Dutch Oven Bread

How to make a crispy Dutch oven loaf of bread, simple step by step instructions, from start to finish.

Ingredients

Add the sugar, butter, and yeast to the warm water and stir it thoroughly. Set it aside until it activates.
Once activated, add the yeast mixture to a bowl.
Place the flour and salt into the bowl; mix all of the ingredients together until you have a shaggy ball of dough.
Tip it all out onto your worktop and knead the dough for 10 minutes.

If you are using a stand mixer, add all of the ingredients to the mixer bowl, and using the dough hook, knead for 10 minutes.
Add a little oil to the bowl and spread it out,
Place the now fully kneaded dough into the bowl.
Cover the bowl and allow it to proof for 1 hour.
While waiting for the proof, grease your Dutch oven with lard or a solid vegetable fat.
Once the proofing time is up, your dough should have at least doubled in size.
Turn it out onto a non-floured worktop and knock the dough back; this simply means forcing all of the gas out of it.
Form the dough into a ball, get it into the centre of your greased Dutch oven, cover the pot, and allow it to proof for 45 minutes.
When there’s only 5 to 10 minutes left on the proofing time, preheat your oven to 210°C, 410°F, or Gas Mark 7.
Once the proofing time is up, score the top of the dough with a cris-cross pattern.
Get the lid on the pot, get it into the hot oven, and set your timer for 30 minutes.
When there are only 5 minutes left on the timer, open the oven door, carefully remove the lid from the pot, close the door and continue baking, (this will give the bread a crispy top).
When the time is up, remove the bread from the oven and carefully tip it out of the pot.
Get it onto a wire rack and allow it to cool.
Once it’s cool, it can be sliced and served.
This bread is ideal for sandwiches or toast.
Enjoy.