Herbed Dutch Oven Bread
Pair this rustic bread with your favorite fall soup. Dried herbs can be whatever your have on hand--Herbs de Provence, rosemary, thyme, etc.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour (scooped not spooned into cup)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 tbsp dried herbs of your choice (Herbs de Provence, rosemary, thyme, etc.)
Instructions
- In a measuring cup, mix warm water, yeast, sugar and 1 tbsp olive oil. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour, salt and mixture or herbs. Add warm water mixture to dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Mixture will be very wet--be sure to scrape down sides and bottom of the bowl. Form dough into a loose ball--it will be very misshapen.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp oil onto top of dough and cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Place bowl in warm, dry place. Let dough rise for 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place empty Dutch oven, with lid on, into the oven while preheating.
- Scrape the dough out of bowl onto a well floured surface. Use a pastry scaper to fold the dough 4 or 5 times unitl a rough ball shape begins to form. Transfer loose ball to a sheet of parchment paper. Let rest while oven is preheating.
- Once oven is preheated, remove hot Dutch oven and transfer parchment paper into the bottom. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove lid and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes. Top should be golden brown and crusty.
- Remove from oven and let rest in Dutch Oven for 5 minutes. Remove from Dutch Oven and peel off parchment paper. Let bread rest for a minimum of 2 hours before slicing.