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The Best No Knead Bread Recipe

This post entitled “The Best No Knead Bread Recipe” originally appeared on Cooking for Seven on March 29, 2012.

No Knead Bread | Buttered Side Up

So I saw lots of people raving about how awesome no-knead bread is. Super easy and delicious.
“Yeah, right,” I thought. “You have to knead bread for ages to get a good crumb.” Boy, was I wrong.

Faced with having to knead bread by hand (horrors!) since we can’t afford a stand mixer just yet, I decided to give it a try. After all, Hannah had made it and loved it. It had to be okay.

No Knead Bread | Buttered Side Up

What Does No Knead Bread Taste Like?

It’s more than okay. WAY more than okay. The crust is crunchy and the inside is soft, light and flavorful. And it takes about 5 minutes to mix up. In all honesty, I would make bread much less often if it weren’t for this recipe. Downside? Well, there’s no more excuse for buying store-bought bread when you can make it so easily.

Equipment Needed:

First, for mixing the dough, you only need a large bowl and a wooden spoon. Then you’ll also need something to cover the bowl while the dough rises. A tea towel works well for this.

For baking the no-knead bread, you’ll need parchment paper or cornmeal and a wooden cutting board. You’ll also need a cast iron skillet or a pizza stone to cook it in/on.

No Knead Bread | Buttered Side Up

Ingredients:

You’re going to just about die from happiness, but this recipe only requires four ingredients:

  • Water
  • Active dry yeast
  • Salt
  • All-purpose flour

I mean, you cold mix that together in your sleep!

Think you can’t possibly tackle making bread at home? Give this recipe a try. You’ll be so happy you did.

Notes:

  • Not only is this bread so quick & easy to throw together (you literally just dump all the ingredients in a bowl & mix it a bit with a big spoon), but it’s also very versatile. I have made this with sour milk in place of water and whole wheat flour in place of some of the white with awesome results.
  • If you must, you can skip the steaming step. The last couple of times I made this bread I forgot that part with no ill effects. But I highly recommend steaming for the best crust.
  • I really like shaping the dough into a boule, but you can also shape it into logs or braids.

More Bread Recipes:



No Knead French Bread

No Knead French Bread
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine French
Keyword bread
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rising time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 2 loaves
Calories 150 kcal
Author Erica Lea

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of lukewarm water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
  • 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Place the water, yeast and salt in a very large mixing bowl. Dump in the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is nice and moist. And you’re done mixing!
  2. Cover the bowl loosely and let sit until it has risen and deflated a little. Now your dough is ready to be baked or stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
  3. To bake the bread: (If the dough is coming from the refrigerator, let it come to room temp before continuing) Wet your hands with water to prevent your hands from sticking and grab a piece of dough (I usually make half a recipe and use all the dough for one loaf, but you can make smaller loaves if you wish). Form it into a boule by pulling the sides of the dough towards the underside of the dough ball and rotating the dough until you get a roundish shape with a smooth surface. You can also shape the dough into logs or braids.
  4. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper (recommended) or a cornmeal-dusted cutting board. Let the dough rest and rise for about 40 minutes.
  5. About 20 minutes before you’re ready to bake the bread, put a cast iron skillet or pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and place a roasting pan (I use a 13×9-inch pan) on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
  6. Dust some flour over the top of your risen loaf and cut a few slashes into the top about 1/4-inch deep. Transfer dough onto the skillet or pizza stone, quickly pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler pan and shut the oven door to keep the steam inside. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crust is nice and brown. Cool completely before cutting. You may manage to wait that long…I never have.

Recipe Notes

From the cookbook Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day via Honey & Jam

Recipe Rating




Rachel Page

Tuesday 23rd of June 2015

You really tempt me with these awesome looking baguette.

Erica Lea

Thursday 20th of February 2014

I have never used fresh yeast, but this website says that for every 1 teaspoon of dry yeast you use 10 grams of fresh yeast. So that would be 45 grams for this recipe. http://makebread.com.au/fresh-yeast-conversion/

Hope that helps! :)

Anna Scandinavian Cottage

Thursday 20th of February 2014

This bread looks yummy! My brother makes a no knead bread that is amazing too but I'll try this recipe. I use fresh yeast, what is the equivalent to the dry yeast you're using?

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

Tuesday 18th of February 2014

No knead?! PLEASE! This looks fabulous!

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar

Tuesday 18th of February 2014

No knead?! PLEASE! This looks fabulous!