This Quick No Knead Bread is easy to make with 4 ingredients and a Dutch oven! No overnight rise and no kneading. It’s soft and fluffy bread with a crispy crust! You’ll love making this beginner-friendly artisan bread recipe!
There’s almost nothing more satisfying than pulling a golden, crusty loaf of homemade bread out of your own oven? This Quick and Easy No Knead Bread gives you that sought-after bakery-style artisan loaf without any complicated steps, expensive equipment, or years of bread-baking experience. With just flour, water, yeast, and salt, you can create a rustic, crusty homemade bread with a soft, airy interior and an amazing crispy crust.
This is one of the best bread recipes for building baking confidence. It requires no kneading, no mixers, and no complicated shaping. Just simple ingredients, a little bit of patience, a hot oven, and a covered pot. Whether you’re serving it alongside your favourite soup or stew, slicing it for sandwiches, or enjoying it warm with salted butter, this homemade artisan-style crusty bread is one of the easiest and most rewarding things you can bake!
Traditional bread recipes rely on kneading to develop gluten, the network of protein that gives bread its chewy texture and structure. In a no knead bread recipe, fermentation replaces kneading. As the dough rests, gluten develops naturally and enzymes begin breaking down starches, which improves flavour and texture.
The high hydration level of the dough also plays an important role. A wetter dough creates a lot of steam during baking, which helps produce those large airy holes and that crisp artisan-style crust, especially when the steam gets trapped in a covered pot.
Baking in a very hot oven, especially inside a Dutch oven, traps steam during the first part of baking. That steam is what allows the loaf to expand fully before the crust sets, creating that dramatic rise and bakery-quality appearance.
Preheating the pot will help you get that perfect crispy crust. The bread is baked in an oven-safe Dutch oven pot which traps in steam, making the crust of the loaf extra crispy.
If you’re looking for a great Dutch oven pot for baking bread, it’s one of the best investments you can ever make for your kitchen. My favourite is one from Le Creuset and I use it at least weekly throughout the entire year for soups, stews, sauces, curries, and of course for baking bread. (If you want my original Dutch Oven Crusty Bread recipe, find it HERE!). A pot like this one is definitely a financial investment for your kitchen, but considering how much I use mine and considering its high quality, it’s definitely a worthy investment. I’ve also used similar cast iron pots from other brands, like THIS ONE from KitchenAid and THIS ONE from Lodge Cast Iron if you’re looking for something a little less expensive but still high quality that will work just as well (paid links).
Water that is too hot can kill yeast, preventing the bread from rising at all. Aim for water that’s slightly warm to the touch but not hot.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when baking is in how they measure flour. To measure flour correctly for most bread-making, aerate the flour by tossing it with a spoon or measuring cup in the bag or container to “fluff it up”. As a result, it prevents the flour from becoming too densely packed. Scoop your flour very gently with a dry measuring cup, making sure it’s nice and fluffy and rounded at the top. If you scoop too harshly the flour will become packed into the measuring cup, adding more flour than is needed. Simply use the flat side of a butter knife and scrape off the excess flour, levelling out the top (scrape across the top of the measuring cup to level it out).
Some recipes call for you to weigh the flour in grams – this is a different method of bread-making that requires ultra-precise measurements. This easy recipe is very flexible and forgiving, but it’s still important that you measure the flour properly. Aerating the flour before measuring (as outlined above) will ensure your cup of flour weighs about 125 grams. You’ll need 500 grams of flour for this recipe. You can check it using a kitchen scale, but following this method of measuring will ensure your measurements are as accurate as possible without the use of a scale.
This dough is wetter than traditional bread dough. A wetter dough creates a more airy crumb on the inside of the bread, and it also helps create that crispy crust because of the increased amount of steam that escapes from the bread as it bakes in the covered pot.
Shape your loaf firmly but gently, and dust the top of the loaf with flour. Creating a round shape will help the loaf bake evenly. Also, dusting the top with flour will create a gorgeous, bakery-style appearance that everyone loves! Work the dough as little as possible. As a result, you’ll have a loaf with a shaggy exterior and an interior with LOTS of bubbles. If you shape the loaf a little bit more with your hands and roll it around into a tighter ball, the interior will be softer and the outside will be smoother, with fewer cracks. Both techniques work well – it’s up to your personal preference!
