4 Ingredient No Fail No Knead Artisan Bread that’s easy and delicious! Perfect for those who love freshly home baked bread right out of the oven.
Long ago, I discovered that it’s more fun to make bread myself without a bread machine. I do have my good old trusted KitchenAid mixer
Now I cannot tell you how easy this bread is to make, and with only 4 ingredients. Beat that!
I have had this recipe for a while now, at least a couple years and I personally got the recipe from a friend of mine. Apparently this is the same as the recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
This is very simple, no kneading required. In a medium bowl add the lukewarm water, it has to be a bit warmer than body temperature, add the salt and the yeast and stir together. In the bowl of your mixer add all the flour and the pour the yeast mixture over the flour. Using the dough hook mix it all together. The dough will be sticky so don’t be tempted to add more flour.
Now you can place the dough in a big plastic container with a lid, but do not close the lid completely, leave one corner open a bit. Or you can just place it in a big bowl and wrap it up really well with plastic wrap and poke a couple small holes with a toothpick so that the gases can escape a little. Let it rise in a warm place for a good two hours.
Since there’s no kneading required, all you have to do is shape your bread, but because the dough is really sticky you need to flour your hands really well. Basically you have to divide the dough in two and shape each piece. Again add as much flour as necessary to your hands to avoid dough from sticking. It is ideal to bake this bread on a stone, but if you do not have a stone you can just use a regular baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Shape the dough and place it seam down on the baking sheet or stone. Sprinkle some more flour on top. You need to let the bread rest for another 30 minutes so that it rises a bit more.
Preheat the oven to 450 F degrees. Before placing the bread in the oven, slash the top of your bread with a knife, it will make your bread look pretty, plus it will allow for the trapped gases to escape. Also place a pan with a cup of water in it and slide it in the bottom rack and the bread on the middle rack. As the water heats up in the oven, it will create steam which will give the bread that nice crusty top. Trust me, you will want to do this. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes and let it cool completely before cutting into it. I know it’s hard, I love hot bread, just the thought of it now, makes me crave it.
If you love this bread, give this No Knead Bread a try!
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
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Artisan Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups water lukewarm
- 1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a medium bowl add the warm water, salt and yeast and stir together.
- In the bowl of your mixer add all the flour, then pour the yeast mixture over the flour and mix using the dough hook of your mixer, until it's all well incorporated.
- Place the dough in a large plastic container, it needs room to rise, and put the lid on it, but do not close completely, there needs to be one corner left open to let the gases escape. Alternatively, you can use a large bowl, covered well with plastic wrap and poke a couple small holes in the top using toothpicks.
- Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
- The dough will be very sticky and elastic. It is recommended to bake this on a stone, however a regular baking sheet will work just fine. Cover the baking sheet, or stone with parchment paper.
- Add flour to your hands, and divide the dough in two pieces. Add more flour to your hands as necessary. Shape the dough into the desired shape for your bread and place it seam down on the baking sheet. Sprinkle some more flour on top of the loaves. Let the loaves rest for another 30 minutes so that they can rise a bit.
- Preheat oven to 450 F degrees. Before placing the bread in the oven, add a pan with a cup of water and place it in the bottom rack. Slash the top of your bread, to allow gases to escape.
- Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes. The water will allow for the bread to form a nice crusty top.
- Cool on a rack before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.
- To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using.
- Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container.
- One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.
- How do I know when my bread is done baking: Tap the bottom! Turn the bread upside down and give the bottom a firm thump with your thumb, or a knock and if it sounds hollow it's done.
- Recipe will yield 2 loaves. Nutritional information assumes 10 slices per loaf and is per slice.
Charlotte Beecroft says
Thank you so much for this advice. It will help me enormously.
Charlotte Beecroft says
I was delighted with my first attempt at yeast baking with my new KItchen Aid mixer. The texture was similar to sourdough which I love. One question, as I also bake for our church market, can I freeze the dough and if so, at what stage, please?
Jo Cooks Team 2 says
Yes you can! A lot of industrial bakers will freeze their dough after the first rise 🙂
Victoria says
Oh my gosh! This bread is so good. I’ve never baked before but just got a KA mixer for Valentine’s Day. I was a little afraid I’d mess it up, but it came out perfect. I baked two loaves on Sunday and they are gone😂 my husband is a happy man. Thank you!
Bonnie P says
My first time using my Kitchenaid mixer. This recipe was really nice and easy to follow. I read the comments beforehand and adjusted my oven to 425 (I know my oven runs high). The bread turned out awesome! My husband loves the crust – and I like it too! Thanks for sharing. I’ll be making this again and again.
Sean says
Turned out great. First loaf was a little darker but adjusted to a lower rack a turned oven to 435 deg.
Danielle Demma says
This bread is fantastic and super easy. Thanks.
Carole Faux says
This bread turned out beautifully!!! It rose lovely -the slashes were easy to do and I will be making it again! My family loved it!!!
Sri says
First time baking with yeast!! Bread came out tasting so well. But towards the last 10 min of baking time, the crust started charring. So I had to take it out sooner and scrape off the top.
Do you know why it happened ? I placed the wire rack on second tier slot from the top. Please advise.
Jo Cooks Team says
Every oven is different! Yours might have a bit more direct heat.
CJR says
I soak my yeast for about 10 minutes but it doesn’t foam; I use Fast Acting Dried Yeast Granules. Should i use a different sort?
Also, I use a mixer with a dough hook to mix everything together – how long should I mix it and should it end up looking like a smooth ball of hand kneaded dough. It takes me about 15 minutes to mix it on a HIGH speed with dough hook. Is that right?
Jo Cooks Team says
Your yeast is most likely dead! Make sure the water is lukewarm- not hot. Try a new jar of yeast and store it in the freezer to help it last longer. Yes, the dough should be soft and elastic after mixing.
CJR says
So should i beat the mixture with my dough hook for about 15 minutes on a high speed? Seems like a long time? Thanks.
Jo Cooks Team 2 says
You just want to mix the dough until all the ingredients are fully mixed together, it will be a sticky texture.
MARS says
Great recipe but I can never get the slashes/lines on top of the bread. The dough is too sticky and wet, so it just sticks to the knife and flops/flattens, with no line embedded in it. Any ideas how I can do this?
jo says
You can use a shaving razor or a very sharp serrated knife. Your other comment’s been removed. 🙂
Mars says
Thanks Jo, i will try a razor next time then. Thanks for your reply and for amending my listing.
LJ says
I have the same issue with the slashes….a lame or sharp knife sticks. I use sharp kitchen shears and they work great.
Mike says
I’m looking at making this recipe. How long do you let the yeast mix sit before adding the flour?
Jo Cooks Team says
Give it about 5-10 minutes until it foams up.
Emily V says
This bread is absolutely delicious and super easy. It’s the first bread I’ve done with my new KitchenAid Stand Mixer. One question — is the amount of salt necessary to get the bread just right? I’d like to half the salt content due to health concerns and high blood pressure. Thank you!
jo says
You can definitely reduce the salt.