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No Knead Large Dutch Oven Bread on a wooden cutting board.
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4.46 from 31 votes

No Knead Large Dutch Oven Bread

No-Knead Large Dutch Oven Bread - This recipe is perfect for those of us who only own a 5-6 quart dutch oven. The bread rises tall, crispy and crazy good!
Prep Time14 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time15 hours
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bread, dutch oven, large, no-knead
Servings: 12
Calories: 227kcal
Author: Don't Sweat The Recipe

Ingredients

  • 6 cups bread flour, recommended (or all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface)
  • 1/2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 2/3 cups cool water

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated; the dough should be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. When the surface of the risen dough has darkened slightly, smells yeasty, and is dotted with bubbles, it is ready.
    6 cups bread flour, recommended, 1/2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 2/3 cups cool water
  • Heavily flour your hands and a work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice and, using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to form a rough ball.
  • Place a large rectangle sheet of parchment paper on a cotton towel and dust it with enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment paper as it rises; place dough seam side down on the parchment paper and dust with more flour. Pull the corners of parchment paper around the loaf, wrapping it completely. Do the same with the towel. Let rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
  • After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven, in the oven as it heats. When the dough has fully risen, carefully remove the pot from oven. Unwrap the towel and parchment paper from around the dough carefully lift the parchment and place in the pot. Shake pan once or twice if the dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
  • Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be around 200 degrees. You can check this with a meat thermometer if desired.
  • Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. ( I can never wait for complete cooling)

Notes

I didn't use the kitchen towel tip, I just used parchment paper. I tied it together slightly at the top with a rubber band to hold its shape.
Optional Add-Ins - Try mixing in parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, roasted garlic, etc. 
Storing - Place the completely cooled bread in a resealable airtight bag and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Freezing - You can freeze the completely cooled bread in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 489mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg