No Knead Rustic Bread
This No-Knead Rustic Bread is an easy, artisan-style loaf with a crispy, golden crust and soft, airy interior—perfect for beginners and seasoned bakers alike. Made with just four ingredients, this bread relies on a long fermentation time to develop deep flavor and a wonderful texture without the need for kneading. Simply mix the ingredients, let the dough rest, and then bake to perfection in a Dutch oven or on a baking stone. Ideal for sandwiches, dipping, or enjoying on its own, this bread brings a homemade warmth and simplicity to any meal!
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven.
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 ¼ tsp dry active yeast
- ½ tbsp salt
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
For the Yeast
- Mix the warm water, dry active yeast, and salt together until well blended. Allow it to rest for ten minutes until it becomes a foamy consistency.
- After ten minutes have passed and the yeast is activated, mix in all other ingredients until a shaggy dough forms. This dough will be sticky.
- Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for two hours. It was pretty warm in my kitchen on this day of making this no knead rustic bread so it doubled up quickly, within one hour.
- During the last few minutes of the rise, preheat your oven to 450 degrees with your Dutch oven inside with the lid on to preheat as well.
- Scrape the risen dough onto a piece of flour-sprinkled parchment paper and sprinkle the dough with flour. Use the edges of the parchment paper to form the shape of the dough into a ball. Note that the dough ball will form the shape of your Dutch oven during the baking process. So if your Dutch oven is oval or round, that will be the shape of your loaf.
- This is the time to score your dough. Take a scoring knife or razor blade and make slits across the top of the dough. I did mine in a simple cross shape. I like to sprinkle another light dusting on the dough.
- Grab the parchment paper with the dough on it and carefully place it inside the Dutch oven and place the lid on top.
- Place the Dutch oven inside the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the bread reaches a golden brown. Mine took approximately 15 minutes to reach the golden brown color that I wanted.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and the bread from the Dutch oven by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper. Place the bread on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely before slicing.
- Once the bread is cooled, create your slices using a serrated bread knife and enjoy!