Allow the loaf to cool completely before cutting into it!! Resist the urge to slice the bread while it’s hot. Do you know that after removing a loaf of bread from the oven, it continues to bake inside as it cools?? Slicing into the gorgeous loaf too early will cause the inside of the loaf to be under-cooked and gummy. Allowing the loaf cool completely before slicing ensures the perfect fluffy texture when you slice into it!
Time needed: 2 hours and 20 minutes
- Mix until just combined.
Stir the flour, yeast, salt, and water together until no dry patches remain. The dough will look shaggy and slightly sticky. That’s exactly what you want.
- Let time do the work.
Cover and allow the dough to rise undisturbed for an hour and a half. During this rest, gluten develops naturally and flavour builds without kneading.
- Shape gently.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it softly. Avoid pressing out too much air. Those bubbles create the airy interior.
- Bake in high heat.
Transfer the dough into a preheated Dutch oven or onto a hot baking surface. The intense heat creates rapid expansion and crust formation.
- Let it cool.
Cooling finishes the internal structure. Cutting too early can make the crumb gummy.
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There are SO many ways to serve this:
- with your favourite hearty soups and savoury stews
- alongside your favourite pasta dishes
- for dipping in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- toasted for breakfast
- used for sandwiches
- served with a charcuterie board
At Room Temperature: Store loosely wrapped for up to 2 days.
In the Freezer: Wrap tightly and freeze up to 3 months.
How to Reheat: Warm in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for just a few minutes to restore crust crispness.
We’ve shared SO many variations on this easy no knead bread recipe. Here are a few of our favourites!
- Easy No Knead Bread – exactly the same bread, but with a slow rise twist!
- No Knead Honey Oat Artisan Bread – a sweet, fragrant bread made with oats and honey
- No Knead Whole Wheat Bread – a healthier, heartier version of the classic made with whole wheat flour
- No Knead Jalapeno Cheese Artisan Bread – perfect for serving with soups and for making sandwiches, this bread is cheesy and spicy!
- Easy No Knead Cinnamon Raisin Artisan Bread – amazing for toast and a mildly sweet treat, made with cinnamon and raisins!
- No-Knead Cranberry Walnut Bread with Honey – a decadent loaf made with honey, cranberries, and chopped walnuts.
Do I need a Dutch oven for this bread recipe?
No, but you do need any kind of covered pot that’s oven-safe at high temperatures. Covering the bread helps lock in steam for a crisp crust. If you bake this bread uncovered you won’t get the same crispy crust.
Can I make this without yeast?
This recipe relies on yeast for structure and flavour, so don’t skip it.
Can I let it rise overnight?
Longer fermentation improves flavour, but it’s important that you adjust the recipe if you let it rise longer. Try this Easy No Knead Bread recipe for a longer rise.
Can beginners make this?
Absolutely! This is one of the most beginner-friendly bread recipes.
What type of flour works best?
All-purpose flour works perfectly. Bread flour can create slightly more chew and a denser loaf.
How do I know it’s done?
The loaf should sound hollow when tapped and be deeply golden brown in colour.
More Easy Bread Recipes You’ll LOVE
- Potato Bread
- Easy Homemade French Bread
- Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls – Ready in One Hour!
- Quick Dinner Rolls – Ready in one hour!
- Easy White Sandwich Bread
- Easy Homemade Naan Bread
- No Knead Whole Wheat Bread
- Best Ever Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel
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Quick No Knead Bread for Dutch Oven
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast instant or rapid rise yeast also works
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups warm water just above room temperature
- more flour for shaping the loaf
Recipe: Instructions
- Start with a large bowl and a wooden spoon, and add your flour to the bowl. Measure the yeast and add it to one side of the bowl. Measure the salt and add it to the other side.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir the yeast into the flour on its side of the bowl first and then stir the salt into the flour on its side of the bowl. This will prevent the salt mixing directly with the yeast. Give the whole mixture a few good stirs to make sure everything is combined.
- Measure the water. Make sure the water is just above room temperature; water that is too warm or too cold can kill the yeast and prevent the bread from rising at all.
- Pour the water in and stir with a wooden spoon. The dough will be rough and a bit sticky, but that's normal.
- Stir until all the flour is combined. This is not normal bread dough (there's no kneading involved in this recipe), so you don't need to be too concerned about the appearance of the dough at this point. Just make sure the ingredients are combined well.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. It's a good idea to ensure there's adequate space left in the bowl for the dough to at least double in size. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place and let it rise for about one and a half hours.
