This no knead artisan bread is the easiest bread recipe you'll ever make! You only need one bowl and 3 simple ingredients. This recipe is perfect for beginners!
Prep Time: 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 25 minutesminutes
Resting time: 2 hourshours
Total Time: 2 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
3cups (395 grams)all-purpose flour, or bread flour
½TablespoonKosher salt
¼ounceinstant or active dry yeast packet, or 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 ½cupswarm water , 105°F
Instructions
Make dough:
Place the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Then pour the warm water (about 105°F) over top, making sure it's not too hot. Then you can use a dough whisk, spatula, wooden spoon or your hands to mix together. The dough should still be somewhat wet and sticky, but add more flour if it's too sticky to handle.
Once the flour is all mixed in, cover with a towel or plastic wrap spayed with nonstick spray for 2-10 hours, or you can leave on the counter overnight. The longer you let it rise, the more it will ferment.
Shape:
Wet your hands and turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. The dough will be sticky. Do not punch it down, knead it or roll it out. Gently pull the sides up and fold into the middle to make your preferred shape. I typically work it into a French boule (round circle) or 2 loaves and tuck the ends under.
Place dough on a piece of parchment paper. Lightly dust the top with flour and then use a bread knife to add 1-4 lines across the top. Let it rest about 20-30 minutes.
Bake:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a baking stone, a pizza stone, dutch oven or a iron skillet into the oven.
Slide the dough with the parchment paper onto the hot stone. To make crustier, place either 1 cup of hot water in a small broiler pan or 5 ice cubes into the bottom of the oven and shut the door to trap the steam. Then bake for 25-30 minutes or until browned.
Allow to cool on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes. Slice the bread and serve. Store in a paper bag so it doesn't soften.
Notes
Tip: If the dough feels too stick to shape, add a little more flour at a time. Then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes (this will make the dough easier to handle) before shaping. At this point you could also refrigerate for up to one week if you want to bake later. The longer it rises, the chewier it will be. It can rise on the counter for up to 12 hours and up to a week in the fridge. Smaller loaves: If making loaves, split the dough in half. It will make 2 smaller 9-inch loaves. Dutch oven: Here is my favorite dutch oven bread recipe that is similar and made in the dutch oven. Storage: Store in a brown bag on the counter up to 3 days once cooled. You can also place in a freezer safe bag and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, allow the bread to come to room temperature on the counter.