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Easy No-Knead Artisan Bread Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 541 reviews
  • Author: Paula
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
  • Yield: 10 servings (slices)
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This World’s Easiest Yeast Bread recipe delivers a rustic, artisan-style loaf with no kneading required. Using simple ingredients and a hands-off method, this bread yields a chewy, fluffy crumb with a crispy crust, perfect for everyday baking. The dough requires only mixing, rising, and baking in a preheated Dutch oven to create a steamy environment that produces bakery-quality bread at home.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Dough Ingredients

  • 3 cups (450g) bread or plain/all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp instant or rapid rise yeast
  • 2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (not table salt)
  • 1½ cups (375 ml) very warm tap water (up to 55°C/130°F)

Dough Shaping

  • 1½ tbsp flour, for dusting

Instructions

  1. Mix Dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the warm water and mix using the handle of a wooden spoon until all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be wet and sloppy but not runny like cake batter. Adjust with more water or flour if necessary to achieve the right consistency.
  2. Rise: Cover the bowl with cling wrap or a plate and leave it on the counter for 2 to 3 hours until it doubles in volume and becomes bubbly and wobbly like jelly. If it hasn’t risen after 1 hour, place it in a warmer spot to encourage rising.
  3. Optional Refrigeration: At this stage, you can either proceed to baking or refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days to develop more flavor.
  4. Take Chill Out: If refrigerated, remove the dough from the fridge and let it rest on the counter for 45 to 60 minutes while the oven preheats to take the chill out, as cold dough does not rise well.
  5. Preheat Oven and Dutch Oven: Place a Dutch oven with its lid in the oven and preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F (220°C fan) for 30 minutes before baking.
  6. Shape Dough: Dust your work surface with 1 tbsp flour, scrape the dough out of the bowl, and dust the top of the dough with ½ tbsp flour.
  7. Fold Dough: Using a dough scraper or similar tool, fold the sides of the dough inwards about six times to roughly form a round shape, deflating the bubbles but not overly shaping it.
  8. Transfer to Parchment Paper: Slide a large piece of parchment paper next to the dough and flip the dough onto it seam side down so the smooth side is up. Slide it towards the middle and reshape it into a roundish form without worrying about perfect shape.
  9. Place Dough in Dutch Oven: Carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven. Use the parchment paper to lift and place the dough inside the pot, then cover with the lid.
  10. Bake Covered: Bake the bread covered for 30 minutes.
  11. Bake Uncovered: Remove the lid and continue baking for another 12 minutes or until the crust is deep golden and crispy.
  12. Cool: Transfer the bread to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

  • Flour: Bread flour produces a chewier, fluffier crumb and longer freshness due to higher protein content, but plain/all-purpose flour also works.
  • Wholemeal Flour: For wholemeal, reduce initial flour by ¼ cup (30g) and adjust as needed since it absorbs more water.
  • Salt: Use 1¼ tsp if using fine table salt due to its finer grains to avoid over-salting.
  • Water Temperature: The water should be warm but not hot; too hot will kill the yeast.
  • Dough Consistency: Adjust flour or water to get a sticky but not runny dough, as shown in the linked video.
  • Dough Rising: Rising time varies by temperature and humidity; ensure dough doubles in volume with bubbly surface. Use warm spots if slow to rise.
  • Oven Preheating: Preheat oven and Dutch oven well in advance for best steam baking effect.
  • Dutch Oven Size: Use a 26cm (10”) or larger Dutch oven for sufficient steam space; it creates a steamer effect similar to professional ovens.
  • No Dutch Oven Method: Use a metal pan filled with boiling water on a lower shelf to create steam, bake bread on parchment on middle rack for 40 minutes until golden brown.
  • Make Ahead/Storage: Dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days; bread is best eaten same day but stores well for 2 days at room temperature in a paper bag.
  • Source: Adapted from the New York Times no-knead bread recipe with modifications for home cook ease.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice (about 1/10 loaf)
  • Calories: 150
  • Sugar: 0.3g
  • Sodium: 350mg
  • Fat: 0.5g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0.3g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 31g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 5g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Find it online: https://piesbypaula.com/easy-no-knead-artisan-bread-recipe/