be cooked, it will have risen about 3 times its size and look bubbly on top. Use a bench scraper to gently release it from the bowl and place the dough on a lightly floured surface. It’s important not to overwork the dough at this stage, which will knock out all the beautiful air bubbles that have formed.

To shape the dough, using lightly floured hands, form it into a ball by lightly folding each outer edge into the center and pinching it together. This will become the bottom of the loaf. Flip the dough over and using both hands to cup the side of the dough farthest from you while also remaining in contact with the counter, drag the dough towards your body. The dough will slightly stick to the counter and create tension across the surface of the dough. Repeat several times, rotating the dough 90 degrees each time until the dough is nice and round and the surface is taut. If at any point during this process your dough begins to tear, let the dough rest for 10 minutes and begin shaping again.

Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper that is bigger than your dough. This will be used to lift the dough and place it into the Dutch oven. Place your shaped dough onto the parchment paper and lightly cover with sling wrap. Allow to rest on the counter for 30 minutes (while Dutch oven is preheating in the oven).

Baking the loaf:

The bread is cooked in a 5qt Dutch oven. I use an enameled cast iron one made by Martha Stewart. A benefit to cooking with a Dutch oven is that they allow even heat distribution, which is perfect when cooking bread.

The Dutch oven is preheated and the prepared dough placed inside and covered with a lid. Baking it with the lid helps to keep moisture surrounding the bread, leading to that beautiful crust on the outside. Towards the end of the cooking time, the lid is removed to allow the top of the bread to brown. Bread is done when golden brown on top. Remove pan from oven and using the edges of the parchment paper, gently lift the bread out and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

This bread is delicious to cut into it while it’s warm (and who can really resist?) but I will say that allowing it to cool completely has its benefits. The bread is still finishing its final stages of cooking and by cutting into it, those last stages are interrupted and can alter the structure of the soft bread inside. 

This bread is so versatile and can be used for many different things. In my house we love having it with dinner (especially if there’s a nice sauce for it to soak up, yum!) or to make grilled sandwiches. Some butter and jam and you’ve got yourself a nice breakfast. Hope you enjoy making this bread. It’s so simple yet so delicious that its impossible to resist making!

X0- K