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?
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Yes actually I was the 1 who said to turn your oven on 400 degrees for 1 minute then turn it off and turn the oven light on. The oven will then be the perfect temperature for your bread to rise I know that 400 degree seems like a lot but trust me it works.. my house never gets above 68 degrees so I use this trick all of the time! The short time the oven is on 400 degrees is not enough to cook the bread.. good luck with it!
Actually preheating the oven to 400 and then turning it off should do the trick. Just keep the oven closed and the interior light on. I heat my oven to 100 and do the same thing. If I need to repeat it half way through the rise time it’s not a big deal. It works wonders. I would worry about it being at 400 because that is near cooking temp. We only want to stimulate the yeast!
My house is cooler than 55. I saw someone state leave oven on 400* for one min. and turn off to rise. I assume the meant one hour but not sure. I don’t think 1 min.will do it. Any other ideas please for bread to rise in a very cool house. Thanks.
I cannot wait to try this out!
I finally made this into rolls. I used 1/2 a recipe (3 c. flour). After the initial rise I divided the dough into 12 dinner rolls. Let them rise for 2 hours and then baked them in a large diameter dutch oven (some rolls were slightly touching) at 425 for about 25 minutes, then 5 minutes with the top off. They are just as wonderful as the bread.
I have a well earned reputation as a bread baking failure. I ruined my reputation with this recipe today. 🙂
I tried this over the long weekend, and LOVED it! Such a huge loaf, and it was definitely better than anything you can buy in a store.
I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I make at least 1 loaf per week. But I have been wanting to go Gluten free for a quick spell – has anyone made this bread using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour? If so, how much xanthan gum and/or other additives do you use?
Any help is appreciated – the flour is super expensive, so I don’t want to screw it up too much. =o)
Just wanted to say, THANK YOU!!! I have made 6 loaves so far since Christmas, including white, cranberry/pecan, rye/caraway & whole wheat. Loved all the tips from fellow bakers. All are favorites of family and friends. I now own 2 dutch ovens a 6 qt & 3 qt (a thrift shop find). Have many family & friends buying dutch ovens & making the bread too. This recipe is truly AMAZING.
Thanks so much for sharing this, I’ve made the bread three times and it was perfect. Today’s batch I split into two and added roasted garlic to one and black olives to the other. I added the flavorings after the first rise and they came out great!
It’s so easy and so yummy, I can’t imagine buying bread ever again.
Thank you so much!! Made this today and my family fell head over heels in love!! So super easy….I even stirred the flour, yeast and water with a baby in one arm! Can’t wait to make another loaf 🙂
Have you tried to do this with gluten free flour?
No I haven’t…I did try making another loaf with the bread flour again. I mixed it a little more than my first loaf…we’ll see later today. If it doesn’t work I’ll try gluten free, thanks.
My first try at making this bread was not a complete success. The loaf looked beautiful and the taste was great, but the bread was very heavy…what did I do wrong? Are u measuring the bread flour by cup or by weight?
If the bread was dense and gummy, it’s probably a sign that it wasn’t baked quite long enough. I’d try increasing your bake time by at least 5 minutes. Also make sure the dough is wet and the rise time is long enough. And yes, I measure flour by cup. Hope that helps!
This recipe …and your blog excite me! I love a good recipe on the cheap. Can’t wait to try it!
xx Kelly
JEANNE here is what I do because my house is never above 68 degrees all year, I read this somewhere and do it all the time & it works perfectly. Turn your oven on 400 degrees and set the timer for one minute, when the timer goes off turn off the oven and place your bowl in there for the amount of time needed. It works really well and sometimes I leave the oven light on for a little extra warmth! Try it and see if it works for you 🙂
Jeanne… I’ve used a heating pad on low.
I live in Northern Nevada and it is REALLY cold here right now, only 25 during the day today. My house is not that warm. Will this bread take longer that 18 hours to rise because of that, or is there something I can do? I have an electric oven, so no pilot light to “keep it warm”.
