No Knead Bread Variations
There are countless ways that making food from scratch offers a huge savings over buying the pre-packaged version in the grocery store. One of the best examples is Roasting Whole Chickens and Making Chicken Stock. A very close second would be baking your own bread.
It’s no secret that we’re crazy about Jim Lahey’s No Knead Bread around here. This big, beautiful loaf can be made in your own kitchen for less than $1 a loaf. You would easily be paying five times that in a bakery or grocery store for something of similar size and quality. Multiply that over the course of a year and that is some serious savings. Enough to justify buying a Dutch oven
Or four. But who’s counting?
In this post, I’ve included our version of Lahey’s recipe, as well as included a long list of possible variations. Once you have the hang of the basic recipe, start putting your own spin on it!
Basic No-Knead Bread (go here for the step-by-step recipe)
slightly adapted from Jim Lahey’s original recipe (Amazon)
6 cups bread flour (recommended) or unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 t. instant or active-dry yeast
2 1/2 t. salt
2 2/3 c. cool water
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt (add any additional ingredients here). Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated; the dough should be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. When surface of the risen dough has darkened slightly, smells yeasty, and is dotted with bubbles, it is ready.
- Lightly flour your hands and a work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice and, using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to form a rough ball.
- Generously dust a cotton towel (not terry cloth) or parchment paper with enough flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel as it rises; place dough seam side down on the towel and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Cover with the edges or a second cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
- After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven, in the oven as it heats. When the dough has fully risen, carefully remove pot from oven. (You can add some olive oil to the bottom of the pot, if you want.)Remove top towel from dough and slide your hand under the bottom towel; flip the dough over into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
- Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes, until the crust is a deep chestnut brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be around 200 degrees. You can check this with a meat thermometer, if desired.
- Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
If you want to stir in additional ingredients to your bread, add them to the dry ingredients (flour, yeast, salt) before adding the water. This will ensure they get evenly incorporated to the dough. Then proceed with the recipe as written.
The list below is by no means an exhaustive one of possible variations. Olives, herbs, roasted garlic, or caramelized onions would be good. Or cinnamon raisin! Or roasted pepper!
Go to our No-Knead Bread FAQ page for more ideas or create your own combination! We’d love to hear your favorite combination in the comments section!
And I know someone is going to ask: Do you have a gluten-free version? I have searched high and low for a good gluten-free option, but none of the recipes I found seem to be that popular. I am a total amateur when it comes to gluten-free baking, but I am intrigued by the cup-for-cup gf flour. However… I always balk at the price. It would make one expensive loaf of bread. Does anyone have any brilliant gluten-free ideas?
Cranberry Orange Bread
This version can stand on its own with no problemo. Serve it with some butter and call it a day. But! If you really want to win friends and influence people, invite them over for breakfast and serve this as French toast. They will want to make you President of something, even if it’s just the PTA.
Add:
zest of 1 orange
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. sunflower seeds or walnuts
Four Cheese Bread
I can barely handle this bread, it is so delicious. The first time I served it (Christmas Eve 2013, with three kinds of soup), people kept asking, “What is in this bread?!” Cheese! But not just any cheese. Trader Joe’s shredded Quattro Formaggio. Adding some chopped green onion isn’t a bad idea, either.
Add:
1-2 c. shredded cheese
1/4 c. chopped green onion (optional)
Depending on the saltiness of the cheese, you may want to decrease the salt called for in the recipe by 1/2 teaspoon. In addition to mixing shredded cheese into the dough, I also sprinkle some on top when I remove the lid for the final ten minutes of bake time.
Sandwich Bread (with almond flour)
My smarty-pants husband has the mind of an inventor, so on those rare occasions when he enters the kitchen to cook rather than to eat, he’s always trying to put his own spin on recipes. He offered to stir together a batch of bread one night. When I baked it the next morning, it had a finer, softer crumb (interior) than usual. His secret? Almond flour. This bread makes the best sandwiches or toast.
Substitute:
1 c. of almond flour for 1 c. of unbleached flour
Dark Chocolate Coconut Bread
I’m not a huge fan of sweet breads, but my husband loves them. I cut our recipe in half (back to Lahey’s original amounts) to make a smaller loaf. This bread is great toasted or served up as an afternoon snack.
