No knead dutch oven bread is so easy to make and turns out perfectly every time, even if you are a beginner. Bake this with coals or in the oven, it's amazing either way!
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You will love Baking Bread in a Dutch Oven
This dutch oven bread is a total showstopper and hit with everyone who tries it. And it couldn't be easier to throw together! It only has 4 ingredients and you can do all the prep the night before.
Mixing the dough the night before really lets the flavor develop from the yeast fermentation. The dough is a really wet dough too, so don't be surprised when you mix it up.
The combination of the overnight proofing and the wetness of the dough leaves you with a really flavorful and air-filled bread with a crispy outer crust.
Baking the bread in the dutch oven also helps gets the entire crust nice and crisp while keeping the inside of the loaf nice and tender. This is truly a remarkable recipe, and so easy! It leverages all of my favorite things about baking - ease and science!
No Knead Dutch Oven Bread Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Yeast (active dry or instant)
- Salt
- Water
How to make Bread in Dutch Oven
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- Add water and mix until homogenous.
- Cover and let rise in the fridge or cooler overnight.
- After rise time, shape into a round loaf by stretching the dough from the top to the bottom of the loaf and pinching it at the bottom.
- Place 4 coals directly under the dutch oven.
- Place about 10 coals on top of the dutch oven.
- Place 6-8 coals along the outside of the dutch oven, not underneath it.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, checking at 20 until the top and bottom are golden brown and the center of the bread registers 205º on an instant read thermometer.
- In an oven, bake at 450º for 20 minutes on the middle rack with the lid on.
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes uncovered until the top and bottom are golden brown and the center of the bread registers 205º on an instant-read thermometer.
- Let cool before slicing.
How to serve No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
No knead dutch oven bread can be served alongside just about any meal. It is great with butter, jam, honey, herbed soft cheese, or even oil and vinegar.
How to store this Dutch Oven Bread Recipe
Once cooled completely, this dutch oven bread recipe can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
No Knead Bread (Dutch Oven Recipe) FAQs
For this recipe, baking the bread in the dutch oven helps the soft dough keep a loaf shape.
This is a common question, but really it couldn't be simpler. If your dutch oven is seasoned correctly, the bread will just pop right out. We use a long spatula and an oven-mitt covered hand to gently lift it out and let it cool.
If you are worried about it sticking or aren't using a cast iron dutch oven, just line the pot or pan you are using with parchment. This will also make it easy to remove!
We use a 10-inch deep dutch oven for baking bread. This allows the bread to rise to the sides of the dutch oven while baking but not touch the top of the dutch oven.
For this bread, we obviously used a camp dutch oven. That means the dutch oven is just cast iron and can be used with coals directly on the top.
If you have an enamel coated dutch oven, that will also work great for this dutch oven bread.
You can put your camp dutch ovens in the oven and bake the bread if you don't want to use coals, but I don't recommend using coals on an enamel coated dutch oven. Those are made for stovetop or oven use only.
No knead bread is a more dense bread, but if yours is too dense, it probably had too much flour. This dough should be really soft and allow for larger air bubbles to develop.
No-knead bread is different from traditional yeast bread because you don't have to knead it.
Gummy bread is usually an indication it is not completely cooked through. To ensure your bread is cooked through, take the internal temperature. It should register between 200 -205ºF. If the dough is too wet the bread can also get gummy.
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Easy Dutch Oven Bread
Equipment
- Thermoworks MK4 Thermapen
- ThermoPop
- Enameled Dutch Oven
- 12-inch Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour (all purpose)
- 2 teaspoons yeast (active dry or instant)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups water (lukewarm)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- Add water and mix until homogenous.
- Cover and let rise in the fridge or cooler overnight.
- After rise time, shape into a round loaf by stretching the dough from the top to the bottom of the loaf and pinching it at the bottom.
- Place in a well seasoned and lightly greased dutch oven.
- Place 4 coals directly under the dutch oven.
- Place about 10 coals on top of the dutch oven.
- Place 6-8 coals along the outside of the dutch oven, not underneath it.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, checking at 20 until the top and bottom are golden brown and the center of the bread registers 205º on an instant read thermometer.
- In an oven, bake at 450º for 20 minutes with the lid on.
- Remove the lid and bake for 10 more minutes or until the top and bottom are golden brown and the center of the bread registers 205º on an instant read thermometer.
- Let cool before slicing.
Nutrition
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Deb Bojanowski
Should you bake the bread with the cover on in the 450 oven?
Alli
Thanks for clarifying! I've updated the recipe card and post. Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on and then an additional 10 with the lid off.
Alli
Such an easy and delicious bread recipe!