Miracle No Knead Bread! this is SO UNBELIEVABLY GOOD and ridiculously easy to make. crusty outside, soft and chewy inside – perfect for dunking in soups!
Miracle No Knead Bread
There’s a reason we are calling this MIRACLE NO KNEAD BREAD.
Featured comment
I have made this several times now and it always comes out great!! I am so nervous about cooking with yeast but this recipe is a piece of cake.
Merideth
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 Savory Sojourn 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
Can I make this if I don’t have a Dutch oven?
You will just need an oven-safe pot or pan with an oven-safe tight-fitting lid. Please check instructions on whatever you use to ensure it can be heated to 450 degrees (empty for instruction #2).
Will active dry yeast work for this bread?
Yep! Just make sure to activate the yeast first according to package instructions.
Why didn’t my bread rise?
We’d recommend using fresh yeast for this recipe. Expired yeast can lead to bread that won’t rise.
Miracle No Knead Bread
- Total Time: 18 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Miracle No Knead Bread! this is SO UNBELIEVABLY GOOD and ridiculously easy to make. crusty outside, soft and chewy inside – perfect for dunking in soups!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 cups room temperature water
Instructions
- DOUGH PREP: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and yeast together until mixed. Stir in the water until a chunky, thick dough forms. If it needs a little more water, add a few more tablespoons, just enough to get it barely wet throughout. It’s gonna look scrappy and weird and you’re going to question me on whether or not this will work, but it will. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 12-18 hours at room temperature. Overnight is ideal here, kids.
- PREP FOR BAKING: When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 450. Stick a 6 quart enamel coated cast iron Lodge Dutch Oven (or similar) in the oven for about 30 minutes to heat. At this point, the dough should be big and puffy and pretty loose, with little bubbles in it. Gently scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface. (Remember: NO KNEAD.) Gently shape it into a ball with flour on the outside, set on a piece of parchment, and cover with plastic while your pan heats up.
- BAKE: Remove the plastic from the dough. Lift the dough and parchment together into the pan so the parchment lines the bottom of the hot pan (be careful not to touch the pan since it’s very hot). Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake another 10-15 minutes to get the exterior nice and golden brown and crispy. Voila! Done. Miracle no-knead bread, you boss you.
Equipment
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Notes
Based on comments and questions, we decided to try this recipe with both gluten-free flour and whole wheat flour! A few notes for each: 1. 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. 2. Whole Wheat: This was 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.
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: no knead bread, homemade bread, easy bread
(👇🏼 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!
September 28, 2022
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Thank you!
I don’t have a Lodge dutch oven but 😮 I already mixed it up and it’s sitting. I DO have my mother’s old Pyrex w/cover. I hope that will work bc I don’t want to have to go buy the Lodge d.o. for this bread. I’m not a big cooker. What do you think about the Pyrex?
I am not aware of Pyrex being able to handle 450 degrees temperature. Cast Iron can. Heat is important as is a lid to keep the bread moist on the inside. If you figured out an option, let me know. I have a Le Creuset Dutch oven and it works beautifully.
I used Pyrex 10 years! My friend from Czech Republic send me this recipe more than 10 years ago!!very good European bred!!!
Right after I plop the dough into the Dutch oven, I use kitchen scissors to snip a crisscross pattern in the dough. It doesn’t change the flavor, but makes the loaf look more professional. I also sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the dough after creating the crisscross, my family likes it that way. I have also sprinkled on Everything Bagel seasoning before putting the lid on.
Hey! I’m not sure if it’s a conversion issue, but the amount of water in ml is too much, if makes a very wet dough. For my fellow European bakers, I would say add the water a little at a time until it looks about right. I had to add more flour to even it out, very delicious and crispy bread either way;) thanks <3
Can you list the amount of flour and water in grams?
Hi, I’d like to ask what kind of flour you use. My dough looks extremely wet compared to your video . I use metric measures.
I’m sorry, I meant is there a particular brand of all purpose flour that you use. Cheers!
All-purpose flour!
Could I reduce the amount of salt in your Miracle No Knead Bread recipe to make it a lower sodium version? If so, would that affect the performance of the bread in some way? Or just in taste? What could be the least amount of salt I could use?
It should only affect the taste! I think you could try doing half the salt with it still tasting great!
Not happy with this recipe. Followed instructions exactly. When taken from oven BREAD WAS NOT BAKED THROUGH. Putting back in oven to see if it will bake.
Brilliant bread recipe. I’ve made it many times, always successfully. It’s incredibly easy, fabulously tasty and the family all love it! What’s not to like – well done you.
I just made this and converted the US measurements to grams. Around 250ml water seemed more appropriate but I added 300 ish (not the full 356ml) and then had to add more flour and left for 12+hrs. It was super sticky (not like the pic) and a bit baggy/saggy/sad). However, it must be VERY forgiving as I cooked according to the instructions and its turned into a beautiful little airy boule! Will be doing again maybe with a seeded topping.
I love that you have videos for us. My ADHD brain really enjoyed that. We tend to skip over all the tips, etc. thank you
Hi,
I don’t have a dutch oven, can I use my corning ware instead. Thank you.
I don’t have a Lodge dutch oven like Irma, but you didn’t answer her.😮 I already mixed it up and it’s sitting. I DO have my mother’s old Pyrex w/cover. I hope that will work bc I don’t want to have to go buy the Lodge d.o. for this bread. I’m not a big cooker. What do you think about the Pyrex?
The water I put in here was warm/hot. I just realized the faucet was turned to warm when we I was getting my water. Will this affect how the dough rises?
This was such a breeze, and ended up being great for the Swedish meatballs recipe! It was a wonderful addition to the week of food inspired by the bucket list!
No fail no knead! And who doesn’t want an easy way to have fresh, warm bread at home?
Love how easy this bread is to make. If only I could reliably remember to start it the night before ☺️
I’ve made this recipe before and it was fine, but I just found another no knead recipe also made in a Dutch oven that only needs 2-3 hours rising time. I don’t know why this one needs 12-18 hours.
12-18 hours gives it a better rise and a better crumb. You can do this same one in less time (I might make it in the morning and let it rise until dinnertime). The taste is still amazing, just a bit denser.
Truly a miracle! I could not believe how easy this was and how incredibly good it turned out. Cannot wait to make for friends and family!
So delicious. Gave half to the neighbors when it was still warm…. It was hard to part with!!
Totally baffled my brain that this turned out, I was thinking there was no way this would turn out. I am amazed and eating yummy bread with dinner!
Never did I ever think I’d be the kind of person that could make their own bread, but this loaf is so easy and so good. Bread maker is officially my entire personality.
Mine didn’t quite come out like the pictures, I think I must have measured my flour differently because my dough was much more wet and was difficult to shape. Still baked up and was tasty, just a little chewy. I will keep experimenting!
My favorite go to no knead bread. I mix in cheese and jalapenos which is to die for! I highly recommend.
Turned out lovely, though a little bit small! I’d double it next time!
I ended up using active dry yeast rather than instant, but after a good night of rest it turned out great.
This recipe always comes to play when I forget to prep my sourdough bread. I made it this past week and the flavors are great, but I feel like the loaf turned out a little small. All in all it was a win, but maybe double if you’re feeding a lot of people.
I love a good No Knead bread and this one didn’t disappoint! I admit, I forgot to do this the night I wanted to make it. So I improvised the next morning and used 2x the yeast and let it rise 1/2 the time, I think 8 hours. It was pretty gloopy after the rise and difficult to shape (maybe this was too much yeast or time) but it was very forgiving and gave me a great loaf.