Easiest No Knead Bread Recipe
The bread recipe I’m sharing today was my first ever No Knead Bread Recipe to try. I couldn’t believe how delicious and beautiful it came out without any effort. This bread has a rustic look from the outside and tender crumbs inside.
No knead bread goes perfectly with butter, or dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. You will thank me after trying it with olive oil and parmesan cheese!
I have another famous tasty bread that you can try, and it is no-knead bread too. It is my Ciabatta No Knead Bread Recipe; you can find step-by-step images and a video tutorial.
WHAT IS NO KNEAD BREAD?
No kneading is a method of preparing and baking bread, and instead of kneading the dough for a long time until smooth, we mix all the ingredients, which will result in a wet dough, then leave the dough to proof for 1.5 hours to up 18 hours.
NO KNEAD BREAD INGREDIENTS
Simple pantry-staple ingredients are all you need to make this rustic-looking no-knead bread at home. Let’s take a look at what these ingredients are.
All-purpose flour: We’ll use all-purpose flour. Are you surprised? You don’t have to buy bread flour for this recipe. I told you it’s simple.
Water: Warm water to mix it with the yeast and sugar. Ensure it’s not hot, or the yeast won’t be activated.
Yeast: You can go for active dry yeast or instant yeast —both work.
Sugar: We need sugar to activate the yeast, which adds flavor to the dough and keeps it soft.
HOW TO MAKE NO KNEAD BREAD
Making no knead homemade bread is easy and fun. The full instructions are in the recipe card below, but let’s look at the main steps first.
Step 1
In a small bowl, mix the water with sugar and yeast. Keep it aside.
Step 2
Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the previous wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula.
Step 3
Cover the dough and let it prove for an hour to an hour and a half in a warm place.
Step 4
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to parchment paper. With a spatula, bring the dough’s edges to the center to form a round shape. Keep in mind that this is a sticky dough.
Step 5
Cover the dough with a damp towel or greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Step 6
Sprinkle flour on top of the dough, then make a cross in the middle of the dough using a sharp knife. The cut shouldn’t be deeper than 1/4 an inch.
Step 7
Preheat oven to 190C – 374F. Bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes.
Step 8
Let the bread cool completely on a cooling rack.
💭 COOKING TIPS
- You can use bread flour if you wish, the texture will be chewy, and there will be more holes in the bread. It will still have a great taste.
- You can bake the dough after shaping it in a Dutch oven pan. Place the Dutch oven in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Carefully and using mittens, remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Lift the edges of the parchment paper and carefully place the dough with the parchment paper in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven for 14 minutes, then remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is golden brown. You can also use a deep cast iron.
- If you want the crust to be a little softer, place the bread while warm in a Ziplock bag and seal it.
📖 DELICIOUS VARIATIONS
Roasted Garlic – Roast some garlic, mince it, and add it to the dough.
Chopped olives – Green or black olives will do, chop them, and put a small amount in the dough since olives release moisture.
Dry herbs – Add some dried Thyme or mint to the dough.
Sesame and seeds – Sprinkle sesame or sunflower seeds on the dough before baking.
FAQ
Check the expiry date of the yeast. Sometimes not properly stored yeast can go bad before the package expires.
Yes, you might need to add more water to the dough. The bread will come out grainy with fewer holes and will be dense.
Yes, the texture and the taste will be almost the same as when using all-purpose flour. It will look like an artisan bread.
Yes, I do this purposely when I bake bread. I did the same with my Focaccia Bread Recipe. Baking bread can be tricky, so I use a small amount for those new to baking and afraid they might fail. But you are welcome to double the amount of the ingredients in the recipe.
🌡️ STORING NO KNEAD BREAD
At room temperature: You can store your bread by wrapping it in aluminum foil or a clean kitchen towel and placing it in an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
In the freezer: Wrap it in aluminum foil or freezer plastic wrap and place it into an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Let the bread thaw in the fridge overnight, and then pop it onto a baking sheet in a preheated oven until it’s warm all the way through.
Please Review and Rate
If you have tried this No knead bread recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
No Knead Bread. The Easiest, Most Delicious Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons flour to dust the top of the dough
Instructions
- Stir water with olive oil, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Keep aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour with salt, then add the previous wet mixture and mix with a spatula or a wooden spoon.
- Cover the dough and let it double in size in a warm place. The proofing might take an hour to one hour and a half.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer the dough to the parchment paper. With the help of a spatula, bring the dough’s edges to the center, trying to form a round shape.
- Cover the dough again and let rise again for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour on top of the dough, then make a cross in the middle of the dough using a sharp knife. It shouldn’t be deeper than ¼ of an inch.
- Preheat the oven to 190C – 374F. Bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let the bread cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Some ovens have poor heat circulation. Therefore, the surface of the bread or pastry won’t turn brown. The heat gets concentrated at the bottom. If your oven has this problem, turn off the oven after baking this bread for 20 minutes, and turn on the broiler while the oven door is open until the surface of the bread turns golden brown.
- This recipe was originally published in 2012.
yay i love no-knead breads too!because I love homebaked bread but am usually too lazy to work those muscles hee hee. looks lovely! x
I hear you 🙂 I love baking but at times kneading for 10 minutes is no fun. Hope you like it!
Is is supposed to be a wet dough?
Yes, It should be a bit wet and elastic in texture. Hope this helped!
One of my favorite breads. Put some olive oil with garlic and herbs and I am happy camper. Great video too!
Thanks Sandra! Yes, some grilled garlic and olive oil is just yum 🙂
Thanks a lot jennifer, I appreciate your comment 🙂
I love making bread at home and this looks beautiful and doable! Thanks for sharing, love your photos.
Thanks Jessica, I’ve been to your blog and enjoyed browsing through those mouth watering dishes 🙂
This sound like Foccacia, love this recipe, so straight forward and it looks great !
Yes Sonia, this bread need no effort and tasty. Thanks for the sweet comment!
I like that this doesn’t need to sit overnight. I may make it for supper tonight. Thanks for sharing!
It’s my pleasure 🙂
LOVED your video, and totally look easy! I have kept this no knead bread recipe for almost a year, too. If it’s this easy, I may be baking bread every week…. kind of like my dream. 🙂 Muna, your bread looks fantastic!
Thanks Nami, I started to enjoy making these little videos, I look forward to uploading more. I’m glad you liked my bread, it tastes great with butter when just out of the oven, in fact that’s my way to test if the bread is good 🙂
Beautiful! A method I love to use when I cannot be bothered to go into too much trouble in order to make bread. 😉
Cheers,
Roosa
I can imagine having this bread with some of your delicious recipes. Hope you enjoy the bread as much as we did 🙂
Yeay!!! Skipping with joy here. No knead bread is definitely a bliss.. And I am certain this is a recipe keeper. I always had fear of making bread and only attempted making bagels and doughnuts. This bread is perfect for anything, dip in hummus, make some bruschetta out of it.. gosh! I really want to make this now. Have a great week my friend!! ♥ Jo
Hey Girl, thanks for the sweet words, yes I love no knead breads and there are many recipes out there, I will hopefully share more no knead bread recipes in future.
Let me know how you liked the bread after baking some 🙂
That’s a perfect boule with lovely crust and crumb, Muna.
Thank you girl, I’m crazy about your breads 🙂
Beautiful bread… gorgeous photos.
Thank you 🙂