This easy no knead bread recipe has my been my favorite for years and years! It’s simple to make in a dutch oven using only 3 ingredients and a few basics steps to get it ready for the oven. We love it!
Red Star Active Dry Yeast 32 OZ (2 lbs)
How to Bake Bread at Home:
- There are a number of ways to go about this. First, and probably the easiest is to use a breadmaker. If you don’t have one already, the investment will pay off. The Zojirushi Bread Machine is a great option (and the breadmaker I use when not baking bread in the dutch oven). But if you’re not up to buying a bread maker, you may find one cheap or free through Craigslist, Next Door, Facebook sale groups, Freecycle or garage sales.
- The second way, which is the most work, is to make bread by hand the old-fashioned way. This involves preparing dough, needing it, letting it rise, and baking in traditional rectangular bread pans. This is definitely the most difficult and takes the most skill. I personally have a heck of a time getting this type of bread to raise properly.
- The third way, and probably the thriftiest is to use this no-kneading recipe. Sure, it takes about 24 hours to turn out a loaf, but the bread is delicious and the actual “work time” is minimal.
I bake this in my Orange Rachel Ray 7-Quart Round Cast-Iron Dutch Oven, which I really LOVE! I won this from a sweepstakes and it has quickly become my favorite cooking/baking piece.
Unfortunately, this particular model has now been discontinued and is now even pricier through 3rd party sellers, but this dutch oven from Zelanico is very similar!
Another tool that is definitely not a necessity, but makes measuring so much easier since the bread requires an unusual 1 5/8 measurement for water, is a top view measuring cup.
It’s very easy to see exactly how high the water is and choose the half-way point between the 1/2 and 3/4 marks to know you’re hitting 5/8. This Good Grips 2-Cup Angled Measuring Cup is the one I use.
This is a great loaf of bread to bring when invited to someone’s house for dinner. Every time I have brought it, everyone has raved over it and it has quickly disappeared! (Yes, these are all my loaves in the pictures!)
If you want to change things up a bit, I also use this same basic recipe for my No Knead Garlic Cheese Bread pictured above, which is also fantastic and packed with flavor.
Easiest No-Knead Bread Recipe
No Knead Bread Ingredients:
3 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 5/8 C water
How to Make No-Knead Bread:
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir in water until well blended. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for at least 12 hours (16-18 hours is better).
To make this easy and to avoid having to use a new piece of plastic wrap each time, I cover the bowl with a plastic shower cap.
Next, place the dough on a generously floured work surface, sprinkle with flour, and fold it in on top of itself two to three times. Turn the bowl you were using at first upside down over the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, shape the dough into a ball. Coat a smooth cotton towel with flour and put the ball seam side down, dusting the top with more flour. Fold sides of towel over top of ball and let rise for 2 hours. The dough should double in size.
(I admit I have usually skipped the towel and just continued to let rise under the bowl on the counter and it still works, but it has to be a BIG bowl.)
30 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees and put a 6 to 8 quart heavy pot with a cover (pyrex, cast iron, enamel or ceramic work best) in to heat.
Remove the pot from the oven and dump the dough ball seam side up into the pot.
Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes or until the loaf is nicely browned. Remove from oven and cool on rack.
For another variation, you can also make my Garlic Cheese No Knead Bread Recipe.
How can I make no knead bread without a dutch oven?
I was asked by a reader how to make no knead bread if you don’t have a dutch oven. The reason a dutch oven works so well is because it can withstand the high heat and the tight lid creates steam, which makes for the crusty loaf.
If you don’t have a dutch oven, however, you can try one of the following:
- Use a heavy, deep pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- Use a heavy, deep pot with a cookie sheet placed upside down on top of it.
- Place your dough on a pizza stone and add a small casserole dish filled with hot water to your oven to help create the steam effect.
To see more recipes from Thrifty Jinxy, click “Recipes” at the top of the page!
Easiest No Knead Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 C all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 5/8 C water
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir in water until well blended.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for at least 12 hours (16-18 hours is better). To make this easy and to avoid having to use a new piece of plastic wrap each time, I cover the bowl with a plastic shower cap.
- Next, place the dough on a generously floured work surface, sprinkle with flour, and fold it in on top of itself two to three times.
- Turn the bowl you were using at first upside down over the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, shape the dough into a ball.
- Coat a smooth cotton towel with flour and put the ball seam side down, dusting the top with more flour.
- Fold sides of towel over top of ball and let rise for 2 hours.
- The dough should double in size.
- 30 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees and put a 6 to 8 quart heavy pot with a cover (pyrex, cast iron, enamel or ceramic work best) in to heat.
- Remove the pot from the oven and dump the dough ball seam side up into the pan.
- Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.
- Then remove the lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes or until the loaf is nicely browned.
- Remove from oven and cool on rack.
Jami Nelson says
I just made my first loaf and it turned out perfect.
Cathy says
Have not made this yet but 1/4 teas yeast? Does not seem like enough. I just made a no knead recipe that uses 2 teas and it came out perfect
Chrysa says
I have made this at least 50 times and 1/4 tsp is correct!
Penny says
Hi Chrysa
I have been wanting to try this. I have a non-enameled cast iron dutch oven. Do you think that would work, or would the bread stick to it? Thanks for the clear steps.
Chrysa says
Oh, that’s a good question. I haven’t baked with a non-enameled type pan so can’t answer for sure. I think to be safe I would place the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper before baking.
Cindy Costolo says
Can I use a bread machine for this?
Chrysa says
I’m not sure how that would work. A bread machine does a lot of kneading and this recipe doesn’t call for it. It also wouldn’t get the same type of crust cooking in a bread machine instead of the extra hot oven in a closed dish.
Brenda Clough says
Will be trying out this recipe real soon. I have to thank you for the suggestion about the shower cap. What a great idea. I never would have thought of it.
Adeline says
Would the bread still rise if more salt was used?
Chrysa says
In general salt reduces the rise in bread. I haven’t tried this recipe with additional salt, but it likely could affect the rise.
Sarah says
I saw Frugal Fit Mom make this same bread in a video a few months ago.
Lee McCloud-Lazarick says
Just love the recipe tab and all these wonderful recipes!
Elizabeth Donald says
I live in a higher altitude which affects how bread rises. Should I increase the yeast and how much.
Elizabeth
Chrysa says
Hi, Elizabeth. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with high altitude baking or how to make adjustments. I wouldn’t want to steer you in the wrong direction!
Samantha Woolf says
So here is a lesson I learned! Read the whole recipe before you start! It is 1 in the afternoon and I finished mixing the bread. I just read how many hours it takes!! Haha… Is there a tip to speed it up the process? I am fine with kneeding it if I need too. If not, is there a way to save the dough in the refrigerator and make tomorrow?
Lesson learned!
Chrysa says
Oops! I actually don’t know of any ways to speed it up. The good thing is that I have left it as long as 24 hours and it still turns out fine, so maybe you can just wait and bake it tomorrow?
Scott says
Hi there awesome read, can you tell me do so place the bread into my Dutch oven with the tea tea towel wrapped around it or do I take the towel off before baking ?
Chrysa says
You take it off before baking.
Jim says
My my you should not bake
Sarah says
My Dutch oven says it is heat safe up to 400 degrees. How should I adjust cooking time you think? Will that be ok? Thanks!
Chrysa says
The high heat is what helps to create steam inside the pot, letting the outside of the bread get crusty while keeping the inside moist. I haven’t tried it at 400 degrees, but you could give it a try. The bread should still be good, but maybe just now quite as good at the higher heat. Good luck!
Lee says
I don’t have a dutch oven. Can I cook this in my crock pot?
Chrysa says
I haven’t tried making this in a crockpot. Since this requires high heat I think it would turn out much differently if you baked it in your crockpot. If the crock part is oven safe you could use that to make it in your oven. I’m going to add some tips above about what to do if you don’t have a dutch oven to make your no knead bread.
Cathy Hays says
I finally invested in my first Dutch Oven, BUY ONE! Best Purchase Ever. Buy a large one or don’t even bother, I know that they’re expensive but you can purchase a cast iron one that doesn’t have all of the fancy “paint jobs” that some have and it will save you a bunch. The Bread you get out of a Dutch Oven alone is worth the purchase price, but there are so many other uses for it. I begged for mine for Christmas, told everyone it’s all I wanted. LOL.
Arleen says
I just put your bread in your put I like to put bread on paper in Dutch oven. I couldn’t flip to seam side so why made a cut in the top I hope it comes out good if not I will remember to do seam side up. But I but when I do my bread I try to shake the ball shape to make the seam go away has much gas I can that is how I do my Portuguese sweetbread
Michael Nolan says
I certainly understand where you’re coming from about never being able to get the bread to rise properly when you’re doing it all by hand, and it was one of the most frustrating learning curves I ever dealt with, until my grandmother showed me how I was ‘just overthinking and overworking it’.
Admittedly, I now use a bread machine at least 90% of the time, but once in a while I just feel like getting flour under my fingernails. I know, my friends all think I’m weird too.
I saw an article on Mother Earth News a few weeks back called “Easy, No Knead Crusty Bread” that actually produced an excellent loaf that looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
Thanks for a great read!
Michael Nolan
frugalliving.today.com