Oh, the smell of fresh homemade bread baking in the oven. Nothing like it. Imagine that cup of coffee and the warm, delicious bread with butter melting over the slice just sitting on the plate waiting for you to enjoy it.
But running to the bakery just doesn’t fit into your schedule and making it from scratch is well, way too hard. Right? Wrong!
The Chef from the cookware manufacturer, Le Creuset, shared this delicious recipe with me. It is so easy to make. Plus, once you make it the way the recipe says the first time, you will find yourself being creative and adding herbs, seasonings or fruit like rosemary, basil, garlic, tarragon, cheese, cinnamon, or raisins to your next batch.
If you are not already familiar with Le Creuset cookware, you should check it out. Made in France, Le Creuset has been around for more than 85 years. They are known for their colorful, cast iron Dutch ovens with the white enameled interiors. The beauty of working with cast iron pieces is the metal’s ability to retain heat to allow for long, slow, even cooking. This is particularly good when braising meat, slow-cooking a casserole, bean dishes or dense sauces. But, it is also great for baking bread due to the heat distribution. The cookware works well on all heat sources including induction and can go from stovetop to oven to table where it will keep the food warm due to the cast iron center.
If you are fortunate enough to have a Le Creuset Dutch oven, try your hand at making homemade bread. If you don’t have one (yet), any heavy bottomed, aluminum stockpot will work. Your kitchen will smell amazing!
Note: I made this in a large oven that is almost 9 quarts (thus the small size of bread in the picture). You could use a 5 1/2 quart oven and should be fine with measurements in recipe.
Homemade Bread and Compound Butter
Want a way to wow your guests, make a simple compound butter to pair with your fresh bread. Options are endless.
Herb Compound Butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs
Combine butter, salt, lemon zest and herbs in a bowl with a fork. Roll into a log on wax paper. Refrigerate till firm and ready to use.
Le Creuset can be found in many kitchen and department stores as well as online. There are also outlet stores should you have the opportunity to visit one. Try signing up for their email list to be notified of special promotions and/or sales. Be aware that colors may have exclusivity to specific retailers should you be looking for one particular one.
Happy bread baking!
The Easiest Homemade Bread Made in a Le Creuset Dutch Oven
Equipment
- Dutch Oven - 5.5 quart or larger
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- cornmeal or wheat bran as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups (13 ounces) of water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
- Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.
- Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
- Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface (I use a Silpat) or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) or a piece of parchment paper with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about two hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
- At least a half-hour before dough is ready, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 5½ to 8 quart heavy covered pot (cast iron works best) in the oven as it heats.
- When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is ok. Shake pan once or twice is dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
- Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on rack.
Your photos of the bread and those Dutch Ovens are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing the recipes, I can’t wait to make some this weekend.
My sister gave me a bread machine she got as a wedding gift…after her divorce lol. She gave away most of her wedding gifts to family and friends. That machine is cursed! I can never get it to work correctly, so when I see articles about people making bread the old-fashioned way, I get super excited! I definitely have the time for this 🙂
I wish I had homemade bread right now. I’ve only ever made yeast rolls. I have made bread in a bread machine, but it doesn’t taste nearly as good as handmade.
I have not made homemade bread before but I am tempted to do so. Thank you for the recipe.
Homemade bread, absolutely one of my favorites things. Just to smell fresh bread delicious, thanks for the post
I used to make bread and loved it, I even would put tiny pieces of block cheese inside. Mmm. I stopped making it because life got too busy. Sounds like I should start using this recipe instead. Thank you.
I do not have a dutch oven, but would be able to make this the other way. I love home-made bread! Mine never tastes as good as the kind I get from fancy restaurants, but I have experimented with several different kinds, sweet and not.
Wow this bread look scrumptious I need to get me one of those Le Creuset !!!
I inherited a dutch oven from my sweet mother in law. I had been looking on Amazon and Overstock for one- they seemed to have a good price on Le Creuset, which is still quite expensive but the even heating and durability and heirloom quality is worth it. I guess I need to make some bread in mine now 🙂
I love homemade bread. This looks delicious!
I’ve been itching to make some homemade bread. Love the no knead recipe. I could even let the kids make that one!
I have a breadmaker that I have NEVER used. Makes me want to get it out.
I am forever adoring Le Creuset cookware, but sadly don’t have any yet. But I think I’ll treat myself to a whole collection soon & use the excuse that I must try this recipe for bread. Sounds like a plan, right?
Great recipe. I love the hint of cornmeal in recipes. That is great cookware too you found.
Wow i didn’t know you could bake bread in that type of pan. I am having my cup of coffee and wishing I had a piece of your bread to go with it. looks so yummy.
I couldn’t have come across a better recipe today. I’m overdue to make homemade bread and this would go perfect with tonight’s roast that’s on the menu.
My husband is the cook in the family and he has been wanting Le Creuset cookware for awhile. It would make the perfect birthday present.