Make this delicious artisan bread in just a few hours! Perfect for beginners, this artisan bread can be baked in your Dutch oven with little kneading and easy ingredients. Enjoy it with soup or some homemade butter and jam.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt with a baking spatula or whisk.
Mix in olive oil and warm water until a dough forms. Dough will be sticky and wet.
Lightly oil your other mixing bowl and place the dough into the oiled mixing bowl. Place in a warm location (I usually turn on the oven and place it on the stovetop) with a tea towel covering the dough.
Allow the dough to rise for 2 hours until doubled in size. Pre-heat your Dutch oven a bit before the rising time has finished. It just needs to be warm - not hot.
Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and place the dough on a floured surface.
Begin to knead the dough into itself, folding the outside into the center of the dough until you get a nice ball. The dough should not be sticky because of the flour and should be pretty elastic.
Line your warmed Dutch oven pan with parchment paper and place the ball of dough into the Dutch oven. Cover your Dutch oven with a tea towel and allow the dough to rise for about 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook in the Dutch oven 30 minutes with the lid on.
After 30 minutes your bread should be cooked and delicious. If you want a crusty, darker exterior, bake an additional 10 minutes with the top off.
Remove you Dutch oven from the oven, and then remove the bread from the Dutch oven. Allow the bread to cool slightly before eating.