Dutch Oven White Bread

Course Bread

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword artisan-bread-recipes, artisan-white-bread, dutch-oven-white-bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Rise time 8

Total Time 8 55

Servings loaf

Calories 1824kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (105-110°F)
1 (1/4 oz) packet rapid rise yeast (equal to 2 1/4 tsp)
1 tsp sugar
4 cups all purpose or bread flour
1 tsp salt

Instructions

In a measuring cup or bowl, mix together water, sugar and yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes until foamy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, sift together flour and salt.
Make a well in the center of the flour and add yeast mixture. Turn on medium, knead for 5 minutes until pulled away from the sides of the bowl and elastic.
Oil the bowl and dough, turning to coat. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 4 hours in a warm, draft free place.
Punch down dough to release air. Fold dough from edges to the center pinch together. Shape into a ball and return to the bowl smooth side up. Cover and let rise 2-3 hours.
Gently stretch the dough into a round loaf pinching the seams of the dough together underneath. (There's no need to punch the dough down this step.} Dust the top with a small amount of flour. Return to bowl, cover and let rise for 1 hour.
30 minutes into the final rise, place dutch oven into the oven with the lid in place while it preheats to 425°F. Leave in oven for 30 minutes.
Use oven mitts to remove from oven. Set on a heat proof trivet.
Remove dough from bowl and place onto a piece of parchment paper. Lift dough with paper, placing into the Dutch oven. Cut 3 slits, a cross shape or an X on top using a sharp knife and sprinkle with a small amount of flour. (optional)
Bake bread in preheated dutch oven for 30 minutes with lid in place. Remove lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the bread from the Dutch oven using the corners of the parchment parchment paper and rest on the counter or a baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Slice and enjoy with soups, stews, as sandwich bread and more!

Notes

Fresh Herbs - You may opt to add fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or chives.
Spices - You may like to add seasonings like granulated garlic, onion powder or dry Italian seasoning to the flour mixture to change the flavor profile.
Cinnamon Raisin - You could turn this bread into a sweet bread, adding light brown sugar, cinnamon and raisins to the dough.
Italian Bread - Before breaking you can brush the bread with olive oil, then sprinkle the top with fresh rosemary and sea salt or Parmesan cheese.
Flour - You can use bread flour or all purpose flour in this recipe. You could also adapt using whole wheat flour.
Yeast - This recipe uses rapid rise yeast (not instant yeast). You can use active dry yeast in the same amount.
Scalded Milk - This recipe can also be started with the same amount of scalded milk in place of water. To make scalded milk, pour into a saucepan and heat on the stove top until steamy, not boiling. Remove from the heat just before it comes to a boil. Cool to lukewarm, and proceed with the recipe, adding yeast and sugar.
Proofing - You can let this bread sit on the counter overnight to proof before baking. Not kidding. When doing so, the bread will have a lighter more airy texture as more air bubbles will form the longer it sits.

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