A few weeks ago our sweet daughter-in-love sent me the recipe for the fabulous bread we had enjoyed during our visit for Thanksgiving. The Easy No Knead Bread recipe was just that…EASY!!!
Eve’s perfect golden brown loaf of Easy No Knead Bread Photo Credit: Eve Axelrod
Remember when we couldn’t get yeast during the height of Covid? Well I managed to snag a large supply on Amazon (Affiliate Link). Don’t ask me why. I almost never make bread. I usually have all of the ingredients on hand, including packets of yeast. But I never think of doing it until it’s too late to have it ready in time for dinner.
One day recently, I was planning on making a veggie packed soup for dinner, and realized that a good crusty bread would round out the meal. Problem was, I had no bread other than a loaf of squishy whole wheat read that we use for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or BLTs. That just would not do. Fortuitously I realized this with just enough time to make the easy no knead bread recipe that Eve had shared with me.
Waiting for the bread to cool off enough to slice was not easy.
I searched my pantry and dug out that unopened bag of yeast. It was still vacuum sealed, so I took a chance and used it even though it was just past the Best By date. The preparation couldn’t have been easier! All you need to do is mix all of the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until you get a sticky dough. Let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours and bake to a golden brown.
I did have to make a couple of adjustments because we live in an RV. It was very chilly outside. That meant it was really too cold inside Ladybug for the dough to rise. Fortunately my Breville Smart Oven Air (Affiliate Link) has a proofing setting. Problem solved. I just place the bowl of dough in the oven. After about an hour and a half my just barely expired yeast did its magic. YAY! My yeast was still good!!!
My next challenge was finding a cast iron Dutch oven that would fit in the Breville so that I could bake the loaf. I did reduce the suggested temperature by about 5 degrees, as I normally do when I bake in the Breville. I think that was a mistake. I had to add time to get the crust to a golden brown and the inside seemed to need a bit more baking.
Once sliced I could see that the loaf was slightly under baked. But still delicious!
Don’t get me wrong, the bread still tasted amazing. It was the texture that was just a tad lacking. But we still devoured three quarters of the loaf with our soup. And the next day we toasted slices of the bread for breakfast to polish it off.
Next time I make this bread, and I WILL certainly make this often, I will set my oven to the temperature suggested and maybe try using bread flour instead of all-purpose.
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Easy No Knead Bread
This is an extremely easy and delicious bread to make, even for beginners! This extremely forgiving recipe is one that you will want to make weekly, if not daily.
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 10-12 slices 1x
Ingredients
3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups very warm tap water, about 100–110º F
Instructions
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Mix Dough: Mix flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add water, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to mix until all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be wet and sticky, but not runny. Add more water a tablespoon at a time until a sticky dough is attained.
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Rise: Cover with plastic film and leave on counter for 2 – 3 hours until it doubles in volume and the top is bubbly. If after 1 hour it doesn’t seem to be rising, move it somewhere warmer. I used the Proof setting on my Breville Smart Oven Air.
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Optional – refrigerate to allow for more flavor development. At this point, you can either bake immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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Take chill out of refrigerated dough – if you refrigerated dough, leave the bowl on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour, while the oven is preheating. Cold dough doesn’t rise as well.
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Preheat oven: Place a 10-inch in diameter or larger Dutch oven in oven with lid. Preheat to 450°F for 30 minutes prior to baking.
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Shape dough: Sprinkle work surface with 1 tablespoon or so of flour, scrape dough out of bowl. Sprinkle the top of the dough with about a 1/2 tablespoon of flour.
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Using a dough scraper or cake server, large knife, spatula, fold the sides inwards (about 6 folds) to roughly form a roundish shape. Don’t be too meticulous here – you’re about to deform it, it’s more about deflating the bubbles in the dough and forming a shape you can move.
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Transfer to paper: Slide a large piece of parchment/baking paper (not wax paper) next to the dough, then flip the dough upside down onto the paper so it’s seam side down and the smooth side will be up. Slide or push the dough towards the middle of the parchment, then reshape it into a round(ish) shape. Don’t get too hung up about shape. In fact, lopsided = more ridges = more crunchy bits! You can’t mess this up.
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Dough in pot: Remove piping hot dutch oven from oven. Use paper to place dough into pot, place lid on.
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Bake 30 minutes covered, then 12 minutes uncovered or until deep golden and crispy.
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Cool on rack for at leas 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
MAKE AHEAD/Storage: Rise dough per recipe, then leave in bowl and refrigerate up to 3 days. The flavor gets better with time. Dough will stay bubbly for a day or two, then will deflate, and that’s fine. Shape into round and place on paper per recipe, then leave for 45 – 60 minutes to take the chill out of it, then bake per recipe. Cold dough won’t rise as well.
Baked bread: great fresh for 2 days, then after that, better warmed or toasted. Keep in an airtight container or ziplock bag. This stays more fresh than usual homemade bread, especially if you use bread flour. Or freeze for up to 3 months well wrapped.
FLOUR: Bread flour will give a more the crumb a more chewy, fluffy texture like bakery Artisan bread because it has higher protein, and bread stays fresher for longer. All-purpose flour still works 100% perfectly, texture is just not quite the same.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours rising + 40 minutes baking
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Hi Sandy! Your bread looks beautiful, and I also love and use the “proof” setting on my oven all the time.
Here are a couple of tips about yeast: keep your yeast tightly sealed in a glass jar in the refrigerator or freezer and it will last a LONG time. I just bought a 2 pound bag of yeast that I divided between 3 canning jars. I keep one jar in the refrigerator for my regular use and the other two are in the freezer. All are labeled with the brand and type of yeast (actve dry or instant), the date I opened the package, and the best-by date.
Also, I’ve been baking for 65 years, and I’ve found that my breads are more flavorful when made with active dry yeast instead of instant yeast with little to no difference in the rising times. The only benefit that instant yeast provides is that it can be mixed directly into the flour. But when I make bread, the first thing I do is add the active dry yeast to warm water with a pinch of sugar, then get out my flour, salt, mixing bowl, etc and by the time I have those things organized, my yeast is foamy and ready to rock that dough!
Happy baking, Sandy!
Thanks so much for the tips on yeast, MaryJo! I’ve tasted your bread and can totally attest to its deliciousness. I did put my yeast in airtight containers. I have one in the fridge and one in the freezer. Now I just have to get to baking more bread!!!