With just 4 ingredients, this no-knead bread couldn’t be any easier to make. You will love the light and airy texture of the interior and the crunchy, golden crust. Not to mention, this bread requires practically no hands on work to make!
Do you love the taste of homemade bread but are intimidated by yeast? So many home bakers are afraid to bake with yeast. If that’s you, I encourage you to start with this recipe! It is truly the simplest bread I have ever made, and you don’t even have to knead the dough! You just assemble the dough ingredients, and the magic happens overnight as dough rests and ferments. You wake up in the morning, and it’s ready to bake. This along with my Irish soda bread are perfect introductions to bread baking!
I love serving this bread with soups, chili, or cheeses. My favorite way to enjoy is straight out of the oven with a bit of butter. The crust on this bread can’t be beat!
Flavor Ideas
One of the things I love most about this no-knead bread is its versatility! You can use this recipe as a base for so many different flavors! Below are some of my favorites, but feel free to get creative to fit your tastes and preferences.
- Jalapeno cheddar – 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar and one chopped jalapeno
- Olive cheese – 1 cup shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup olives
- Herb – Your favorite fresh herbs (rosemary and thyme work well) and fresh cracked pepper
Ingredient Line Up
- Unbleached, all purpose flour
- Active dry yeast – Make sure your yeast is fresh and not old! Otherwise your dough will not rise.
- Salt – A coarse salt, such as kosher or sea salt, gives this bread wonderful flavor.
- Warm water – Use a thermometer to measure the temperature. Your water should be between 110°F-115°F. This is the right temperature range to activate your yeast without killing it! I use an instant read thermometer every time I work with yeast.
How to Make No-Knead Bread
First, whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together. Then, stir in the warm water with a wooden spoon. Your dough will be very sticky and wet at this point. Next, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rise 10-18 hours or overnight.
After the rise time, the dough will have a lot of air bubbles. This is good!
Then, punch the dough down and form it into a ball on a floured sheet of parchment paper.
Score an X in the top of the dough, and let it rest with the parchment paper beneath it in a large bowl so it doesn’t lose its shape. Meanwhile, heat a 6 quart dutch oven at 450°F in the oven. Once the dutch oven has heated, place the dough with parchment paper beneath it into the dutch oven and bake with the lid on. Then, uncover the dough and bake additional time to create a golden, crispy crust.
No Knead Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup warm water between (110°-115°F)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt.
- Pour in the warm water and mix with a wooden spoon. The dough will be very sticky. Do not add more flour!
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise 10-18 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Once the oven is preheated, place a dutch oven into the oven with the lid on for 30 minutes so that the dutch oven heats through.
- Turn the dough out to a large, lightly floured piece of parchment paper. The dough will still be sticky and have air bubbles.
- Form the dough into a ball and place the parchment paper and dough into a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean rag while the dough rests.
- Once the dutch oven has been heated 30 minutes, carefully place the dough with the parchment paper beneath it into the hot dutch oven. Return the dutch oven to the oven with the lid on and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, uncover the dutch oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. The dough should be golden and crispy.
- Let the dough cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!
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