The easiest artisan loaf of bread made with very simple ingredients, time, and a dutch oven.
Recipe by Joy the Baker on September 5, 2024
Prep time: PT-494776H12M59S
Cook time: PT-494776H12M59S
Rating
4.6 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
bread, loaf, easy bread recipe, bread baking
Ingredients
3 1/4 (425 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water with a splash of olive oil
Categories
bread
Steps
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast until well combined. Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the dough is uniformly mixed. The dough will be loose and shaggy, which is exactly how it should look.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. The dough should rise and develop a slightly bubbly, wet surface.
After the rise, transfer the dough to a very well-floured surface. Flour your hands as well. Fold the dough onto itself by pulling the outer edges toward the center around the dough a few times until it tightens and forms a ball. If the dough feels sticky or loose, sprinkle more flour as needed. Lightly flour the top of the dough ball, then carefully flip it upside-down onto a piece of parchment paper so that the smooth side is facing up. Use your hands to shape the dough into an even circle. Lightly flour the top again, place on a piece of parchment, and loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap or beeswax wrap while the oven heats.
Place a Dutch oven (with the lid on) inside your oven and preheat to 450°F. Allow the Dutch oven to heat for 20-30 minutes while the dough continues to rest. If the dough spreads out more than you’d like during this time, you can reshape it into a tighter ball just before baking.
Using oven mitts, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven—be cautious, as it will be extremely hot. Lift the dough ball by the edges of the parchment paper and gently place it into the Dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until the crust reaches your desired level of golden-brown and crispiness. The bottom of the loaf will sound hollow when thumped.
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and carefully transfer the bread to a wire cooling rack using the parchment paper. Allow the bread to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Reviews
Adam Orr on 2024-09-05 (5 stars): I've made this bread many times and it's always awesome and easy. It almost had a sourdough taste. I was thinking could you sub buttermilk for the water (cold fermented obviously)for a taste even closer to sourdough?
Fayne on 2024-09-06 (5 stars): Have made sourdough bread for years using various people's methods, I'm 89 years old, so trust me I've tried alot.
Read this recipe, had a spare non productive day ahead of me so I decided to give it a go.
What excitement when things started to bubble with 1/2 teaspoon of yeast. Rushed out in the morning and my dough looked great. Threw it in the oven and hubby and I couldn't wait to see what it was like.
To say I was impressed is an under statement. No work involved, basic ingredients and a beautiful holey loaf at the end of it. Brilliant. Tenant getting the next one. Thankyou so much to you and your husband for sharing this amazing easy recipe.
Meaghan Moore on 2025-01-27 (5 stars): This recipe is super simple and I find myself coming back to it week after week! Makes a crusty loaf of bread everytime!
Daniel Sonntag on 2025-02-27 (5 stars): Update I don't know What I originally did (now I think I literally left one cup of flour out)
Tried it again,, used a scale for the flour this time.
Oh my this came out amazing. I have pretzel salt so I threw that on.
Wish I could post my photo here! I'm not on social media
Carolyn Hendrix on 2025-06-19 (3 stars): New to baking in a cloche. Have tried several no-knead recipes (following recipe exactly), and dough spreads out such that I get a really flat loaf. Suggestions, please?
