One of life’s greatest treasures is fresh warm bread. Just kidding haha! But in all seriousness, I love bread so much, it’s the Dutch in me I guess. I truly don’t think you can beat a fresh warm slice with butter.

So if you are like me and my family you probably love a loaf of yummy crusty rustic bread. This bread is so easy to whip up in less than 3 hours from start to finish. It’s my go to whenever I need a loaf of bread. What I love about this recipe is that it is super simple to multiply, shape into rolls, or bread bowls. Now that it’s officially fall this bread becomes a weekly staple in my household. Pair this bread with honestly anything! Some of my favorite dishes to pair this with are pasta, soups, and steak dinners. This loaf can keep for 3 days (if it lasts that long haha) or can be easily frozen to use later.

If this is your first time making a bread loaf or your hundredth you’ll be able to achieve a beautiful loaf of bread. Although this bread is considered no knead I highly recommend kneading for at least 3 minutes. Getting your hands on the dough is the key to a beautiful loaf.

For shaping you can choose between the two basic shapes: Round or Loaf style (or in French: Boule or Batard). I normally choose the loaf (batard) style as it’s what fits my pan. When you take out the risen dough and place it on your counter you’ll want to kind of press the shape into a flat circle. From there you can take the sides and wrap like a swaddle and then roll so it like a fat log. Be sure to tuck in the ends to have a cleaner look. This is where I like the see the bottom and press the seam flushly closed. Now I take my parchment paper dust flour lightly and transfer the shaped loaf to the paper. And our last step before baking is scoring which is optional but it looks so pretty with it. I choose the simpler designs and make an X or Plus sign shape.

When baking you will need some covered cooking pot for your bread. My favorite to use is my stone chicken roaster or a Dutch oven. Once your loaf is in the oven you’ll leave your lid closed for 30 minutes of the baking. After the main baking is done you will remove the lid and let it bake for an additional 10 minutes, just to let it get nice and golden brown. Let your loaf rest on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes before cutting and voila you’re done, Enjoy!

The easiest everyday recipe for breadmaking that will quickly become a staple for your household

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

1 tsp Salt Kosher

1 tsp Sugar

3 Cups Bread Flour

1 1/2 Cups Warm water

2 tsp Yeast

Mix together Warm water, yeast, and sugar to wake up the yeast. When it becomes bubbly continue to the next step.

Add in Bread flour and salt and mix in a stand mixer on speed 2 until it becomes a ball of dough.

Transfer from the mixer bowl to a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be a smooth ball. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rest for 1 hour or until it is double in size. Punch down dough and shape dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Score dough and let it sit until oven is ready.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place dutch oven in cold oven. Once to temp transfer your scored dough into to your pan, cover with lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and let bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Keyword Basic Bread, Bread, Crusty Bread, easy, Quick

*Tip. If you want this pumpkin shaped all you will need is kitchen twine and oil! Cut 3 long pieces of twine, soak in oil for 1 minute, tie around your round loaf, and bake! Super simple 🙂

*Tip Score your bread! Not only does it make it look prettier but it helps it cook better. With a sharp knife or bread lame make a mark just deep enough to slice the top.

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