Homemade Cast Iron Bread Recipe

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Homemade bread is intimidating. The thing is that everyone that’s ever made bread does it for the first time, sometime. I understand the hesitation to make that first attempt. There are so many things that could go wrong and who wants to waste their time when you can just run to the bakery and buy a loaf of bread for a couple bucks?

I’ll tell you why people make homemade bread. Because it is insanely good. Fresh warm bread from the oven is unlike anything else. The whole house smells good. The kids are asking what you’re making and you’re just trying to keep everyone away long enough to get the first piece for yourself.

Let’s take the mystery out of making homemade bread right from the beginning. This Cast Iron Bread recipe has 4 ingredients (plus a tiny bit of olive oil to grease the bowl.) You can handle a bread recipe with 4 ingredients. This is a no knead bread recipe. That means no hard work or tired fingers or deciding when enough kneading has been done. All you need is patience for this bread to come out right. It won’t be quick but it will certainly be worth it.

Don’t worry about all the things that can go wrong; just do it. I’ve got all the little tips and tricks to help you along the way and really, it’s not that hard! If I can do it, anyone can do it.

About the Ingredients

Water – the temperature of the water is very important. The water needs to be warm but not hot. Around 105°F is just right. You can use an instant read thermometer if you have one or you can just trust your judgement. The water should feel warm to your finger. Think of a warm shower or bath for your kids, not too hot. Hot water will kill your yeast and cold water won’t activate it so you’ll get bread that doesn’t rise.

Yeast – not all yeast is the same so be sure to check the package before you start. You want Active Dry Yeast not instant yeast. Active yeast needs to be “activated” before you use it so we will be proofing the yeast before we start making the bread. It’s very simple, I promise.

Flour – All-purpose flour works just fine so don’t go out and buy bread flour for this loaf. Bread flour has added ingredients to be self-rising but we are using yeast so the bread will rise plenty.

Salt – coarse sea salt will give your bread the best flavor. Don’t use table salt.

Olive oil – just enough to prep the bowl so the dough doesn’t stick.

A round loaf of bread inside a yellow cast iron pot.

How to Make Cast Iron Bread

How to Proof Yeast

Pour warm water (about 105°F) into a bowl or large measuring cup and stir in the yeast. Let the bowl sit undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes while the yeast blooms. You’ll know it’s ready when the surface of the water appears frothy.

A measuring cup with water and yeast. The surface of the water is tan color and frothy looking with tiny bubbles.

Make the Dough

While the yeast proofs, add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and turn on to low speed for 20 seconds to combine. When yeast and water are ready, make a well in the center of the bowl with the flour. Pour in the water and yeast. Turn the mixer on to medium low speed. The dough should start to form and gradually pull away from the walls of the bowl. It should only take 2-3 minutes for this to happen. If the dough appears too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough appears to sticky, it is because it’s too wet so add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Inside of the bowl of a working stand mixer with dough forming. The dough hook is pulling through dough creating air bubbles in dough with a still frothy texture.

Dough inside stainless steel bowl being covered with plastic wrap.

First Rise

When the dough has formed, cover the bowl with plastic or a dish towel and let it rise in a warm area on the counter until it has doubled in size. This will likely take 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Plastic wrap being removed from top of stainless steel bowl with risen dough inside. Dough is bubbly and airy.

Second Rise

You’ll know the dough has risen properly by testing it with your finger. Place one finger in the center of the dough and gently press down. The dough should easily deflate. Once the dough has properly risen, remove the cover and using your hand, pull the dough from the wall of the bowl (on one side) and fold it into the center onto itself. The dough may stick to your hands a bit so try putting a little flour on them to help prevent it. But even so, don’t worry about dough sticking to you and don’t fight like mad to get it off your fingers and back into the bowl. Losing a little dough to your hands isn’t a big deal.

Rotate the bowl and keep folding the dough into the center. Do this all the way around. The dough should deflate and reduce in size by about 1/2 again. Replace the cover on the bowl and let it rise again for another 90 minutes to 2 hours.

A finger being pressed into risen dough deflates the center of the dough.

Dough in a stainless steel bowl. Smooth texture to the top of the dough and deflated to 1/3 the size of a 5 quart bowl.

Final Rise

The dough should have doubled in size again. Prep a clean bowl by putting a little bit of olive oil on a paper towel and wiping the inside of the bowl so it’s coated. Then sprinkle some flour around the bowl to cover the oil. Dump any excess flour out. Turn the dough out of its mixing bowl onto a floured work surface. Begin folding the sides of the dough under itself all the way around until it forms a ball. Place the dough ball in the newly prepared bowl, cover and let it rise for one more hour.

Prepare the Cast Iron and Oven

Place an empty cast iron pot in an oven as you preheat the oven to 450°F. Leave the pot in oven for at least 30 minutes. You want the cast iron to be nice and hot when you put the dough in it. This is what makes the bread crusty.

Bake the Cast Iron Bread

Remove the pot from the oven and set it on a heat safe surface. Then turn your proofed dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands, pull the sides of the dough up and towards the center of itself forming a ball. Try not to knead it or overwork it. Over working the dough will result in dense bread. You want to keep the airiness from it’s rising.

Raw dough ball dusted with flour inside a cast iron pot.

As soon as you can lift the dough off the surface, transfer it seam side down into the hot pot. Cover the pot with a lid and return the pot to the oven to bake for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes remove the lid and continue baking for another 10 minutes. You will know your bread is done when the top is golden brown and it feels hollow when you tap on the top of the loaf with your finger. Remove the bread from the pot immediately and let cook slightly before slicing.

Overhead view of a loaf of bread inside a round cast iron pot on the counter. Top of loaf is crusty, golden brown and dusted with flour.

Recipe Variations

Add Some Herbs

Crusty white bread always tastes good with fresh herbs. Try adding 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary or thyme leaves to your dough while it is in the stand mixer. I like to increase the salt by 1/2 teaspoon when I add herbs because the salt balances out that herbal flavor. Be sure to serve it with a good olive oil for dipping.

Recipes to Make with your Cast Iron Bread

Honestly this bread is good all by itself. A little butter or olive oil for dipping and I could just eat it all myself. But Cast Iron Bread is also great for other types of treats and recipes. Here’s a few ways to use your Cast Iron Bread:

avocado toast – place slices of bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Broil the bread slices for 2-3 minutes or until toasty and golden. Top with mashed avocado, diced tomato, chopped shallot and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
sandwiches and panini’s – instead of regular sandwich bread, use slices of cast iron bread for a Turkey Patty Melt.

A round loaf of bread on a cutting board. Crust is dusted with flour and golden brown with hard peaks on the top of the loaf.

How to Store Cast Iron Bread

The crust on Cast Iron Bread is like a natural preservative. The crust will hold in the freshness and keep the moisture in the air out, helping your bread to last longer. The catch is that once you slice it that crust is gone from at least one side and all bets are off.

The best way to make your bread last longer is keep it tightly wrapped to keep as much air away from it as possible. Unsliced in an air tight container, the bread should last 3 days. Once it’s sliced it will likely turn stale after just 36-48 hours.

FAQ’s and Recipe Tips

Is cast iron good for bread?

Cast iron is great for crusty bread. The heat of the pot creates that hard crusty shell on the outside and locks moisture in for soft bread on the inside.

Can I use cast iron instead of a dutch oven for bread?

Yes, the cast iron and dutch oven will hold the heat the same way and create the same hard crust on the bread.

Why do you bake bread in a cast iron skillet?

The cast iron gets hotter than a typical baking pan. The intense heat will give the bread a crunchy crusty texture.

Should I grease a cast iron bread pan?

No. The floured dough combined with heat from the pan will create a quick hard crust around the loaf naturally preventing sticking. The bread will come out of the pan easily without grease.

A round loaf of bread on a cutting board from an overhead view. Lots of texture and crevices on top and dusted with flour.

The Recipe for Cast Iron Bread

The recipe is attached below for easy downloading and printing. If you try your hand at homemade Cast Iron Bread be sure to leave a note in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you thought. Was it easier or more difficult than you expected? Was it worth the effort? What was the most challenging part? Give me all the details. Enjoy!

A round loaf of bread on a cutting board with a knife and the first two slices cut and laying beside the loaf.

Cast Iron Bread

Let's take the mystery out of making homemade bread right from the beginning. This Cast Iron Bread recipe has 4 ingredients (plus a tiny bit of olive oil to grease the bowl) and is a no knead bread recipe. All you need is patience for this bread to come out right. It won't be quick but it will certainly be worth it.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 6 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 7

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 14 servings

Equipment

1 cast iron pot with lid about 8 inches in diameter

Ingredients

1 packet active dry yeast 2 1/4 tsp
2 cups warm water about 105°F
4 cups all purpose flour plus more for work surfaces
2 tsp salt
Olive oil

Instructions

Pour warm water into a bowl or large measuring cup and stir in yeast. Let the bowl sit undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes while the yeast blooms. The top will appear frothy when it’s ready.
2 cups warm water, 1 packet active dry yeast
Meanwhile, place the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and turn on to low speed for 20 seconds to combine.
4 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp salt
When yeast and water are ready, make a well in the center of the bowl with flour. Pour in the water and yeast. Turn the mixer on to medium low speed. Dough should start to form and gradually pull away from the walls of the bowl. (If the dough appears too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough appears to sticky, it is because it’s too wet so add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.)
When the dough has formed, cover the bowl with plastic or a dish towel and let it rise in a warm area on the counter until it has doubled in size. This will likely take 90 minutes – 2 hours.
Once the dough has properly risen, remove the cover and using your hand, pull the dough from the wall of the bowl (on one side) and fold it into the center onto itself. Rotate the bowl and do this all the way around. The dough should deflate and reduce in size by about 1/2 again. Replace the cover on the bowl and let it rise again for another 90 minutes – 2 hours.
The dough should have doubled in size again. Prep a clean bowl by putting a little bit of olive oil on a paper towel and wiping the inside of the bowl so it’s coated. Then sprinkle some flour around the bowl to cover the oil. Dump any excess flour out.
Olive oil
Turn the dough out of its bowl onto a floured work surface. Begin folding the sides of the dough under itself all the way around until it forms a ball. Place the dough ball in the prepared bowl, cover and let rise one more hour.
Place an empty cast iron pot in an oven as you preheat the oven to 450°F. Leave the pot in oven for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the pot from the oven and set it on a heat safe surface. Then turn your proofed dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands, pull the sides of the dough up and towards the center of itself forming a ball. Try not to knead it or overwork it. As soon as you can lift it off the surface transfer the dough seam side down into the hot pot. Cover the pot with a lid and return the pot to the oven for 35 minutes.
After 35 minutes remove the lid and continue baking for another 10 minutes. You will know your bread is done when the top is golden brown and it feels hollow when you tap on the top of the loaf with your finger.
Remove the bread from the pot immediately and let cook slightly before slicing.