Last updated on May 30th, 2018 at 03:41 am
No Knead Bread – no kneading required, 4 simple ingredients, baked in a Dutch Oven! The result is simple perfection, hands down the best bread you’ll ever eat!
I shared this recipe with you guys almost 4 years ago and I have to share it again because it is one of my favorite recipes of all time and it’s one I make often, plus I made a video for you guys! Whenever I want a crusty bread, this is the recipe I go to, it really couldn’t get any easier. The simplicity of this no knead bread is what I love the most and the fact that your entire house will smell of fresh bread as you bake this. This bread could not get any easier, it’s even easier than the artisan bread.
MY LATEST VIDEOSThe ingredients are the same as for the artisan bread but the way it’s made, totally different. The thought of baking bread in a cast iron pot with the lid on never crossed my mind years ago, but it makes complete sense. As you bake it with the lid on, it creates steam inside the pot therefore creating a nice crust on the bread. We know steam makes crusty bread, I learned this a long time ago as well.
Do not worry about a thing. If you think there is no way your bread will look like this, you are so wrong. This could not get any easier. If you’ve never baked bread before you could still make this. Every single time I make this, I end up with a gorgeous loaf of bread. You cannot screw this up!
But admire the bread for a minute. Is that crust not perfection? Have you seen a better looking crust than that?
Now let me tell you about this no knead bread a bit. It is the best bread I have ever made. No lie! And I’ve made a few breads in my day. It is crusty, it is crunchy and it is flavorful. You know those great Italian loaves of bread with a nice crust to them that you buy from the local Italian bakery, it’s like that, but better because you made it yourself.
Making this could not get any easier. Simply mix the flour, salt and yeast together and then add the water to it. Mix it using a wooden spoon or spatula until it’s all incorporated, no need to over mix, it will look like a sticky mess. Cover up the bowl, let it rest outside on the counter for 12 to 18 hours. Yes, if you thought you were going to eat bread today you won’t, you have to let it rest for that long, and also please do not refrigerate it. I left mine for 18 hours overnight, and after all that time that sticky mess will rise and will become even stickier but that’s OK. You have to preheat your oven to 450 F degrees, and also preheat your cast iron pot as well. Apparently you don’t have to use a cast iron pot if you don’t have one, any other oven proof pot with a lid on would work. When the pot is heated, be careful not to burn yourself, using a lot of flour on your hands roughly shape the dough into a round ball, you don’t have to be perfect, and drop it in the pot. Put the lid on and bake it 30 minutes, after which remove the lid and let it bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until it’s nice and golden brown. Perfection.
And if I haven’t said it a million times, there is nothing better than warm bread, right out of your oven. I know you want to rush and make this right now. Oh by the way you can add other ingredients to the flour before adding the water, such as cheese, or herbs, that’s what I’m going to try next. 🙂
This recipe was originally shared Nov 10, 2012.
For other No Knead breads, try these:
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!
No Knead Bread - no kneading required, 4 simple ingredients, baked in a Dutch Oven! The result is simple perfection, hands down the best bread you'll ever eat!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water room temperature
- In a big bowl mix the flour, salt and yeast together. Pour water into the bowl and using a spatula or a wooden spoon mix it until well incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter for 12 to 18 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450 F degrees. Add your cast iron pot to the oven as it's heating and heat it as well until it's at 450 F degrees.
- Remove the pot from the oven and remove the lid from it. If you want to make sure your bread doesn't stick to the pot you can sprinkle some flour or cornmeal on the bottom of the pot.
- Flour your hands really well and also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough. With your floured hands gently remove the dough from the bowl and roughly shape it into a ball. Take the ball of dough and drop it into the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and place it back in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, after which remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the pot, it should fall out easily. Let cool completely before slicing into it and serving.
Recipe Video
I used a small 3.5 qt Dutch oven. A small Dutch oven is better here so that the bread rises upwards, whereas if you were to use a big Dutch oven the bread would spread out over the entire surface of the pot.
If the dough mixture is too dry, add a bit more water, the dough should be sticky, as seen in the video.
To add other ingredients to the bread such as dried fruit, seeds, herbs or cheeses, add them in step 1 when mixing everything together.
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.
Why is my bread chewy: Usually your bread will be chewy when there isn't enough gluten formation or you're using a low-protein flour. Make sure you let your bread dough rest for at least 12 hours to give it enough time for gluten formation.
Why is my bread dense: Usually bread will be too dense when there is too much flour. Keep in mind this dough will be pretty sticky, do not add more flour than specified. Other factors that come into play are humidity and age of flour. Little yeast, long rise, sticky dough are keys to a good, light loaf.
I don't have a Dutch oven, what can I use instead: If you don't have a Dutch Oven, a covered metal pot would work as well, just make sure it can stand up to 450 F heat. A 4 quart Calphalon soup pot with lid would work as well. If your pot doesn't have a lid, you can cover the pot with heavy-duty aluminum foil, just make sure you seal the pot well.
