Pecan Free Classic Dutch Oven Bread
There is something deeply satisfying about pulling a golden, crackling loaf out of a screaming-hot Dutch oven, and this no-knead method makes that moment accessible to just about anyone. The ingredient list is beautifully stripped back — just flour, instant yeast, kosher salt, and warm water — so there is zero guesswork about what is going into your bread and no concern about hidden nuts or shared processing lines that can make store-bought loaves a gamble. The magic here is time: a long, slow rest of up to 18 hours develops a complex, chewy crumb and a blistered crust that tastes like it came from a serious bakery. Folding the sticky dough just a handful of times before shaping is genuinely all the effort required, and the Dutch oven traps steam during the first bake to give you that dramatic, bakery-style rise and crunch. Scoring the top with a single confident slash lets the loaf bloom open beautifully as it bakes. The hardest part of the whole process is waiting the full hour after it comes out of the oven before you slice in — but that patience is absolutely rewarded with a clean, set crumb that holds up perfectly for sandwiches, toast, or just a thick slab with good butter.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¼ tsp instant yeast
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water (about 110°f / 43°c)
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, instant yeast, and kosher salt. Pour in the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until no dry flour remains and a shaggy, sticky dough forms — about 1 minute. The dough will look rough and uneven; that is correct.
- 2
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours, until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough has roughly doubled in size.
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