Add (to 1/2 of original Frugal Living NW bread recipe):
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped dark chocolate
1/2 c. shredded coconut (I use Bob’s Red Mill unsweetened coconut flakes)
Cut the covered baking time to 30 minutes, uncovered for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle some shredded coconut on top of the bread when you remove the lid for the final 10 minutes of bake time.
Tomato Basil Cheese Bread
This combination came compliments of a Frugal Living NW reader. I owe you big time. This makes the most rich, savory loaf of bread. It is delicious served with soup or spaghetti and even better turned into grilled cheese sandwiches.
Add:
2 T. tomato paste
1 c. shredded cheese
1/4 c. finely shredded fresh basil leaves
Depending on the saltiness of the cheese, you may want to decrease the salt called for in the recipe by 1/2 teaspoon.
Whole Wheat Bread
You can play around with different amounts of whole wheat flour, until you find the ratio that you prefer. I like to substitute 3 cups of whole wheat flour for 3 cups of unbleached flour. If you want a lighter loaf, try half of that. Adding some honey or molasses adds a nice touch of sweetness. Cinnamon is also a great addition to this bread. If you go that route, use sugar instead of honey or molasses as a sweetener.
Substitute:
1 1/2-3 c. of whole wheat flour for the same amount of unbleached white flour
Add:
3 T. honey or molasses (optional)
1 T. ground cinnamon (optional)
Trying to think of a gift for the person who has everything? Wanting to bring something special to the friend who just had a baby? Bake them a loaf of bread! If you wrap it up in a big kitchen towel and tie it with a nice ribbon, you are practically Martha Stewart. Of course, Martha would embroider her towel with the person’s monogram and braid her own ribbon from horse hair on her country estate, but who cares! You baked a loaf of bread! Give it to someone and watch their eyes light up. It’s a good gift.
For wrapping the big loaves of bread, I like to use a towel around 20″ x 24″.
These 18×30″ Liliane Collection Kitchen Towels (Amazon) would work great. They have excellent reviews and a variety of uses. Ditch the wrapping paper and gift bags in favor of something that’s actually! At less than $1.50 a towel, buying a 13-pack is a great way to stock up for the people on your list who will be receiving home-baked treats.
Find more delicious recipes on our Recipe Page! And make sure you’re following us on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration!
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I did the orange zest, cranberry mix. I used a cast iron enamel coated cook pot that is 3 generations old. Therefore the pot had some wear on it’s inside bottom. My first loaf stuck to the bottom of the pot in places. I love that old pot. To think that my Grandma cooked bread it it is joyful to my soul. Now I leave a circle of the parchment paper in the bottom. That works wonderfully well. I peel the paper off the bottom of the loaf when it is cooled. The bottom of the loaf isn’t as crispy brown as the sides or top. That’s OK.
Using half whole wheat pastry flour makes a marvelously dense bread.
I tried this loaf about a month ago after seeing it posted on The Frugal Girl blog and it came out well, so I am making the bread for today’s family dinner. It really is easy. It does make a big loaf (especially when making for two people–shared half last time). I am looking to get a smaller (for two) cast iron pot–how would I make a smaller loaf, especially what amount of yeast? I am definitely going to work out the variations you suggest–especially for me the cranberry. A couple of the high end markets have that loaf and I buy it when I am in the area; but if I could make it less expensive, great!
Love the variations. Thanks.
BTW, you should use grams and not cups. For one, US sizes are different than most other countries. Packed flour, scooped flour, sifted flour will all give too much/not enough flour. Grams works every time.
Also, AP flour is perfectly fine (do not need to use bread flour) as you’ve said. I’ve been using AP flour as soon as Jim’s recipe became widely known and every loaf is perfect. Also, 475o for 30 min and 10-15 min with the lid off works for me.
Keep up the good work.
can sour dour starter be used in no knead bread?
Yes. I use a quarter cup and follow the same directions.
