While doing my bread research, I decided to give Tasty’s recipe a try because I wasn’t super satisfied with the texture of the previous dutch oven bread recipe. Some differences between the recipes are the yield and the amount of time for the dough to proof. This recipe calls for slightly more ingredients and thus, you get a bigger bread. 

In terms of methodology, I did decide to use a scale to measure my ingredients instead of cups because I felt it’s more accurate especially with aerated and non-aerated flour. Moreover, it takes longer because it has two 2-hour periods of proofing. But it was worth it as I felt that the dough really rose and had better texture. 

Plus, instead of combining all the ingredients immediately in a bowl, you’ll have to mix warm water with yeast first. This is a good step since it’ll help you check if your yeast is alive. One major adjustment I made to Tasty’s recipe was to decrease the salt because I felt my bread was too salty. 

Ingredients

• 520g / 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 8g / ½ tbsp Salt
• 15g / ~ 3 tsp Instant Yeast
• 480ml / 2 cups Warm Water

1. Mix yeast and warm water in a cup. While allowing it to mildly rest, you’ll see some foaming after 5 minutes which is a good sign. If you don’t see foaming, it means your yeast is old and you’ll need to start over with new yeast. 
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Mix these dry ingredients to ensure the salt is evenly distributed. 
3. Stir to combine the water and yeast mixture. Once you’ve incorporated your dough, you’ll notice it’s a little shaggy. 
4. Let your dough rest for 2 hours in the bowl with a towel covering the bowl. 
5. After 2 hours, you’ll see your dough has risen. Use your fingers to deflate it slightly. With a rubber spatula, scrape the sides of the dough and fold it into the center. After you’ve done this, allow the dough to rest for another 2 hours. 

6. Remove the dough onto a well-floured surface and start shaping it into a nice ball by pinching and pulling the dough from the top to the bottom. Then, allow the dough to rest in either a well-oiled or parchment paper covered bowl with a towel covering it. Though not very environmentally-friendly, I prefer using parchment paper for easy transfer into the dutch oven later. 
7. Preheat your oven with your dutch oven (with lid) inside at 220°C for 45 – 60 minutes.
8. When your oven has reached 220°C, carefully place the dough into the dutch oven and cover with the lid. Bake it for 30-40 minutes. If you used parchment paper earlier, you can transfer the dough with the parchment paper. 
9. After 30 minutes of baking, remove the lid and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or till crispy brown.
10. Remove your dutch oven and allow the bread to cool to room temperature. Enjoy!