Dutch Oven Bread Recipe | Sur La Table (2024)

FAQs

Can I bake bread in my Le Creuset Dutch oven? ›

You can either use a round or oval Le Creuset Dutch oven. Since the dough is very wet and loose, it will take on the shape and size of the pot as it bakes. So an oval pot will result in more of a traditional oval shaped loaf, while a round Dutch oven will produce a round boule shaped loaf.

I like to use a 4 or 5-quart Dutch oven or a 3.2-quart combo cooker for baking bread. These sizes are large enough to accommodate most bread recipes. If you have a larger Dutch oven, that will work just fine, too.

A Dutch oven is a catch-all term for enclosing your loaf inside a chamber for the first 20 minutes of the bake and then baking without the lid for the next 20 minutes. Enclosing a loaf like this in the initial part of the bake helps the loaf to achieve really good oven spring.

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.

Bake the bread – During the last 15 minutes of rising time, preheat the oven to 450°F. Score the bread, cover and place in the hot oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Continue baking for another 15-20 minutes.

The lids are oven-safe up to 425°F.

Dutch oven bread recipes often call for a 5.5-quart pot, which makes these Dutch ovens more desirable for baking, which inspires more recipes — and the delicious cycle continues. All that to say, if you don't have a Dutch oven yet, a 5.5-quart Dutch oven will set you up for decades of baking.

So for a family of four, you would want something that is a minimum of 4 quarts. And then with rounding up, the ideal size would be somewhere in the 5-6 quart capacity. But an important thing to consider is whether you also often cook for extended family or guests.

Preheat Dutch Oven & Bake

Right before you pull the dough out of the bowl, place the dutch oven into the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees F. Placing the artisan bread dough into the warm dutch oven results in a golden-brown crispy crust.

A preheated dutch oven will create steam

In bread baking, hot steam reacts with the dough to quickly expand it, leaving behind those signature air holes inside the bread. It also produces a shiny, crisp crust on the exterior. In short, steam makes bread look and taste gorgeous.

Do I need to grease my Dutch oven for bread? ›

Should I grease my Dutch oven before baking in it? It's generally not recommended to grease the inside of a Dutch oven for baking, since it can cause your bread to char. Instead, line the Dutch oven with parchment paper before baking.

If the bottom of your Dutch oven isn't enamel-coated, it's best to use the parchment paper. Mine is enamel-coated, but I find it easier to keep the round shape of the dough if I just place it in the Dutch oven with the parchment paper. Whatever works fer ya!

Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it's baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you're baking at and bake for a bit longer.

If you are looking to bake loaves with great oven spring, I would recommend the smaller Dutch oven. If you are looking for loaves with a slightly more open crumb, then the larger Dutch oven might be a bit better. However, you can't go wrong with either of them!

1. Putting a hot pan in cold water. While Le Creuset's enamel is designed to be durable in most conditions, says Nate Collier, spokesperson for Le Creuset, "Thermal shock may still occur," which could cause the enamel to crack or flake off.

Place your dough on a piece of parchment paper inside the Dutch oven to help keep it from sticking.

Enter the Dutch oven. Instead of baking the bread in the “open,” you preheat the empty pot and lid in the oven, add the loaf, cover it, and return it to the oven. After half an hour or so, you remove the lid and continue baking the bread until it is sufficiently browned.

Even though most treasure their Le Creuset Dutch oven as their favorite piece of cookware, many only think to pull it out when making soups, stews or things like a big batch of chili. But the Dutch oven is an uber-versatile workhorse that can handle just about any recipe or task in the kitchen.