No-Knead Bread Recipe
If you have been hanging out around Frugal Living NW for awhile, you know that I am a big believer in making food from scratch at home. With a few exceptions, I prefer creating something in my own kitchen to buying it in the grocery store.
Bread can be tricky, though. There is some stiff competition out there, and it is tough to replicate a commercial oven’s heat and steam in a normal home kitchen.
For the last several years, I thought that Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes was the best thing since, well, sliced bread. It was simple, and we were content with the results. That is, until last summer when our neighbor brought over a beautiful, delicious loaf of home-baked bread. We had to know her secret. One phone call, and she came back with the book, My Bread by Jim Lahey (Amazon).
We have been baking bread using this method ever since. I can count on one hand the number of times I have bought bread in the store since then, because I can now make an artisan-quality loaf at home for a fraction of the cost.
I am telling you, this is consistently the best bread I have ever made in my kitchen. Okay, enough gushing. Let’s make some bread.
The only changes I have made to Lahey’s method is to double the amounts and adjust the baking time and temperature to achieve a bigger loaf with a thinner crust.
Oh, and don’t be put off by all these steps. This is totally possible for home bakers at any skill level. I wanted to give you the confidence to do this on your own. A concise recipe can be found at the bottom of this post.
The ingredients are simple: flour, water, salt, and yeast. My husband calculated this bread costs 74¢ per loaf (using Bob’s Red Mill flour & Costco yeast).
Oh, wait! Don’t forget to factor in the roughly 8 cents of energy used to bake it for an hour. No, I’m serious. My husband really does think about this stuff! He’s funny.
So, there you go. A whopping 81¢ for a substantial 2.5 pound loaf of bread. That is crazy cheap.
If you want to use some whole wheat flour, substitute 3 cups of whole wheat for 3 cups of the all-purpose flour (3 cups whole wheat and 3 cups of unbleached flour for a total of 6 cups) and add 3 Tablespoons of molasses (optional). This will produce a slightly sweeter, denser loaf of bread. Delicious.
Combine the dry ingredients, add the water, and stir to combine (the funky looking wood-handled item is the amazing Danish Dough Wisk — makes stirring stiff dough a snap). The dough should be wet and sticky. Depending on the temperature and humidity in your home, you may need to add a little more flour or water, 1 Tablespoon at a time. So far, these steps are exactly the same as the 5 Minute method.
The main differences are that you use significantly less yeast (1/2 teaspoon vs. 1 1/2 Tablespoons) and significantly more initial rise time (12-18 hours vs. 2 hours).
Once the ingredients are completely combined, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on the counter to rise for 12-18 hours. This slow rise aids in the fermentation of the yeast, giving the bread a better flavor.
Okay, I know what some of you are thinking: 12-18 hours! That’s ridiculous! Who has that kind of time?! I get it.
However, here are two things to consider:
- Once you get into a rhythm of baking your own bread, it’s not a big deal. I start mine in the afternoon or evening and bake it the next morning or afternoon. This would also be an easy weekend routine.
- Just like the title claims, this bread requires no kneading. It is not fussy, temperamental dough. You can produce a delicious loaf of bread with very little hands-on effort & experience.
You’ll know your dough is ready when it has risen in the bowl, smells yeasty, darkened slightly, and is covered with small bubbles.
Using well floured hands, shape and tuck the sticky dough into a rough ball. You can also fold it over a couple times on a well-floured surface. It doesn’t have to be perfect; just keep quickly tucking the dough underneath with your fingertips until you have a semi-smooth dough ball. The dough should be wet but manageable; you don’t want a wet blob so sticky that you can’t shape it into a ball.
Take a clean linen or cotton tea towel (not terry cloth) and dust it with flour, cornmeal, or wheat germ to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel as it rises. You can also use a floured square of parchment paper on the towel to make the dough ball easier to handle. Place the dough ball, seam side down, in the middle and dust with more flour.
Cover the dough with the (parchment paper and) towel and let it rise for 1-2 hours at room temperature, until doubled in size. During the last 30 minutes of rise time, place a heavy lidded 6-8 quart pot, like a Dutch oven, in a cold oven and preheat it to 425 degrees.
Confession: I own three Dutch Ovens. I use them all the time. They are incredibly versatile and worth the investment. If you don’t own one, you could also make this in any lidded pot, provided it is oven-safe at such high temperatures. Also, check the knob on your pot. If it isn’t rated for such high heat, you’ll want to remove it or cover it with foil. You can also buy an inexpensive replacement knob that is rated for higher temps!
