Have you heard of dutch oven bread? I hadn’t, until I recently got a new cookbook from my sister for Christmas (just a few months late! ;) ) by Michael Ruhlman called Ruhlman’s Twenty. I was flipping through the pages when I came across it–bread baked in my Le Creuset dutch oven? Why haven’t I thought of this before? It’s genius–you’re trapping the heat while preserving the moisture in the bread. Perfection!
Needless to say, I was just a little excited to try out the recipe this weekend. Making fresh bread is really so easy, and like every time I make it, I wonder why I don’t make it more often! And if you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, you don’t even have to knead by hand!
On a side note, kneading and rising times will really vary due to temperature and humidity, so it’s important to pay attention to dough consistency, shape, and size as you make this.
I started by combining 4 cups flour, 1.5 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of yeast in my mixer. You’ll want to make sure your water is about 100 degrees in order for the yeast to rehydrate properly–I usually guesstimate by getting the water to perfect “spa” temperature.
Mix the ingredients on medium speed–about a 6 on your Kitchen Aid for 5-10 minutes. I made the mistake of thinking 4 was medium and the dough was not coming together–luckily I had Jeff to get me back on track! The dough should be smooth and stretch without breaking when done.
When the dough is done, form it into a ball by pulling the edges and shaping it with your hand (it’s okay if the bottom is a bit lumpy!). Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2-4 hours.
When the dough has finished rising, punch the ball down then remove the dough from the bowl and gently knead, on a floured surface, to release the gases. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes or so.
Coat your dutch oven with canola oil and then reform the dough into a tight ball (using the same technique as above) and place in the center of the pot. Place the lid on the pot and let the dough rise for another 30-60 minutes.
Now onto the baking! Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the lid and rub a generous amount of olive oil onto the bread. Score the bread with either an X or hash tag (#) then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cover, and bake for 30 minutes.
When the 30 minutes is over, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and remove the lid from the pot. Continue baking until the crust browns, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove pot from the oven and let bread sit about 15-20 minutes after baking to ensure the inside is completely cooked.
If you manage to resist eating it all in one sitting, I’ll show you what to do with the leftovers tomorrow!
Dutch Oven Bread
*Adapted from Ruhlman’s Twenty
Makes 1 large round loaf
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water (about 100 degrees)
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt + more for sprinkling
Canola oil
Olive Oil
Steps:
Combine 4 cups flour, 1.5 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of yeast in my mixer.
Mix the ingredients on medium speed–about a 6 on your Kitchen Aid–for 5-10 minutes. The dough should be smooth and stretch without breaking when done.
When the dough is done, form it into a ball by pulling the edges and shaping it with your hand (it’s okay if the bottom is a bit lumpy). Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2-4 hours.
When the dough has finished rising, punch the ball down then remove the dough from the bowl and gently knead, on a floured surface, to release the gases. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes or so.
Coat your dutch oven with canola oil and then reform the dough into a tight ball (using the same technique as above) and place in the center of the pot. Place the lid on the pot and let the dough rise for another 30-60 minutes.
Now onto the baking! Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove the lid and rub a generous amount of olive oil onto the bread. Score the bread with either an X or hash tag (#) then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cover, and bake for 30 minutes.
When the 30 minutes is over, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and remove the lid from the pot. Continue baking until the crust browns, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove pot from the oven and let bread sit about 15-20 minutes after baking to ensure the inside is completely cooked.
Serve warm, and enjoy!
Time: 3-6 hours
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Better late than never! The bread looks incredible.
Wow, I thought it was store bought bread. May e you have a knack for baking after all!!
I had tried the Sullivan Street/Leahy bread recipe a number of times. My DH has a knack for getting it right, but it never worked quite right for me. I followed the recipe above using the maximum times. I wasn’t sure about putting olive oil over the top so I put it on half. While the loaf stuck to the pan a bit, it took just a little gentle coaxing with a knife in a couple of places to loosen it. It’s now sitting on a metal trivet on the top of my bookshelf to cool. (We have a large dog.) I’ll taste it tomorrow and let you know how good it is.
It rose marvelously and looks beautiful.
Glad to hear it! I’ve had nothing but success with this recipe, so I hope you do too!
I think the keys to the recipe are the long mixing at the beginning with the KitchenAid, shaping the loaves properly, and then the baking in the dutch oven. I have the Copco brand. I’m so thrilled to now have the recipe that can produce a quality loaf in a day. Thanks so much!
P.S. I forgot to score the bread and also didn’t brush the top with olive oil. It still turned out great. The rest of the family is away and will return tomorrow. They are in for a treat!
The bread (made with unbleached flour) turned out great. The texture is wonderful with lots of airy holes.
Today I tried the recipe using 2 cups unbleached and 2 cups whole wheat. I also added toasted sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, and flax seeds. While the bread didn’t rise as much as the all unbleached flour, it rose respectably and looks fabulous. It came out of the dutch oven effortlessly. I’ll let the bread cool overnight since it finished baking this evening. I’m expecting it to taste great. Thanks so much!
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