Easy No-Knead Bread is an artisan-style bread that’s done in 3 hours from start to finish and it’s mostly rising time. This is an easy bread recipe – you don’t even need a mixer. With only 4 ingredients (flour, yeast, salt, and water), you can make a bakery-quality, super soft homemade bread.
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Easy No-Knead Bread
We love the aroma and taste of homemade bread, including our easy Dutch Oven Bread, classic French Bread with the best crust, and of course classic Dinner Rolls. My kitchen has served as a bread-making test lab for the past month. We’ve made this bread countless times. It rises beautifully every time and you will fall in love with the spongy soft texture. It reminds me of the lovely loaves that Costco has perfected.
Many no-knead bread recipes require overnight fermentation but we love that this one is done in just 3 hours (most of which is just letting the dough rise while you go about your business). You’ll get to enjoy fresh homebaked bread within a few hours of when the craving hits.
What is the Best Flour For Bread?
Bread flour typically has slightly more protein and gluten than all-purpose flour so it is the preferred flour for bread. It can give you slightly better rise and texture. We have tested this no-knead rustic artisan bread with both all-purpose flour and bread flour. The loaves turned out perfect with either flour so use what you have on hand.
Watch No-Knead Bread Video Tutorial:
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How to Make Easy Homemade Bread:
1. In a large bowl, combine warm water (100˚F) and salt. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let it sit 2 min, then stir.
2. Measure out exactly 3 1/4 cups of flour and add flour to the bowl. Stir together with a spatula just until it together (do not knead). Cover and let rise at room temperature 2 hours (until 2-3 times in volume).
3. Line a cutting board with parchment paper and generously dust with flour. Turn dough out onto the floured surface.
4. With well-floured hands, fold the dough in half, then fold in half again. Dust dough generously with flour, lift it up and form a ball in your hands. Sprinkle the parchment paper flour or cornmeal, extending 1-inch past the border of the dough since it will expand. Place dough over the flour, seam side down, and let it rise at room temp uncovered for 40 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare your oven: place one rack in the middle for the bread and one rack on the bottom for the water pan. Place a rimless cookie sheet (or inverted baking sheet) on the center rack. Preheat the oven and cookie sheet to 450˚ F. Also heat 1 cup water.
6. Just before baking, score the top of the bread 3 times. Place a metal or cast iron dish* on the bottom rack with 1 cup hot water (being careful not to splash water on a glass oven door). Slide dough with the parchment paper onto the hot cookie sheet and bake at 450˚ F for 25-28 min or until golden brown.
*CAUTION: DO NOT USE A GLASS DISH to hold water or it may explode when you add water. Also, be careful not to splash water on a glass oven door to prevent shattering from strong temperature change.
Pro Tips for the Best Homemade Bread:
- Use warm water – ideally about 100˚F to 110˚F. Avoid hot water which can deactivate the yeast.
- Measure precisely – spoon flour into measuring cup and level off the top. See our best tips for How to Measure wet and dry ingredients.
- Dough Rising Temperature – A room temperature of 71˚F to 75˚F is ideal for bread rising. If your room is colder, it will take longer. Do not place dough in a hot oven to rise. If the temperature goes above 110˚F, you can deactivate and ruin the yeast.
- Don’t Rush the Rise – For the best texture and rise, do not rush the rising process. It should be 2-3 times in size when it is finished rising. If you don’t allow the full rise, the bread will be dense.
- Preheat the oven and baking sheet – putting the dough onto a hot baking sheet or pizza stone, will help form a beautiful crust.
- Scoring the bread – scoring the top of the loaf allows it to expand and creates a pretty bread that you will be very proud of. Use a sharp or serrated knife or bread scoring blade.
- Cool before slicing – If you cut freshly baked bread while it’s still hot, the steam will escape and the bread will seem doughy.
Our Top Rated Bread Recipes:
- French Bread with a true crisp crust
- Banana Nut Bread – a moist banana bread studded with nuts and raisins
- Dutch Oven Bread – A 5-seed bread with the same basic dough
- Dinner Rolls – so easy and freezer-friendly
The next day, use this bread to make the most amazing Reuben Sandwich or this restaurant copycat Chicken Bacon Avocado Sandwich.
