The Best No Knead Dutch Oven Bread

This is just like my no-knead rosemary pumpkin bread; using a wet and sticky dough, there’s no kneading involved. Plus, if you use a Dutch oven, you have the crunchiest bread with such an even crust. I’ve been making this Dutch Oven Bread since last year, and feel like I finally have the proportions, timing, and variations down. Using all white flour, you get a light, airy, and fluffy bread–literally perfect for dunking in extra virgin olive oil with herbs or using for avocado toast. While whole wheat is still good, it’s a bit drier and denser than all white flour. I also enjoy the variation of olives or fresh herbs with minced garlic; the latter makes great bread for a grilled cheese with tomato soup.

Ingredients (makes 1 large loaf with 16 slices).

• 4 c flour
• 1 t salt
• 2 c warm water, about 95-105ºF
• 2 t (heaping) active dry yeast

NOTE: photos embedded in the recipe are from when I made my herb and garlic Dutch oven bread back in January of this year. The lead and end photos are of the above recipe.

Directions.

1. Add yeast to warm water, mix well, and let sit for 5 min. Mixture should be frothy.
2. Meanwhile, add flour and salt to a large bowl. Mix well.
3. Pour yeast and water and mix with wooden spoon.
   • For Variations (see below): fold in any herbs and garlic or tapenade during this step. 
4. Dough will be sticky, but should shape into a ball.Cover bowl with a dish towel and let rise for at least 2 hrs. Dough should double in size.
5. Dough is ready when you can indent it with your fingers. Fold dough toward the center and repeat until all sides are folded in.
   

   
6. Sprinkle flour on a clean work surface. With lightly floured hands, transfer dough to surface and sprinkle top with flour. Fold dough in on itself so unfloured surface is exposed. You should only need to do this a few times until dough is firm, smooth (i.e. less sticky), and easily shaped into a round ball. Dough should be pretty elastic.
7. Place dough on parchment paper and leave uncovered to rise about 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 450º F, and place Dutch oven inside oven while it preheats.
9. Using a serrated knife, cut 3 slits across the top of the bread (optional).
10. *Carefully* (Dutch oven is hot!) place parchment paper inside Dutch oven, cover with the hot lid, and bake bread 30 min, remove lid, and bake an additional 12-15 min uncovered. Bread is done when it’s just beginning to brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you knock on the bottom.  
11. Cool for about 5-10 min before cutting.
12. Enjoy warm!

Adapted from my no-knead rosemary pumpkin bread.

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Variations.

You can also combine variation like a whole wheat olive loaf or whole wheat garlic.

Whole Wheat: for dry ingredients, use

• 2 c flour
• 2 c whole wheat flour

Garlic Herb: add in

• 2-3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 c fresh herbs, chopped like rosemary, sage, and oregano

Olive: add in

• 1/4 c tapenade

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Nutrition for 1 of 16 slices (all white flour version).

110 calories  •  0 g fat (0%)  •  22 g carbs (85%)  •  54 g protein (15%)  •  1 g fiber  •  1 g sugar  •  147.5 mg sodium

* These are estimates based off specific products I used and how I entered ingredients in a fitness tracker. This is completely subjective and used to give a rough nutritional estimate.