Effortless and delicious, this 4-ingredient no-knead bread comes together in under 4 hours! If you're new to bread baking, this is the perfect place to start. With just 10 minutes of prep and no kneading required, simply let the dough rise, then bake until golden brown and crisp on the outside, yet soft and chewy inside.
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT45M
Total time: PT175M
Rating
4.92 stars (59 reviews)
Keywords
bread, no knead bread
Ingredients
4 cups bread flour ((or all-purpose flour*))
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast ((1 packet) see notes for active yeast)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups warm water ((110 - 120°F))
Categories
Side
Cuisine
American
Italian
Steps
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast and salt.
Pour in the warm water and use a sturdy spoon to mix together until fully combined. The dough should be wet and shaggy, but not runny.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about 2-3 hours, or until doubled in size.
Optional: once the dough has doubled in size, you can store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours for enhanced flavor development, or continue to follow the instructions below to bake right away.
When you're ready to bake, place the dutch oven with the lid on into the oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
Once the oven is preheated, lighlty sprinkle a work surface with about a tablespoon of flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto your floured surface and roughly shape into a ball. No need for it to be perfect. It'll look nice once it bakes. Place the dough ball seam side down on a sheet of parchment paper.
Once the oven is preheated, remove the hot dutch oven and transfer the parchment paper with the dough to the dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy on top.
Lift the parchment paper with the bread from the dutch oven and let cool for 1 hour, then slice and enjoy!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 loaf
Calories: 1893 kcal
Carbohydrates: 374 g
Protein: 71 g
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 5861 mg
Sugar: 2 g
Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
Reviews
Francesca on 2026-08-03 (5 stars): This bread is super easy to make and absolutely delicious. I love it! Could it be made with wholewheat flour or would that require a different recipe?
Francesca Maraschin on 2026-08-01 (5 stars): I love this bread. It’s amazing and so easy to make? Could I use wholewheat flour instead of bread flour?
Michele on 2026-07-28 (4 stars): I love how quick and easy this bread is to make. It is delicious the first day , but, by the next day it tastes dry and dense. Am I doing something wrong?
Diane on 2026-07-14 (5 stars): I have made this recipe twice and it has turned out wonderfully both times. I love the simplicity of the recipe, but I do wish mine would have looked like the one pictured. The next time I make it, I will pull off the lid after 25 minutes of baking to see if I can achieve that darker, crispy crust.
