Description
There’s something homey about a loaf of freshly baked white bread. The golden crust, the light, fluffy interior, and that unmistakable aroma filling your kitchen—it’s hard to beat, isn’t it?! This easy Dutch oven bread is super easy, super delicious, and super great for lunchboxes – just ask Hunter!
Ingredients
Scale
- 600g bread flour
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 450ml lukewarm water
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a large mixing bowl and a dough hook, combine flour, salt, olive oil, and instant yeast. Pour in the lukewarm water. Turn on the mixer to speed 2 to combine all the ingredients. Once everything has combined, reduce the speed to 1 and let the mixer knead the dough for 10 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a silicone lid and pop it into the fridge overnight to let the dough rise and ferment a little. The dough should double in size and look soft and jiggly on the surface.
- Remove the dough from the fridge. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Use a spatula or bench scraper to turn the dough out gently—try not to deflate it. Gently fold the edges of the dough underneath toward the center a few times to form a round ball. Transfer the shaped, cold dough ball to a piece of parchment paper. Pop it into an oiled Dutch oven to rise. Let it rest for roughly 2 hours in a warm place for it to come back to room temperature and rise again.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/390°F. Cover with the lid and pop it into the oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Drop the temperature to 190°C/375°F, then remove the lid and continue baking for a further 20 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
- Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing with a serrated knife. This helps the texture finish setting and makes slicing easier.
Notes
- Make sure the interior of your enamel cast iron pot is oiled to prevent thermal shock.
- Give the dough plenty of time to ferment. The flavor and texture both benefit. While you can cook this loaf after a first rise on the bench, and a second quick rise, the flavor is nowhere as good as it is on day 2 with an overnight rest in the fridge. I promise you, it’s worth it! I’ve even tried leaving for 2,3, and four nights resting, and while all had a similar rise, the flavor developed with each day.
- Avoid over-flouring: A sticky dough may seem awkward, but it leads to a moist crumb and airy loaf.
- Please note all recipes on this website are in US measurements. Eg, 1 cup / 240ml, 1 tablespoon/15mls. Oven temperatures refer to a fan-forced oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 245
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 701.3 mg
- Fat: 3.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg