Easy Dutch Oven Bread in a Loaf Pan

 Dutch Oven Bread in a Loaf Pan

This is baked in a covered roaster pan for a traditional loaf, or on parchment paper in a large (8 c.) casserole with lid or in a Dutch oven for a round loaf.

For a small 4 x 8 inch loaf:

    3 c. Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour

    1/4 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

    1 to 1 1/2 tsp. Salt (I like fine Himalayan or Iodized Sea Salt)

    1 1/2 c. Lukewarm water (not too hot to the touch or it kills the yeast)

Dump the flour into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and whisk to blend it in. Sprinkle the salt over that and whisk it in so it's distributed evenly throughout. Heat water just so it's warm enough to immerse your finger in comfortably, but not scalding. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir together using a wooden spoon--dough will look ragged.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Wrap in a towel and let sit on the counter 12 to 18 hours. Dough will be bubbly on the surface. Unwrap, punch down the dough and lightly knead it around a few times in the bowl. Then re-cover with the plastic and let it rest 15 minutes. 

*Running water over your fingers is great for cleaning off the dough and for keeping it from sticking to your hands while shaping it.*

In the meantime, line a 4 x 8-in. bread pan with a parchment sling so the two longer sides are covered with paper. Then butter or grease the exposed corners and ends of the pan.

Lightly sprinkle the surface of the dough with a small amount of flour (approx. 1/8 c.)--just so you can knead it around in the bowl without it sticking to your fingers--folding and pressing, quarter turn of the dough, folding and pressing with the heels of your hand, 1/4 turn of the dough, fold and press, etc., kneading until the sides of the bowl are fairly clean and the dough forms a fairly smooth, sticky ball. About 10 to 20 folds is about all it takes. Rinse the dough off your hands, leaving them damp, so after you dump the dough into your prepared bread pan you can press it into the corners of the pan without it sticking to your fingers. (Or place dough formed into a circle on a piece of parchment for a round loaf).

Sprinkle the surface with oat bran, wheat bran, wheat germ, cornmeal, or flour so it doesn't stick to the plastic when you cover the pan (or parchment paper on the counter) for its last rise. Cover again with the plastic and towel and let rise 1 to 2 hours, until doubled (finger pressed into the dough won't spring back).

About 15 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the bottom half of the roaster pan (or Dutch oven/8 c. large casserole pan--if you're making the traditional round loaf) in the oven to preheat, as well. 

Place the loaf pan of dough in the roaster Cover it tightly with the roaster or casserole lid. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  

(Or remove the bottom half of the the casserole dish/Dutch oven from the oven in order to transfer the parchment and round dough into the bottom, cover with lid, and return to the oven for 30 minutes).

Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees, remove the roaster pan and lid (or just the casserole lid if making a round loaf), and bake the loaf pan on its own for 20 minutes more.

Using the overlapping edges of the parchment liner, lift the baked loaf out of the pan and let cool for one hour before enjoying. This makes awesome toast. I store it in the fridge after the first day.

Large loaf pan amounts: 

4 c. Flour

1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast

2 tsp.  Iodized Salt

2 c. Warm Water

Caramel Pull-Apart Loaf

In a large, greased loaf pan, but using the small loaf pan ingredient amounts, thoroughly combine together:

    1/2 c. Brown Sugar

    1/2 c. Cream

    1 tsp. Vanilla

After punching the dough down and letting rest 15 minutes, mix together in a bowl:

    1 tsp. Cinnamon 

    1/4 c. Sugar

Lightly sprinkle the rested dough with flour and knead into a smooth, moist ball (as above). Pull off pieces of dough, roll each in the sugar and cinnamon to coat, then place atop the caramel mixture in a greased loaf pan. I've done balls in a single layer all pressed together into the caramel, or I've flattened them out to press together side-to-side. Whatever floats your boat. Let rise 1-2 hours. Bake in a 450 degree, pre-heated oven and covered roast pan for 30 minutes. Remove roast pan lid and bake at 350, 15-20 minutes more until done. 

After removing from the oven, immediately turn the pan upside-down onto a serving plate, allowing the loaf to slide free. Use a rubber scraper to scrape out any caramel lingering in the pan over the top of the loaf.