- After the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230 degrees Celsius). Place your Dutch oven with the lid on in the cold oven and let it heat up with the oven. If your dutch oven is black on the inside, set your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 450.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter and dust it with flour. Rub flour on your hands and scrape the dough away from the sides of the bowl, gathering it in your hands as best you can (it may feel kind of strange and not at all like regular bread dough) and forming it into a circular loaf on the parchment paper. Don't worry if it still looks a little rough in places. This lends to the rustic look of this loaf.
- Once you have it shaped, the dough needs to undergo a short second rise. The goal is to handle the dough as little as possible at this stage because any amount of tugging at the rough can cause it to deflate after it has undergone its second rise. The next few steps will help prevent this. But don't worry if it deflates a bit. This bread dough is pretty forgiving.
- Sprinkle flour over the top of the loaf and loosely cover it with a clean kitchen towel. The flour you sprinkle on top also prevents the towel from sticking to the dough so when you take it off at the end of the rise, it doesn't disturb the dough and wreck the rustic shape you've created. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes. Your oven will also be preheating during this time (and so will your pot).
- Remove the preheated pot from the oven and transfer the dough into the pot as carefully as possible by handling only the parchment paper. Place the lid on the pot and return it to the oven for 30 minutes. Don't open the oven during this time, and certainly don't take the lid off the pot; the crispness of the crust develops because of the steam that builds up in the pot during this 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes have passed, remove the lid from the pot and continue baking for another 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes have passed, remove the pot with bread from the oven and place the bread on a wire rack to cool. You'll probably hear the loaf crackling as it cools – this is normal.
- If you can, resist the urge to cut into the bread until it has pretty much cooled completely. The bread continues to bake on the inside even after it has been removed from the oven and cutting it too early could result in the inside becoming gummy or rubbery.
Recipe: Notes
No Knead Bread Troubleshooting Tips:
- If your loaf falls or flattens during the second rise, simply re-shape before baking into as tight a ball as possible (creating surface tension should prevent the dough from falling).
- Add 1 tablespoon of Vital Wheat Gluten to the dough with the flour to create a very voluminous dough that rises beautifully every single time and isn’t too dense.
- If the bottom crust of your bread burns or becomes too hard or tough, it’s likely that the bottom burner of your oven is too hot OR you’re using a pot that’s black on the inside (these conduct heat more efficiently than one that’s a light colour on the inside). Try lowering your oven temperature by 25 degrees, using the convection setting, or using a different pot that’s light in colour on the inside.
- Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven temperature is correct. If your oven runs hot, lower the temperature of your oven by 25 degrees to be sure you don’t burn the bread.
Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
When you take the bread out of the oven to cool do you leave it in the Dutch oven?
No, I use a cooling rack or a wooden chopping board
My first attempt at this the parchment paper baked into the bread, so I had to cut the whole bottom off. Second time I just floured the bottom of the dutch oven and dumped the dough in. Turned out fine and rose just as much as the first. Third time I did the same and it turned out fine again, so you might not need to fuss with the parchment paper and not handling the dough cause I definitely man handled that sucker and it came out just fine. For an extra tasty finish I melted honey and butter together and brushed it all over the outside of the crust while it was still hot. So tasty!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback!
Very easy recipe. Came out perfect and delicious. Love this bread! Will def make again and soon.
Thanks so much Fran!! Glad it turned out delicious!🙂
This is a great bread recipe. It turned out so good and so easy.
Wounder how to keep in fresh? Can you tell me how to store it
Thanks
Matt
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I ususally keep mine in an airtight freezer bag and it stays fresh for about two days. However, we love making french toast out of it the 4th day! Happy baking ☺️
I put mine on a flat glass platter with a heavy glass dome. It’s beautiful and inviting to eat. Lasts me 4 days. I make a loaf each week.
Sounds great, Lisa!
I have made this recipe several times and it’s a big hit. I have the cast iron Dutch oven, but my friend wants to try it and she does not have one. Would a Pyrex or Corning ware casserole withstand the high heat?
I can’t comment on whether or not specific kitchenware can withstand the heat (every brand is different), but what I’d recommend for a cheap option is a metal roasting pan with a lid (like the kind you’d roast a turkey in). Those are generally made for high-heat and they do the trick!
