No-Knead Artisan Bread Recipe Is Weekend Baking Therapy (3 Ingredients) Bread/Muffins Side Dishes Sandwiches Snacks Budget Recipes Low Sugar Recipes High Protein Recipes

I love to bake. There is something so elemental about home-baked bread. The scent fills the air, the crusty loaf sitting on the cooling rack just begs for an Instagram post, and the taste. Well, that is the kicker. The taste of freshly baked bread is so much better than store-bought bread. (Check out the health benefits of baking!)

I poo-pooed the no-knead bread idea as ridiculous because I had this image of bread baking taking hours of careful kneading, timing, proofing and talent. Then my friend baked a loaf at my home. Even without the correct pot, it was terrific. However, a dutch oven is essential for the real deal.

Thus began my obsession with rustic, no-knead artisan bread. I have literally baked a dozen loaves in the last three weeks, at about 70 cents a loaf. In these inflationary times, you do the math: Artisan bread is $7 at our local store!

Try this easy three-ingredient (not counting the water) artisan no-knead homemade bread recipe – you will love it. The sense of satisfaction that this simple act of bread baking gives is indescribable. Theoretically, the bread lasts for a few days in a plastic bag. We make a loaf daily for our family of five.

Cooking Notes

• A ball the size of a large grapefruit is the correct size.

• The longer it rises in the fridge, the more like sourdough it tastes. My family loves a couple of day cold rise the best. However, it is so delicious we eat any and all loaves.

• I have discovered that for us, organic bread flour and 2 teaspoons salt make the best loaves. In a pinch I use all-purpose flour, but it is not our favorite.

Bon Appetit!

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 1/2 hours
Cook Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours (approximately)
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups bread flour (in a pinch, I use all-purpose flour, but it is not our favorite)
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 2/3 cups water (100 degrees F)

Here's how to make it: 

Quick Rise (3 1/2 hours)

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Using a wooden spoon or dutch dough whisk, blend warm water into the dry ingredients. This dough will be wet and shaggy, also very forgiving. Mix until no dry flour is seen. Cover with plastic wrap and put a towel on top to proof for 2 hours.
3. At the 2-hour mark, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F with the covered dutch oven inside.
4. Dust a large square of parchment paper with flour and turn out the dough carefully. (It will be sticky but try to preserve the proof.) Dust the top with flour and, using a dough scraper, gently fold the dough over and create a round boule.
5. Use the sharp edge of the scraper to score lines in the dough. Cover with the plastic wrap and let rest until pot and oven are up to temperature.
6. Remove the pot from the oven. Place the parchment paper and dough into the dutch oven and replace lid.
7. Bake, covered, for 35 minutes. Then, anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes uncovered (this is a personal taste issue about the crispness of the crust). Let the bread rest 30 minutes. It will be hard to wait, but you will wreck the loaf by cutting into it immediately. (This rustic bread recipe can be doubled or tripled successfully if you have a large enough bowl. Check out a dough proofing box for multiple loaves.)

Overnight Version (Creates a Yeastier Loaf)

1. Use 1 teaspoon instant yeast instead of 2 teaspoons in quick-rise method. 
2. Proof the bread on the counter for 8 to 10 hours or in the refrigerator for several days. 
3. To bake, take the dough out and place on parchment before heating the oven so it gets to room temperature.

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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