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    Home » Recipes » Bread » Yeast Bread

    No Knead Crusty Bread Recipe (Video)

    July 22, 2020 By Brandy 6 Comments

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    This no knead crusty bread is so easy to make, and tastes like the artisan breads from the bakery! Crusty, chewy, perfect for dipping in soups or slathering with butter. Make a batch of dough and refrigerate until ready to bake. It can stay in the refrigerator for a few days if needed. The longer it sits, the tangy the bread will be! This post contains affiliate links.

    You might also like my French bread recipe. It makes 2 loaves of delicious soft and chewy bread!

    loaf of baked bread on cooling rack

    Watch our step by step video!

    I'm a sucker for a loaf of crusty bread, and a bowl of chowder. When my husband and I were first married we'd go to Fisherman's Grotto #9 in San Francisco and each order a bowl of clam chowder because it came with unlimited sourdough baguettes. We skipped the crab and fancy seafood restaurants, and always went for chowder and bread. SO good. Remind me to share our shortcut clam chowder recipe when the weather starts to cool off. It's so perfect with this bread!

    baked bread on cooling rack

    If you love artisan bread you'll love our no knead crusty bread. This loaf crackles when you press down on it. It's golden brown and crusty on the outside, but chewy and soft on the inside. The best part is that it is SO DANG EASY to make. If you've ever struggled with homemade bread, you need to try this recipe.

    What is No Knead Bread?

    This bread comes together in a large bowl, and is mixed by hand. You don't need a stand mixer or any sort of attachment. I mix my dough with a Danish dough whisk, but a wooden spoon works great, too. That is where the dough prep ends. You mix and let it rise. You don't need to knead it on a floured surface for 5 mintues!

    No knead breads typically rise at least 4 hours. This recipe has a rise time of 2 hours, at room temperature on the counter, and 2-4 hours of time in the refrigerator. It's so forgiving. If you don't have time to bake your loaf, simply leave the dough in the refrigerator until the next day. According to the King Arthur bread website, the longer it sits in the refrigerator, the more tangy the bread will be (like sourdough). I've never left it in the refrigerator longer than 8 hours because I'm too impatient.

    How To Make No Knead Bread

    1. Mix the ingredients.
    2. Let dough rise on the counter for 2 hours, then in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
    3. Shape dough into a ball shape.
    4. Let rise in bowl on counter for 1 hour or until dough is at room temperature again.
    5. Bake for 30 minutes in dutch oven with the lid on, and then an additional 20 minutes with the lid off.

    sliced no knead bread

    Ingredients for No Knead Bread

    The ingredients are simple. Flour, salt, yeast, and warm water. That's it! FOUR INGREDIENTS.

    no knead dough in metal bowl

    The dough will be sticky and rough looking. Not a smooth ball of dough like our Amish white bread. Just make sure everything is mixed well.

    Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for 2 hours. Then move it to the refrigerator and let it rise for at least 2 hours. I typically leave mine in the refrigerator 3-6 hours.

    dough in bowl after refrigerating 3 hours

    The photo above is what the dough will look like after it comes out of the refrigerator. I usually sprinkle it with a little flour to make it easier to work with. It's still a bit sticky at this point.

    dough formed into a ball

    Form the dough into a ball on a floured surface. Nothing fancy. Just a round shape.

    Wash the bowl that the dough was in so that you can reuse it for the next step.

    dough inside bowl with parchment paper for rising

    Place a piece of parchment paper into the bowl and place the dough on top. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rise for 1 hour.

    Note: Parchment paper makes it easy to lift the dough out of the bowl and place into the pan when it's time to bake. 

    30 minutes into the rise, preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place a dutch oven pot inside with the lid on. You want your pot nice and hot when you put your bread inside.

    Don't have a Dutch oven? No worries. Here is how to make no knead bread on a pizza stone or baking sheet.

    dough in dutch oven with parchment paper ready to bake

    When dough is ready to bake, lift the parchment paper and place dough into HOT Dutch oven. Remember: you must preheat your Dutch oven for the bread to cook right.