The best bread recipe so far! Sure beats the overnight recipe and in my opinion it tastes better and it’s much softer.
So glad you love it!! 🙂
Can you let it rise longer then 1 1/2 hours? New to baking.
This is a quick rise recipe. If you want a longer raise, I suggest you check out this recipe https://thebusybaker.ca/easy-no-knead-artisan-bread/ Happy baking! ☺️
Came out great and delicious 😋… will definitely make it again.
Thanks so much Carla!!🙂
I don’t have a cast iron Dutch oven can I use a round casserole dish with a lid?
Yes you can!
I have attempted this recipe twice and each time, the dough comes out extremely sticky and I have to add flour in order to get it to form into a flat circle of dough. I have tried to adjust by incorporating additional flour each time, but the dough is still coming out sticky and the loaf is flat. The bread tastes delicious, but I know my dough consistency is wrong. Any suggestions?
This dough is quite sticky, so that’s normal. However I’d recommend adding up to 1/3 cup extra flour after the first rise to make it easier to handle. Another thing to try would be adding one tablespoon of Vital Wheat Gluten (Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one). This will give the bread a beautiful rise and you’ll avoid that flat loaf that can happen if the dough is a little too wet. Feel free to check out all my troubleshooting tips in the recipe notes!
Hi can you use whole wheat flour instead of all – purpose flour ?
Check out this recipe for my no knead whole wheat bread. Happy baking! https://thebusybaker.ca/no-knead-whole-wheat-artisan-bread/
Can you use an enameled cast iron dutch oven? That’s what your pot looks like.
Yes, that’s exactly what i use! Happy baking.
Can I use less salt? I’m on a salt restriction diet for my heart and wondered if that would be possible.
Yes, but the flavour won’t be quite as good.
What is the temperature of room temperature water?
Between 20-26 degrees Celsius.
Could you use this quicker version to make the jalapeño & cheddar artisan loaf or does it have to be the longer rise version
Yes! You can definitely add some cheese and jalapenos to this loaf 🙂
I have made many loafs the other methods l want to try this one!!!
Great! Let us know how it goes Betty!🙂
Hi Busy Baker, I failed miserably at this bread, I couldn’t get it into a ball or shape, it was like a thick pancake. I will try again when I can get my hands on some yeast, a bit difficult at the moment. I do like to follow your recipes.
Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. It sounds like your dough was too wet and fluid. I’d suggest adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour to the recipe.
Hard to get all purpose flour these days, but got bulk artisan bread flour. Can we use that? Would we have to change anything else in recipe?
Yes, bread flour will work! The texture will be a bit different, but it will work fine (I’ve even made it with 550 Pizza flour before!). Just be sure to add a little more or less water to get the right texture, if necessary.
What size Dutch oven do you recommend for this recipe?
I have a 7-quart, but anything over a 5-quart should do fine.
What size Dutch oven was used for this recipe? I have a 2 1/2 qt cast iron Dutch oven. Will this recipe work for that size? If not, how can it be modified?
I have a 7 quart and it’s a little bit big for this recipe (but it works just fine). I’d suggest halving the recipe for your 2.5 quart.
I all so have a 2.1/2 qt Dutch oven and I cut the recipe in 1/2 and it was prefect amount for my Dutch oven
I forgot to start my overnight dutch oven no knead dough (NY Times recipe). So, I found this one and tried it.
I started with the water warmed to 105 degrees and added the active dry yeast. Since I was in more of a hurry, I also added a teaspoon of sugar to speed up the yeast. Next, I added 1 cup (125 g) of AP, 2 cups (127 g) bread flour, 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour, the salt, some sage and some garlic powder.
I used a converter to weigh the flour:
https://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/flour_volume_weight.html
I should have weighed the water, too (472 g).
https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/conversions/common/water-weight.php
I mixed it until fully combined. My dough was wetter than what I saw in the video, but drier than the NY Times recipe. I put it in a warmed oven to rise more quickly than my 65 degree room temperature. After one hour, it had risen a lot. I stirred the dough and put it on parchment paper and back in the bowl for the second rise and topped the dough with sesame seeds. I started the oven with my cast iron dutch oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. I then put the dough in the dutch oven and baked it, covered for 30 minutes, then 20 minutes uncovered.
The resulting loaf was delicious. It had nice hard crust and a soft, airy interior. Between four adults, a 9 year old and a five year old, we almost finished the entire loaf with dinner.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback!