The Easiest Overnight Dutch-Oven Bread

I’ve been baking since the moment my mom decided I was old enough to be trusted near the stove—which, in good old Soviet Russia, was apparently very early.

Baking is honestly one of the most therapeutic pastimes I think anyone can enjoy, so it’s probably no surprise that I also put on body rolls about as quickly as I swallowed bread rolls.

But after years of making approximately eleventy billion different baked goods, there is still something completely timeless about a simple loaf of fresh bread.

Crispy, crackly crust. Soft, chewy middle. Those gorgeous little air pockets you feel like you should have gone to culinary school to achieve.

Except you don’t need to.

This is one of those recipes that looks much more impressive than it actually is.

An incredibly easy homemade bread recipe

I could start this post by throwing some fancy-shmancy garlic and rosemary bread at you, or maybe a rum raisin and cinnamon situation, but I didn’t want to muddle the tone of baking on this blog just yet.

This recipe is simple. Like, really simple.

There are probably approximately 47,000 variations of this exact concept floating around the internet, but after trying quite a few of them, I still think this one takes the cake…

Er. Bread?

All you’ll really need is some patience, a Dutch oven, yeast, flour, salt and water.

No advanced cookware. No pizza stone. No lame. No fancy bread flour. No complicated kneading technique.

And definitely no previous bread-baking experience.

This is about as easy as homemade bread gets.

How to Make Easy Homemade Bread

Step 1: Activate the yeast

Start by getting your yeast going.

Combine your warm water with the yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast looks bubbly and slightly foamy on top.

I like my water a little warmer than lukewarm, but don’t make it hot. You want warm water, not a tiny yeast jacuzzi.

If nothing is happening after 10 minutes, your yeast may be old or your water may have been too hot or too cold. It should bubble.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients

While the yeast is doing its thing, grab a large bowl and combine your flour and salt.

You can use sea salt, kosher salt, pink salt, or whatever you have hanging around in the cupboard.

Just keep in mind that different salts have different densities, so measure by weight if you can. If you’re using a particularly coarse kosher salt, you may need a little more than you would with fine table salt.

Step 3: Add the yeast mixture

Once your yeast is nice and bubbly, pour it into the flour mixture.

I like to add about half of the flour mixture first and mix it together with a spatula or wooden spoon.

You can use your hands, but fair warning: this dough gets sticky and messy very quickly.

Once the first half is incorporated, add the remaining flour. The dough should look soft and shaggy. You aren’t looking for a perfectly smooth ball at this point.

As long as you don’t have big pockets of dry flour hiding at the bottom of the bowl, you’re good.

Step 4: Let the dough rest

At this stage, I trans

It should be shaggy, sticky and a little rough around the edges.

And yes, I said approximately because this dough is forgiving.

Room temperature, humidity and yeast can all affect how quickly your dough rises, so don’t panic if yours takes a little longer. As the gluten develops it will get smoother. Let it rest for 2-3 hours or overnight, covered with cling-wrap.

Step 5: Fold the dough

Once your dough has risen, start folding it over itself. I typically let mine rest at night and bake in the morning.

In the morning the dough is a little over-proofed, so making sure to fold it no more than 2-3 times is best. I usually stick to 2, every 30 mins.

You don’t need to aggressively knead it. Just stretch one side of the dough up and fold it over itself, rotating the dough as you go.

You’ll notice that the dough gradually becomes smoother and more elastic.

And here’s another reason I love this recipe:

The longer you let the dough develop, the better the bread tends to be.

Those beautiful holes and chewy texture need time to develop.

So if you lose track of time? Honestly, celebrate.

This is a forgiving dough.

Step 6: Shape your loaves

Once your dough is looking nice and plump and considerably smoother, it’s time to shape it.

You can make one large loaf, or divide the dough into two smaller loaves.

Round, oval, long-ish—whatever shape you prefer is fine.

Place your shaped loaf onto a well-floured surface or parchment paper.

And don’t bake it yet!

We’re not quite there.

Let the shaped dough rest for another 30–60 minutes before baking.

Right before it goes into the oven, use a sharp knife or bread lame to make a few cuts across the top. This gives the bread somewhere to expand as it bakes instead of deciding to split open wherever it damn well pleases.

How to Bake Homemade Bread

There are two ways I like to bake this bread.

The Dutch oven method is my preferred method, but I’ve also made it successfully on a regular baking sheet.

Method 1: Dutch Oven Bread — My Preferred Method

This is the easiest way to get that gorgeous crispy crust.

About 15–20 minutes before you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven and Dutch oven to 500°F.

Carefully place your shaped dough into the hot Dutch oven.

Make your cuts across the top of the loaf, put the lid on and get that sucker into the oven.

Bake covered for 15–20 minutes.

Then reduce the oven temperature to 425°F, remove the lid, and continue baking for another 20–30 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown.

The exact timing will depend on the size of your loaf, so use the colour of the crust as your guide.

And yes, you want it quite brown.

That’s where the good stuff lives.

Method 2: Baking Sheet

Not everyone has a Dutch oven sitting around—and not all of us are lucky enough to have stolen our mother’s in our youth.

(Sorry, Mom.)

Thankfully, you can absolutely bake this bread on a regular baking sheet.

The main difference is that you’ll need to create some steam in the oven yourself.

Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Place your shaped bread on a parchment-lined or lightly floured baking sheet and make your cuts across the top.

Place a heatproof pan on the bottom rack of the oven and carefully add about a cup of ice or boiling water to it immediately after putting the bread in.

Be extremely careful when adding water to a hot oven. The steam can burn you.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400°F and continue baking for another 20–30 minutes, or until the loaf is deeply browned and sounds hollow when tapped.

And That’s It!

The baking-sheet version won’t have quite the same crust as a Dutch oven loaf, but it’s still very, very good.

Look at you. You just made bread.

A proper, crusty, chewy, ridiculously satisfying loaf of bread that took a little patience but basically no actual bread-making expertise.

Let the loaf cool before slicing into it. I know. I know.

This is the worst part. You’ve spent hours looking at this beautiful loaf and now I’m telling you that you have to wait. But trust me.

Let it cool until it’s just barely warm to the touch, slice it open, add an unreasonable amount of butter, and enjoy.

There’s really nothing better than fresh homemade bread. And if you happen to eat half the loaf standing at the kitchen counter?

I won’t tell anyone.

Let the loaf cool, until it’s barely warm to the touch and enjoy!