No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

This dutch oven bread recipe calls for only 4 ingredients (flour, water, salt, and yeast). With no kneading required, you can easily bake fresh bread at home. If you are intimidated by using yeast, this is the easiest recipe to get your feet wet.

Overview

• Skill Level: Beginner
• Technique Used: No-Knead Lean Dough Master Recipe

I have been told by many of my readers that they are intimidated by working with yeast. But yeast bread is one of those things in baking that can range from being incredibly simple to being very complicated. 

No-knead bread is the easiest yeast bread you can bake. It will get your feet wet and make working with yeast feel less intimidating. And you only need 4 ingredients to make it: water, flour, salt, and yeast. 

Ingredients in No-Knead Bread

Basic no-knead bread only calls for 4 ingredients: water, flour, salt, and yeast. That’s it! But you can also add in spices, herbs, and other add-ins like cheese, nuts, or seeds if you like to further flavor your bread! 

Yeast- The yeast for no-knead bread can be either active dry yeast or rapid rise (also known as instant or quick rise yeast). No matter which kind of yeast you choose, you can put it right into the dry ingredients without proofing it. Active dry yeast will need a little longer rising time than rapid rise yeast. 

The yeast is your leavening and what will make your bread dough rise. It is also what will flavor your bread. 

Water- Water wakes up and activates the yeast. Dry yeast is in a dormant state and needs moisture to wake up and being feeding.

The water is what can kill your yeast. You want to use very warm but not hot water. Somewhere around 110-130 F is great. If you have a thermometer definitely check the temperature. If you do not, error on the side of your water being lukewarm. 

Flour- Flour is the yeast’s food. Yeast feeds on sugar and will break down the starch in the flour to eat and create carbon dioxide gas and alcohol.

The flour in this recipe can be either unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour. You do not want to use bleached flour as it will not develop a strong enough gluten structure. Bread flour will develop the strongest gluten structure and will allow the bread to rise higher and develop more chewiness. You can also substitute in some wheat flour for the white flour in this recipe (see recipe notes for details).

Salt- Salt not only flavors the bread, but also slows down the yeast a bit. Dough without salt will rise much faster resulting in larger air pockets and an uneven crumb to the bread.

Kosher salt or fine sea salt is preferable because it has a bit of a course grain to it, but if you only have table salt you can use it. Just cut the amount of salt in the recipe in half.

That’s it. Yeast, water, flour, and salt! If you buy yeast in bulk like me, you probably always have all of these ingredients on hand. It is really nice to be able to whip up a loaf of bread on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

And if you don’t want to sit around waiting for it to rise, store the dough in the fridge over night or even for a few days. It will slowly rise and will be ready for you when you want to make some bread!

This is a very rustic free form bread recipe. You can form it into two loafs or one big circle. You can also bake it straight on a baking sheet, in a cast iron skillet, or the best option is in a preheated dutch oven.

How to Make No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

This recipe utilizes my lean dough master recipe. A lean dough only requires flour, water, salt, and yeast. This is the same dough I use to make pizza crust and focaccia.

Combine All Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, yeast, and warmed water. Start mixing with a spatula and then switch to using clean hands. Squeeze the dough until all of the flour is fully hydrated.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a shower cap works really well) and let sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes.

Stretch and Fold (optional step)

As an optional step, perform 1 round of stretch and folds. This optional step helps build elasticity and helps the boule keep it’s shape. If you are unfamiliar with this technique, watch this video as it will help to see the process.

Dampen your hand with water and then grab underneath the dough pulling it up to stretch it as far as it will go without breaking, then fold it down over itself. Go all the way around the bowl until it tightens up into a ball.

Bulk Ferment

Re-cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for another 3 hours to bulk ferment. It is ready to be used once it is at least double in size and bubbly on top.

Shape

On a lightly floured surface, tip the dough out of the bowl, being careful not to deflate. Starting on the edge of the dough that is closest to you, gently pull out on it and fold it into the center. Now do this same thing on the top edge. Then on the left and the right edge to form your dough into a rough ball.

Flip the dough over seam side down, and gently round it into a ball by pulling it toward you on the counter to create tension.

Transfer the dough, seam side down, to a piece of parchment paper and let proof for 30 -45 minutes until puffy and full of air.

Meanwhile, position an oven rack on the center position and place a dutch oven or oven safe pot with a lid inside. Preheat to 450°F/230°C.

*If you don’t have a dutch oven or other oven-safe pot, bake the bread in a cast-iron skillet or on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Bake

Carefully lift the piece of parchment paper with the dough into the preheated pot and cover with the lid.

Bake at 450°F/230°C covered for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10-20 minutes until the crust of the bread reaches a deep golden brown or internal temperature of 200°F.

Let cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Slicing and Storage

Storage: Store uneaten bread cut side down on a cutting board in the open air for up to 2 days. Then slice and transfer to the freezer for storing up to 3 months. Toast to refresh.