Sourdough Bread in a Dutch Oven Loaf Pan

This is a simple, small-batch sourdough bread recipe, it’s the perfect size and comes out beautifully when baked in a Dutch Oven Loaf Pan. A Dutch oven loaf pan is rectangular or oval-shaped, about 3.4 quarts, and produces a more uniform loaf of bread when baked. The artisan crust comes out crisp and crunchy, with a soft, chewy crumb.

This recipe is best for bakers who already have some sourdough experience. It assumes you’re familiar with feeding a starter, performing stretch and folds, and shaping a loaf.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Small batch friendly - Just the right size for a smaller Dutch oven loaf pan.
• Beautiful crust - The Kook Dutch oven loaf pan traps steam for that incredible bakery-style golden crust.

Ingredients

• 160 g active sourdough starter
  
• 280 g water
  
• 420 g bread flour
  
• 8 g kosher salt

Instructions

1. Feed the Starter

Feed your starter and let it rise for 4-12 hours before starting the dough, make sure it is active and bubbling.

*New to making sourdough? Follow Amy's guide on how to make and maintain a sourdough starter!

2. Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, combine:

• 160 g active starter
• 280 g room temperature water (76-78F)
• 420 g bread flour
• 8 g kosher salt

Mix until no dry flour remains, it will be a shaggy like texture. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

3. Stretch and Fold

Perform three sets of stretch and folds, once every hour. This builds gluten strength without kneading.

At this time, the dough would have sat out for about 4-5 hours. The dough has risen about 40%, if not let it ferment for another hour or as needed. 

4. Cold Fermentation

After the dough has risen, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12 hours (overnight). The slow fermentation develops flavor and improves texture.

5. Preheat the Oven

When ready to bake, place your sourdough loaf pan (with lid on) into the oven and preheat to 500°F for 45 minutes.

6. Shape and Score

Remove the dough from the fridge, gently shape it into an oval shape (oblong), and score the top with a sharp blade or lame.

7. Bake

• Place the shaped dough onto the bread sling (or parchment paper) and carefully lower the sling into the preheated Dutch oven and cover with the lid.
• Place the Dutch oven into the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 450°F.
• Bake 25 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown.

8. Cool

Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. This helps set the crumb and keeps the bread moist.

Kook Dutch Oven Review

I received this Kook Dutch oven as a free product to review. All opinions in this post are my own. I only share products I personally use and genuinely love.

If you’re looking for a smaller Dutch oven that’s perfect for baking bread, the Kook Dutch oven sourdough loaf pan is such a great find. It’s compact, stylish, and bakes up beautiful artisan loaves with ease.

What I love:

• 🥖 Perfect for small loaves - Ideal for recipes using 400–500g of flour.
  
• 🎨 Variety of colors - Choose from several shades like black, ivory, red or sage to match your kitchen.
  
• 🧺 Bread sling included - No parchment paper needed, and super easy to lift your bread out.
  
• ✨ Quality build - Sturdy and evenly distributes heat.
  
• 🧽 Easy to clean - Enamel coating wipes clean effortlessly.

Overall, it’s a great choice for beginner and experienced bakers alike - affordable, durable, and so fun to use.

Shop the Kook Dutch Oven Sourdough Loaf Pan

You can find the Kook 3.4 Dutch Oven sourdough loaf pan on Amazon (affiliate link). I got  mine in a vibrant red - it looks beautiful on my counter and bakes up perfect sourdough loaves that my family loves.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps support my site so I can keep sharing easy, family-friendly recipes. 💛

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