Author Notes
A whole-grain, Dutch-oven loaf to make whenever a bread craving strikes. (So, all the time!) This recipe was inspired by and adapted from Eat Up! by Ruby Tandoh. If you can't find whole-milk kefir, you can replace with whole-milk yogurt (thinned, if necessary) or whole-milk buttermilk. Either way, you want something full-fat, so the bread is tender and fluffy, not dry and crumbly. Serve with salted butter and jam, or cream cheese and smoked fish. —Emma Laperruque
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: An Oaty, Dutch-Oven Bread to Make on a Moment’s Notice —The Editors
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Ingredients
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2 1/2 cups
(400 grams) whole-wheat flour
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1 cup
(120 grams) rolled oats
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2 tablespoons
dark brown sugar
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1 1/2 teaspoons
baking soda
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt
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2 1/4 cups
(423 grams) whole-milk kefir
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a 4-quart (or close enough!) Dutch oven with parchment. It doesn’t need to fit perfectly.
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Combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Break up the brown sugar with your fingers to get rid of any lumps. Whisk everything together until smooth. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and slowly add the kefir, stirring as you do, just until a cohesive dough forms. It will be sticky.
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Scrape the dough into the Dutch oven and spread to even out. Use a small serrated knife to cut an X, about 1/2 inch deep, in the center. Cover the pot and get it in the oven.
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Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 5. The bread should be springy to the touch. Cool in the pot until you can grab the bread without burning yourself. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
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