The Easiest Dutch Oven Artisan Bread – Only 4 Ingredients
Do you love the taste of artisan bread with its golden crust and chewy interior? You can make your own with this Dutch Oven Artisan Bread recipe at a fraction of the cost of buying one at the store — and it only takes 4 ingredients!

This recipe is so easy, you don’t even need to knead. You just mix the ingredients and let it sit to do its magic while you kick up your feet and enjoy some Netflix.
I usually make the dough the night before I want to bake it. To mix the dough, you simply add all the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine it with water.
That’s it. No kneading at all.
The scant amount of yeast will slowly multiply and form the necessary gluten while you go about your business. In my case, Netflix and some zzz’s. In every bread book that I read, slow rise gives the bread a superior, more complex flavor compared to a quickly risen counterpart. Just by letting it do its thing, your bread will have a better flavor.
A win-win!
Read Also: Depression Era Bread with Only 3 Ingredients

You can add your own creative touch by adding mix-ins. My kids loved it when I mixed some leftover tapenade (mixed olive spread) and shredded parmesan cheese. Cinnamon raisin & walnut cranberry are some of our favorites too. But if you just want it simple, make it without the mix-ins and it would be great to impress your dinner guests, serve with soup, make sandwiches, or eat hot with butter and jam!
How to Make Dutch Oven Artisan Bread
Commercially, the artisan breads are made in special ovens that spray steam while baking to achieve that crispy crust. You can create a similar effect using a piping hot Dutch oven.

When the dough is placed in the hot Dutch oven and the lid is closed, the steam from the dough gets trapped inside giving yeast a little extra time to work, resulting in the maximum oven spring. It also gives it a nice crispy brown crust that we all love.

My kids helped mix the dough and shape it. It is a fun activity you can do with kids that doesn’t require a lot of ingredients or time. They can even be creative with it too.

If you want to make multiple loaves, just follow the recipe using a larger bowl. I baked 3 loaves, one after another, while the oven was hot. If you have 2 Dutch ovens, you could even bake 2 at a time.

With the actual active time of 30 minutes or less, this recipe will give you an artisan bread with hardly any work at all.

Easy Dutch Oven Artisan Bread

Do you love the taste of artisan bread with its golden crust and chewy interior? You can make your own at a fraction of the cost of buying one at the store -- and it only takes 3 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups water (room temperature)
Optional mix-in ideas
- Cinnamon & raisins
- Walnuts & dried cranberries
- Tapenade & chunks of cheese (this was surprisingly the favorite among my kids)
Tools
- Dutch oven 3.5 qt or bigger
- Large bowl Spatula/ wooden spoon
- Sharp knife or bread lame (optional)
- Cooling rack
Instructions
The night before:
- Mix everything except for water in a large bowl.
- Add mix-ins now, if desired.
- Add water and thoroughly combine. No need to knead.
- Put a plastic wrap on the bowl and let it sit and work its magic on the counter (room temperature) for 10-12 hours.
The next day:
- Shape the dough. Scrape the dough (very sticky) onto a well-floured surface and stretch it into a rectangle. Dust it with flour as needed. Do not pop gas bubbles unnecessarily.
- Fold into thirds starting from the short side.
- Turn the dough 90 degrees and fold into thirds again.
- Pinch the seams closed and shape into a ball.
- Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper uncovered
and let it rise for 1.5-2 hours or until double. - While the dough is rising, place the empty dutch oven with the lid in the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees. I preheat for about an hour. (Make sure to adjust the rack so the dutch oven is in the middle of the oven).
- If you want to be fancy, score the top surface
of the dough about ¼ inch deep using a sharp knife or a bread lame. - Carefully remove the dutch oven and place the dough inside (parchment paper and all). Quickly put the lid back on and place it back into the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.
- Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
- Let it cool on the cooling rack before cutting.
