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For this 4-ingredient bread recipe, you only need flour, yeast, salt, and water! This is by far the easiest bread recipe I have ever made! Bread is one of the main staples of many homes, especially ours. Also, this bread recipe is to be baked in a Dutch oven. I have not tried making this bread in a regular bread loaf tin, so I cannot attest to how it will turn out if you try to bake this in a traditional bread tin.

Having made many bread recipes and have come to find that the most successful recipes are the ones where the ingredients are measured by weight!

We eat this bread daily! I make this particular bread recipe every 2-3 days for my family. It takes less than 10 minutes to mix up and knead (if using an electric mixer). After that, it rises for one to two hours, depending on the humidity and temperature of your house.

Equipment You will need:

INGREDIENTS:

The ingredients listed below make one Dutch Oven loaf of bread

Method to making the 4-ingredient bread recipe:

First, before I perform any steps, I start running the water using the kitchen tap set at lukewarm. This ensures enough time to heat it to the perfect temperature before measuring it out. I do not use water that has been heated to 110° for this bread; just warm tap water should do the trick!

Step One:

Using the kitchen scale, measure out 500g, or 17fl oz, of the lukewarm tap water, and pour it into the mixing bowl.

Step Two:

Measure out 8g of baking yeast and whisk into the water

Step Three:

Next, measure out 4g of salt (you can leave this in your kitchen scale bowl until you're ready to dump the flour into the water/yeast mixture)

Step Four:

Using my sieve, I scoop 1 cup of flour at a time and sift it into the bowl on my kitchen scale until I reach 700g of flour (your total gram weight should be 704g with the salt)

Step Five:

Dump the remaining dry ingredients into the water/yeast mixture in the mixing bowl.

Step Six:                          

Attach the dough hook to your mixing stand and lower it into the bowl. Turn the mixer on the lowest setting while all ingredients become incorporated.

Step Seven:

After kneading for 6-8 minutes, check to see if your dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl. If the dough has pulled away and nothing is sticking, turn the mixer off, remove the dough hook and turn the sticky dough onto a clean, floured surface to finish kneading and shaping by hand. (This will be sticky dough and could stick to your hands or counter, so ensure that you flour your hands and the surface it will touch.)

Step Eight:

Knead the dough by hand 3-4 times, shaping it into a ball as you go.

Step Nine:

Taking your olive oil, coat the inside of the mixing bowl (or a clean, large bowl) so that your dough ball will not stick as it rises. Next, place the dough ball in an oiled bowl and rub some oil on the top, so it does not stick to the cloth. 

Step Ten:

Cover with a warm, damp cheesecloth or towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours. Check after one hour to see if the dough has doubled in size. Depending on humidity or room temperature, you may need additional rising time.

*Tip* It is convenient to have an oil spray bottle in the kitchen. Using the spray bottle, my hands stay clean as I can just spray to coat any surface needing the oil (baking sheet, skillets for sautéing, and of course mixing bowls ). Also, it's so handy to quickly move on to another task without having to stop and wash my hands.

Step Eleven:

When the dough has completed rising, set your oven to 450°. While heating the oven, punch your dough and turn it onto a floured counter surface.

Step Twelve:

Gently shaping your dough into a ball, fold in the edges and tuck them into the center of the dough. Turn the dough ball over and place it onto a piece of parchment paper. 

Step Thirteen:

Lift parchment paper with dough ball into the Dutch Oven and replace the lid. Place into the heated oven on the middle rack and set a timer for 35 minutes.

Step Fourteen:

After the time has gone off, remove the lid to check the bread.

*Our family likes a crunchier textured crust, so I bake an additional 5 minutes without the lid

Step Fifteen:

If the bread is done, it should have a light golden crust; remove it from the oven. You can also leave it in the oven for 2-3 minutes for a crisper crust if desired. 

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before using hot pads to remove and place on a cooling rack.

*I have found that if I let the bread loaf cool in the Dutch Oven on parchment paper, condensation collects on the bottom of the loaf, making soggy bread that will mold faster.

Notes:

*Tip* As hard as it is - let the bread loaf cool completely before cutting. In doing so, your bread loaf will retain all the moisture making it soft and fluffy inside until the whole loaf has been enjoyed. If you cut into the bread before it has cooled completely, the moistness will escape, causing your bread to become stale and dry. Of course, sometimes there is nothing better than piping hot bread with a tab of butter melted on it, but if you can let it cool completely before cutting, you will definitely notice a difference in the bread's quality.

*MY* favorite - When making this bread recipe to go with soups or stews, I add 1-2 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning into the flour before mixing. The aroma and flavor are absolutely astounding! 

Time to enjoy your labor!

Enjoy your bread!

That's it for this simple, 4-ingredient bread recipe!

My family uses this bread for sandwiches, breakfast toast, patty melts, you name it! I hope this recipe was easy to follow and execute! I will add, this bread recipe makes a rather large loaf because my husband likes big sandwiches. If you want to make a smaller loaf for just a few people during a dinner get-together, use 400g of flour and 200g (8.5 fl oz) of water, keeping the salt and yeast at the exact measurement.

Feel free to email me if you liked it or if you made any alterations to fit you and your family's needs. I love spreading tips, tricks, and kitchen knowledge!

Much love and many blessings!