There’s a reason we are calling this MIRACLE NO KNEAD BREAD.
This is a fan favorite recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.
Let me paint a picture for you. It starts with a golden and ragged-looking crusty loaf of piping hot white bread being roughly torn into chunks, steam escaping, crumbs flying everywhere across the table, and it ends with that swift swooping motion as its hot n’ chewy little self dives deep into the bowl of thick soup and delivers a bit of chewy carbs sopped with flavor to your hungry, happy mouth. Honestly. The pure bliss of this moment.
Welcome to fall, bread lovers.
I have some really good news for you today.
YOU ARE ABOUT TO MAKE BREAD LIKE A BOSS.
In This Post: Everything You Need For No Knead Bread
- Watch How to Make No Knead Bread
- The Bread for Non-Bread Makers
- Ingredients for This Bread
- Make No Knead Bread
- Variations on This No Knead Bread Recipe
- No Knead Bread: Frequently Asked Questions
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
The Bread For Non-Bread Makers (SOS-Friendly!)
You are going to serve this bread with your rocked-out homemade soups and the praise will come flowing from family and friends and neighbors alike, and people are not going to be able to stop. This is your moment for Martha-Stewart-level domestic greatness within the normalcy of a regular person life, and we are going to milk it.
Please scan your brain right now for these lurking thoughts: “I don’t make bread.” “Bread baking takes too long.” “Yeast-y recipes scare me.”
Friends, let the record show that I am in your club. I am on that team. I have less than zero percent patience for bread recipes and therefore I do not make bread, at all, ever, and I only have two teeny exceptions:
- I make brioche from Artisan Bread in 5, like, three times per year, because it makes for perfect tea rings and homemade French toast bakes and cinnamon rolls and for the times that the baking diva within comes alive. Also it’s VERY EASY.
- I make this Miracle No Knead Bread, inspired from my friends, fellow bloggers, Jim Lahey, and people of the internet, and I make it a minimum of 250 times every fall and winter because it is the opposite of fancy. Which is confusing because it FEELS fancy to pull a loaf of homemade bread out of the oven, especially when it is tucked into that rustic and beautiful Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-esque red Lodge Dutch Oven (affiliate link) that we swoon over every year when the leaves start turning, but seriously – I would, and do, on a regular basis, make this bread for weeknight dinners. We don’t call this Miracle No Knead Bread for nothin’.
What Is No Knead Bread Exactly?
Well, it’s exactly as it sounds!
While many bread recipes involve a lot of kneading and proofing and rising and proofing again and Great British Bake-Off levels of stress, this one requires no kneading. The most effort you’ll put in is the quick mix you’ll do to get the flour, water, yeast, and salt combined, and the strength it takes to transfer your dutch oven into the oven (but seriously, why so heavy?).
After a hands-off overnight rest on the countertop, and quick bake, the result: perfectly crusty outsides, soft and warm insides. It is, to put it simply, heaven.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Okay, are you ready for how short of a list this is?
- all-purpose flour (bread flour can work, too!)
- salt
- instant yeast
- water (but we’re guessing you have that on hand)
That’s it! That’s literally it!
How To Make No Knead Bread
Pillowy, golden-crusted, perfectly baked homemade bread is in your future! Let’s make it happen.
- Mix. Whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in a bit of room temp water until the dough starts to form. It’ll look a little bit weird at first, just try us when we say it’ll all come together.
- Let the dough rest. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it just sit on the counter at room temp overnight. Just forget about it until morning.
- Form the dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball.
- Bake. Line your Dutch oven or big oven-safe pot with parchment paper. Warm it up in the oven for a half hour or so (without the dough). Add your dough, add the lid, and bake for 30 minutes. Lift off the lid and bake for another 10ish minutes until the top gets a beautiful golden brown.
- Dunk away! Get ready to tear into this warm homemade bread and dunk and scoop it in all the things!
Variations On This No Knead Bread Recipe
Obviously we prefer this in its original, perfect form, but if you’re looking to make some changes, there are always OPTIONS.
- How to make it gluten-free: We tried this flour (affiliate link) and the results were great. A hard crust formed on the outside and the inside was soft, airy, and a teeny bit spongy – close to the real thing. Some downsides: the bread didn’t rise as much as the regular version and, of course, it didn’t have quite the same flavor.
- How to make it whole wheat: This is very similar to the original version. The texture of the dough was the same, it rose the same, and it looked the same coming out of the oven with its hard crust. The inside texture was denser with not as many air pockets. The flavor was a little bitter and texture was a bit gritty, but to be expected with whole wheat flour.
- How to add some flavor: Use whatever herbs that sound delicious to you! Mix them in the beginning to avoid kneading later.
- How to make it CHEESY: We’ve got a recipe for that! Check out our No Knead Cheese Bread.
It’s worth saying again that my motto for Pinch of Yum is RECIPES THAT REAL PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY MAKE. I pass all recipes that hit your eyeballs through this very practical and very important filter.
And this bread? This no knead bread that can be mixed all in one bowl with a wooden spoon in five minutes flat? This bread is on-brand. Nailed it. If you’ve never done this before, buckle up.
You’re so gonna love it in all its crispy, air-pocketed glory.
No Knead Bread: Frequently Asked Questions
(👇🏼 pictured here dipped in Chicken Wild Rice Soup. cannot recommend that situation highly enough.)
You can read about ten other things I love to do with my adorable red Lodge Dutch Oven in THIS POST from years back. Yes, I am that much of a superfan.
Soup Recipes To Enjoy This Bread With
Truly there is nothing better than swooping a piece of this piping hot bread into some cozy, creamy soup. Here are our favorites:
- The Best Detox Crockpot Lentil Soup (healthy, creamy, YUM)
- Simple Homemade Tomato Soup (maybe even with our No Knead CHEESE Bread?!)
- Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup (our favorite pairing)
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup (like a hug in a bowl)
- Basic + Awesome Broccoli Cheese Soup (cheese and bread, can’t go wrong)
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One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of easy baking recipes. Check it out!
