No Knead Bread Recipe - The Seasoned Mom (2024)

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsem*nt, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

This is the easy No Knead Bread recipe for non-bakers! With just 4 ingredients — flour, yeast, salt and water — and about 5 minutes of prep, you can whip up a loaf of bakery-style homemade bread. Thanks to the magic of a Dutch oven, the crust gets perfectly browned and chewy, while the crumb stays light and fluffy. No baking experience necessary!

Have you jumped on the recent bread-baking trend yet? If homemade sourdough sounds intimidating or time consuming, then you have come to the right place! You don’t need to nurture a starter for this perfect, crusty loaf. While my no knead bread recipe might be incredibly simple, the end result is better than most artisan breads that I’ve bought at the farmer’s market or bakery. You’re not sacrificing taste or texture with this particular method. Prepare for your mind to be blown!

I’ve slightly adapted the No-Knead Bread recipe that I originally found in Ruth Reichl’s book, My Kitchen Year. Ruth adapted her recipe from Jim Lahey’s popular No Knead Bread recipe that was published in the New York Times many years ago. You can find countless variations on the internet, but this is the no-fail method that I have landed on for a perfect loaf every time!

The difference between Knead and No-Knead Bread Recipes:

Traditionally, we knead bread dough in order to form gluten. Gluten is a combination of water with two proteins found in wheat flour (glutenin and gliadin). Folding, stretching and kneading the dough develops various connections between the proteins. The more you knead the flour, the more gluten develops. Well-developedglutenallows the yeasteddoughto stretch and expand as itrises. Properkneadingalso produces a finer grain or texture inbreads.

With that said, you’re probably wondering how it’s possible to bake a loaf of bread without kneading! The difference is that a no knead bread recipe creates a very wet dough. This wet dough allows the glutenin and gliadin proteins to float around on their own, therefore forming gluten on their own, and thus eliminating “the need for kneading!” This saves you a lot of effort by substituting time in place of effort. A no-knead bread recipe is much less effort than a traditional loaf of bread, but you have to allow plenty of time for the dough to develop.

Most folks even agree soaking the wheat in the wet dough overnight results in extra flavor. Not only is no knead bread good, but you might just find that it’s the best bread you’ve ever tasted! It reminds me of a classic French baguette with that super crispy crust and a chewy soft inside. It’s perfect for ripping off a hunk and dunking in soup, toasting, or slathering with butter and jam. Have I convinced you yet?!

How to make a No Knead Bread Recipe at Home:

As I mentioned above, there’s nothing difficult about this recipe. The hardest part is just being patient and giving it time to rise! There’s only about 5 minutes of actual hands-on time necessary, and the rest of your bread baking experience will be spent waiting for the dough to develop, bake and cool. Don’t be intimidated, because this loaf is practically impossible to mess up!

Ingredients for No Knead Bread Recipe:

• Bread flour (see my note below about all-purpose flour)
• Salt
• Instant yeast (also called “Rapid Rise”)
• Warm water

Equipment Needed for No-Knead Bread:

There is one very important piece of equipment that you will need to be able to successfully make this recipe: a heavy enamel-coated Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. If you don’t have one yet, trust me: this is a great investment! I use mine almost daily for everything from soup to chili, pot roast to beans…and now overnight bread!

If you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a LeCreuset or Staub Dutch oven, you can find a great, inexpensive model on Amazon Prime for less than $70. Again, this is one kitchen purchase that you will use forever.

You will also need parchment paper — a much less pricey investment! The parchment is the easiest way to lift the dough in and out of the very hot pot. If you don’t have parchment, however, you can place the dough directly into the (ungreased) hot pot — just be very careful!

Step 1: Stir together the Ingredients

First, place the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl.

Add the warm water and stir just until a wet, sticky dough forms. You may need to add slightly more water to get the dry ingredients to come together into a shaggy dough.

See Also

The BEST No Knead Bread Recipe! | Gimme Some OvenArtisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day - The Only Recipe You NeedNo Knead Bread Recipe in Less than 5 Minutes a DayNo-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread - Recipe Diaries

Step 2: Cover and Let Rise

Cover the bowl (I use plastic wrap) and leave it to rest at room temperature for about 18 hours.

Step 3: Shape Dough into a Ball

To shape the no knead bread, gently nudge the dough from the bowl and dump it onto a piece of lightly-floured parchment paper. Form the dough into a loose ball by gently folding in the edges. I pat my hands with flour since the dough is very sticky. Don’t stress — this doesn’t have to be perfect. We’re making a rustic loaf of bread!

Step 4: Allow the Dough to Rise while the Oven Heats

Give the dough another chance to sit and rest (covered) for about 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, put the empty Dutch oven (with the LID ON) into the oven. Preheat the oven (with the pot in it) to 475 degrees F.

