This No-Knead Bread is the easiest recipe ever! Flour, salt, yeast, and water combine then bake in a hot Dutch Oven to make the most delicious crusty bread.
No-Knead Bread
There are few things I love more than freshly baked bread slathered with butter and sometimes jelly. Something about it feels so old-fashioned, homey, and comforting. Maybe it’s the basicness of it that makes me have all of the feels … or maybe there is some kind of memory that I can’t truly recollect, but it conjures up enough in me that I feel somehow more connected to history or family in something so silly as homemade bread. Do you ever feel like that?
This just might be the world’s easiest bread recipe ever. If the thought of baking bread intimidates you, then this is a good recipe to start with since it’s almost foolproof! If you’re an experienced baker, this is a great recipe for those times when you don’t want to do a bunch of work – this bread recipe almost takes care of itself! Let’s be honest, we all need days like that some times. ? The best part? You’ll only need a handful of common ingredients to make this crusty. delicious bread.
What is No-Knead Bread?
Simply put, it is a type of bread baking method that uses a long fermentation or rising time instead of the traditional kneading method to form strands of gluten that gives bread its texture and chew. Generally, the dough requires little yeast and is wet or sticky.
Ingredients for Homemade Bread:
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- instant yeast
- room temperature water
How to Make No Knead Bread:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Stir in the water until blended; the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12-18 hours at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place in a 6 to 8-quart heavy covered pot in the oven and let it heat for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, gently scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
- Once the pot is heated, remove the plastic wrap from the dough ball. Carefully lift the dough and parchment paper together and place them so the parchment paper lines the bottom of the pan (NOTE: the pot will be extremely hot so use caution when lowering the parchment paper and dough into the pot!)
- Cover the pot with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
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No Knead Bread: FAQs
Can you knead the bread?
Sure … you could, but that defeats the purpose of no-knead bread! ? Take the easy route on this one and use a traditional kneaded bread recipe if you *really* want to knead bread!
How does No-Knead Bread work?
Instead of the traditional kneading method, which many of us are familiar with, No-Knead Bread uses fermentation to form gluten strands that give bread its texture. Most no-knead bread recipes will call for a small amount of yeast, and the dough will be wet or sticky.
Why is my bread so dense?
This usually happens because there is too much flour. This dough should be sticky, and although it might be tempting to add more flour – Don’t do it!! Sometimes, humidity or the age of the flour might affect the density of the bread.
Why is my bread so gummy?
Check your oven temperature! Gummy bread usually occurs because the crust forms on the bread before the inside has reached its full volume.
Why is my bread so flat?
Your yeast may be past its expiration date or the water temperature could have been too hot and killed the yeast.
How did you like this recipe
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Everyone loves a great homemade bread recipe and this not only easy, but it is also a family favorite! I would love to know about your experiences with the recipe. Please leave me a comment, or ask a question if you have one!
Other recipes you may enjoy
No Knead Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 ½ cups room temperature water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Stir in the water until blended; the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest 12-18 hours at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place in a 6 to 8-quart heavy covered pot in the oven and let it heat for about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, gently scrape the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
- Once the pot is heated, remove the plastic wrap from the dough ball. Carefully lift the dough and parchment paper together and place them so the parchment paper lines the bottom of the pan (NOTE: the pot will be extremely hot so use caution when lowering the parchment paper and dough into the pot!)
- Cover the pot with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Notes
- Nutrition calculated with 1 loaf = 12 slices.
- Instead of the traditional kneading method, which many of us are familiar with, No-Knead Bread uses fermentation to form gluten strands that give bread its texture. Most no-knead bread recipes will call for a small amount of yeast, and the dough will be wet or sticky.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
Hello,
Thanks a lot for sharing with us your experience. Unfortunately I don’t have a dutch oven, is there any other way that I can bake this bread with? I have tried spraying water over the bread, but the results is gummy yet and after a while the breads get tough!! What can I do? Help me please….
Regards,
As long as your cookware is oven-safe and can withstand temperatures over 450°F, you can use any covered metal pot for baking bread. A 4-quart soup pot should be able to hold the bread. If the pot doesn’t happen to have an oven-safe lid, feel free to swap-in aluminum foil or a baking sheet over the top to trap the steam inside. I hope that helps!
Thank you!! 🙂
i use bread pans on top of each other worked excellent
Dear Mahsa,
I used a lidded soup pan the first time. Not heavy in weight, but ovenproof, so I’d say any lidded cooking pot would work! The loaf turned out just fine.
I had luck using a cast iron skillet and covering with foil
This looks amazing. I am gluten intolerant. Can I use gluten free flour?
Unfortunately, I don’t have much knowledge of gluten-free products. If you do use gluten-free flour in this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out in case anyone else has the same question. Thanks so much!
I don’t have Instant yeast. Would active dry yeast work?
Yes, you can use that. Just be sure to dissolve the yeast in water first.
I noticed that there wasn’t any sugar in the recipe
Can you substitute whole wheat flour for white fliur
Thanks for the question! I have never made it that way but I’m guessing based on some other recipes I’ve tried, you can swap it out just fine. Just a note, sometimes whole wheat flour makes the finished product seem drier and produces a coarser texture. If you decide to give it a try, I would love to hear how it turned out in case anyone else has the same question!
