This Dutch Oven No Knead Bread recipe comes out perfectly crusty in under 3 hours - it's easy to make homemade artisan bread with 5 minutes of prep!
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT40M
Total time: PT165M
Rating
4.92 stars (2235 reviews)
Keywords
artisan bread, crusty bread, dutch oven bread, no knead bread
In a large bowl (or container), mix together the 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1 packet yeast (or 2.25 teaspoons), and 1 ½ teaspoons fine grain salt, until yeast and salt are fully or almost dissolved (I like using a whisk for this).
Add the 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour to the bowl all at once and stir together until a sticky dough forms. Don't worry about mixing it too much, just make sure everything is uniformly wet. It WILL be messy and sticky. You can scrape what's left on the spoon with a silicone spatula. (photo below provided for what the texture should look like - if it seems too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons more flour at a time until it is more like the photo. If it seems too dry, do the same thing with more water).
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel (or place the container to the lid on ajar). Leave it for 2-3 hours to rise in a somewhat warm place until it's doubled in volume, like photo in previous step (If it's cold out, I like to preheat my oven for a few minutes, then turn it off, then place the bowl in the oven, trapping the heat inside. If your house is warm just leave it out, or if it's warm outside you can place it there).
After the two-three hour rise time when the dough has about doubled, you have two options: bake, or store in the fridge. See notes for how to store.
30 minutes to an hour before you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Place your Dutch oven in the oven, with the lid ON, while the oven is preheating. Once the oven reaches 450, keep it preheating for another 20 minutes, so the Dutch oven gets good and hot.
Scrape the dough into the edge of a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour. Make it into as much of a "loaf" shape as you can by folding the edges up on top of it (a silicone spatula works well for this).
Then, use the edges of the parchment paper to flip the loaf over so the floured side is on top and the loaf is in the center of the parchment paper. Don't worry about it looking beautiful or smooth on top. My Dutch oven is an oval, so I made an oval shape. You can do a circle if yours is round.
Optional: use a very sharp knife or clean razor blade to cut a few slits across the top of the loaf about 1/2" deep, across the entire top. I did this in a cross shape for mine.
Take out the preheated Dutch oven and take off the lid, carefully! Grab the parchment from the sides and place the loaf in your Dutch oven.
Place the cover back on the Dutch oven ensuring the parchment paper is tucked inside, and place in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 35 minutes at 450 degrees F (40 minutes if dough was cold from the fridge). Remove the lid and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until a golden brown color forms- longer if necessary. Remove the loaf from the dutch oven (grabbing the sides of the parchment paper works well here) and place it on a wire rack or cutting board to cool for at least 10 minutes (preferably 30 minutes - an hour, if you have time) before slicing.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 188 kcal
Carbohydrates: 39 g
Protein: 6 g
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 437 mg
Sugar: 1 g
Reviews
Jenna Bennett on 2026-11-08 (5 stars): Easy to follow recipe and turned out amazing!! So happy with the results, especially it being my first time making homemade bread
K Thomas on 2026-11-07 (5 stars): I've never baked a loaf of bread in my life, but using this recipe was so easy that it felt like I've done it a thousand times. It came out absolutely perfect, the right amount of crust but dense and moist on the inside. Very pleased that I found this recipe and have it saved so I can make it every week!
fambajandasfigueroa@yahoo.com on 2026-11-02 (5 stars): Excelentes!!
Deborah Rivera on 2026-11-01 (5 stars): This recipe was so easy and tastes amazing. It was my first attempt at making homemade bread and worked perfectly. Can’t wait to try your pumpkin version of this. Thank you!!!
Beth on 2026-11-01 (5 stars): I am new to bread making. I made this loaf and it is delicious but, it didn't get as much air in it as I had hoped. What did I do wrong?
Cathy Janus on 2026-10-17 (5 stars): Wonderfully delicious! I added a variety of seeds and spices and used King Authur unbleached flour this time. Differences remarkable. No preservatives !
Brad on 2026-10-12 (5 stars): I've made this recipe a bunch, half dozen or more times, and love the texture. I've done herb, just salt and pepper, plain, etc. great, reliable recipe.