This is the BEST No-Knead Bread- The simple way to make delicious bread from scratch. Easy to make, this bread will bring out the baker in you!
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The Famous Dutch Oven Bread
I think I discovered the perfect recipe to make bread from scratch. Not having to knead the dough convinced me to try the recipe. Since then, we cannot get enough of it.
There is nothing better than a slice of good bread with butter, or a slice of good bread that you dip in your favorite sauce.
It also makes the perfect sandwich. Delicious and addicting, if you love bread. And I do love bread! Boy, do I love it! The perfect comfort food that brings happiness to your soul...
Making this No Knead Artisan Bread is a no brainer and there is no way you can go wrong with it.
I am not inventing the wheel and this recipe is not mine, but I wanted to share it with you hoping that you will try and make it at home at least once to see what I am talking about.
I found the recipe on numerous websites and nobody had something bad to say about it.
This recipe comes from Mark Bittman, an American food journalist and Jim Lahey, the owner of Sullivan Street Bakery who shared this recipe on New York Times many years ago.
Since then, this recipe was adopted by many food bloggers who created multiple versions of this beautiful, easy no knead bread.
It is simple, no fuss, no work, perfect for me, as I love easy recipes that are feeding not only the body but also the soul.
The recipe requires just flour, salt, yeast, and water. Cold water. Like it should be.
No sugar, no additives, no corn syrup, no ingredients you cannot pronounce. Simple and beautiful.
The whole idea of this bread is to take away the anxiety of working with yeast, work smarter and not harder. Like a boss! (Get it? The Bossy Kitchen? Like a boss? Yeah)
After you make the dough, which actually takes no more than 5 minutes, you let it rise on the counter in the kitchen for 12-18 hours. The bread is baked in a cast iron pot covered with a lid or a Dutch oven.
The result?
This!
And you will not believe the sounds this bread makes when it comes out of the oven....crackling sounds. I think it was singing to me!
How to make the no-knead bread
Step 1. Mix the dough.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, flour, yeast, salt. Add water and mixed it in with a spoon to incorporate it into the dry ingredients.
The dough will look kind of wet and loose, but this is how it should be.
Step 2. Let the dough rise.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep the moisture inside. Let it sit on the kitchen counter at room temperature for the next 12-18 hours. 18 hours is better than 12.
You will need a 6 qt. Cast Iron Dutch Oven with a lid. Make sure the pot and the lid are safe to be in the oven at 450F.
So, after 12-18 hours of rising, the dough is almost ready to be baked. It should have bubbles on the surface and doubled in size.
This is when you preheat the oven to 450F and place the empty pot inside the oven with the lid on. Again, both need to get super blazing hot.
An oven thermometer would be a good idea to check the actual temperature as not all ovens are the same.
Step 3. Shape the dough.
While the oven and the pot are warming up, place the dough on a floured work surface. Flatten the dough and wrap it like an envelope, bringing the sides towards the middle.
Flip it upside down and form the dough into a ball. If the dough feels sticky, just sprinkle some extra flour, as needed. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and carefully place it onto a piece of parchment paper with the smooth side on top.
Step 4. Bake.
Grab the parchment paper with the dough on it and placed it inside the hot cast iron pot. Cover with the lid and place the pot in the oven.
Note
The parchment paper is not mandatory. I used it, so I don't have to clean the pot after baking.
How to bake
Only thinking that I am going to eat THIS and I cannot wait for the next step, the baking part.
Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and let the bread bake for another 20 minutes until the crust is golden brown on top.
As every oven is unique, keep an eye on it and remove the bread when it has the desirable color. (15-20 minutes should be enough)
You can also use a thermometer to check the temperature inside the bread. It should be somewhere between 200-210F.
Take the bread out and let it cool on a rack.
I recommend allowing the bread to cool down completely before you slice it. Otherwise, it will get soggy inside.
While cooling down, I am sure it will sing to you the same it did to me. I usually keep it wrapped in parchment paper on the kitchen counter.
It is good for up to 3 days unless you eat it on the first day, as we sometimes do. Perfect for sandwiches.
