I am one of what seems like only 10 people in Seattle who did not jump on the quarantine sourdough bread train in spring of 2020. I have nothing against the trend, and happily ate the loaves that friends gifted from their forays into pandemic sourdough baking. When we make bread, both Omar and I like to go for something simpler, less fussy, something crusty and “rustic-y” (his bread descriptor of choice). We made Alexandra Stafford’s peasant bread on repeat (and still do!), beautiful in its tender buttery crust and satisfying in spongy, chewy texture. But when I want something heartier with a golden, crackling crust, I break out the Dutch oven and make this foolproof no-knead masterpiece.
If you’ve wanted to try your hand at homemade bread, this is the recipe to start with. There is no kneading, no stand mixer required (though you do need a fairly large Dutch oven with a heavy lid), and the dough does the majority of proofing in the refrigerator, developing great depth of flavor while you go about your day (or get some sleep!). It includes both regular bread flour for that chewy, satisfying gluten development and some whole wheat flour for a hearty texture.
I’ve adapted the basic recipe from Bake from Scratch magazine’s Better Baking Academy series to add quintessential harvest flavors of juicy figs, rich walnuts and savory thyme. Baking it made the house smell like Thanksgiving came early. It was delicious as is warm out of the oven, but I’ve also been enjoying it for breakfast toasted and topped with crumbly goat cheese and a generous drizzle of honey.
Fig, Walnut, and Thyme Dutch Oven Bread
Ingredients
- 75g dried mission figs
- 75g walnut halves or pieces
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 3.5 cups (445 grams) bread flour
- 1.25 cups (155 grams) whole wheat flour
- 4 tsp (12 grams) kosher salt
- 2.25 tsp (7 grams, 1 packet) instant yeast
- 2 cups (480 grams) warm water (105°F-110°F)
- 2 tbsp fine semolina flour or cornmeal
Directions
- Place figs and walnuts in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. This will rehydrate and prevent them from absorbing too much moisture from the bread dough. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly and gently pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Whisk flours, salt, and yeast in a large bowl until well combined. Add rehydrated figs and walnuts, along with thyme, and mix in with your hands.
- Add warm water and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon briefly until you have a wet, shaggy dough. (You can also do this with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer on low speed, but stop after only 30 seconds or so).
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1.5-2 hours.
- Place bowl with dough in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
- Remove dough from refrigerator. Tip dough onto a well-floured surface. Pat into a 1-inch thick oval. Grab the bottom edge of the oval, closest to you, and fold it up to the center. Then take the right side, gently stretch, and fold inward to the center, repeating with the left side. Finally, stretch the top edge and fold down into the center. Roll the loaf away from you until it is seam side down, then cup with your hands and gently pull towards yourself to seal the seam. Turn the loaf 90 degrees and and gently pull again. Repeat until you have a smooth round loaf (boule).
- Flour a banneton (proofing basket) or line a large bowl with a clean kitchen towel and generously flour the towel. Tip dough into the banneton or bowl, seam side up, and allow to rise in a warm place until slightly puffed. Mine usually takes about 1.5-1.75 hours.
- When dough has about 30 minutes left to proof, place an empty large Dutch oven, lid and all, in the cold oven and preheat to 500F.
- Cut a large sheet of parchment paper and evenly sprinkle the semolina or cornmeal. Turn proofed dough, seam side down, onto parchment paper. Score the top with a very sharp knife, if you like.
- VERY CAREFULLY remove Dutch oven from oven, remove the lid, and place parchment with dough inside. Replace the lid, return to the oven, and decrease temperature to 425F.
- Bake for 25 min, remove the lid, and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer measures at least 200F.
- Remove from Dutch oven to cool completely on a wire rack.