I’ve made this recipe twice, now! First time, I followed it to the letter, and it made a lovely loaf, though because you recommended a 6-8 quart pan, I used a lidded soup pan, not too heavy, as it was all I have in that size. I’ve now done a second loaf, tweaking the recipe. Wanting a bit more height, I doubled the instant yeast to 1 tsp., and it did raise up a bit more, though the dough was a bit lighter, so harder to shape without a bit of extra flour on the board. I also added some seasonings and about 1 1/4 cup of sliced green olives and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. It baked up beautifully in a size 20 Le Creuset casserole, which holds about 2 quarts! It tastes better than the olive loaves I’ve bought in a bakery. My next experiment will be with some granary flour. Thanks for finally getting me to bake bread!
This is just what I want to hear! I have never baked bread but now, I really think tomorrow will be the day!
Can you make this with a shorter rise time? Just trying to figure timing if we were to have it with dinner. Thanks!
It might affect the taste and texture slightly, but you could try the shorter time as long as it has had some time to hang out before baking it.
I like adding about 1/2,cup whole wheat flour., 1-2 teaspoons flour and let my ball lof dough rise in a bowl with a bit if olive oil on second rise. I also add cornmeal or sesame seeds to the outside and make a few cuts with scissors to the ball before baking. Spritzing the uncovered loaf in the last 10-15 minutes when you take the lid off also makes crust crunchier. I have added Italian seasoning to the dough as it rises from time to time.
In the past, I used a slightly modified recipe. In it, I used wholewheat flour and 1TBs molasses. I dissolved the molasses dry yeast in 110 degree water. Then I also warmed the flour until it seemed to be around 110 degrees. By this time, the yeast was growing very fast. (Make sure the bowl used for the molasses an yeast mixture is rather large, or the yeast will grow all over the place, literally. The resting stage only takes a couple of hours. The dough is quite moist. I believe the over temperature was 375. I used olive oil to grease the loaf pan before baking. After baking, the bread is greased with olive oil as well.
Can I make baguettes with this recipe? If I divide the dough in two and put them side by side in the Dutch oven would that work? Otherwise I have a two loaf baguette pan but then I couldn’t preheat or cover it.
I just made this bread recipe, used a 7 qt Le Creuset Dutch oven, came out terrific, thank you for sharing
This is the best and easiest bread recipe! Have made it 5 times and will continue to do so! Thank you so much for this amazingly yummy and easy recipe!
I made the bread exactly like the recipe said. It’s all gone. Making another one now. My boys say it’s fantastic. Thank you!
Can you add cheese ?
sure.
Any recommendations for high altitude?
I’m unfamiliar with high-altitude baking, but found a great resource for you at King Arthur Baking
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You can also use a cast iron skilet with a lid, it comes out flatet but is juse as good, you can mark out a biscuit patern and there just as goodand just like the loaf they taste “”YUMMIEEEE”
I just took my first loaf out of the oven. it looks perfect. Have not cut into it yet as it needs to cool. My question is I would like to make more adding green olives to one loaf and swiss cheese to another. When would one add these products to the dough?
I set the dough to begin rising or resting at 6:30 this morning. I didn’t really plan my time well and I’m wondering if I could put this in the oven at 4:30, so 10 hours. What will my success be? How is the bread if you consume it the day after and the event I decide to wait the full 12 hours
I love your bread I’m taking my second loaf and have a third one waiting. The only problem is the bottom is a little hard to cut through so I put a little oil on the parchment paper. Hopefully that well rectify the problem but it’s so simple and easy. Thank you very much.
I’ve been making this bread for many years. I got the recipe from The Sullivan Street Bakery
Is bread flour good for baking this bread?
Yes. You can use bread flour for this recipe.
Hi,
Do you have a gluten free version that’s tastes great and has some bounce to the bread
I do not, but I am working on one!
I made this bread last night and it’s gone!!! My husband loves crusty bread with diner. This recipe will definitely be my go-to from now on!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Can I use bread machine yeast?
Yes! Bread machine yeast and rapid rise yeast are just types of instant yeast. This means that bread machine yeast, rapid rise yeast and instant yeast can all be used interchangeably.
I made it and it was delicious 😋 Will definitely make it again.
I’m concerned with so much salt. I’m on a very low sodium meal plan. Could I use less salt ?
Thanks
Although I have never tried it with this recipe, you can try reducing the salt up to half. Note – Without salt, your dough will rise faster than it normally would, leading to less flavor development and a weaker structure.
I’ve made this bread twice. After rising for the 12-18 hours the dough still is wet and a very sticky mess. On a floured surface I try to shape it into a ball. It comes out more like a ball that proceeds to spreads out, without form. Am I not using enough floor when I try to form the dough into a ball? I’m not sure how much flour is supposed to be incorporated into the dough when forming the dough ball. It seems to come out ok though
This dough should be a little wet and sticky. If you want, you can try adding slightly more flour at the very beginning, but I wouldn’t add too much.
I love this bread. It’s so easy, I love that about it too. Amy thoughts on how I could turn it into a good dessert bread? Like with brown sugar or anything?
Can I use beer instead of water?
I made a no knead bread and recipe had beer to replace some of the water (I remember drinking the rest if the beer).
My husband loved it and it didn’t taste like beer. Also, do I need to adjust for higher elevation like 5,280 feet?
I just made this as your recipe and it was incredible! I was wondering if this recipe can be made in a loaf pan?
This was super easy and the bread is delicious. I will definitely be playing with additions and other flour types. I used a convection oven and adjusted temp to 425 and timing 25 with lid and 10 with out. Also split into 2 smaller loaves as my dishes were 2.5 qt, Pyrex dishes