Okay, this is the trickiest part of the entire operation. Remove the lid from the piping hot Dutch Oven, slide your hand underneath the towel or parchment paper, and flip the risen dough (seam side up now) into the pot. Try to flip close to the pot or the flour will fly everywhere. Remove the towel or paper and set aside.
This might take a bit of practice, but again it doesn’t have to be perfect. Some of my worst flips have produced my most beautiful loaves. I love what Lahey writes, “…even the loaves that aren’t what you’d regard as perfect are way better than fine.”
Place the lid back on top and slide the pot back into the hot oven.
Bake it for 40-50 minutes. Remove the lid. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until golden chestnut brown. The internal temperature should be around 200 degrees. You can check this with a meat thermometer if you’re nervous about knowing when your loaf is done.
Oh man, your house will smell so good about right now.
Place the loaf on a cooling rack. You will hear it crackling as it cools. Use every ounce of self-control to resist cutting into it until it is “quiet”; cutting it too soon will make the bread dense and gummy.
This bread is best the first 2-3 days. I just store my leftover loaf inside the Dutch oven on the countertop. Using plastic wrap will soften the crust. Dry, leftover bread makes great bread crumbs, toast, French toast, or croutons!
Enjoy. And pat yourself on the back. You just baked an amazing loaf of bread!
Basic No-Knead Bread
Slightly adapted from Jim Lahey’s My Bread
Ingredients
6 cups bread flour (recommended) or 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 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.
- Place a full sheet/large rectangle of parchment paper on a cotton towel and dust it with enough flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran to prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment paper as it rises; place dough seam side down on the parchment paper and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Pull the corners of parchment paper around the loaf, wrapping it completely. Do the same with the towel. 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. Unwrap the towel and parchment paper from around the dough and slide your hand under the bottom of the dough ball; flip the dough over into pot, seam side up. Pull the parchment paper off, scraping any stuck dough into the pan. 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.
Here are a couple options for Dutch Ovens. Any heavy, lidded 5-8 quart pot (seasoned cast iron or enamel coated) would work with this recipe. Lodge has the best prices/options for dutch ovens on Amazon.
Lodge Logic Dutch Oven in Island Spice Red (6 Quart)
Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven (5 Quart)
If you already have a dutch oven (or find a deal on a lesser-known brand) that doesn’t have a knob rated for high temps, replace it! There are some really affordable options.
Got questions? You are in good company. Go here for the complete FAQ list.
Looking for more variations to the no-knead bread recipe? We’ve created a list with sweet and savory varieties, including the following:
- Cranberry Orange
- Four Cheese
- Sandwich Bread
- Dark Chocolate Coconut
- Tomato Basil Cheese
- Whole Wheat
Looking for more delicious bread recipes?
Find more delicious recipes on our Recipe Page!
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Omg I just made it!!! Fabulous! I have never baked bread in my life with success. It is cooling now and I cant wait to try it. Thanks and greetings from Alaska!
Yay!!! And after you take your first bite you’ll be making it everyday! Great job 🙂
Can the no knead bread recipe be halved? My Dutch oven is only a 3 1/2 quart.
Yes, it can! That is actually the original recipe. See our FAQ page for more information: http://www.frugallivingnw.com/frugal-homemaking/no-knead-bread-answers-to-faqs/
I’ve cut the recipe down to quarter a loaf and used my little all clad sauce pan to cook it. It made a PERFECT breadbowl sized loaf.
It’s just me so I make that little one a few times a week and NOM NOM NOM. Best recipe ever!
This turned out awesome! I’ve flopped a couple different recipes, but this turned out perfect – I’ll definitely be doing it again. Thanks! And, the crust was just hard enough and thin.
I love this! I’m a complete novice when it comes to bread baking but this recipe is perfect. I made two loaves on Christmas Eve and 3 more batches since then. In fact, I have two bowls of dough rising right now.
Thanks so much.
Made this and it came out so good! Love using my Le Creuset in a new way. I will be making it again soon!
My bread doesn’t rise much after I told it over on itself a couple times(after the initial 18 hour rise). In fact it just kinda turns into blob abd flattens out. It still turnd out pretty good in the end though. What am I doing wrong? Also, can I add cinnamon, cranberries, raisins, molasses, honey, etc. To make this a holiday bread or will any of that interfere with it rising? I want to make a yummy Christmas version of this.
