Easy Artisan Bread (No-Knead)
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Discover the magic of effortless bread-making with this easy artisan bread recipe. This no-knead method yields three loaves of delicious bread with minimal effort.
This crusty artisan bread recipe is astonishingly easy, and it makes enough for several loaves, which you can bake as needed. What’s more, the dough takes just five minutes to make, does not require kneading or any special equipment, and can rest in the fridge for up to two weeks—in fact, the longer it chills, the better it gets! The recipe is modestly adapted from one of my favorite baking books, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day by Jeff Hertzberg M.D. and Zoë François.
“Absolutely one of our favorite bread recipes and so easy.”
What You’ll Need To Make Crusty Artisan Bread
- All-purpose flour: Forms the structure of the bread; using high-protein flour, such as King Arthur, yields better results. If using a lower-protein flour, you may need to add a few more tablespoons.
- Kosher salt: Enhances flavor and controls yeast activity; essential for a well-balanced taste.
- Instant/rapid-rise yeast: Leavens the dough, helping it to rise quickly without needing to activate it in water beforehand. Active dry yeast can be used instead, but it requires longer rising time.
- Lukewarm water: Hydrates the flour and yeast, helping to create the right dough consistency; lukewarm water (about 100°F) is ideal for activating the yeast.
- Cornmeal: Used for dusting the baking sheet to prevent the dough from sticking and to add a slight crunch to the crust.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a very large (6-quart) bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and yeast. Mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
Add 3 cups of lukewarm water to the flour mixture (there’s no need to be exact about it, but lukewarm temperature is about 100°F).
Stir it all together with a wooden spoon until the flour is fully incorporated and there aren’t any dry spots. The dough should be a bit sticky and conform to the shape of the bowl. If it seems too dry, add a little more warm water, a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too wet, add a bit of flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it feels right.
Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter in a warm spot for about 2 hours. As you can see in the photo below, it will rise a lot! (At this point, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 14 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.)
When you’re ready to bake a loaf, dust the dough and your hands with flour and pull out one-third of the dough. It will be a bit sticky—that’s normal.
Lightly dust the dough with flour. You don’t want to add too much flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands. Gently shape the dough into a smooth ball by stretching the surface and tucking the edges underneath.
Place the dough ball on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal. Leave it uncovered at room temperature for about 40 minutes. (If you’ve been chilling the dough, let it rise for an hour, or up to 90 minutes for a more open crumb.) The dough will rise slightly and may also spread out a bit—that’s perfectly fine.
The dough will rise a bit. Now, give it a good dusting of flour. Using a sharp knife, make a few slashes about a half-inch deep. Get creative! A scallop, a cross, or even a tic-tac-toe pattern will look great.
Set a metal cake pan on the bottom rack of a preheated 450°F-oven. Slide the baking sheet with the dough into the oven, and carefully pour one cup of hot tap water into the cake pan. This will create steam for a crispier crust. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown.
Once it’s done, let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. The bread is best enjoyed fresh on the day it is made; freeze for longer storage.
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Ingredients
- 6½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off (preferably King Arthur; see note)
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ tablespoons instant/rapid-rise yeast (see note)
- 3 cups lukewarm water (no need to be exact but lukewarm is about 100°F)
- Cornmeal, for dusting the pan
Instructions
- In a very large (6-quart) bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is uniformly moist, without any patches of flour. The dough should be sticky and conform to the shape of the bowl. If your dough is too dry, add a few tablespoons more warm water. If it's too wet, add a few tablespoons of flour. (See the step-by-step photos for guidance on what the dough should look like.) Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter in a warm spot for 2 hours. If you plan to bake a loaf immediately, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, place the bowl of dough in the refrigerator to be used over the next 14 days. (Once refrigerated, the dough will shrink back a bit; that's okay. Do not punch down the dough at any point, and keep it loosely covered with plastic wrap.)
- Dust a sturdy baking sheet with cornmeal.
- Dust the surface of the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Pull out one-third of the dough and coat the outside lightly with flour (you don't want to incorporate more flour into the dough, you just want to be able to handle it). Gently work the dough into a smooth ball, stretching the surface and tucking the ends underneath, adding more flour as needed so it doesn't stick to your hands. (Don't overwork the dough; this process should only take about 30 seconds.) Put the dough ball onto the prepared baking sheet and let it rest at room temperature, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. (If the dough has been refrigerated, allow it to rise for 60 minutes, or up to 90 minutes if you want a more open and airy crumb structure.) The dough will rise a bit. It may also spread/flatten a bit; that's okay.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Set one rack in the lowest position of the oven and one rack in the middle position. Place a metal pan (any metal cake pan or broiler pan will work; just don't use glass) on the bottom rack. (You will fill this with water later to create steam in the oven).
- Generously dust the dough with flour. Using a sharp knife, make a few ½-inch-deep slashes in the dough -- a scallop, cross, or tic tac toe pattern all look nice.
- Slide the baking sheet with the dough into the oven, and carefully fill the metal cake pan with one cup of hot tap water. (Try to do this quickly so as not to let heat out of the oven.) Bake until the loaf is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- This bread is best enjoyed fresh on the day it is made. Once sliced, place the loaf cut-side down on a cutting board or plate and leave it uncovered. (If it lasts beyond a day, I suggest slicing and freezing.)
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions After the initial 2 hour rise, the dough can be portioned into thirds and frozen in airtight plastic containers for up to 1 month. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then shape, rest and bake as usual. The baked loaves can also be frozen whole or sliced: Wrap in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. (If you plan to use slices one at a time, place pieces of parchment between them so they don't stick.) To thaw, take the bread out of the freezer and let it come to room temperature on the countertop. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
- Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant/rapid-rise yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise. To give active dry yeast a boost, you can dissolve it in the lukewarm water and let it sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. After that, add it to the flour and salt, and proceed with the recipe.
- Note: I use King Arthur flour, which is higher in protein than some other all-purpose flours. If using a flour with a lower protein content, such as Gold Medal, you will likely need to add a few more tablespoons of flour.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 100
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 64 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hello! I’m about to try this. I don’t have cornmeal on hand but I’m thinking polenta would work. What’s your guess?
Candy
Sure, that will work. Enjoy!
Hi Jen, I’ve made this recipe several times and follow the instructions exactly. Each time, when the outside of the loaf is browned and beautiful the inside is still gummy. I have to slice it and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes to cook the inside and then I basically have toast. It’s really disappointing. I’ve tried covering it with foil when it’s done on the outside but that doesn’t work either. Can you help?
Hi Jill, I’m sorry you’ve been struggling with this! Next time you bake it, I’d reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. The bread will take a few extra minutes to bake, but that should give it time to fully bake on the inside before the exterior gets too brown.
My husband and kids love this bread! The only issue that I am having is that no matter how much cornmeal I use, the bottom crust of the bread sticks to the sheet pan. What am I doing wrong? Is there an alternative to cornmeal?
Hi Elizabeth, sorry you’re having a problem with it sticking! It may be your baking sheet. Next time you make it, I’d suggest lining the pan with parchment paper (and I would still use the cornmeal for the nice texture it adds). Hope that helps!
This was amazing! Took mine out of the oven a little early, I think my oven might just run hotter. It looked golden brown after the initial 30 minutes, but I kept it going without a lid for another 10! I could’ve taken it out earlier, I think. Thanks so much for this!