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Everyone NEEDS an overnight, no knead farmhouse bread recipe in their arsenal because it’s just that easy and you can’t beat the aroma of freshly baked bread in your house!
For a quicker no knead bread recipe, check out my Dutch Oven Bread.
For years bread making has been my Everest. Always admired but never conquered. I am a pretty good baker and I make all kinds of baked goods, as you know if you follow me, but for some reason working with yeast has always scared me.
I come from a long dynasty of bread makers. Every woman in my family has made her own bread…except for me.
By nature I am an overcomer; I can’t bare the fact that there is a skill I don’t possess. It seriously drives me crazy. For example, I can only drive a car with an automatic transmission. Just not cool. It’s on my to-do list.
I’ve had some practice of baking with yeast through pizza dough making, which is no different from bread so I figured it’s time to overcome my fear and get right down to it.
Although this is a simple recipe and method, I did spend some time to practice and get it just right. I’ve made this no-knead bread a lot over the last weeks, which has brought nothing but happiness to my household.
A few tweaks along the way, and I think this recipe is pretty much perfect. Give yourself some time to practice as well. In no time you’ll be an expert as well!
How to make no knead bread
As the title suggests, this particular bread recipe requires no kneading, the integral part in successful bread making. Instead of kneading the bread dough, this recipe utilises a long, 12-hour fermentation time to develop gluten.
Not only does it achieve the same result as kneading, it also develops much better bread flavour. You will be quite surprised if you have a side by side taste test with a grocery store loaf. Your homemade bread will be miles ahead in terms of flavour and texture.
How it’s different
The best part for me personally is the thick and chewy crust that is the hallmark of any good European loaf. Unfortunately, in North America it’s not as easy as it should be to get bread with this sort of crust outside of an overpriced bakery.
This particular recipe reminded me of Pain de Campagne, a traditional French sourdough country bread that I buy as often as I can.
You might ask what sets this recipe apart from every other recipe out there. The main difference is the method of baking.
The magic comes when it’s baked in a blazing hot oven inside a preheated This is an affiliate link.Dutch oven with a lid on which does 2 things: it concentrates moisture (and therefore a thick, chewy crust), and allows the bread to rise quickly.
Can you just take a look at that loaf?! How can you not fall in love immediately! And that smell of a freshly baked loaf!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Bread benefits from time for the dough to rise, but some days you may not have the time to wait. In that case, try my quicker version of Dutch Oven Bread. Still lovely and fluffy inside with a chewy crust, but with the rising time cut to 2 hours!
- I’ve used all white flour for my bread, but it’s a simple recipe that is easily adaptable. Use a portion of whole wheat flour if you would like to adapt the loaf, keeping the total amount of flour the same.
- All purpose flour will work, but bread flour will be a better choice. The difference is a higher amount of protein in the bread flour that creates more chew and structure in the loaf. You are likely to need to add a bit extra if using all purpose flour. If your dough seems a bit runny and doesn’t hold it’s shape, add some and mix it in as well as you can.
- Remember that dough will rise quicker or slower depending on the room temperature. 12 hours is a good average, but it may be different for you if your room is a bit colder or warmer.
- When it’s time to let the dough rise, give it a sprinkling of flour and cover with a kitchen towel. The flour is there so the cotton towel doesn’t stick.
- To limit mess and make the transfer of your dough easier, you can place your shaped dough on a piece of parchment paper, then pick it up by the opposite side of the paper and lower it into the Dutch Oven. That said, I don’t use parchment paper and my bread never sticks.
- Whether you use parchment paper or not, be sure to leave the dough to rise on a well floured work surface. This prevents the dough from sticking, which you’ll be grateful for later.
- I had a lot more success with baking bread once I started using an This is an affiliate link.oven thermometer. Oven temperatures can vary widely, so using one to check yours will make sure that you aren’t baking on a cooler or warmer temperature than you think.
- You are in control of baking times. If it looks like the crust should be a bit darker, leave it in the oven for 10-15 minutes longer.
- The bread can be easily adapted in all sorts of ways. One is to add seeds like sesame seeds or poppyseeds to the top of the dough before baking.
Serving suggestions
As tempting as it is to gorge on bread when it is steaming hot and straight from the Dutch oven, it’s actually better to give it time to cool. Cutting it open too soon lets a lot of the steam escape, leading to tougher, less tender bread that dries out much faster.
Instead, leave it on a This is an affiliate link.wire rack so air can circulate, and let it come to room temperature before slicing open. Or something close to room temperature – I can never manage to wait quite that long!
Your patience won’t be regretted. Slather the bread in butter, a slice of cheese or turn it into a tasty sandwich. Perfection!
Storage and leftovers
If you don’t plan to use the bread within a couple of days, or you made an extra loaf or two, the best place to store it is the freezer. Keep it sealed in plastic wrap or something similar and use within 3 months.
More bread recipes
- Easy Flatbread
- Rosemary Spelt Bread Recipe
- Rhubarb and Red Currant Jam Swirled Bread
- Sourdough Bread
No Knead Farmhouse Bread
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Cast iron Dutch oven
- This is an affiliate link.Oven thermometer
Ingredients
- 3 to 3½ cups/400g to 450 g cups/400g to 450 g all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting (I used 3 1/2 cups)
- ¼ tsp This is an affiliate link.instant yeast
- 1¼ tsp salt
- 1½ cups/ 375ml warm water
- flour for dusting
Instructions
- Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add warm water to the ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms. Cover with a towel and let it rise on the counter for 12 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 500F/260C with Dutch oven inside.