Thanks!
I made the bread two days ago and, although I am an experienced bread maker and dough handler, this was the hardest dough I have ever worked with because it was so wet. It was raining which may have been the problem. I worked in a lot more flour but If I hadn’t already decided to use the parchment paper suggestion above for “flipping” reasons I would never have been able to get it off the floured towel and had problems pulling it free from the parts of the towel that covered the top.
Having sufficiently bitched and moaned, the results were sensational. While I have loved the 5-minute artisan bread and will continue to make when I don’t have a lot of lead time, it it doesn’t have a crackling crust like this one nor does it appear to have as long a shelf life.
I made the bread two days ago and, although I am an experienced bread maker and dough handler, this was the hardest dough I have ever worked with because it was so wet. It was raining which may have been the problem. I worked in a lot more flour but If I hadn’t already decided to use the parchment paper suggestion above for “flipping” reasons I would never have been able to get it off the floured towel and had problems pulling it free from the parts of the towle that covered the top.
Having sufficiently bitched and moaned, the results were sensational. While I have loved the 5-minute artisan bread and will continue to make when I don’t have a lot of lead time, it it doesn’t have a crackling crust like this one nor does it appear to have as long a shelf life.
I am getting ready to make my fourth loaf of this bread for my family! I cannot explain just how happy I am that I found this amazing recipe that is both easy and truly the best bread my family has had in a long time! So satisfying to make myself. Thank you thank you thank you!!
I was going to try the bread bowl idea as well. This is such a great recipe. Made it once with rosemary and another time with Italian seasoning. Tastes really good days later.
Has anybody tried making this into bread bowls? I think it would be awesome as such! If so can you share some pointers? Thanks
Has anyone tried making rolls out of this recipe? I was thinking 12 rolls out of half a recipe. I just don’t know how long it would take to bake them.
Oh my gosh. I know you posted this a year ago, but I just found it, and I’ve just received my first ‘real’ dutch oven! (it’s an 8qt, oval one, so excited (>.<) )
So after following your recipe it turned out gorgeous!! I have tried other ones, and for some reason, they did not turn out as good as this one! I used All Purpose flour though, because that is all I had.
Thank you very much for posting this wonderful recipe with the instructive pictures too!
Hmmmm…. Just set my first batch to rise, but realize now that I may not be able to get to forming stage for 24 hours or so. Anyone know if the dough can sit, risen and ready, for a bit without drying out or getting otherwise funky? Thanks!
Hi, Dusty – As long as your house isn’t super warm, you should be just fine! Others have left comments of success with a first rise of 24-36 hours! Just keep it covered until you’re ready to shape it, and it won’t dry out.
Wonderfully easy and so good. Made with white flour this time, I think I’ll be trying it with wheat & rye in the near future.
I’ve been making our bread for about 10 years now and these no knead recipes are just the best. You can’t beat the crust!
Hi! Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I am baking bread again! My question is this: can the dough be stored in the fridge like artisan bread, and if yes, how long should the proving time be prior to that?
Thanks!
I am eating this as I type… amazing and easy!!! Mine sat on the counter for almost 36 hours… didn’t look ready so I just let it hang out, and its sooooooo good! Thank you for this recipe! I also bought my dutch oven for this, too 🙂
I just made this bread and we love it. just started my second batch. i like the fact that it is so dense and still chewy. i’m going to spread this recipe to all my friends. and for all the people that claim they can’t make bread, they should give this recipe a try.
Amazing recipe! Simple too!
I made wheat bread from this recipe and it turned out fantastic. 🙂 This will forever be my go to recipe for home made bread!
Hello,
I just found your blog (webpage) and I like the photo demos of making the no-knead bread. I did use the 12-18 hr. method of rising the dough for the last 4 years, luckily for me, my very first bread I baked this year, I did not had the time to let it rise overnight, so I mixed it and baked it, only after 3-4 hrs of rising, and of course 1 extra hr. before baking, and my bread was the best so far. I will never again go back to 18 hr. rising time. I need to mention I live at an altitude of over 5500ft. in beautiful Colorado and for high altitude baking I use the so called “Hungarian flour” that was especially formulated for high altitude baking. I think all recipes are valuable and the results can be wonderful, only if someone takes the time to change a little bit here and there, if the original recipe doesn’t works. I’m proud to say, I cook since I was 6 years old (baking I took up about 10 years ago, so I’m not afraid to experiment a bit. For me what works is more important than, to follow the recipe to the dot and not having a successful result.
Otherwise, the 3 cup flour no-knead recipe is enough for 2 people in my household for 2 days, so I’m baking every other day, sometimes every day, if I feel like dropping off a loaf to my neighbors.:-)
Hi, Maria! I am at the same altitude, but in New Mexico. I have had fabulous results with this recipe, but am going to try your method this week. Our house is really, really cold at night and the oven light doesn’t provide enough warmth either. It will be fun to try to complete the process during a sunny day. The house is passive solar and is toasty in the daytime. Thanks so much for the tip.
Emily, thank you for your terrific version of this recipe and for keeping this thread going. The comments are extremely helpful and are fun to read!
Hi! I’ve made this recipe a dozen times & love it! I have dough rising right now but for the first time I cut the recipe in half. Does the bake time remain the same?
Thank you!
Hi, Michelle! Glad to hear you’ve had such good success with this recipe.
Bake a half recipe at 425 for 30 min. covered, 5-10 min. uncovered. (check for golden crust and 200-degree internal temp.)
oooh! i am so excited to try this! has anyone tried a gluten free recipe using this method?? my husband and i try to go that direction as often as we can.
i see that “Alyssa-Queen of Quinoa” has a gluten free recipe that you used?? would you be willing to share? 🙂
I have the first batch rising now. The only yeast I could find was traditional yeast. I just added it to the flour, will that increase rising time, and have to be close to the 18 hour mark? I’m hoping to make it tomorrow before I go to work, (there might be some left when I get home) I guess I’ll just watch the dough and see how it rises. I can’t wait. I used to do needed bread and get 4 small loaves but we would have the bread gone in no time. I’m eager to try this and maybe make a loaf every day or so.
Leave the final rise ON the cornmeal covered parchment paper and LEAVE it on the parchment paper while baking in the pot, that way you don’t have to take the chance of burning yourself on the hot pot during the flip.
Yes, this can be an easier, neater option. I’d also recommend slashing the top of the loaf with a sharp knife. The benefit of flipping the dough is that it flips the bottom seam onto the top of the loaf to create the beautiful, cracked top crust. You lose out on that when you just lift and set it into the pot.
Believe it or not, Big Lots often has Bob’s Red Mill products very cheap! (including Organic!)
Ty for that info. Did not know that and it is a mile away!
I made this and it was brilliant. No issues with rising, even on a cold metal countertop. Took about 12 hours.
I used fresh refrigerated yeast blocks instead of dry powder. I just used half a 50g block (so 25g). Seemed fine.
Also, I only had a glass pot, but I just turned down the heat to 425 instead to compensate.
It was SO much bigger than I expected (not a baker). I’d love to do it half the size. Is it better to halve the recipe, or cut off smaller chunks of the big dough?
400, not 425
Hi, Max! I would just halve the recipe if you are looking for a smaller loaf. Those are close to the original amounts anyway. Bake for 30 minutes covered, 10 uncovered.
Where do you buy your groceries that you find Bob’s mill flour for less than 75 cents for six cups?
I stockpile Bob’s flour whenever I can get 5 lb. bags (16.5 cups) for $2. So, about .12/cup of flour (6 cups = about 72 cents). I’m not sure how much Bob’s unbleached flour is in Winco’s bulk section?