Rather than purchasing a loaf of French or Italian bread from the grocery store, think about making it at home. All that’s needed is a high-grade Dutch oven for bread. This versatile kitchen ...

Steam is essential for a fully risen loaf of bread that cracks open exactly where you score it. The moist air allows for oven spring and it’s the last time your bread rises after all that proofing.

Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Picture a bowl of soup or a salad without a slice of crusty bread to go with it. Worse still ...