    Score the top of the bread with a sharp knife. Just a few slashes. I'm pretty terrible at scoring, but my bread always turns out fine. Here are some tips for scoring bread before baking. Scoring the bread helps the loaf to expand while baking.

    Place a lid onto the Dutch oven and bake the bread for 30 minutes.

    Note: Baking the bread with the lid on creates steam. This makes the loaf nice and chewy, similar to how boiling bagels for a few mintues before baking makes the inside chewy.

    loaf of bread inside dutch oven halfway through baking process

    After the bread has baked for 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue to bake in oven for an additional 20 minutes or until loaf is GOLDEN brown.

    baked crusty no knead bread in dutch oven

    Allow bread to cool on wire rack then slice.

    loaf of crusty bread next to dutch oven

    Store leftover bread in a plastic bag at room temperature.

    Note: make sure the pot you use is oven-safe. Dutch ovens are made to be baked at high heat. If you choose a different type of pot, make sure both the pot and lid can handle the high oven heat. 

    No Knead Crusty Bread Recipe

    baked bread on cooling rack

    No Knead Crusty Bread

    This no knead crusty bread is so easy to make and tastes like the artisan breads from the bakery! Crusty, chewy, perfect for dipping in soups or slathering with butter.
    4.80 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Rise: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 5 hours hours
    Servings: 12 slices
    Calories: 117kcal

    Equipment

    • 6-7 qt. Dutch oven

    Ingredients

    • 3 ¼ cups flour all purpose or bread
    • 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast dry active or instant
    • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ½ cup warm water

    Instructions

    • Mix ingredients in large bowl until rough dough forms. The dough will be sticky.
    • Cover bowl with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise on counter for 2 hours.
    • Place bowl in refrigerator and let rise at least 2 hours.
    • Sprinkle dough with flour (to make it easier to work with) and form into ball on floured surface.
    • Wash bowl and place a piece of parchment paper inside bowl.
    • Place dough on top of parchment paper. Cover with damp cloth, and let rise until dough is room temperature (about an hour).
    • Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place Dutch oven pot inside oven while it preheats.
    • Use the parchment paper to lift dough out of bowl and place into pot. Score dough a few times with a sharp knife.
    • Place lid on Dutch oven. Bake bread for 30 minutes.
    • Remove lid. Bake bread an additional 20 minutes.
    • Remove bread, peel off parchment paper and allow bread to cool on wire rack.

    Notes

    Store leftover bread in plastic bag on counter.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 117kcal
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    About Brandy

    Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

    Comments

    1. Carol says

      November 29, 2022 at 10:08 am

      I have just made this with a rustic country grain bread flour , I left it in the fridge overnight, it had risen beautifully, having it with home made soup tonight .
      What a lovely and easy recipe , Thank you.

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        November 29, 2022 at 10:19 am

        Carol, I’m so glad to hear that! Soup and rustic bread sounds delicious!

        Reply
    2. Aunt Julie says

      March 16, 2021 at 5:49 pm

      I totally need to try this. I love this kind of bread and have some dutch ovens--not the kind you use to camp, but the more decorative type, that I've never known how to use. This is a great thing to try.

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        March 16, 2021 at 6:47 pm

        Aunt Julie!! 🙂

        I don't have a camp dutch oven either, but the decorative ones work great!

        Reply
    3. Jennifer says

      November 11, 2020 at 12:36 am

      Hello. This looks delicious! Do you supply it would work with whole wheat flour? And would it be the same amount?

      Reply
      • Brandy says

        November 11, 2020 at 7:59 am

        Hi Jennifer! I haven't tried it with 100% wheat flour. I'd probably use 1/2 and 1/2 (because I like the flavor better), but I think wheat would work!

        Reply
    4.80 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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