No-Knead Bread Recipe (Easy Artisan Bread)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water, warm, at 100˚F (not hot)
- 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, (7 grams or 1 packet)
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, (or bread flour) plus extra flour for dusting
- 2 Tbsp cornmeal , or more flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups warm water (100˚F) and 1/2 Tbsp of salt. Sprinkle the top with yeast and let it sit 2 min, then stir.
- Measure out exactly 3 1/4 cups of flour and add flour to the bowl. Using a spatula, stir until dough comes together and is well blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature 2 hours (or about 2-3 times in volume).
- Line a cutting board with parchment paper and generously dust with flour. Scrape dough out of the bowl with a spatula onto the floured surface.
- With well-floured hands, fold dough in half, then fold in half again. Dust dough generously with flour, lift it up and form a ball in your hands. Sprinkle parchment paper with more flour or cornmeal, extending about 1" past the border of the dough since it will expand. Place dough over the flour, seam side down, and let it rise uncovered at room temp 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your oven with 2 racks - one rack in the middle for the bread and one rack on the bottom for the water pan. Place a rimless cookie sheet (or use the backside of a rimmed cookie sheet or pizza stone) on the center rack. Preheat the oven and cookie sheet to 450˚ F. Also heat up 1 cup water.
- Just before baking, score the top of the bread 3 times. Place a metal or cast iron dish (never a glass dish*) on the bottom rack with 1 cup hot water (being careful to not splash water on a glass oven door). Slide the dough with the parchment paper onto the hot cookie sheet and bake at 450˚ F for about 25-28 min or until golden brown. Transfer loaf to a rack and cool to room temp before cutting into it.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This recipe was first published in 2012. It was updated March 2020 with new photos and we improved the recipe adding slightly more flour to help with forming the loaf.
Amazing Bread!! Make it often 😉 This time made it half and half with whole wheat flour 😉 Came out great. Thanks for sharing your easy recipe!
My pleasure Vera! I’m glad to hear how much you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
Hi,Natasha. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Going to try it out. Have a question 3/4 tbsp is it around a tblsp? Sorry for this maybe a weared question.
Hi Olga, 3/4 Tbsp is almost 1 Tbsp. Let me know how it turns out 😀
This bread is amazing!!! My family enjoyed it tonight with butter and coffee. Thank you!
You’re welcome Anna! I’m glad to hear the recipe is a hit. Thanks for sharing your great review!
I made this once and it was AMAZING!!! However every time I try to replicate it the bread comes out tasting doughy… any suggestions? I’ve been craving it all week and I’m dying to make it (right) again!
Hi Rebecca, are you using a different type of flour? Is there anything you have changed from the original recipe or the first time you made it?
I’m using an all purpos flour. I did change the size of the baking dish that I put the water in, it seemed that the water completely evaporated when in a larger dish so I used a smaller one. Dang, could that be the cause of all my woes. I can change it back and see if that works.
Hi Rebecca, That might affect the crust but I’m not sure it would make the bread seem “doughy”
Hello Natasha, I absolutely love this bread recipe, it’s so very easy and fast to make, and the crust is fantastic $). I live in Texas, and spicy food is very popular here, so I decided to put my own spin on this recipe. I made this bread with the addition of jalapeno juice and diced jalapenos. I used one tbsp of honey, about four tbsps of jalapeno juice and added enough water to come to 1 1/2 cups liquid, added the yeast as usual, then mixed into the flour/salt, mixed it up and let rise as directed. This came out even better than I had anticipated)) So spicy and delicious) Thank you for all your great recipes, keep them coming 🙂
Oh wow that sounds absolutely amazing! Thank you for sharing your version!! 🙂
Can I use this recipe to make baguettes?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t tried with this recipe to make baguettes. I think it’s worth an experiment. The one I would use for baguettes is this Crusty French Bread.
Hi Natasha! Can I bake it in a bread pan as you do for your rye bread and is the baking dish with water needed then? Also did you ever freeze it? Would it still taste fresh? Thank you!
Hi Tatiana, I haven’t tried it in a loaf pan but I would do everything the same except I would put the dough into the loaf pan on the last rise and make sure to remove it from the pan right away when it comes out of the oven. The water is to get the crust crisp on the outside so if you wanted the top to be more crisp, use the water and if you’re ok with it being softer, you can skip the water. It will still be good :). Fresh is always best in flavor and texture but the sooner you freeze it (once it reaches room temperature), the more fresh tasting it will be when it comes out of the freezer.
