How to Make Easy No Knead Bread & Bonus Ideas
I wanted to share this Easy No Knead Bread recipe because it is so simple to successfully make delicious homemade bread. One of the pleasures in life is eating freshly baked bread still warm from the oven. That gorgeous smell suffuses the kitchen and the aroma permeates all corners of my house. I think it’s one of the best home scents ever!
This recipe is one of the most basic but produces such delicious bread that you will wonder why you have never tried it till now! It only requires 5 simple ingredients (including water!) and an oven safe pot to bake. There is no kneading or shaping involved. Yes, it’s that easy!
The only caveat is that you will need to be patient – the flour and yeast need time to rest and do their thing. The very long fermentation time is needed to form the gluten strands that give the bread its texture. I have read that this is sometimes referred to as “Slow Bread” which makes sense.
Here’s one of the simplest recipe that yields one delicious round loaf. As a bonus I’ve also included at the end of the post, ideas on how to customize the bread by adding some herbs and other fillings. Let’s bake!
Ingredients for Easy No Knead Bread
3 cups (360g) All purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp active yeast
1¾ cup water
olive oil, to grease dutch oven
You will need a 4 quarts (or larger) dutch oven, or similar lidded oven safe pot to bake the bread.
Putting it together
Let’s gather all the ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour, salt and yeast thoroughly.
Next, add water and stir with spoon until well mixed.
Then, cover the bowl and let it rest at room temperature for about 3 hours.
Dough will rise, and the surface will be bubbly.
Next, punch down the dough and transfer to a well oiled dutch oven, or if you prefer, you can lightly oil the dough, and place onto a parchment lined dutch oven.
Then, cover the dough and let it rise for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
When ready, lightly dust the top of dough with flour. Place the lid and bake in preheated oven at 425°F for 30 minutes. Then, remove lid, and bake for another 30 minutes until the top is nice and crusty golden brown.
Finally, remove from oven and place on a trivet. Let it cool for 15 minutes and then tip the bread out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
Your bread is ready! Let’s eat!
Notes on Easy No Knead Bread & Ideas on Customizing
Bread tastes best eaten on the day it’s baked. Store uneaten bread in a dry, air-tight container for a few days. For longer storage, wrap well and freeze.
I love to customize the bread and add my favorite dried herbs or other filling to switch things up every now and then. Ideas to consider:
- Rosemary no knead bread: Add 1 Tbs to the dough mixture
- Garlic no knead bread: Add 1 head of roasted garlic, or 1 Tbs of granulated garlic
- Olives no knead bread: Add half a cup of halved olives to mixture. Drain well before adding
- Cheese no knead bread: Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar, mozzarella (or your favorite cheese) to the mixture.
- Spicy cheese no knead bread: Add 1 cup of monteray jack cheese, 1 tsp of chilli powder
Make sure to mix well into the dough. Drain well and pat dry ingredients before adding. Experiment using your favorite combo! After all, it’s bread and you can eat your “mistakes” and none will be wiser! 😁
Did you know there are different types of flour and each have different uses and applications? I found this useful (and short!) explanation and thought this was useful. Sharing it here if you are curious => https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/baking-guide/flour-101-guide-to-different-types-and-uses
Easy No Knead Bread & More
Equipment
- 4 Quarts or larger Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) All purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp active yeast
- 1¾ cup water
- olive oil, to grease dutch oven
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour, salt and yeast thoroughly. Add water. Stir with spoon until well mixed. Cover and let it rest at room temperature for 3 hours.
- Dough should have risen, and the surface is bubbly. Punch down the dough and transfer to a well oiled dutch oven. Or if you prefer, lightly oil the dough and transfer to a parchment lined oven safe pot. Cover and let it rise for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
- When ready, dust lightly on top of dough with flour. Replace lid and bake in preheated oven at 425°F for 30 minutes. Remove lid, and bake for another 30 minutes until the top is nice and crusty golden brown.
- Remove from oven and place trivet. Cool for 15 minutes and then tip the bread out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. Your bread is ready!
Notes
- Rosemary no knead bread: Add 1 Tbs to the dough mixture
- Garlic no knead bread: Add 1 head of roasted garlic, or 1 Tbs of granulated garlic
- Olives no knead bread: Add half a cup of halved olives to mixture. Drain well before adding
- Cheese no knead bread: Add 1 cup of shredded cheddar, mozzarella (or your favorite cheese) to the mixture.
- Spicy cheese no knead bread: Add 1 cup of monteray jack cheese, 1 tsp of chilli powder
More Fab Food:
Make this colorful vegetable packed dish that is both delicious and healthy =>Colorful And Happy Veggie Blossom Tart
Check out my other Back to Basic post on how to make delicious flour tortilla. Unlike the bread, you can make this from scratch in under an hour. Read about it here => Back to Basics: How to Make Delicious Soft Flour Tortillas
Are you craving for some comfort food? Have you ever tried this delicious meat and potatoes dish from Japan called Nikujaga? Japanese Nikujaga: The Best Meat And Potatoes Comfort Dish
Sometimes when you are in the mood to just make something cheerful and citrussy that reminds you of sunshine, check out this => Unique Retro Upside Down Four Citrus Cake
