I love fresh, warm, crusty bread straight from the oven.
My family loves it when I make it. The house smells good and the bread is the perfect vehicle for lots of delicious butter.
Don't be intimidated by making your own bread! If I can do it, you can too, and I have the easiest bread recipe to share with you.
You don't need any special equipment or ingredients and it will turn out the same every time.
This is honestly a no-fail recipe...the kind of recipe I love.
Set it up before you head out the door in the morning and bake it when you get home. It's that simple!
Easy Dutch Oven Bread
3 cups flour (all-purpose, or I use a mix of wheat and all-purpose)
1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Put the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl and stir until incorporated.
Add the lukewarm water and stir with a wooden spoon until the ingredients are combined.
Cover bowl with a damp towel/saran wrap/reusable cover and set aside for 8-10 hours.
After the dough has rested, flour a surface. Put dough on the floured surface. Wet hands and pat into a ball - try to get it as round as you can. Put back in the bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Pre-heat dutch oven with lid in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.
After bread has risen for an hour, take dutch oven out of oven and place dough directly into the hot dutch oven and cover with the lid.
Bake for 30 minutes. Take lid off and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Let cool before slicing. (And then slather it with butter!)