I just pulled this out of the oven! I used 700 g of whole wheat flour and added 20 g of vital wheat gluten and about 30 mL of blackstrap molasses (it’s what I have). I don’t have a dutch oven and usually use an oven-safe casserole dish instead, but this loaf was way too big for my casserole dish, and I totally forgot that halving the dough and making two loaves was an option 🤦♀️. I had my first slice with some peanut butter and a bit of banana chia jam (two frozen bananas [frozen when VERY ripe], microwaved, with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds and a splash of lemon juice – refrigerate, done!) and it’s really heavenly. Since I didn’t have the dutch oven it’s less artisan and more sandwich-y in terms of the crumb, and since I’m a beginning baker who’s not good at shaping yet, it looks like a giant (seriously – 8 x 16 inches!) ciabatta. LOL. But bottom line: it’s delicious, I got to use ingredients that I chose, and I had some good laughs along the way. 10/10 would make again. Thank you.
Has anyone made no-knead potato bread? I’d like to make potato,bread with rosemary and onion, but I’m afraid the dough won’t rise as well with mashed potatoes in it.
I absolutely love these artisan breads and make them frequently. For those who want to freeze a loaf: Bake them for the full recommended time, cool, wrap tightly and freeze. Thaw overnight on counter when ready to use. Heat oven to 385 degrees, place loaf directly on center rack and bake for 10-12 minutes. Bread is perfectly crisp again.
Also, I frequently divide my dough in half (using the original recipe, which is half of this one) and bake for 25 minutes covered, 7 minutes uncovered. Perfect.
Favorite flavors: 1. Cranberry, orange, walnut; 2. Parmesan, garlic, basil, oregano and thyme; 3. Cheddar, bacon, jalapeno;4, Cheddar, parmesan and a pinch of cayenne.
Is there a way to print this without the pictures and ads? Thanks!
I copied pasted from the website into a word doc and then printed it. When I tried to print directly from the website much of the directions were lost under advertisements.
For an interesting variation I have used each of coffee and tea instead of water. Lukewarm and black sweetened works best. Brewed, not instant coffee and leaf not bagged tea should be used for optimal results. You may wish to use a brew stronger than for normal drinking purposes.
I’ve made every variation of No-Knead bread that I have found. The Rye is a favorite. My question is; I am looking for a No-Knead Pumpernickel bread recipe. I know it is Rye flour base. But what will make it that dark color? In researching Pumpernickel Breads, It appears to me it most be the Molasses in it. Am I on the right track? Any suggestions?
molasses and cocoa powder. some also use instant coffee powder (or adjust liquid and use a cup of brewed coffee).
Love your commentary about the no knead bread. I too, read the Lahey artical in the New York Times and have been baking no knead bread since. Have tried many flours, yeasts and combinations. I had never been able to accomplish the crusty artisan until this recipe, no matter what I tried. I am 82 years dol and still love to cook and especially bake. I share my results with young neighbors who have little time to indulge in my fun. Thanks for sharing your experiences! Keep up the good work and I hope you inspire many young people to indulge in this wonderful hobby.
6 cups of flour sounds like a lot. Just wondering. All my recipes say 3 cups and 1/4tsp of yeast- Also 1 1/4 cup of water. is this a really big loaf? – also I used to bake it in a 5 1/2 qt dutch oven and noticed bread used to spread more than I wanted – I now bake in a 3 1/2 qt and it holds it’s shape better and it bakes a better crust. Any suggestions or comments? also does it matter if the water is cold or at 110 degrees?
I would like to use sourdough starter instead of yeast. Would I have to alter flour,water amounts?
I just wanted to chime in that I too would love any help out there in figuring out if this recipe can be made from a sourdough starter (and how to adjust the quantities). Many thanks in advance!
I use this method to make sourdough bread: Following the same method.
5 cups bread flour ( my mainstay is 3 cups stone milled red fife and 2 cups white), but find what works for your flour
1/2 cup starter ( I maintain mine with equal volumes water to flour)
2 cups filtered water
2 tsp salt ( I use fine grey or pink salt for added mineral nutrition)
1 -2 Tbsp honey or molasses ( optional ) cuts the sourness for those who are anti-sour
Follow the same method by leaving covered in bowl overnight for approx 12 hours. Mother nature will create a beautiful gluten in that time as you will see by the gluten strands as you remove the dough from the bowl. Follow the same method as for the yeasted bread recipe. This is my family staple. Can lmake 2 small loaves but I like to maike 1 large loaf as it makes a taller rising loaf. Once fully cooled cut loaf in half and store them as 2 sepeerate loaves.
Baked my first loaf today, came out great, nice crisp crust, will definitely use this recipe again!
