Easy Crusty French Bread
Easy dutch oven bread ready in just a few hours - no overnight rise needed.
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
Instructions
Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water in a large mixing bowl (you can also use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook). Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is foamy. Add flour to bowl. Mix with a sturdy spatula until the dough starts to come together, then add salt and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. For best results, mix until no dry bits of flour remain. Note: This is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it may seem a bit shaggy and sticky at this point. Don't worry - it will become more smooth and elastic as we go! Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let rise on the counter for about 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size.
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Notes
How to measure flour: If you have a kitchen scale, please use it! Measuring by weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring by volume (with cups) and will give you more consistent bread. That being said, you can certainly make great bread without a kitchen scale! To measure flour in cups: If you measure flour by dipping your cup straight into the bag or bin and shaking off the excess, plan to use about 2 ½ cups of flour. If you measure by stirring the flour with a spoon or scoop before scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it off, plan to use about 3 cups of flour. You can always add more flour if you need to - just be aware that this is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it will be a bit shaggy and sticky at first (but it will smooth out and become more elastic as it rises and again as you shape it!)
Equipment. We recommend a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven for best results. Le Creuset and Staub are our favorites, but Marquette Castings and Lodge also make solid options that are more budget-friendly. If you don't have a Dutch oven, see this post for alternative baking methods (you can still make great bread without fancy equipment!) Please make sure that your Dutch oven is fitted with a metal (rather than plastic) knob on its lid for best results, and please check the care instructions on your individual equipment before baking. We use this 8.5-inch proofing basket, but an 8- or 9-inch banneton or medium-sized mixing bowl also work well for the final rise.
PLEASE READ THE POST ABOVE FOR OUR COMPLETE FAQs, TIPS, AND ADVICE. We've gotten so many amazing questions from you - we wanted to be sure to answer as many as we can as thoroughly as we can, but if we put our answers here in the recipe it would make it very annoying to print. Please check the FAQ section in the post above if you have a question or run into a problem!
Love this recipe? We'd love to see you in our online course, Everyday Artisan Bread, where we share exclusive training videos, worksheets, and ad-free recipes!
How to measure flour: If you have a kitchen scale, please use it! Measuring by weight is MUCH more accurate than measuring by volume (with cups) and will give you more consistent bread. That being said, you can certainly make great bread without a kitchen scale! To measure flour in cups: If you measure flour by dipping your cup straight into the bag or bin and shaking off the excess, plan to use about 2 ½ cups of flour. If you measure by stirring the flour with a spoon or scoop before scooping it into a measuring cup and leveling it off, plan to use about 3 cups of flour. You can always add more flour if you need to - just be aware that this is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it will be a bit shaggy and sticky at first (but it will smooth out and become more elastic as it rises and again as you shape it!)
Equipment. We recommend a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven for best results. Le Creuset and Staub are our favorites, but Marquette Castings and Lodge also make solid options that are more budget-friendly. If you don't have a Dutch oven, see this post for alternative baking methods (you can still make great bread without fancy equipment!) Please make sure that your Dutch oven is fitted with a metal (rather than plastic) knob on its lid for best results, and please check the care instructions on your individual equipment before baking. We use this 8.5-inch proofing basket, but an 8- or 9-inch banneton or medium-sized mixing bowl also work well for the final rise.
PLEASE READ THE POST ABOVE FOR OUR COMPLETE FAQs, TIPS, AND ADVICE. We've gotten so many amazing questions from you - we wanted to be sure to answer as many as we can as thoroughly as we can, but if we put our answers here in the recipe it would make it very annoying to print. Please check the FAQ section in the post above if you have a question or run into a problem!
Love this recipe? We'd love to see you in our online course, Everyday Artisan Bread, where we share exclusive training videos, worksheets, and ad-free recipes!
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Reviews from the Original Source
My first-ever loaf turned out pretty good, but wow, I had no idea how many factors go into getting all this just right! Looking forward to making many more so this all becomes second nature. And I definitely want to sign up for the full bread making course. Next stop - trying my hand at the sourdough!
I’ve been following this bread recipe for years and it never disappoints! The bread is always a nice, crusty round loaf. My husband prefers it to any other way that I make bread by far.
While I usually follow the recipe exactly (always weighing the ingredients!), my experimenting by adding seasoning and/whole wheat flour has also worked out. One tweak that has really taken this to the next level is I’ve started gently kneeding the dough while I’m folding it. We like the bread consistency a little better with that method although it’s excellent both ways.
Love this recipe as is! But I was wondering, can I let the dough rise in the fridge overnight if I have the time? And if so, do I still need to do the folding and second rise? Thank!
Delicious. Can I make this into longer loaves instead? How would I adjust it?
Your instructions are easy to follow!
Oh my gosh, I made this today because we’re trapped by the snowstorm and I needed bread to go with the soup I was making. My yeast was expired and I only had Pillsbury flour and it STILL turned out absolutely perfect! Beautiful and delicious, thank you!
Everything was great until I should have listen to my gut and let it rise a full hour for the 2nd rise. My loaf is a little flat.
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