Sharing is caring!

This quick and easy yeast bread requires no kneading! Baking in a Dutch oven is what gives this loaf a beautiful crusty exterior and deliciously soft and chewy interior.

If ever there was a rock star bread recipe no-knead bread is it. Made with just flour, yeast, salt, and water, no-knead bread is the easiest, and best you may ever make, and it even looks like an impressive high-end artisian bread from a bakery.

The recipe is from Jim Lahey the owner and head pastry chef of Sullivan Street Bakery in New York City. The recipe was published in an article by Mark Bittman in the New York Times in 2006, creating a home- bread-baking movement. He made a three-minute video that shows how easy it is to make this bread. The version I am sharing here actually comes from another less likely celebrity, Jenny Jones.

In case daily talk shows weren’t your jam in the 1990s, Jenny Jones hosted a chatty style talk show called the Jenny Jones Show during the ’90s, the topics ranged from serious current events to Springer style paternity tests. The show was canceled in 2003, and honestly, I am not sure what happened to Jenny during the next 10 years, but in 2013 she showed up again, this time as a food blogger.

I first ran across Jennycancook.com when I was searching for dutch oven bread recipes, and the faster no-knead bread caught my eye. I mean who really wants to wait 12 hours for bread?

Jenny’s version of no-knead bread is nearly identical to Jim Lahey’s although to speed things along, she starts with warm water, and while I am sure the bread flavor doesn’t develop as much as if it had 12 hours to ferment, it still results in an amazing loaf of bread.

How Do You Make Faster No-Knead Bread

• Mix all the ingredients to make a wet shaggy dough. You don’t even need to break out the KitchenAid Mixer! This bread can be mixed entirely by hand. The dough will not look like your traditional yeast bread dough, it will be sticky, rough, and bit shaggy, so don’t worry.
• Let the dough rise. The original version of no-knead dough requires an overnight rise. Jenny Jones’ recipe starts with warm water waking the yeast up, to get a jump start on the process! While the dough is rising, make sure it is covered and in a draft-free, room-temperature area.
• Shape the dough into a ball on parchment paper, but don’t get too worried about “perfect” loaf shaping. Shaping the dough into a round loaf on a piece of parchment paper makes it easier to load and unload the bread from the oven. If you shape the loaf in a tighter round you will get a more compact loaf with a higher rise.
• You will need a Dutch oven to bake this bread. There is a lot of science behind baking in dutch ovens, that involves steam, and even temperatures all around the loaf, so it is worth digging your dutch oven out. If you don’t have a Dutch Oven the Lodge Brand has a decent Dutch Oven at a very reasonable price.

How Do You Store No Knead Bread

No Knead Bread is best if eaten shortly after baking, but leftover bread can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 3 months.

Faster No Knead Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes

This quick and easy yeast bread requires no kneading! Baking in a Dutch oven is what gives this loaf a beautiful crusty exterior and deliciously soft and chewy interior.

Print

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon yeast, active dry or instant
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups hot water, about 125-130° F
• extra flour for shaping

Instructions

1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Stir in water until it’s well combined.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours.
3. After 3 hours dough will become puffy and dotted with bubbles. Transfer it to a well-floured surface and sprinkle dough with a little flour. Using a scraper fold dough over 10-12 times & shape into a rough ball.
4. Place in a parchment paper-lined bowl (not wax paper) and cover with a towel. Let stand on counter top for about 35 minutes.
5. Meantime place Dutch oven with lid in a cold oven and preheat to 450° F. My oven takes 35 minutes to reach 450°.
6. When oven reaches 450° carefully, using oven gloves, lift the parchment paper and dough from the bowl and place gently into the hot pot. (parchment paper goes in the pot too) Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, remove lid and parchment paper. Return, uncovered, to oven and bake 10 - 15 more minutes. Let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Leftover bread can be stored wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and foil and frozen for up to 3 months.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Lodge 6 Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. Blue Enamel Dutch Oven (Blue)
• 
  Villa Acacia Urban Wood Paddle Board and Bread Board, Modern Design - 17 x 7 Inch
• J.A. Henckels International 16906-201 Forged Premio Bread Knife, 8-inch, Black/Stainless Steel

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 228Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 267mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 7g

Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimates. Please see my Nutrition Disclaimer for more information.