• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • ALL RECIPES
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Pumpkin Recipes
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
Self Proclaimed Foodie
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT ME
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • RECIPES
    • ABOUT
    • CONTACT ME
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Side Dish

    No-Knead Crusty Bread

    Published: January 29, 2020 · Updated: April 3, 2022 · By: Krissy · 13 Comments
    This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    No bread machine or stand mixer needed for this chewy No-Knead Crusty Bread. All you need is flour, yeast, salt, water, a cast iron dutch oven, and time. 

    This is my favorite bread to serve with a spinach artichoke dip or green goddess dip.

    round loaf of homemade bread

    This is the easiest bread recipe.

    Most homemade bread recipes require at least a little technique and experience to get it right. Not this one.

    Making this crusty loaf of bread is not only easy, but its fun! But this recipe... you don't even have to knead it! Say what? Yeast bread that doesn't have to squeezed and pushed and pulled to activate the gluten? That's right.

    bread dough before the rise

    How is it made?

    All this bread needs is time. All you knead (get my pun?) to do is combine the ingredients, cover them, and give them at least an overnight rest.

    My house is also quite freezing so I warmed my oven up just a wee bit, then turned it off, to give my dough a not-so-frigid place to rise and rest.

    side view of a crusty loaf of bread

    The other trick is in the baking process. You must have a cast iron dutch oven and you must get that vessel screaming hot before you add the dough.

    Making this bread is like conducting a fantastic-smelling chemistry experiment in your own kitchen. With every step, its hard to believe how perfect it will turn out, but it does.

    This bread tastes fantastic sliced warm with a pat of butter. It also makes a great bread bowl for a homemade soup as well as a vessel to hold a creamy dip.

    piece of chewy homemade bread

    No bread machine or stand mixer needed for this chewy No-Knead Crusty Bread. All you need to make this easy recipe is time and a cast iron dutch oven.

    No-Knead Crusty Bread

    No bread machine or stand mixer needed for this chewy No-Knead Crusty Bread. All you need to make this easy recipe is time and a cast iron dutch oven.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Scale: 12 servings
    Recipe Created By: Krissy Allori

    Ingredients

    • 1 ½ cups water (heated to 110 degrees F)
    • ½ teaspoon active yeast
    • 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
    • 1 ¾ teaspoons salt

    Instructions

    • Add warm water to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the top and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Add the flour and salt and stir everything together. Mix until a shaggy mixture forms.
    • Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 12 - 18 hours.
    • When you're ready to bake the bread, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. When the oven has reached 450 degrees, place a covered cast iron dutch oven in the oven and heat the pot, empty, for 30 minutes. While the dutch oven is heating, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to set undisturbed while the pot is heating.
    • Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover with the hot lid and return to the oven to bake, covered, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.
    • Remove bread from the dutch oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

    Notes

    • Recipe makes one loaf
    • recipe adapted from http://www.simplysogood.com/
    • My house is pretty cold so I heated up the oven to 200 degrees F and then turned it off and cracked the door to make it slightly warm. I stored the covered dough in there overnight.

    NUTRITION INFORMATION

    Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 342mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
    SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTERSign up to have my recipes emailed to you. Free!

    This post was originally published in January 2016 but has been updated for your reading pleasure.

    No bread machine or stand mixer needed for this chewy No-Knead Crusty Bread. All you need to make this easy recipe is time and a cast iron dutch oven.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erlene Johnson

      March 06, 2022 at 4:01 pm

      I've made this before and used parchment paper. When done, the bottom was burnt. Threw the whole thing in the trash.

      Reply
      • Krissy

        March 07, 2022 at 1:27 pm

        That didn't happen for me. I wonder if your rack was too low in the oven?

        Reply
    2. Poonam

      January 24, 2022 at 5:11 am

      Can anything be added to this recipe for bread flavor like cheese or garlic? If it can, at what step should it be added in?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        January 29, 2022 at 7:13 am

        Yep! You could add both. I would throw it in just before everything gets mixed.

        Reply
    3. Juju

      May 02, 2020 at 1:12 pm

      has anyone done this and adjusted the size? i see you can vary it but the cook time remains the same. any insight?

      Reply
      • Krissy

        May 03, 2020 at 10:56 am

        I think you should be able to tell when it's done as long as it's crusty brown on top and the inside registers 210 degrees F

        Reply
    4. Alisha Rodrigues

      February 05, 2020 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      I'm so glad you don't need any bread machines to make this one. Looks easy and hassle-free. Loving that beautiful crust it has

      Reply
    5. Anita

      February 05, 2020 at 7:12 pm

      5 stars
      This is indeed the easiest bread recipe ever. I have been baking these for years, and I bought a cast-iron dutch oven for the sole purpose of baking bread LOL. 🙂

      Reply
    6. Whitney

      February 05, 2020 at 6:48 pm

      5 stars
      I could seriously live off this bread. I love how easy it is to make!

      Reply
    7. Andrea Metlika

      February 05, 2020 at 6:18 pm

      5 stars
      This is absolutely the only bread I make at home. It is so delicious. It gets eaten right away in my house.

      Reply
    8. stephanie

      February 05, 2020 at 6:09 pm

      5 stars
      Finally put my cast iron dutch oven to work, this bread turned out so tasty.

      Reply
    9. Debbie Everts

      July 12, 2018 at 5:13 am

      What other kind of pan can you use to make this in? I do not have any cast iron pans or a dutch oven pan that can go in the oven.

      This recipe sounds yummy!

      Reply
      • Krissy

        July 12, 2018 at 11:41 am

        Hi Debbie, Unfortunately, I really think this will only work with a cast iron dutch oven. It's the only thing I know of that can take the heat and produce the same effect. It's well worth the investment!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Krissy

    A close up of a woman

    I love to create the BEST versions of your favorite recipes. If you love to cook, love to eat, or just have a deep appreciation for good food, you're in the right place! Stick around... I have hundreds of recipes for you to make. more about me...

    SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter

    Valentine's Favorites

    • Absolutely Perfect Filet Mignon
    • Chocolate Covered Strawberries
    • Broiled Lobster Tail
    • Heart Beet Pancakes
    online publications that have featured self proclaimed foodie

    Most Popular Recipes

    • Salmon Patties (Salmon Cakes)
    • Granny's Monkey Bread Recipe
    • Perfect Prime Rib Roast
    • Cajun Shrimp Pasta
    • Country Sausage Gravy
    • Absolutely Perfect Filet Mignon
    • Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce {Easy 4 Ingredient Recipe + Video}
    • Granny's Classic Meatloaf Recipe

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    Contact

    Privacy Policy

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    Check Out Ten Acre Baker

    Meet Krissy

    Social

    Pinterest

    Facebook

    Instagram

    You Tube

    Sign Up for free emails

    Recipes

    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
    • Appetizers

    Self Proclaimed Foodie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 SELF PROCLAIMED FOODIE®