This easy no knead bread is the crusty homemade artisan bread of your dreams… minus the effort! This Dutch Oven Bread is THE easiest bread recipe you will ever make, foolproof even for novice bakers.
Take a look at my Easy Wholemeal Bread Recipe
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Dutch Oven Bread
Love bread? Managed to get hold of some yeast? If your answer is YES, then you MUST make my no-knead bread, also known as Dutch Oven Bread.
With a crusty exterior and soft crumb, you will not believe how delicious this bread is! And better still, YOU baked it – bragging rights 😉
It’s a very low effort recipe – literally under 10 minutes hands on time. And what’s even better is that doesn’t require lengthy proving /rising – in fact it is ready to bake in just two hours.
You can bake this easy yeasted bread in a Dutch Oven or a cast iron skillet – take a look at the recipe video to see how it’s done!
No Knead Bread Ingredients
You only need four or five ingredients to make bread but you can also customise the basic recipe however you like!
- Flour – white bread flour if you can find it or all purpose flour (plain flour). You can also experiment using a mix of wholemeal and plain flour.
- Yeast – dry active yeast or fast acting yeast (instant yeast)
- Salt
- Water – tepid tap water
- Honey or sugar – not essential but I always add some for extra flavour
Useful Equipment
- A bread whisk, dough scraper and dough scoring lame kit (worth getting if you are planning to do a lot of bread baking, I just ordered one myself)
- A banneton proving basket (not essential you can use a bowl)
- Dutch Oven or a cast iron skillet are useful in this recipe but have so many other uses too!
Dry Active Yeast vs Instant Yeast
You can use either type of yeast in this recipe but the method is slightly different. Always make sure the yeast is within date before using – an old pack that’s been gathering dust for years won’t cut it!
DRY ACTIVE YEAST – this is dissolved in water to activate before using. Take a look at my recipe notes if you are using in this recipe.
INSTANT YEAST – doesn’t require activation and is mixed directly in with the flour and other dry ingredients. Instant yeast is suitable for use in bread machines.
How to make No Knead Bread
Mix the honey with lukewarm water in a measuring jug, stirring to combine. Make sure the water is just tepid and not hot, otherwise it will kill the yeast.
Combine the flour, instant yeast, and any herbs or seasonings in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the bowl and pour the water in.
Use a wooden spoon to stir together, making sure no dry pockets of flour remain. Mix in the salt, stirring once again until it is distributed in the dough. Sprinkle a little flour over the top.
FIRST RISE Cover the bowl with a clean towel and leave to dough to rise for 1 – 2 hours, or until almost doubled in size. The rising time will depend on how warm your kitchen is, you can speed it up by putting in a warm oven.
Tip the dough out onto a well-floured worktop and sprinkle with a little more flour – the dough will be very sticky. Line a bowl or banetton basket with baking paper and dust with a little flour.
Use a floured dough scraper to fold the edges over towards the middle to create a round loaf.
SECOND RISE Cup the loaf into your hands and carefully transfer the loaf into the prepared bowl seam side down. Loosely cover with a plastic bag and leave to rise for 30 minutes while the oven is heating up.
Preheat the oven to 220C (420F) and place a 24cm (4L/4.25 Quart) Dutch Oven on low shelf to preheat for 30 minutes while the bread is having its second rise.
Score the loaf using a sharp knife or a dough scoring lame (this helps the bread to rise so don’t skip it).
Carefully remove the pot from the oven (it will be very hot so use oven mitts or pot holders). Lift the bread out of the bowl using the baking paper and drop gently into the pot.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes – the bread will have risen but is not baked all the way through yet.
Uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and bake directly on the oven shelf for 5-7 minutes until golden and crusty. The bread is ready when you hear a hollow sound when you tap the underside.
LUCY’S TIP
This is possibly the hardest part… Leave the bread to cool down before slicing. The bread will continue to cook for a short time as it cools – if you slice it too quickly the inside will be “gummy” in texture.
Cooking In a Skillet
You can use a cast iron skillet to bake the bread instead of a Dutch oven. The bread will have a slightly different shape, a bit more spread out, but will still taste just as delicious!
Prepare the dough as per instructions up to the first rise. Oil your cast iron skillet and sprinkle with a little semolina. Shape the loaf and transfer into the skillet for the second rise (30 minutes) while you preheat the oven.
Slice the loaf. Place a roasting tray on the lowest oven shelf and the skillet on a shelf above it. Throw a handful of ice cubes into the roasting tin you placed on bottom shelf. Place the skillet on shelf above. The steam created by the melting ice cubes will help your bread to rise. I found that the bread baked quicker in a skillet, needing 30-40 minutes overall.
Storing homemade bread
The bread will have a wonderfully crisp crust when out of the oven. Leave the bread to cool, uncovered, at room temperature (don’t leave it in the Dutch Oven to cool).
Once the bread has cooled down and sliced it will need to be stored in a paper bag. It will lose some of its crispness but can be refreshed if placed in a hot oven for a few minutes.
Freezing homemade bread
The best way to store this bread is to slice it and freeze it as soon as cool enough. Place in freezer bag and use within 3 months.