Sounds like you could add some more flour. The dough will be wet but it should be manageable, not a blob. And yes, you can add additional ingredients. See our FAQ post for more on that:http://www.frugallivingnw.com/frugal-homemaking/no-knead-bread-answers-to-faqs/
I’ve done this many times, this is an awesome way to make bread, chewy and delicious.
I got out of the habit during the Summer and Yay, I’m going to check to see if I have yeast and hopefully get a loaf started.
I’m always looking for new recipes to use in my dutch oven and this recipe looks awesome. Love your adjustments for a bigger loaf with a thinner crust. Just pinned!
What if I don’t have a dutch oven? Can I use any casserole dish with a lid? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi, Emilie! Check out our FAQ page for an answer to this and more: http://www.frugallivingnw.com/frugal-homemaking/no-knead-bread-answers-to-faqs/
wow! I am so excited! This time I heated up the pot and voila! perfect! No giant unmanageable blob, rose in the expected times, and this time we used all white flour, this is the one that I’ve been craving. So delish, rustic, crispy crust, chewy interior, would love to show you a picture, I have several, hahaha. O.k., thanks a million, made my year! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a few times. Just finished another white loaf and again turned out perfect. I also did a 9 grain whole wheat with half white flour. It also turned out good but not as good as the all white. It was denser and the dough was a tad more runny than the white. I then tried a dark rye. Well that ws definitely more runny. I used half white flour and the other half was the rye flour. It didn’t rise as much and was much more dense. When I had it on the towel to rise for the remaining two hours it was turning into more of a pancake. After baking it tasted fine but would maybe try 2 cups rye flour and 4 cups white next time. Or maybe it needs 1 tsp. of yeast for the darker floured bread. Any other suggestions!
I love this bread. I also had the loose bread blob, but after adding about another cup or so of flour it was somewhat manageable. Stuck all over the parchment even tho I put tons of flour on it, anyway I ended up oiling the dutch oven, cold, then took the dough and formed it again into a ball-ish shape, did a third rise, but in the pot, and in about an hour it was risen and I popped it in the oven and it turned out perfect. I’m going to make another loaf today so I’ll know to adjust my water/flour ratio as I go.
Since it turned out fine starting in a cold pot, I don’t think I’ll even try that “scary hot” pot! Well, maybe down the road a bit, I might, ;-D
Thanks again for this delicious simple recipe, it was just what I’d been searching for!
I have tried many different combinations and they all turn out great. For this recipe, I use 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 Wheat flour.
I also make a version with parmesan chunks, prociutta ham and sun dried tomatoes.
Another version, i use calamatta olives, green olives and jalepenos.
For all these versions, i just mix in the ingredients at the beginning.
I finally got the red spice pot that’s shown above from Amazon..abt $50. So, I can finally try this out. I’m kinda excited to try out some artisan bread-making. And, PS those Pumpkin Spice Pancakes, might work well for waffles, too…to eat some, freeze some for later? (Just one of me, so I look for things that “keep”) Add a 1T coconut or other & adj from pancake to waffle recipe, for batter. I use Martha White’s bisquit mix (small servings). PS~I can use the pot on my induction burner, too, btw & it works really well!…For soups, etc..not bread 😉
This makes a great loaf, but I’m ready to get more creative. Could you please tell me at what stage would you add mix-ins (seeds, cheese, herbs etc.)? Right at the beginning when you mix all the ingredients or at the second 2 hour rise? Also roughly how much would you add, a cup? Thank you!
Just made this bread today and it worked out perfectly. It’s a huge loaf and to be honest I was a bit skeptical but so glad I tried it. So easy. It really does look like a loaf from an artisan bakery. I did not have a cast iron Dutch oven but did have a heavy gauge stainless steel soup pot. I did lightly oil the pot but won’t do that next time as the oil burnt to the pot when I preheated it. Anyway it still worked out perfectly. So glad I found this site for the recipe as it’s my new favourite.
Whoops! I was supposed to oil the pot after it was preheated! Just realized that! It was still delicious and didn’t stick!
I’ve made this bread once, and it stuck to the bottom of the pot. I preheated for about 30 minutes prior to transferring the dough. I’m trying it again but was wondering how to make it without having it stick. Any ideas?
If you are nervous about it sticking again, just oil the pot. When you pull the pre-heated pot out of the oven, pour 1 T. of olive oil into the pot and quickly wipe it around with a paper towel. Flip the dough into the pot and proceed as written. That will do the trick!
