No Knead Artisan Bread

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Our easy No Knead Artisan Bread recipe just uses 4 simple ingredients and creates a bakery-style artisan loaf with a crispy, golden crust and a soft, tender interior. This is the easiest bread that just requires 5 minutes of prep, anyone can make it!

I'm telling you, ANYONE can make this Artisan Bread.

This is hands-down the easiest bread recipe you'll ever make, and it looks like it came straight from a fancy bakery! You only need 4 basic ingredients–flour, yeast, salt, water–and 5 minutes of time. If you're too intimadated for sour dough (or frankly just don't have the time for sourdough) this will be your favorite artisan bread recipe.

Artisan bread bakes best in a cast iron pot (this one is a great price) but you can also make it on a basic cookie sheet, with a pan of boiling water at the bottom of your oven to create steam. I love to serve it alongside soup, salads, or really any main dish!

If you want more easy bread recipes, try my Homemade Baguettes, English Muffins, Homemade Sandwich Bread, Pita Bread, or Focaccia!

How to make No Knead Bread:

Combine and Rise: In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, and yeast. Pour in the warm water and stir with a dough hook or wooden spoon until combined (the dough will be sticky). Cover the bowl and let it rise for 3-4 hours or in the refrigerator for up to 15 hours.

Shape and Preheat Pot: On a floured surface, shape the dough into a bowl then place on a piece of parchment paper. Cover with a dry kitchen towel allow it to rise for 30 minutes. Place your empty dutch oven (or baking sheet, and a pan of hot water) in the oven and let it preheat to 450°F.

Bake: Uncover dough and carefully lift the parchment paper with the bread dough on it, into the hot dutch oven. Place the lid back on the pot and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for 15 more minutes. Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool on a wire cooling rack.

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No Knead Bread

Author: Lauren Allen

This no knead artisan bread delivers bakery-quality results and all you need is flour, yeast, salt, and water. It's the perfect crusty bread recipe for beginners and you can use a Dutch oven or a regular baking sheet.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Rest time: 12 hours hrs

Total: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Equipment

• Dutch Oven , or
• Baking Sheet
• Mixing bowl
• Dough Hook , or wooden spoon

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x?

• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast, (or instant yeast)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups warm water, (about 110 degrees F)

Instructions 

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and yeast. Pour in warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. The dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl and allow it to rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or in the refrigerator for up to 15 hours.
  3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, ½ teaspoon active dry yeast, 1 ½ cups warm water
• Scoop dough onto a floured work surface and shape into a ball. Sprinkle a tiny bit of flour on top of the dough ball and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Cover the dough with a dry kitchen towel. Allow to rise for 30 minutes. At this point you can score the bread with a bread lame, if you want, but it's not required.
• Meanwhile, place an empty dutch oven/cast iron pot*, with the lid on, into the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Uncover dough and lift the parchment paper, with the dough on it, into your hot pan that’s been preheating in the oven. Cover with lid and return to oven to bake for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, remove lid and bake, uncovered for about 15 more minutes, until golden on top. Remove from oven and allow bread to cool on a wire cooling rack.
• Store bread in an open paper bag on the counter for up to 1 week.

Notes

Whole Wheat Flour: For best results, use half whole wheat flour and half white flour. Try stirring in 2 tablespoons of honey to the warm water, for a flavor boost. Make and bake as directed.

Mix-Ins: add to the flour mixture, before adding water.

• 3 large cloves minced garlic plus 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary,
• 1 cup favorite kind of shredded cheese (try adding a chopped jalapeño!)
• ¾ cup dried cranberries and/or chopped nuts.

No Dutch Oven? ​​Place a baking sheet in the oven while oven preheats.  Place risen dough ball on the hot greased baking tray. Add three cups of boiling water to a 9×13 pan and set it on the lowest oven rack. (This will create steam in the oven to make the bread crusty on the outside). Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Freezing Instructions: Make the dough and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, then allow to rise for 30-45 minutes at room temperature before baking. Baked (and cooled) loaves of bread can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 3g, Sodium: 341mg, Potassium: 38mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 1.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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I originally shared this recipe March 2019. Updated January 2026.