I just made my first successful loaf of bread. I cannot believe that bread that tastes like this is so easy to make! I’ll be making our bread from here on out. I was wanting a bread machine but I won’t need it now!
When do you add these ingredients? When you first mix the flour, yeast and water mixture? Later? Different rules for different additions? Newbie here so I really don’t have a clue. Thanks for the help!
I’d like to make cinnamon raisin bread with this recipe, any idea how I could get the swirl of the cinnamon?
To get the swirl, you’d have to roll the dough flat, then add the cinnamon and raisins (a little melted butter never hurt, either…) It’s such a wet dough, I’m not sure how well it would work. This dough, on the other hand, would work beautifully: http://www.frugallivingnw.com/making-homemade-hamburger-buns-basic-yeast-dough-recipe/ Just roll it up and bake it in a loaf pan, instead of buns.
My dough was also very wet and hard to work with. Until I bought a scale and weighed my ingredients. Anyway, I had success sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top of my bowl of dough, kind of scraping and pulling the sides over the top that is sprinkled, and blobbing the whole mess into a parchment lined bowl to do the second rise. The I put the dough in my heated pot, etc. I achieved a swirl look!
I just made the most delicious bread. I use sourdough starter instead of bought yeast. I added fresh chopped dates and chopped local pecans. Scrumptious
So, how do you adapt the recipe for sourdough starter. I assume you change the number of cups of flour. This recipe calls for 6 cups of flour so do you change it to 5 cups flour and use 1 cup starter? Just curious as to what the ratio is as I’m wanting to try making this from sourdough starter. I’ve just made my first batch of that this week. =)
Thanks to anyone that can answer about how to alter the recipe using sourdough starter.
Here’s what I do:
1.5 cups lukewarm water
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 cup starter
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup fresh thyme, minced
1/2 cup fresh rosemary, minced
bake at 450 for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes. Enjoy!
If using a sourdough starter instead of yeast, would the proportion be 1/4 cup starter for 1/4 tsp yeast or does another amount work better?
I like to recieve receipes
I recently made a version where I let the dough rise in the fridge for about 24 hours- after its first overnight rise and a quick foldover in the bowl-, then shaped it into loaves while cold, let rise for another hour or three, and baked. The texture and flavor were amazing! I hear you can leave it in your fridge for 3-5 days and it just gets better, but I haven’t tried that yet; my refrigerator real estate is usually too tight to allow a bowl that size to sit in there for that long… Anyone else tried this method?
A friend makes the original dough and then just uses what she needs, like a grapefruit size piece. She says that the rest keeps in the fridge for unto 3 weeks.
I made this using King Arthur Bread Flour and it turned out amazing!!! Has anyone ever made a rosemary, garlic, herbs, olive oil kind of variation? Can anyone suggest measurements if I wanted to add rosemary, garlic and herbs? Thanks!
Hi, I have made exactly that version. 🙂
When you’ve added about a third of the flour, add in about 8″ sprig worth of rosemary, finely chopped; 5 sprigs of thyme leaves; and 12-15 whole garlic cloves that you’ve peeled and simmered in just enough olive oil to cover them, just until they are a light golden brown; and 3-4 Tablespoons of the garlic oil. Continue on your merry way with the rest of the process.
So yummy!
Do you just add the whole garlic cloves in (after they’ve been simmered)? This sounds so delicious!
Yup. So you get a even, somewhat mild flavor throughout the bread, and then these creamy bits occasionally. Yum.
I absolutely LOVED the garlic pieces and the bread was so flavorful with the herb but it made a bigger load than my family can eat, have you tried halving the recipe? Does that work ok?
Replying to your last comment here, as there wasn’t a Reply icon there…
We’ve never had any left, so let me commend you on your willpower! 🙂 I don’t see why you couldn’t halve it, although if I were you I would make it all, separate it into two loaves and take one out about 20 minutes before it is done and freeze it- then simply put it in the oven for about an hour from frozen (start checking after 30 min) or 20-30 minutes if thawed.
I’ve also recently made a version where I let it rise in the fridge for around 24 hours after its overnight rise and a quick fold in the bowl, then shaped it into loaves while cold, let rise for another hour or three, and bake. The texture was amazing! I hear you can leave it in your fridge for 3-5 days and it just gets better, but I haven’t tried that yet…
Making a loaf tonight, but don’t have any fresh herbs. About how much dried rosemary and thyme would you say it is? (I always have fresh garlic in the house though!)