I must have checked follow comment or something. Please please unsubscribe me. I have followed the unsubscribe link multiple times over several weeks and the e-mails keep coming. Please remove me from the thread.
We have no way to remove you from our end. Sorry.
Wow! I made this bread last night…so delish! And super easy as well. I have never made bread until now and I’m ecstatic at its flavor and simplicity…can’t wait to make this a weekly staple for our family of two!
Recently discovered this. Husband loves it. For the tricky flipping part I put a cutting board under the towel/parchment before placing the dough down. When time to flip it to dutch oven it makes it much easier & neater.
I have made this loads of times and love it, instead of parchment paper or paper towel, I use a linen towel covered in flour, with another one to cover, when ready its so much easier just to pick up the sides of the towel and flip over into that very hot pan, being British this was a joy to discover, just like being back home. have not brought Supermarket bread since finding this thanks very much
I’ve made this a few times now and it is LOVED by anyone who gets to eat it! I tried a few different variations. My favourite so far is
half bread flour, half spelt flour and about 1/4c of ground flax seed. I’m excited to get more creative and try different flavours like adding cheese, nuts, seeds, and berries (up next is jalapeño cheese bread).
Does anyone know if I should change the flour-water ratio when I add extra ingredients? I didn’t for the flax seed and it turned out perfectly, but it might be necessary when adding things like cheese. Thanks!
OH. M. Gee. This bread is absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I made it this weekend and actually took it to my in-laws ( I was nervous as I didnt know if the inside turned out ok). It was amazing. It was gone in 24hrs. It reminds me of bread i used to eat growing up in Ukraine. And to think I used to pay close to $6 for a smaller loaf at a local bakery here in the States is insane (and only like 3 times a year as a treat!). LOVE THIS recipe! Thank you so much. Will be making it again and again.
OMG! I just did this bread and is AMAZING! Thanks for sharing it! I have baked breads before but never this kind of bread. Is sooooo good! Is hard to stop eating it!
I love the cooling rack you have in one of the pics – where is that from? I’m in the market. thanks!
hollie
I made this recipe in my large clay pot (Roemer Topf), and it turned out so delicious! I will experiment with different flour types throughout the next few weeks. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Made the dough yesterday and its baking right now!!!
I cut the recipient in half as I have a 3.5 qt Dutch oven I bought just for this!!!! Can’t wait to try the bread! My house smells amazing!!!
Defiantly going to add to this and experiment with flavors!!!! Mmm a sweet dough for breakfast would be great!!!!!
I have been making this bread exclusively for more than 2 years. First I did the 100% white, then a half and half Whole Wheat, and finally 100% Whole Wheat. Now I have a Vitamix Blender and grind my own wheat berries, wow with only 5 ingredients, I feel so healthy! That has changed the consistency of the bread dough but it makes up wonderful into a loaf when baked. It is much heavier as 100% Whole Wheat (I add 2 T. Molasses) but it is wonderful. I have mistimed the rising of both the first and second time where I didn’t make it home for much longer than the time specifies and it has done just fine in the baking process. This is a very, very, very forgiving bread that has been a hit for everybody who has tasted it. Making this bread has paid for the Cast Iron Dutch Oven over and over again. Try it you will be hooked for life.
Hey There! I am ready to try, I love homemade breads but never have the time!! I skimmed the article but didn’t see how much of everything to put in? I think I saw three cups of flour but that was it!?
Thanks so much
it is six cups of flour. there was a link to the ingredients and instructions somewhere in the above conversation. good luck!
I just made the dough and realized that 18 hours from now will be 3 a.m…. Fail. What might happen if I leave it until the morning (the real morning, ya know with sun and everything). Thanks.
Kjerstin — I’ve cut the rise time short and you could bake it tonight at 9 or 10 and be fine. I think if you waited until morning you would be fine too.
Hey there! I’ve made bread a bunch of times and its frustrating to admit that this hasnt quite turned out as expected. The start seemed to be working well, but after the initial 16 hr rise, the dough was incredible wet. To the point where it was like the dreaded bread blob monster. I’ve added almost 1.5 more cups of flour to get it to a workable consistency, and I’ll try baking it to see what happens. But do you have any tips as far as the initial mixture goes: how does one tell if its a “wet and sticky dough” for the initial rise without it producing something overly wet and sticky?