Thanks Natasha! You’re the best! I’m getting obsessed with trying your recipes one after another for like 2 months in a row I think. I need to stop checking ur blog probably, lol 🙂
You’re welcome Tatiana! I’m glad to hear how much you’re enjoying the recipes, lol. Thanks for following!
I love making this bread! Very easey to make and delishes!
I’m glad you love it Mila! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Nastasha! I was wondering can you make this bread recipe in a Dutch oven instead of the water and steam technique?
Thanks!
Hi Kristina, Here is the method we use to make it in a dutch oven. I hope that helps! 🙂
HI there! Have you ever tried this with gluten free flour?
Hi Julie, Without testing the recipe with gluten free flour, it’s very difficult to guess. I’ve scanned through the readers comments and no one has reported trying it yet. It would have to be an experiment. If you do try it, please do let me know how it worked out.
Excited to try this recipe! I am just little worried about the water in the oven. My oven is electric, and once while using this technique with cheesecake, the oven shorted out from the steam. Anyone else have this problem? That did happen several years ago with a different oven, but I’ve been afraid to try it again.
Hi Lorrainel, I also have an electric oven and haven’t had this issue so I’m not sure. I believe most modern ovens are moisture proof inside. Maybe someone else can share their insights on this question? Thanks! 🙂
Hey Natasha, Just wanna say thank you for the great recipe. Bread turned out super good and airy, hubby loved it especially with Borch
Thank you!!!!!
Hello Julia! You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear you both enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review!
When folsing the dough, it sticks to my hands even with floured hands. Can I use oil on my hands? Will it affect the dough?
Hi Maria, that is pretty normal for it to feel a little sticky. You might add 1 to 2 Tbsp more flour next time if it was VERY sticky. I always use flour on this one and haven’t tested it with oil.
Hello. I am trying this at the moment. It is rising now. Will it be ok if I bake without putting water in the oven? Want to try just a regular bread. I have baked breads before but they always are dense. I really would like a soft and fluffy one. Will this work? Thanks!
Hi Maria, the water helps for the crust to form properly, but I think it will still work without it.
Hi Natasha, can we make this recipe with wholemeal?
Do you mean whole wheat flour? I’m not sure what wholemeal is. I have tested this with half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour and the bread did not rise as well and was not as fluffy.
Can this recipe be baked in a cast iron Dutch Oven?
Yes, that would work. I have a method for similar recipe here, which I highly recommend.
Hello, would this work with GF flour?
Hi Maree, Without testing the recipe with gluten free flour, it’s very difficult to guess. It would have to be an experiment. If you do try it, please do let me know how it worked out. I’ve scanned through the readers comments and no one has reported trying it yet.
HI Natasha You put flour on the bread after this is baked, is some reason in particular
Hi Marimar, I did not add flour after it was baked. The flour on top is what was there before it went into the oven 🙂
Hi Natasha this recipe has the same base of the Dutch oven bread, the only thing is that you do not put honey. I can add honey without it not changing the flavor, or is some reason why you do not add it. Thank you for all your recipes, always when I make your recipes I know that they will perfect
Hi Marimar, this recipe would work with honey – the other bread is just a little bit different flavor profile.
Before I try this, I would like to know if it would work with our Canadian flour. I know that Canadian flour is different than American for some unknown reason.
Hi Jackie, I think it would work well with Canadian flour. Canadian flour has a higher gluten content so your baked goods typically come out softer than when using American flour.
OK, truthfully, we haven’t tried the bread yet but, my husband is waiting like a kid on Christmas morning for it to cool enough for him to have some! In fact, as I took it out, he said “You’d better start another one!” So I did. 😛
LOL! That’s great! Let me know what you both think of the recipe please! 🙂
I am making this now – can’t wait! It’s on the final rise, but I am at our ranch and realized I don’t have parchment paper (or a silicone mat). I currently have it rising on floured aluminum foil… will that work?? Don’t want to ruin it but I don’t have the right stuff!
Hi Caroline, I haven’t tested it on foil, and my biggest concern would be sticking since silicone and parchment are non-stick. Otherwise, I think it could work fine if the other 2 options aren’t available.
Thanks – the foil worked fine, no sticking! The only problem I had was when I transferred the dough from the cutting board to the back of the cookie sheet, it deflated so my loaf was kind of flat. Next time, I would probably just let it rise on the same pan I’m baking it on. But it still tastes good!