If using dried herbs, I would use 1 Tbs of rosemary and 2 tsp of thyme.
For the sandwich bread, do you mean substitute only 1 cup of flour for almond flour? Or all 6 cups for almond flour?
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now, and I love this bread too! I love your ideas for variations, and almond flour. One thing I do slightly different is: first I heat the water for the starter, to between 110F and 120F. I mix it with the yeast and salt, and add a pinch of sugar. When it is thoroughly mixed, and becomes cloudy (2 mins) I add the flour and stir. I’ve also noticed that the warmer the location of it’s initial long rise, the more it will rise. So, during our cold Chicago winter, I keep it near a radiator. Thank you for your ideas on variations – can’t wait to try!
This is a good mixing order! There have been a few times where I did shorter rises and the yeast wasn’t fully dissolved. This would solve that problem! We did a 100% whole wheat variation this week, with 1 cup of almond flour. Definitely dense, but still delicious!
How would one make a rye bread using this technique?
Also, for a softer wheat bread could you do 1c white, 1c almond, and 2c wheat? Or something like that anyway…
I just made a rye loaf with this method, and it’s perfectly spongy and a tad bitter, just as rye bread should be. At the simplest, just use the whole wheat method, but use rye flour instead of wheat flour. For extra flavor, I also added 1 tablespoon each of onion powder, cocoa, and caraway seeds, and I substituted the water with brewed coffee.
Awesome recipe! BUT, at what point during this recipe can I freeze the dough to bake at a later date? After the first or second rise, or somewhere in between?
Don’t have enough containers to bake several at once but can easily make all of the dough at once. Thanks!
I made the basic bread this morning and it tuned out just as you pictured. It’s just amazing our yummy it is. Your directions were spot on and so was your timing. I wouldn’t have believed that 1/2 t. of yeast was enough. Plus we live in a cold climate and our house is 64 degrees overnight and it still rose as expected. Thanks so much!!!
If you make one of the variations, when do you put in the extra stuff? Before the first rise or do you knead it in with the second rise?
Or do you even add it in right before putting it in the oven?
They just all seem so delicious! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I mix any additional ingredients to the dry ingredients before adding the water. That’s the best way to get everything evenly incorporated.
My bread crumb looks yellowish (dull) while yours looks nice and white! Am I doing anything wrong?
I’ll second Rachel’s question. What kind of pans did you use for the sandwich variation, and did you have to use more than on loaf pan?
It will give you more of a sandwich-type bread, meaning a tighter, softer crumb. I bake it exactly the same way as the other loaves, using a Dutch oven. Then I just slice it up. Makes great toast or sandwiches!
Your recipes keep saying T. or t. but do they mean teaspoon (tsp) or tablespoon (tbsp)? It makes a difference and I’m not sure to which you are referring.
T. = Tablespoon
t. = teaspoon
Okay. Thanks.
I am wondering about the sandwich bread recipe; you say substitute 1 cup almond flour for 1 cup unbleached flour….does that mean substitute one for one (so 6 cups total of almond flour) or substitute JUST one cup?
Thanks!
Just 1 cup. So 1 cup almond flour, 5 cups unbleached white flour.
Thank you! I can’t wait to try that variation. I bake the original one every week. My husband and I love “bread day”! =)
For the sandwhich bread, what kind of pan would be used? I like the elongated shape but not sure if I would need to split the recipe into a few loaf pans. Thanks!
http://www.oregonlive.com/cooking/2014/12/artisan_bread_masters_turn_the.html#incart_river
Gluten free recipes 🙂
Anyone ever buy and use these type of towels? I am in need of some new white towels. The ones I have used in past were the white commercial type ones from Costco which held up great but are heavier.
Ikea has fantastic kitchen towels like thes- they usually have a red or a blue stripe on the ends. They seem cheapy in the store, but as soon as you wash them in hot water and dry them, they become perfect! And I believe they are a whopping 69 cents each.
Yes! I was just given 2 of these last week! They would be perfect for this.
I was given the cup for cup flour by Bob’s Red Mill. One recipe would take all the flour I have. I should try it 🙂
Oh, yum! I want to try just about every single one of these variations. 🙂