No one likes a blob monster. The dough should be wet and sticky but manageable. You should be able to shape it into a rough round loaf for that second rise on the floured parchment paper/towel. So I’d say whether or not you can handle/shape it is a good indication of whether you have added enough flour.
Hi – My sister and I were wondering if anyone has tried freezing this bread? If so how did you store it when it thawed? (I love this recipe so good and so easy!!!) Thanks!!!
I am really interested in trying this! There is a bakery in Petaluma, CA that makes a chewy loaf like this but they coat the top with a olive oil, salt, lemon and rosemary rub right as it’s out of the oven. OMG, to be able to make that myself instead of paying $6 a loaf, the kids can go to college now! 🙂 Anyway, I was wondering if it would work to do this on a pizza stone instead of the Dutch oven. Any reason why I couldn’t use the stone, which I have, vs. the Dutch oven which I don’t? Thanks!!
Emily might be able to answer this question better but my assumption is that it wouldn’t make a round loaf. The dough moves a lot so if you put it onto a stone after it’s raised it’s going to be more of a flat loaf instead of rounded. Plus, there is something necessary about the lid and the steam that it provides while baking. With a stone, no lid.
That’s my best guess but Emily could add more.
What will happen if I only have 8 hours to let the dough rise for the first time, and 2 hours for the second? I have made this recipe before — and it’s wonderful — but I didn’t allow myself enough time, and I’d like to serve it at a dinner party tonight.
Thanks
I’ve let mine rise only 8 hours and it turned out fine. But now that I say that yours won’t 😉 You should be okay.
To the admin: I am soooo sorry for the six posts! My internet connection kept cutting out and it wasn’t showing up on my side. I retyped/re-posted each time without realizing it was indeed posting. If possible, please remove all but the post that is time stamped August 23, 2013 at 10:06 pm. Thanks so much! Again, I am so sorry for the inconvenience! :-/
You’re fine 🙂 I was able to delete some of them.
HI! Just found your site (there was a link to it in an Amazon Dutch Oven review – lol!) Thanks for sharing this great recipe – can’t wait to try it! I hope I didn’t just miss it, but I did not see if it the Dutch Oven should be prepared, just before adding the dough (oiled, or oiled and dusted with flour or corn meal)? Or perhaps adding it to a very hot pot keeps it from sticking? I usually dust my baking stone with non-GMO corn meal.
Thanks!
PS: I’ll certainly be a regular to this site – I love cooking, baking and saving some ‘dough’. 😉
Leslie we’re glad you found us! I don’t do anything to my dutch oven before I put the bread in and the bread comes out just fine.
Preheating the dutch oven IS crucial, as I found out to my chagrin when I forgot this step one time while making this bread. I had made it so many times by then I was chatting away to my daughter while I put it into the dutch oven and then into the oven, and completely forgot to preheat the pan WITH the oven! It was extremely difficult to remove from the pan; eventually I got the sides loosened enough that I could get the majority of the loaf out, but the entire bottom crust and about 1/2″ of bread stuck. I finally had to just put water in there and soak it out. Lesson learned—that step is really important!
I am a vry inexperienced baker but am trying to use healthier alternatives in the kitchen. One recent find is Spelt Flour. Do you have an suggestions for substituting Spelt Flour in this no-knead bread recipe?
HI! Thanks for sharing this great recipe. Can’t wait to try it! I hope I didn’t just miss it – but I did not see if it says the Dutch Oven should be prepared beforehand (oiled, oiled and floured or dusted with corn meal)? Or perhaps adding it to a very hot pot keeps it from sticking. Although your pics are so truly appreciated, I can not tell if your pot is oiled and floured or maybe just a bit stained?
Thanks!
Hi I have got this rising now for the second time. I have made bread lots of times before and this was so wet after the first rise that I had to pour it out and think I added the wrong amount of water. I’m in the UK and used a US cup measure. Does your recipe mean two and two thirds cups? That’s what I used. I had to add at least another cup of flour to make it manageable.
Yes, the recipe calls for 2 2/3 cups of water. However, if you had to pour the dough out, then it was too wet. The dough will look differently based on how you measure the flour and what the temperature and humidity are in your area. Once you have made this bread a few times, you’ll get a good feel for what the dough should look like and can adjust the flour and water, as needed. Just use the measurements as a basic guide and make slight adjustments (I usually do 1-2 tablespoons at a time).
Check out our FAQ page for more! http://www.frugallivingnw.com/frugal-homemaking/no-knead-bread-answers-to-faqs/