Quick Dutch Oven Bread Recipe - OvenSpot (2024)

FAQs

Should I oil my Dutch oven before baking bread? ›

As long as you have a lid to cover it, the bread comes out perfectly every time. I found that using a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven yields the perfect round shape. Fight the urge to grease your Dutch oven. Because of the high temperature, the fat will burn off almost immediately, giving your bread a charred taste.

Any tips for preventing a thick, hard crust on the bottom of my bread done in a Dutch oven? Make sure you are using a heavy gauge Dutch oven and that it isn't too close to the bottom heat element in your oven. If you are still getting a thick, hard crust, you can put a pillow of foil down, like this.

Can I cook bread in a smaller Dutch Oven? If you already own a smaller Dutch oven, like this 3.5-quart Mini Dutch (or you think 5.5-quarts is a bit much) then good news! You can still cook all the bread recipes that were written for a larger Dutch.

Turning proofed bread dough out right into a preheated Dutch oven instead of on a pizza peel. My method for baking bread dough in a Dutch oven: Preheat your home oven to 450°F (230°C) with a Dutch oven inside for 30 to 45 minutes.

You can shape your dough on a rectangular sheet of parchment paper, then use it to safely lower the dough into your Dutch oven. Once your gorgeous loaf of bread is finished cooking, the parchment paper makes removing the loaf super easy.

Wetting the dough causes the surface to steam. Covering it traps the moisture. This partnership stops the bread from drying out on the surface in the hot air of the oven and forming a premature crust. Your bread rises more and produces a richer colour, becoming glossy on the surface.

If your Dutch oven doesn't have a lid, you can use foil. Just be very careful when covering the pot as it will be hot.

How do I keep my loaves from burning on the bottom? This is a common problem. Put a separate oven rack below the rack your Dutch oven is sitting on. Put a baking sheet (upside down) on the rack below the Dutch oven. This creates a heat deflection shield between the bottom of your oven and the bottom of the Dutch oven.

Lid off, but inside the oven. It'll preheat faster since all sides will be more directly exposed to the heat.

Some dutch oven cooks use the "three up, three down rule." For 325 degrees in a 12-inch diameter iron oven you need 12 briquettes + 3 = 15 briquettes for the top and 12 briquettes - 3 = 9 briquettes for the bottom. To get 350° F, add one more coal on both the top and bottom.

Should I take lid off Dutch oven for bread? ›

During those first 20 minutes, your bread will rise and expand. If you would not have it inside the Dutch oven with the closed lid, a thick crust would form too soon, thereby keeping it from reaching its full potential. After the first 20 minutes, you remove the lid and continue baking for another 25 to 30 minutes.

You just need a lid to cover it and the proper heat-conducting cast-iron material, and your bread will come out perfectly every time. Size & Shape: Look for a 6- to 7-quart, round Dutch oven. Anything much bigger will cause the bread to spread out and go flat.

Bread Flour Substitute

You can always substitute all-purpose flour for bread flour one for one in any recipe that calls for it. Your bread might not raise quite as high or have quite as much chew, if you are using all-purpose flour, but it will still be delicious and homemade and all the good things.

To prevent the bread from sticking to the Dutch oven, you can lightly grease the inside of the Dutch oven with oil or butter before placing the bread dough inside. Alternatively, using parchment paper to line the Dutch oven can also prevent sticking and make for easy removal of the baked bread.

By lightly oiling your Dutch oven before storing, you can help prevent rust forming and keep your cast-iron cookware in the family longer. Add a drop of vegetable or seasoning oil to the inside of the pot and use a cloth, paper towel or your hands to spread it evenly all over the cast-iron surface.

For almost any type of bread, greasing the entire ball of dough before the first rise is an essential step. It's easy to do and becomes second nature as you bake more loaves of bread.

Not using enough oil or butter to coat the bottom of the pan. While the enameled coating on a Dutch oven may look glossy and nonstick, it's actually not. Like all other nonstick pots and pans, it needs a sufficient amount of hot fat on its surface to ensure food won't stick to it.