It was raining and hailing outside. I had company coming over and a roast dinner in mind with all the extras. One thing that was non-negotiable on the menu, besides the roast itself, a good and hearty loaf of bread. The kind that springs back when you gently push on it instead of collapsing, with chewy crust and loads of flavour. Unfortunately, the “non-negotiable” part was delayed to be purchased “for later” and then the onslaught of rain came.
Although I’d lived on the Wet West Coast of Canada for 9 years and now in England for 3 I still can’t stand the rain. There was just no way I was getting out for a loaf of bread and no way I was giving up my original dinner menu plan. So I headed over to my Pinterest Bread board and decided to make my FIRST ever loaf of bread. That’s right, my bread baking spree was brought on by laziness and an overall dislike for getting my hair wet. The last one is not even a joke. Ask Brad if you want details.
I chose the recipe that claimed that the dough required no kneading and was ready in 2 hours. Brilliant! 2 hours is all I had. In the end was I was extremely pleased with the end result. However, the bread was lacking that thick chewy crust that is my favourite part in any bread. So the next day I tried the famous dutch oven bread recipe and got the crust I wanted.
So naturally the next step was to combine the quick recipe and the method of baking and make loaf number 3 – a pretty risky step for a non-experienced bread baker but experimenting in the kitchen is what I do. I also changed the original recipe by adding more salt and reducing the amount of flour, also increasing the oven temperature from 350F to 500F. The bread we got as a result of that experiment was mind blowing. I overheard my kids talking later which brought a smile to my face, “That’s the best bread she’s made!” Pillowy soft but quite substantial with a thick crust, just the way… aha aha… I like it!
That bread was so delicious I would happily make it my dinner, nothing else required. Well, maybe a dip of sorts too. My kids are all about bread and butter. I, on the other hand, love my bread dipped in extra virgin olive oil with a bit of balsamic vinegar.
Or dukkah spice, an aromatic Egyptian side dish consisting of a mixture of herbs, nuts and spices. You can buy it in grocery stores like I did but it’s much tastier if you make your own.
I used already made mix and wanted to open up the flavours a bit more so I put a handful in my mortar and took a pestle to it until I could smell the warm and aromatic mixture filling the room.
The dip is as simple as could be. Just pour some good quality extra virgin olive oil in a small plate, sprinkle with some sea salt and dukkah spice. Then dip and dip and dip some more.
Ingredients
- 1 package/ 7 gr- active dry yeast
- 2 cups/500ml lukewarm water
- 3/4 tbsp sea salt
- 4 cups/480g bread flour I used Canadian flour)
For the dip
- olive oil
- sea salt
- dukkah spice
Instructions
- Mix warm water and yeast in a small bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour and salt.
- Add the water and yeast mixture to the flour and mix until the dough comes together with a hook attachment or by hand.
- Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for one hour in a warm place.
- After one hour preheat the oven to 500F/260C with the oiled dutch oven, including the lid, in it.
- Remove the dough on a floured surface and shape it into a ball by tucking the corners in like an envelope.
- Put it on a tea towel seam side down, sprinkle with more four and cover with another tea towel and let it rise for 30 minutes.
- Take the dutch oven out. It would have been warming in the oven for 30 minutes by then and will be blazing hot.
- Carefully lift your dough and put it in the dutch oven, cover with the lid and bake for 20 minutes.
- Take the lid off and bake for additional 10 minutes.
- Let it cool which will also allow the crust to develop.
- Before serving, pour some olive oil in a shallow plate and sprinkle with some sea salt and dukkah spice.
Nicole says
I can’t believe I actually made bread! Finally! Thank you!
vikalinka says
Once the fear is gone, you will be unstoppable, Nicole! My husband went from not knowing anything about baking to being the main bread maker in the family. He makes two loaves every Sunday.
Larry says
Love the bread, can you substitute whole wheat flour and get the same results?
vikalinka says
Yes you can, Larry!
Sue says
Mm mm! This is my families favorite dinner bread! I have made this over a dozen times and it turns out big, fluffy, crunchy crust, soft in the middle every time! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
vikalinka says
Oh that makes me so happy!! I am so glad this bread has become a staple in your family! All the best wishes, Sue!
Angela says
Great, thank you
Angela says
Hi
Very nice bread.
Could I ask to get the texture you get, is it due to the 1 hour rise.
I like it not with the big holes as Jim Laley has it.
Thanks
Angela
vikalinka says
Hi Angela, yes the texture you see is what you get after letting it rise for an hour. It is a no-knead recipe but it is different from Jim Lahey’s recipe as the dough needs much more yeast to rise so quickly.
Mafer says
I’m doing this right now ! And so far, it’s looking great. :D. Last time I tried the 12-20 hour recipe and the loaf did not last 2 hours! I bet this recipe is equally scrumptious. And this time, I’m aiming for that gorgeous golden crust you show in your picture!
vikalinka says
Good stuff, Mafer! Please, let me know how it turns out. I have dough rising at the moment as well. 🙂
Mafer says
Hello again! The bread came out beautifully!! Soft on the inside but with a substantially thick golden crust (just as you said). It smelt and tasted like heaven. Even though I finished this at 1:00 AM. My mother woke up and had a slice, despite the late hours in which we should have been allready sleeping). By the way, I’m also following your Instagram account (mine is: Mi_Bella_Mal_Genio ). Once again, thank you for this great recipe! Greetings from Mexico!
