The smell of fresh-baked bread brings back memories of time spent in the kitchen with Grandma. That was long ago for me, and I often wish I had more free time to spend in the kitchen recreating her recipes.
Over the last weekend, I worked on perfecting a recipe for homemade bread that is so easy, I can make a loaf any day of the week. Give it a try! It's so simple, your family can enjoy the taste of fresh, straight out of the oven, home baked goodness any time you want.
Using the dutch oven helps retain the moisture while cooking, resulting in a crunchy crust, with a soft and spongy bread. If you don't have a dutch oven, bread can be baked on a cookie sheet, but it might change the texture of the bread — though it will still be delicious!
Dutch Oven Bread
Supplies needed:
- Dutch oven with cover
- Parchment paper (Note: Make sure your parchment paper shows a maximum temperature of 450 degrees or more. Some parchment paper's max temp is 400 degrees.)
- Medium sized mixing bowl
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast
- 1 1/4 c. very warm water (but not too hot, you don't want to kill the yeast! No more than 110 degrees.)
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 3-4 tsp. seasoning (I prefer Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. Try experimenting with your favorites!)
- 2 1/2 c. flour, plus extra for kneading
- Olive oil
Directions:
1. Add yeast and honey to warm water. Stir to combine. Let sit for about 5 min or until foamy.
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2. Add sea salt and seasoning, stir to combine.
3. Add flour, one cup at a time, stirring gently. Be careful to not over stir. Dough should be slightly sticky, enough to stick on your hands!
4. Form dough into a ball.
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5. Drizzle a medium-sized bowl with olive oil, place dough in bowl, swirl dough around sides of bowl, coating all sides with oil.
6. Let dough rise until doubled. Place bowl in warm kitchen (Dough rises quickly in my Instant Pot on the yogurt setting. Another option: Pre-heat oven to 250, turn off, and place dough in oven to rise, which usually takes around 30 minutes.
7. Place a sheet of parchment paper on counter. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of flour. Place dough on parchment and fold each corner to center, gently kneading in flour. Repeat 2-3 times until dough is smooth. Be careful to not over-knead!
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8. Take ends of parchment to pick up dough and place back in bowl for second rise. Rise until doubled, about 30 min.
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9. While dough is rising, place dutch oven with cover in oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees.
10. Remove lid to dutch oven (don't forget your oven mitt!), picking up dough by corners of parchment, gently transfer to dutch oven. Cover with lid. Bake 30 minutes.
11. Remove lid, bake another 5-10 min until crust is golden brown.
12. Carefully remove from dutch oven to cooling rack. Let cool before slicing.
Enjoy!
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Julie Dikken is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Evergreen and Macaroni Kid Arvada.