How do I know when my bread is done baking: Tap the bottom! Take the bread out of the Dutch oven, turn it upside down and give the bottom a firm thump with your thumb, or a knock and if it sounds hollow it's done.
Nutrition: Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe source Simply So Good
What you’ll need:
Loved it was perfection. I added garlic and rosemary it was better than artisan bread from the store.
Hey Jô! Thanks for the share! This bread is amazing! If I use levain to raise the dough, do you know the proportion I should use on It?
TKS again!! Sorry my bad english, i’m brazilian and I’ve learning english reading recipies in your blog. Cooking gives me a quite motivation 🙂
Hi Olyvia! Sorry I haven’t used levain only yeast for this type of bread, so I am not sure how much you’d need.
Loved this bread ! It was delicious when we ate it for dinner, but even better made into toast for breakfast the next day! I have a question, I would like to make a larger loaf in my 5 qt Dutch oven, what adjustments in the ingredients would I need to make?
I would multiply everything by 1.5, you can actually do it in the recipe itself, if you hover over the number of servings, you can slide it to how many servings you want and it will adjust the quantity of the ingredients.
Thank you! This is one of the EASIEST Bread Recipes out there!!
Be sure to read through the ENTIRE POST, including the *Notes for Success.
Smells so good baking!! Now I am off to make my homemade butter!!
Happy Baking!!
That sounds fantastic, I’m glad you love the recipe.
Hello Jo,
I just found your site on Pinterest and read this recipe which sounds and looks wonderful!! I have a Corningware glass dutch oven and was wondering if I could use that? I don’t see why not but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Thank you for taking the time to answer 🙂
I haven’t tried myself, but I believe if you read through the comments, you’ll see that quite a few people have tried and were successful with it.
Could I add fresh garlic or garlic powder before cooking, or would that affect the bread adversely? Thanks
For sure! That would be great.
Can I use less salt? Sodium level too high for us. Older folks!
Yes, absolutely!
I made this bread several times and my family loves it. Excellent bread I do have a question. Can this dough be frozen before it is baked?
I’ve never tried to freeze the dough myself, but perhaps others have. I’m not sure what would happen to it, since the dough is so soft and went. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it turned out.
Thank you for responding to my question. You included a link to a pot similar to the one you used. Unfortunately, that didn’t answer my question which was what is the diameter of the Dutch oven you use to bake this bread. If anyone has used a 3.5 quart pot would you please let me know the diameter? Most appreciated. Thank you.
It says right in the link, it’s 8.5 inches in diameter. 🙂
Can i double recipe?
For sure! Hover your cursor over the number of servigs in the recipe card and you can adjust the servings however you like.
What is the diameter of the 3.5 quart pot you used? I need to buy one and saw one that was 3.5 quarts but was low and wide, more like a saucepan which just wouldn’t do. Thnx.
It’s a Dutch oven, and is similar to this:https://www.amazon.com/Tramontina-Enameled-Covered-3-5-Quart-Gradated/dp/B009HBJXYM/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1527872678&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=3.5qt+dutch+oven&dpPl=1&dpID=31rRjDwU8UL&ref=plSrch
RE: No Knead Bread
Some people in the comments are saying you should use quick or rapid rise yeast instead of active dry yeast as it will not rise properly. Please clarify which type of yeast to use.
The one mentioned in the recipe, active dry yeast.
My first attempt…I had so much fun. Easy. Came out top notch
Can I make this bread with gluten free flour.
You can, however you’d have to also use xanthan gum as a replacement for the structural binding that the gluten provides. We’ve never used gluten free flour so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
This was great, super easy and tasted amazing! Will definitely remake this! Has anyone double it to make a bigger loaf? how much longer would it need?
I love your video!! This bread is amazing. I have made this bread at least 4 times and every time it comes out just perfect. thank you for sharing your recipe.
Could you double the recipe?
For sure! If you have a dutch oven that is big enough for a large loaf like that then go ahead.
I love your video and have shared it many times. It shows people how easy it is to make. However I learned to make it off the original new York times recipe and you’re missing a step. After you shape it in the morning, it needs two to three hours proving time before baking. You will get a much lighter better tasting bread. Thank you. With your video, I have inspired many. 🙂
My dough has been proofing for 18 hours and still looks like it did 18 hours ago. What am I doing wrong?
This will be an issue with your yeast. Your yeast is most likely expired, so buy new yeast if so and make sure you get instant yeast for this recipe.
If the yeast isn’t expired, then it’s probably not instant yeast. If you don’t have instant yeast, that’s okay. Just follow these instructions to proof it first: mix the yeast into the 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water and a 1/2 tsp of sugar. Wait 5 minutes, and it should bubble up quite a bit. Then it will be ready to use in the recipe.