Magic No-Knead French Bread Recipe Is Simple & Delicious (Just 3 Ingredients + Water) by Jan Mostrom

My family loves fresh, homemade bread. During the pandemic, I learned to bake sourdough, complete with my own starter, and we love it. For the days when there isn't enough time for that process, I love this beautiful four-ingredient, three-hour, simple no-knead bread recipe that my daughter found while scrolling TikTok. This French bread recipe is so simple, you'll want to make it all the time.

You will need parchment paper and a 3-quart dutch oven for this no-knead French bread recipe. The ingredient list is short: bread flour or all-purpose flour, water, yeast and salt. Yes, just four ingredients are all that's needed for this wonderful homemade bread recipe (and one of them is water). The ingredients are mixed together and allowed to rise for about two hours. The bread is baked in a dutch oven for about 45 minutes or until it's golden brown. Simple and delicious.

For an amazing dinner, just add a bowl of soup or your favorite salad. We like a bowl of white bean vegetable soup with this hot, crusty bread. Enjoy!

Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus 2 hours to rise
Cook Time: 45 minutes (ovens vary)
Total Time: 2 hours and 55 minutes
Servings: 10 (makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients

• 4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
• 2 cups warm filtered water (or good tap water)
• 1/2 ounce (2 packets) instant yeast or quick-rise yeast
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) salt (I used 2 tablespoons, but we like salty bread and some may find that too salty)

Here's how to make it: 

1. In a large ceramic or glass mixing bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, flour and salt. Mix thoroughly. (For softer bread, I found adding ingredients in this order worked. For a bit more dense and crusty bread, I added dry ingredients and then the warm water.)
   
2. Place a towel over it and place in a warm location for 2 hours. When you are 1 hour and 45 minutes into the rise (or 15 minutes before you want to bake the loaf), preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place dutch oven inside with the lid on. (In colder winter months, I put the dough to rise on my kitchen counter away from drafts and close to the sun if possible.)
   
3. After 2 hours, remove the dough (wet hands makes this easier) and place it gently on a lightly-floured piece of parchment paper.
   
4. If you like denser bread, handle as little as possible. If you like a few air pockets, gently fold the dough over on itself two to three folds.
   
    
5. Using a serrated knife, cut an X into the top of the dough. If you would like a topping, gently tap the dough with wet hands and add the topping of choice. (Optional toppings include coarse salt, sesame seeds, nuts, chia, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.)
   
6. Place dough in parchment into the preheated dutch oven. (Make sure to pull back the parchment so that the dough can brown).
   
7. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and pull gently back the parchment from edges where it may have become stuck.
   
    
8. Bake an additional 15 minutes for a beautiful brown finish.
   
9. Allow loaf to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
   
10. Store bread in an airtight container.
    

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