Easy Crusty No-knead Dutch Oven Bread

 

Easy Crusty No-knead Dutch Oven Bread

Crusty No-knead Dutch Oven Bread –  An amazing bakery-style bread with a golden crisp outer crust and a soft, chewy interior with great flavor. If you use the dutch oven you will achieve a crunchy artisan-type crust. This is a fantastic rustic bread!

CRUSTY NO-KNEAD DUTCH OVEN BREAD

A very easy and astonishingly tasty, crispy artisan bread with no kneading involved.  All the hands-on time you need is altogether less than 10 minutes because no kneading is required in making this Bread. Hence the fermentation time will be extended. All the other time involved is just resting time.

The resting time of this type of Bread usually takes between 18 to 24 hours, but this method does not require that much time which is why I call it the quick No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread. All the resting time you need is just about 3 hours, and you will have a beautiful loaf of crusty, no-knead dutch oven bread on your dining table.

Ingredients

• 4 cups bread flour

• 2 tsp instant yeast

• 2 tsp salt or use 1½ tsp if you want less salt

• 2 cups hot water about 125° F (54°C)

HOW TO MAKE THE CRUSTY NO-KNEAD DUTCH OVEN BREAD

All you need is hot water, salt, flour, and yeast, then mix everything together – don’t knead, just mix till the dough absorbs all the water. 

That’s all for the dough. Cover up the dough and leave to rest for two hours.

After two hours, open up the dough, at this time, you will have a kind of jiggly dough. Sprinkle a bit of flour on the surface of the dough, just for easier handling. Then, punch it down to remove the trapped air.

The dough is a very soft one but try to gather the dough together in a ball, lift it from the bowl, and transfer it to parchment paper laid on a flat table surface. Cover it up with a kitchen towel and leave it to rise again for another 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450°F and place the Dutch Pot inside the Oven. This will help to start cooking the dough as soon as it touches the pot.

After one hour, you can now score the bread with a sharp knife or a blade. However, scoring is entirely optional. The bread will still rise and tear open by itself in the oven. But I like to score the bread just for aesthetics!

At this point, you can now bring out the dutch pot from the oven and carefully transfer the dough inside the pot – Be careful it’s very hot! Cover up the pot immediately and take it back to the preheated oven.

Let it bake covered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, open up the dutch oven and leave the bread to bake for another 10 minutes to perfect that brown, crispy crust.

There you have it, your wonderfully crusty No-knead dutch oven bread, crispy on the outside and chewy inside!

Crusty No-knead Dutch Oven Bread in a dutch oven

SO WHAT IS IT WITH HOT WATER?

Dutch oven recipes require long proofing of up to 8 to 48 hours, but this method is a fast bread recipe which is why hot water is required to activate a quick rise in the dough. You don’t need to boil the water if you use the hot water from your tap. The recommended water temperature should be about 125-130° F. That is what I always use whenever I make this recipe. Don’t worry the yeast will be okay as long as the recipe is followed.

If you’d like to use the original overnight method, simply switch to warm water and let the dough rest in a warm place overnight for 8 to 24 hours;

Crusty No-knead Dutch Oven Bread in a dutch oven

Often time, when I bake dutch oven bread, especially when it’s still fresh. I just tear off a chunk and eat it as is. However, you can dip this bread in olive oil or sauce, and it’s also a great accompaniment to a hot bowl of soup.

So here is my technique for making a flavorful artisan kind of bread at home using a no-knead baking method. Enjoy!

TROUBLESHOOTING THE DUTCH OVEN BREAD

Why is my bread sticking to the parchment paper?

• It’s likely your Dutch Oven pot was not hot enough before placing your dough inside it.

What is the purpose of the Dutch Oven?

• The purpose of the dutch oven is to capture steam to give the bread that signature artisanal crust and to help keep it in shape.

I don’t have a dutch oven, can I use a baking pan?

• Yes, you can make this no-knead Bread without the Dutch Oven. Your bread will still turn out nice. However, you will be missing that artisanal crust and Shape.

Why do I need to cover my Dutch Oven during the baking process?

• Covering the Dutch Oven creates a suitable steamed environment for the Bread which in turn helps to form a crusty exterior.

Notes

After the second rise, the dough can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Minimal handling is needed to keep the awesome texture of this Bread. If you keep on manipulating the dough, you will not achieve that.

This recipe calls for a two-hour rise time, and you will get an amazing crusty Artisan Bread. It is advisable not to go below the two hours to achieve the best texture in your Bread.

 Please don’t use hot boiling water it will ruin the bread. I used hot tap water – about 125-130° F

If you like the giant holes in the interior of your bread, you can choose to proof it longer up to 24 hours. The longer you proof it, the more holes you get in the bread.

This Bread is also very versatile. You can add any spice, seasoning, or herbs if you wish.

You can also spread some butter or olive oil on top of the bread and sprinkle seeds, oats, or grains over it.

Use a large bowl when making this Dutch Oven Bread because the dough has a high tendency to rise so high.

Leave to cool for some minutes before serving. Enjoy!