No Knead Bread Recipe

With just 4 ingredients and about 5 minutes of hands-on prep, this No Knead Bread recipe is the easiest way to enjoy artisan bread at home!

Course bread, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword homemade bread recipe, no knead bread

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 45

Resting Time 19

Total Time 19 50

Servings loaf (about 8-10 slices)

Calories 120kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ⅓ cups warm water

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. Stir in water, adding a little bit more (if necessary) to bring the dough together. Cover and leave to rise at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size (about 18 hours). It will spread out in the bowl and look bubbly.
Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust with flour. Gently nudge the dough from the bowl onto the parchment. Shape the dough into a loose ball by gently folding in the edges. Allow the dough to rest (covered) and continue rising for about 30-60 more minutes.
While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and place a 4-6-quart cast iron Dutch oven (with the lid ON) into the oven to heat up.
Once the dough has rested for 30-60 minutes, carefully remove the hot pot from the oven. Take off the lid and place the parchment paper and dough into the pot. Cover the pot and put it back in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the cover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (or until the loaf has turned a deep brown color).
Allow the bread to cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Notes

Make sure that you use warm water when preparing the dough -- not too hot and not too cold. You want the water to feel like warm bath water (about 105-110 degrees F). If it's too hot you will kill the yeast; too cold and the yeast will not be activated.
How to store No Knead Bread: Breads like this no knead bread recipe are called "lean breads" because they do not include any added fat to keep them soft and moist. As a result, they dry out quickly and are best enjoyed on the same day that they're baked. You can store the loaf of bread wrapped tightly in plastic at room temperature for 1-2 days, but the crust will be less crispy. To keep the crust crispy, store the bread in an open paper bag at room temperature. Day-old bread is delicious when toasted for breakfast!
To extend the life of your bread, you can wrap the loaf tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
How to freeze No-Knead Bread Dough: Prepare the dough as instructed and let it rise for 18 hours. Form the dough into a loose ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place the dough in a freezer-friendly container. Freeze the dough for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, allow the dough to come to room temperature for 2-3 hours on the counter, and then bake as directed.
This dough is pretty forgiving, so you can let it rise for a couple of days, if you prefer. In her book, Ruth Reichl actually recommends punching the dough down in the bowl and then letting it rise again two, three, or even four more times. It will require less time to double in size with each additional rising. While this may yield an even better result, I don't have the patience for that kind of time commitment, and I don't think it's necessary for a delicious loaf of bread.
Don't have time to let the dough rest for a full 18 hours? The bread will still be delicious if you only let it rest for up to 10-12 hours. Just remember that more flavor develops the longer it sits.

Nutrition