Tiphanie says
Hi. I’m just wondering if I did something wrong but my dough is not easy to work with I couldn’t pick it up to put in my pot to save my life lol. Can you do second rise in the Dutch oven? I’ve seen others that do that so I wasn’t sure. Thank you.
vikalinka says
Tiphanie, you are supposed to preheat the Dutch oven before you bake the bread in it and that is why it would be problematic to do the second rise in it. Why exactly can’t you pick up your dough? Is it too sticky? You can always do the second rise on a piece of parchment paper, then pick it up by its corners and put it in the Dutch oven. I hope it helps.
Tiphanie says
Yes it was very sticky so it was hard to form up too. I did use a parchment paper and it worked great. The loaf is signing on my counter now! Can’t wait to taste it.
vikalinka says
Awesome, I hope you love it!
Karen says
This looks so wonderful. Can I make it with instant yeast? If so, how would I do it?
vikalinka says
Karen, yes you can use instant yeast for this recipe. It will make no difference. Usually it just means that you don’t have to dissolve it in water because it’s so fine but this recipes doesn’t even call for that step anyway.
LYUDA says
Love the bread!! My husband ate half of it and said keep making it 🙂 Thank you for the recipe! God bless you.
vikalinka says
Sounds like my husband, Lyuda! You are very welcome and thank you for stopping by!
samantha says
I’m sorry for the typos. Keep cooking not cooling. And I’m trying to rate five stars but it won’t let me.
vikalinka says
No problem, Samantha. I got ya. 🙂
samantha says
This is in the oven now. Im completely new to making bread but really want to get away from conventional sandwich bread. Does this cool in the DO or do I take it out and cool it on a rack? My brain says take it out or it will keep cooling but I’m just not sure.
vikalinka says
Definitely take it out or it will “sweat” and dampen your beautiful crust. 🙂
Jackie says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am new to using a Dutch oven and this was the very first recipe I tried:) it was super easy to make. My family and I enjoyed it along with some hot chili on a rainy day.
Sandy says
This is a great recipe and I’m making my third batch of it in a week! We’ve been eating our with homemade soup 🙂 my question…..I am using a paper towel to coat the inside of my Dutch oven with oil but am still finding that it smokes and burns on the inside to the point where I won’t be using this pot for anything but this bread recipe 😉 are you having the same issue?
vikalinka says
Sandy, I am so glad you love the recipe. I had the same issue with my Dutch oven, in fact I had to google to figure out how to clean it afterwards! I also found that I only needed to oil the bottom of the pan.I hope that helps!
Crelatia says
I just wanted to thank you for this lovely recipe. I was given a Kitchenaid standup mixer last Sunday and am making my 5th loaf of bread. I love how fast the recipe is and its flexibility. I have taken to adding black pepper or fresh herbs to during the flour stage and cheese (parmesan and cheddar) in the “turn on the oven and tuck the dough under” stage. Everytime the bread has been great and shareable.
So — Thank you so much for sharing! (Seriously, you have made my home and workplace very happy and full people!)
All the best!
vikalinka says
So great to hear! I just made a loaf last night as well. I haven’t tried to add any add-ons yet but am looking forward to it now! Thank you so much for your feedback. 🙂
Rebeca says
I tried and looks wonderful!
Rebeca says
And tastes wonderful too!
vikalinka says
It really does! I just love how quick it is! 🙂
Susan says
This may be a dumb question. .. But when you put the dough into the Dutch oven, do you put the Dutch oven back into the oven? At 500 degrees?
vikalinka says
Hi Susan, yes you do. 🙂
Audrey says
Just wondering if I can put all the ingredients into my bread maker?
vikalinka says
Audrey, I haven’t tried so I can’t tell you for sure. The key to success of this bread is baking it at a very high temperature in a dutch oven which makes it even hotter. I think you can bake it in a bread maker but it will produce a much denser loaf.
Chloe says
Are you using English cups or American?
vikalinka says
These are American cups, English people use scales and measure in weights for baking.
Janell Workman says
This recipe looks amazing and I want to try it but I don’t have a “dutch oven”. Can I bake the bread in the oven at 500° or will it be at a different temperature if I do this?
vikalinka says
Janell, you can use any type of casserole dish with a lid like Pyrex to bake this bread but you do need a lid for the temperature to rise even more and allow this bread to rise quickly. It also creates steam, which is needed for the formation of the “chewy” crust.
Nicole says
This may sound like a dumb question, but i want to make sure. For the flour: is it bread flour or is it regular white flour? I’m a newlywed and i am making this for my husband’s family tomorrow, so i like to make sure i do it properly! His family (and myself) LOVE our bread!
Thank you!!
vikalinka says
Nicole, it’s not a dumb question but the answer depends on where you live because the flour varies quite a bit from country to country. I used Canadian all purpose flour but you can also use bread flour.
Ja u kuhinji... says
There is nothing better than homemade bread dipped in olive oil, perfectly…
Glynis says
I assume that the first line should read “Mix warm water..” I don’t know how to warm flour 🙂 Can’t wait to try this!
vikalinka says
hahaha, it’s been corrected. Thank you!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Ha! That’s funny that you made bread because you didn’t want to get your hair wet! I get it. I’ve just got back to England after living in much warmer places for years. I’m happy to be back but NOT impressed with the wet, windy weather. Yuck!
Looks like you nailed the bread-making right off!
vikalinka says
Helen, welcome back! Aren’t you feeling so blessed to enjoy this beautiful weather! lol Joking aside, it must be great to be back home.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I could easily make a meal out of this bread too, it looks wonderful!
vikalinka says
Thank you Laura, too bad this bread doesn’t last long in our house!