Toast the bread straight from the freezer and you will have wonderfully fresh bread!
Customising your no-knead bread
Consider adding herbs (chopped rosemary is a favourite) spices or nuts and dried fruit to your bread.
You can experiment by adding cheese, olives or sun dried tomatoes as well – the bread might have a slightly different crust but it will be delicious!
Got no yeast? Try these recipes!
Overnight Sourdough Bread
Slow Cooker Bread | No Yeast, No Knead Bread
Quick and Easy No Yeast Pizza Dough
HAVE YOU MADE MY NO KNEAD BREAD RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Two Hour No-knead Bread
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups (570g) white bread or all purpose flour plus extra for dusting and worktop
- 2 tsp instant yeast (rapid rise yeast) see notes if using dry active yeast
- 2 cups (500ml) lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp runny honey or sugar
- ½ tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary optional
Instructions
- Combine the water and honey in a measuring jug.
- Mix the flour and instant yeast together in a large bowl.
- Add the water/honey and mix together with a wooden spoon until you have a sticky dough.
- Add the salt and mix it in to distribute into the dough.
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1 ½-2 hours, or until almost doubled in size. The rising time will depend on how warm the kitchen is, if it is really cold you might want to prove the dough in a warm (but turned off) oven to speed things up.
- Dust your worktop with flour. Tip the dough on it and sprinkle with a little flour – it will be sticky (that's how it should be). Line a bowl or banetton basket with baking paper and dust with flour.
- Use a pastry scraper to fold the edges over towards the centre to create a round loaf.
- Carefully cup the loaf in your hands and transfer into the prepared bowl seam side down. Loosely cover with a plastic bag.
- Preheat the oven to 220C (420F) and place a Dutch oven on low shelf to preheat for 30 minutes while the bread is having its second rise.
- Score the top of the loaf using a sharp knife or lame. Carefully remove the pot from the oven (it will be very hot so use oven mitts or pot holders).
- Lift the bread out of the bowl using the baking paper and drop into the pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes then take out of the Dutch Oven and bake directly on the oven shelf for 5 minutes for extra crisp crust.
- Leave the bread to cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutritional Info
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Sara says
Am waiting for this to come out of the oven however it would be VERY good if the recipe matched the youtube clip. Recipe says to SLICE the bread, not just slice the top, and it does NOT say to keep the baking paper there, quite the opposite.
So I’m keen to see what I end up with now !
Lucy Parissi says
Sorry it was unclear Sara, I have edited to clarify
al says
easier to pour dough onto floured parchment paper for shaping and 2nd rise, then pick up parchment with the dough and place directly into the hot pot
..for clarity you mean score the top of dough not slice as this means something else.
although I have never scored the top and it comes out just fine.
also I put salt to stir with dry flour, tastes perfect.
I have played with adding different flour mixes and wheat germ etc. and add oats the the top after 2nd rise. It seems nothing can hurt this recipe. It is always good.
Flora says
Made this for a friend, there were 5 people and it was gone before I could could a picture. I have made a couple of no knead bread that took 18 hours or more this was so much easier and absolutely delicious. Will definitely make it my to go to bread. Oh yes I brushed it with olive oil and sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on it, so good.
Lucy Parissi says
Mmm the seasoning sounds like a fab addition!!
Margie Trybus says
I love this recipe and it came out just as the picture described. I”m not a super talented bread maker, and this one was easy to follow and was crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. The cast iron pot really helped with the browning which I often find hard to create without drying out the bread. Thank you so much! I will try some of your other recipes, too.
Abigail @ OhMyVegan says
This is such a great bread recipe! So easy and quick to make but with plenty of yeasty flavor!
Mayra says
hi, I made this with cranberries and wallnuts the bread was fine but the baking paper was completly stuck to the bread. Any ideas as of what may have happened?
thank you
Lucy Parissi says
Hmm sounds like the paper is not suitable for baking, best grease it next time.
danielle says
If one wanted to knead the bread, would that be fine?
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Danielle, no this is a very wet dough it is not suitable for kneading.
danielle says
okay! thank you. i love the recipe. i’ve gotten many friends and family making it!
Lucy Parissi says
Glad to hear that! xxxx
Patty says
Can you add nuts and cranberries to this and have the same results?
Lucy Parissi says
Yes I think that would work just fine
Caleope Bernhardt says
Can I use another type of pan? I don’t have either one you mentioned in the recipe.
Lucy Parissi says
You can use any lidded pot that is suitable for use in the oven. You can also use a skillet, although the bread will spread out a bit more.
Jill says
I have never Been able to make bread ever. I made cinnamon rolls once, every since the first time they have failed. I’m making this bread again today for the third time. Its great, perfect every time! Love this recipe!
Thanks,
Jill
Lucy Parissi says
So glad Jill! It’s so easy isn’t it?!
Carrie Galindo says
Wow! Made this tonight with an Italian Sausage and Kale soup. Amazing! The bread was easy to make. It was crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I used a cast iron Dutch oven. I did not put in the rosemary. Everyone in my family loved it and we ate the whole loaf!
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Carrie – I am so so glad you enjoyed it! I love making this bread, so easy. Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