No-Knead Dill Gouda Bread (Printable)

A crusty artisan loaf with fresh dill and Gouda cheese, crafted effortlessly with minimal hands-on time.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 3 1/4 cups bread flour
02 - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
03 - 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

→ Flavorings

04 - 1 cup Gouda cheese, diced or coarsely grated
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

# Directions:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, salt, and instant yeast until uniformly blended.
02 - Stir in the diced Gouda cheese and chopped fresh dill until evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture.
03 - Pour in the lukewarm water and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. The dough will not be smooth.
04 - Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 8–12 hours, or overnight, until doubled in size and bubbly on the surface.
05 - Lightly flour a work surface. Scrape out the dough and, with floured hands, gently fold the edges toward the center to shape into a round loaf. Do not knead.
06 - Place the dough seam side down on a piece of parchment paper. Cover loosely with a clean towel and let rise for 45–60 minutes until puffy.
07 - Place a Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat to 450°F for at least 30 minutes to ensure proper heat retention.
08 - Carefully remove the preheated Dutch oven. Using the parchment paper as a sling, lift the dough and place it, parchment and all, into the hot Dutch oven.
09 - Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes to create steam and develop the crust structure.
10 - Remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes until the loaf is deeply golden brown and the crust is crisp and hollow-sounding when tapped.
11 - Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow to cool completely for at least 1 hour before slicing to ensure proper texture development.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The crusty exterior and soft interior rival bakery loaves without any of the work
  • Gouda melts into pockets of creamy goodness throughout every slice
  • Fresh dill adds this incredible aromatic brightness that makes the whole house smell amazing
02 -
  • Do not skip the Dutch oven step as it creates the steam needed for that crackly crust
  • The dough will seem impossibly sticky but resist adding more flour or you will lose the texture
  • Cutting into warm bread is tempting but it ruins the crumb structure so wait until fully cooled
03 -
  • Use a kitchen scale if you can because flour measurements vary wildly by how you scoop
  • The parchment paper sling is your best friend for getting dough safely into a screaming hot Dutch oven

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