- Turn your dough out on a floured surface, it will be flat, tuck all four sides in to form a ball and place it on a floured surface seam side down, sprinkle with more flour and cover with a towel. Don't be afraid to be generous with flour. Let it rise for 20 minutes.
- If you are short on time you can bake your bread after a 20 minute rise, and it will be a somewhat dense and hefty loaf yet still delicious. (Like mine in the pictures). Alternatively, you can let it rise for 2 more hours in order to produce a more airy loaf of bread.
- Cut slits in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife approximately 1-2cm deep to allow steam to escape and create a better shaped loaf.
- Take Dutch oven out of the oven and carefully place your dough in it, cover with a lid and bake for 25 minutes.
- Take the lid off and bake for 10-15 minutes longer to get more colour into your crust.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this today and my family loved it!
I was a little skeptical with the yeast, as I live in a city that is located at the sea level, and from what I know you must double the amount of yeast for the bread to rise properly. The truth is, I used more because I was afraid my bread wouldn’t rise. Still, the bread came out really beautiful! But I could not get the nice golden crust you had. I’ll keep trying anyway :D. Take care!. Greetings from Veracruz, Mexico! 😀
So great to hear, Mafer. To get the golden crust just keep it in the oven for 5 minutes longer next time.
I ran into an issue and was wondering if you could help diagnose what went wrong? I let it rise for about 19 hours and went to take it out of the bowl and the top had a slight crust on it and the rest was very gummy and really hard to work with. Is this normal? I’m not sure what went wrong…
Yes, it’s pretty normal, Kimberly. In order to prevent crust from forming, cover it with a plastic wrap next time. It will still be fine when it bakes. 🙂
Dear Vikalinka, can you please send me the recipe for the bread NO NEDING but the fast one that I can make at the same day. Please email me if that’s ok with you. Thank you & ill be waiting for that so I can start my bread. 🙂
Hi Selva, here is the link to the recipe. Enjoy!https://vikalinka.com/2014/05/10/no-time-no-knead-bread-with-dukkah-spice-dip/
Fantastic bread! I mad it yesterday everyone loved it! Thank you ! Today I’m making another one , the faster one!:)
You are very welcome, Selva! So happy to hear you loved it. 🙂
Dear Vikalinka, I made the bread the one that was rising for 20 hours. Everyone love that ! Thank you so much for shearing ! I’m going to make today another one that is faster it looks delicious!
I have been making bread for many years and was very skeptical about this recipe throughout. Only 1/4 tsp yeast? I let it sit for about 24 hrs at first, then 2 more for second rise. There was only a small rise(like you said it would be flat) .I sprayed a terracotta pot with pam and put it in the oven afraid that it might break but ok if it did(silly). The pam started to burn so I took it out and preheated a pyrex dish to 500. Pam burned in that pan as well, but I wiped it out and put the dough in. Nice rise in the covered dish in the oven and I had to remove it at 28 minutes because it was getting pretty brown on the bottom and a nice golden crispy crust. I needed a crusty bread because we are having crockpot soup(not husbands idea of “game food”) to watch our home town boys win the Super Bowl tonight! Great bread- will surely make again.
Thoughts on mixing in some garlic and rosemary? After the first rise or the second??
Carrie, I would add them right before I shape it before the second rise…so after the first one. 🙂
Trying this as I type!!!!
Quick question…after I’ve left the dough rise for 14hours, is it then I turn out my dough and let sit for another 20min-2hrs?
Thanks!
All directions start after the rising period, so yes. Enjoy!
Wow, look so great and so easy!! I plan on trying it this weekend! How big of a dutch oven/covered casserole do you need? And since you mentioned Pyrex in the comments, I’m guessing a glass one is ok. Do you still pre-heat the baking dish if its glass?
Anita, not very big, just a medium size will do. I haven’t tried baking it in a Pyrex dish but I wouldn’t preheat it. I think it might crack.
Ok, thanks! I’ll let you know how it comes out in the glass Pyrex!
Julia, the bread came out WONDERFULLY and was a great compliment to the boeuf bourgoignon I made. The Pyrex covered casserole worked great! I did not preheat the dish, and I buttered the bottom before putting the bread in. The crust was PERFECT! Had to be careful towards the end, as the bottom started to becomes a darker brown, but overall a delious success!
Well done, Anita and thank you for reporting back! You made my day. 🙂
You mentioned oiled pan in the instructions. Do you mean to spray the inside of the dutch oven pan??
You can spray it Clara or just brush with oil.
Jejeje…can totally relate to the yeast-phobia bcuz I’ve put off any baking that requires yeast since like forever. Don’t know why given I’ve training in how to make everything from mille feuille to creme patisserie and bread pudding! Anyway, I digress but just made this no knead, 12-hour prove bread. It is fantastic! Munching away on the still warm bounty as I write. Next time I’ll not forget to mist loaves generously before baking for an extra-crispy crust.
Thanks for the great recipe that’s so easy it’s child’s play!
In Step 5 you take the dough and fold in all 4 sides to form a ball. Then, you place it on a floured towel. Do you leave it on the towel and bake it, along with the towel?
Tara, I used the towel to cover the dough to prevent it from drying out while it’s rising but you don’t bake with it or it will burn! Alternatively, you can place it on a floured parchment paper and that you can bake. 🙂