Crusty No-Knead Bread

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/21/22
Tested by
Tracy Wilk
Photo of Tracy Wilk
Tested by Tracy Wilk
Tracy Wilk is a professional pastry chef, recipe developer and chef instructor, and, most importantly, a firm believer in sprinkles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 50 mins
Rise: 15 hrs
Total: 16 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 loaf

This popular no-knead bread is not only easy, it's crusty and delicious! All you need is some parchment paper and a Dutch oven, and time to let it rise. The bread is made with just a small amount of yeast and rises over a period of 12 to 18 hours. Just mix by hand and let the yeast do all of the work. Once you make this bread once or twice, you'll do it from memory.

This is an excellent bread for sandwiches, especially grilled sandwiches, and it makes a fabulous bread to serve with pasta or a bowl of stew or soup.

Crusty No-Knead Bread

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

"This is an easy, homestyle rustic bread you can make without any kneading! The long resting period allows your gluten and flavor to develop—without the arm workout. Using a Dutch oven is not mandatory, but allows you to get a crispy crust and pillow-y inside." —Tracy Wilk

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A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 15 ounces bread flour, or all-purpose flour (about 3 cups using dip and sweep method)

  • 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water, at room temperature

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Crusty No-Knead Bread ingredients

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon or by hand until it is a soft, ragged-looking dough.

    combine all ingredients in bowl

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  3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

    cover dough with plastic wrap

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  4. Flour a piece of parchment paper and your hands. Coax the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured parchment paper. 

    flour on a parchment paper lined work surface

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  5. Coax the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured parchment paper. 

    coax dough out of bowl onto surface

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  6. With floured hands, fold the dough over on itself about 4 times to form a round loaf.

    fold dough on floured surface

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  7. Position it on the floured parchment seam-side down and sprinkle with flour.

    place seam side down and sprinkle with flour

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  8. Put a lightweight kitchen towel over the loaf. Let it rise for another 2 hours.

    cover dough with cloth towel and leave to rise

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  9. Position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Place a heavy, 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven in the oven. Do not include the lid when preheating.  Preheat the oven to 500 F. Once pre preheated, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven from the oven and place it on a metal rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 F.

    pre heat dutch oven

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  10. Lifting it by the ends of the parchment paper, put the dough, parchment paper and all, in the hot Dutch oven.

    place dough with parchment paper into the dutch oven

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  11. Place the lid on the pot and put it back in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on.

    place lid on dutch oven and bake

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  12. Remove the lid and bake for about 20 minutes longer. The bread should register at least 200 F on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center.

    take the temperature of the bread

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  13. Remove the bread and place it on a rack to cool before slicing. 

    Crusty No-Knead Bread cooling on rack

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Tips

  • It is recommended that ingredients are weighed when making bread, but if that isn't possible, try to measure the flour and water as accurately as possible. The dough should be quite soft and a little shaggy looking, unlike the typical yeast dough for bread.
  • Parchment paper is another recommendation for all kinds of baking, but if you don't have it, you can still make this bread. Generously flour a plain cotton kitchen towel (not terrycloth, it will stick). Place the dough round on the towel, flour the top, and cover with the ends of the same towel or cover with another towel. After the 2 hour rise, flip it over into the hot Dutch oven.
  • This recipe was developed using an enamel-coated cast iron Dutch oven, but a large oven-safe pot with a lid would work. There's no need to grease the pot. 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
444 Calories
9g Fat
77g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 444
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 667mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 77g 28%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 109mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)