Step 5: Bake the Bread

Once the dough has rested, carefully remove the hot pot from the oven. Remove the lid and transfer the parchment paper and the dough into the pot. Cover the pot, put it back in the oven, and bake the bread for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. You know the bread is done when the crust is a deep brown color.

Step 6: Allow the No-Knead Bread to Cool

I know it’s hard, but it’s very important to allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before you slice into it. Otherwise the bread will rip and tear when you try to cut it. Promise…it’s worth the wait!

What to serve with No-Knead Bread:

A warm slice of this bread is perfect when slathered in butter for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack! For a quick morning meal, the toasted bread is also great with jam, peanut butter, or a drizzle of honey and flaked sea salt.

If you’re serving the bread alongside your dinner, here are a few great meals to pair it with:

• Crock Pot Vegetable Soup or Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
• Grilled Scallops or Grilled Shrimp
• Spaghetti Casserole or Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Grilled Chicken or Roasted Chicken
• Lemon Chicken Piccata
• Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
• Spinach Pasta

Preparation and Storage Tips:

• How to store No Knead Bread: Breads like this no knead bread recipe are called “lean breads” because they do not include any added fat to keep them soft and moist. As a result, they dry out quickly and are best enjoyed on the same day that they’re baked. You can store the loaf of bread wrapped tightly in plastic at room temperature for 1-2 days, but the crust will be less crispy. To keep the crust crispy, store the bread in an open paper bag at room temperature. Day-old bread is delicious when toasted for breakfast!
• To extend the life of your bread, you can wrap the loaf tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
• How to freeze No-Knead Bread Dough: Prepare the dough as instructed and let it rise for 18 hours. Form the dough into a loose ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place the dough in a freezer-friendly container. Freeze the dough for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, allow the dough to come to room temperature for 2-3 hours on the counter, and then bake as directed.
• This dough is pretty forgiving, so you can let it rise for a couple of days, if you prefer. In her book, Ruth Reichl actually recommends punching the dough down in the bowl and then letting it rise again two, three, or even four more times. It will require less time to double in size with each additional rising. While this may yield an even better result, I don’t have the patience for that kind of time commitment, and I don’t think it’s necessary for a delicious loaf of bread.
• Don’t have time to let the dough rest for a full 18 hours? The bread will still be delicious if you only let it rest for up to 10-12 hours. Just remember that more flavor develops the longer it sits.
• What happens if you knead no knead bread? There’s no harm in doing so. The long rising time helps to develop the gluten in the dough and gives the bread more flavor, but kneading the dough by hand may develop the gluten quicker so that you can bake it sooner.

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• Bread Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has between 8 and 11 percent protein, while bread flour contains between 12 and 14 percent protein. The extra protein in bread flour results in a slightly higher rise. I highly recommend using bread flour in this recipe; however, if you’re in a pinch and you only have all-purpose flour, the recipe will work with the all-purpose flour, too.
• Instant Yeast vs. Active Dry Yeast: This recipe calls for instant (or rapid-rise) yeast, which you can add directly to your dough. By contrast, active dry yeast must be dissolved in warm water (“proofed”) before combining with other ingredients. I have only used instant yeast for testing this recipe; however, Cook’s Illustrated has a great article with instructions on how to substitute active dry for instant (or rapid rise) yeast, if necessary.
• Make sure that you use warm water when preparing the dough — not too hot and not too cold. You want the water to feel like warm bath water (about105-110degrees F). If it’s too hot you will kill the yeast; too cold and the yeast will not be activated.
• If your no-knead bread does not rise, it could be due to any number of reasons. For instance, your yeast may not be fresh. Even with a good expiration date, yeast has a short shelf life once a package is opened (I recommend keeping it in the freezer). It’s also possible that your water was the wrong temperature (see my note above regarding water temp).
• If the inside of your bread is dense and gummy, this is likely the result of two main culprits. First, the dough may not have rested long enough to give the gluten a chance to fully develop. Alternatively, the bread may not be cooked through all of the way. When the bread comes out of the oven, it’s still “cooking” and steaming. That’s why it’s important to wait and let the bread sit for at least an hour before slicing into it.
• I have not tested a double-batch of this dough; however, I have read that you can successfully double the ingredients to make a larger loaf. Just use a 5- or 6-quart Dutch oven to accommodate the bigger bread.

More bread recipes that you might enjoy:

• No-Knead No-Yeast 3-Ingredient Beer Bread
• Cinnamon Sugar Amish Friendship Bread
• Irish Soda Bread
• Skillet Cornbread

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsem*nt, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.