SECRET: If you want to bake the bread the same day, instead of adding cold water to the flour, add warm water at about 96-100F temperature.
Follow the same process and let it rise for about 3 hours. The warm water will speed up the process of rising.
Troubleshooting
My bread is slightly wet inside.
There are various reasons the bread is soggy inside:
- The oven is not calibrated- The temperature fluctuates, and the bread bakes too much on the outside while the middle stays uncooked.
- You didn't measure the flour or the water correctly. I keep saying that a scale is better than using cups. 1 cup of all-purpose flour should be about 125g. Too little flour will make the bread soggy and have an undercooked interior.
- You did not wait for the bread to cool down completely. If you cut into it too soon, be prepared to have a soggy crumb.
- Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the bread inside. It should be somewhere between 200-210F.
How to store
I usually keep it wrapped in parchment paper on the kitchen counter.
It is good for up to 3 days unless you eat it on the first day, as we sometimes do. Perfect for sandwiches.
Old bread is perfect for making your own croutons that are perfect for soup.
Can I make it without a Dutch oven?
If you don't have a cast iron Dutch oven pot, any pot will work as long as you have a safe lid to cover it.
The covered pot will keep the steam/moisture inside, and the bread will bake like in a professional oven creating that beautiful crust.
Enjoy the best no-knead bread recipe you will ever taste!
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups cold water
- flour for dusting
Instructions
- Grab a bowl and place the flour, salt, and yeast together. Stir them together.
- Add the water and mix with a spoon or by hand to incorporate the water into the flour.
- Do not overmix, and do not add more flour. The dough is supposed to be wet.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Let it rise at room temperature for 12-18 hours. More time, better results.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 450F and place the cast iron pot inside the oven. You need it blazing hot.
- Dust the work surface with flour and place the dough on it.
- Flatten the dough and wrap it like an envelope by bringing the sides toward the middle.
- Cover the bottom of a bowl with parchment paper.
- Place the dough on the parchment paper and into the hot cast iron pot.
- Cover with the lid and place the pot in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 450F.
- Remove the lid(carefully) and bake the bread uncovered for another 20 minutes until the surface of the bread reaches the desirable color(golden brown or dark brown). Use a thermometer to check the temperature inside the bread that should be 200-210F.
- Allow it to cool on a metal rack for at least an hour.
- Keep it covered on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days. Use the leftovers to make croutons.
Linda Graff says
Was wondering if I wanted to make a long loaf of bread but it won’t fit inside the pot I have, can I use a cookie sheet and foil to bake? Thank r just put on baking pan and how much ch time to bake it, (kinda the size of a skinny French loaf)
Thank you,
Linda
The Bossy Kitchen says
I guess you can do that, just make sure the foil allows the bread to rise. The reason you would use a covered Dutch oven or a pot that is covered is to create a steamy environment for the bread to rise and get that crisp crust. If you use the same amount of ingredients, I would bake it as long as the recipe tells you. However, because I never tried your method, I cannot tell you that you will get the same results.
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Joseph says
great have made it Question can I add 5 whole grain mixture to this recipe. If so when do I add it
Joseph says
great have made it Question can I add 5 whole grain mixture to this recipe. If so when do I add it
Steve says
Thank you for this recipe. I've made it twice now and both times the finished product feels slivhtly sticky inside once cooled and sliced. Is this normal? The texture is a little wierd, almost boarding on an English style crumpet.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi, there are a few reasons why this is happening to you:
1. You cut the bread while still hot.
2. Too much water and not enough flour. I added the amounts of water and flour in grams and also in ounces. A good scale would help measuring the ingredients correctly. Cups are not always reliable.
3. The oven is not calibrated. The bread might bake too fast on the outside and not enough inside.
4. Use a thermometer to check the bread inside. It should be somewhere between 200-210F.If it is lower than that, you need to bake it more.
Barbara Conley says
My husband loves this bread! I had never made bread before and this turned out so great! You somehow need to have your name on the print page. I was trying to tell a friend about the bread and could not remember the name of your page. Finally found it and will definitely remember from now on. I will be checking out some of your other recipes. Thank you for this great bread recipe!