Effortless Dutch Oven Bread

A friend of mine shared this on pinterest a few months ago and the image has been haunting me. So I threw together the dough yesterday and eagerly awoke this morning to check on it. It was bubbly and sticky, perfect to throw in a hot Dutch oven and bake. The results were amazing – a chewy bread surrounded by a crunchy, flaky, almost delicate crust. The best part? This is the easiest recipe you will ever attempt; simply mix, proof and bake!

Effortless Dutch Oven Bread

Courtesy of simplysogood.blogspot.com

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1¾ tsp salt (we leaned more toward 2 tsp sea salt)

½ tsp yeast

1½ cups water (room temperature to lukewarm)

                                                             

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours.  Overnight works great.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.

Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

I told you it was easy!

She has a few variations – one with Gruyere  lemon and rosemary – that I will definitely be making tomorrow. Stay tuned!

For a printable version of this recipe, please click here.