4-Hour Dutch Oven Bread

Last year I bought my then-boyfriend a Lodge cast iron 3-quart dutch oven as part of his Christmas gift (which was themed around camping items), and made dutch oven bread for the first time shortly after. He loved the bread, and ended up using it to make French toast, which was delicious. The no-knead bread recipe was very simple to make, but the dough had to sit for 18-24 hours. One day I was searching recipes online and came across a similar recipe that only has to sit for 4 hours, which means you can bake it the same day. This recipe does say to knead it, although I wonder if that is really necessary since the other recipe does not say to do that (it just says to roll it with flour on your hands into a ball shape). I was curious if the bread would taste any different, but I could not tell a difference. I've made this bread several times since, and we always enjoy it.

Tonight I made it in a Le Creuset 3.5-quart wide dutch oven that my now-husband and I received as a wedding gift. I wasn't sure how well the bread would fit in this dutch oven because it is a bit more shallow than the Lodge, but it was a perfect fit. You can certainly use a larger one if that is all you have, and if you don't have a dutch oven, you can bake this in any pot with a lid that is oven-proof. Just make sure to pre-heat the oven with the dutch oven or pot in it. And if you are making more than one bread, put the empty dutch oven back in the oven in between breads. Homemade bread is delicious, and this recipe is proof that it doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming!

Edit December 2021: my cousin Vincent said this bread comes out best using King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, not Bread Flour!

4-Hour Dutch Oven Bread

1½ cups warm water

2¾ teaspoons active dry yeast 

Pinch of sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups King Arthur bread flour

Pour the warm water into a large bowl. Add yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add salt and flour and stir until a shaggy ball of dough is formed.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for 4 hours.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, knead the dough 5-10 times. Return dough to the bowl and let rise for another 30 minutes.

While dough is rising, place your dutch oven (uncovered) in the oven and preheat to 400°F.

After 30 minutes, use floured hands to reshape dough into a ball and carefully drop into the dutch oven.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Remove loaf from dutch oven and let cool before slicing.

Shaggy ball of dough

Dough after 4 hours

Turn dough on to flour surface

Knead dough 5-10 times

Preheat oven with dutch oven in it

Put dough ball in to warm dutch oven

Take lid off after 30 minutes in oven

Bake for another 10-15 minutes with lid off

Fresh out of the oven

Let bread cool before slicing

Photos by JoJo