A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don't Know How To Boil Water (2024)

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No Knead Bread Ingredients Instructions Nutrition Don’t miss a recipe! Leave a Reply 54 Comments on “A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don’t Know How To Boil Water” FAQs

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by Joanne December 10, 2010 (updated May 17, 2020)

54

Only 4 ingredients are needed for this simple No Knead Bread recipe, which bakes up fluffy on the inside with a golden and bubbled crust.

A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don't Know How To Boil Water (1)

Okay, so obviously you know how to boil water. But the point is, this recipe is absurdly easy. I know a woman whose 4 year old son made it. Yeah. So you can DEFINITELY make it too. There’s no starter or sponge, no kneading to the windowpane stage, none of that stuff. Just mix some flour, yeast, salt, and water before you go to bed, then in the morning form the dough into a ball, wrap it in a towel for 2 hours, then plop it in a pan and bake it. Pretty awesome. Make it for your friends and family, and impress them =)

Before you go to bed, mix together the dough. It will look like a shaggy mess:

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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight on the countertop (and for up to 20 hours). When you wake up, the dough should look like this:

A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don't Know How To Boil Water (3)

Bubbles on the surface, and very sticky and wet. Lay out a kitchen towel, then get your hands nice and wet (and re-wet as needed, to keep the dough from sticking to you). Pick up the dough mass, and form it (more or less) into a ball. Place it onto the towel:

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Wrap it up, and let it rise for 2 hours.

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After one more rise, it’s ready to bake! The key is to bake it in a pot, which traps in the moisture and give it a great crust.

A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don't Know How To Boil Water (6)

A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don't Know How To Boil Water (8)

No Knead Bread

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 14 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Only 4 ingredients are needed for this simple No Knead Bread recipe, which bakes up fluffy on the inside with a golden and bubbled crust.

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 tsp quick rise yeast
  • 1.5 tsp sea salt
  • 1.5 cups warm water
  • cornmeal to sprinkle on the bottom of the pan

Instructions

  • Before you go to bed, mix all the ingredients in a big bowl until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight on the countertop (and for up to 20 hours).

  • Lay out a kitchen towel, then get your hands nice and wet (and re-wet as needed, to keep the dough from sticking to you). Pick up the dough mass, and form it (more or less) into a ball. Place it onto the towel, wrap it up, and let it rise for 2 hours.

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and stick a dutch oven into the oven so it gets very hot. Once the oven is preheated, take the pot out and sprinkle cornmeal in the bottom so the bread doesn’t stick. Lift the towel up and dump your dough ball into the pot, and give it a shake so it sits flat on the bottom of the pan. Put the lid on, and bake the bread for 30 minutes. Then take the lid off, and bake for another 15 minutes, until the bread is golden brown. Take the bread out of the pot and cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 223mg, Fiber: 1g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Fifteen Spatulas

posted in: Bread, Dairy-free, Vegan 54 comments

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    54 Comments on “A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don’t Know How To Boil Water”

  1. Donnis Franklin — Reply

    It looks great. However, I do not have a Dutch oven. Can this be baked in a loaf pan?

  2. Anna — Reply

    Dumb question: when I preheat the Dutch oven, should I be preheating it with the lid on?

    Thanks!

    See Also
    Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Recipe - Evolving Table

    • Joanne — Reply

      Yes, the lid too 🙂

  3. Bharati — Reply

    Hey Joanne, thanks for the simple recipe. What if I left the dough 2 nights over in the frig, like say 36 hours. Would it work?

  4. Mika — Reply

    Help! I just made the dough and was about to go to bed but realized I don’t have any pots with lids that can withstand temperatures above 350° in my oven. They all have rubberized handles that are rated only up to 350 degrees. (Rachael Ray hard anodized set with orange handles). I DO have loaf pans and a baking sheet, but of course they wouldn’t be covered. Ideas ?

    • Joanne Ozug — Reply

      Hi Mika, I was without internet this weekend so sorry I couldn’t get to you earlier. Not sure what you ended up doing. I have baked on a sheet tray and thrown in ice cubes at the beginning for a similar effect.

      • Mika —

        Hi Joanne! So I ended up using a loaf pan and covering it with foil and a cookie sheet on top. It didn’t rise as much as I hoped, but it tasted delicious!

  5. DeAnn Franklin — Reply

    Wow! I can’t wait to try your no knead bread. Tonight’s the night. Fun Website, kiddo.

  6. Drema — Reply

    Thanks for the questions about ‘not having a Dutch Oven’ below! I bought one, but when I thought about how super, backbreaking heavy it is WITHOUT food in it!…. and adding a roast, potatoes, gravy, etc…or whatever I’m going to put in it…and that it was only safe to a certain amount & bread baking is higher than that…..and there are lots and lots of posts about people buying expensive Dutch Ovens only to have them craze and crack in a short amount of time… I took it back. SO happy you said I can replace the Dutch Oven with a soup pot! I’ve got that! A Curisnart with a matching lid. Thank you!! If anyone is interested – I bought the King Arthurs yeast that comes with a plastic jar with a gasket that seals & a ‘clamp’ so the lid stays shut completely – you leave it in the freezer and it gives you so much more time to use the yeast! Perfect for those of us with health problems where we never know from day to day how we will feel or if we will get anything we want to done! Merry Christmas and thank you for sharing this and all of your good information with us! (and the photos are great, too. It must take you so long to do each recipe – your hard work is not in vain! You are helping a lot of people!)

  7. Carolina — Reply

    Do you bake it with the pot’s lid on or off

  8. Amanda — Reply

    Would all-purpose flour work?

  9. Matthew Madsen — Reply

    I like the technique because it is aGreat start for adding to recipe and making new breads after 1st getting good at this recipe.

  10. Laurel Johnson — Reply

    I have FINALLY found THE bread recipe for me! Apart from being super simple, and making one loaf at a time, this bread tastes fabulous! It is the perfect texture, with just the right amount of chewiness, just the right amount of yeastyness (is that a word?), and not too dense or too fluffy. Plus it’s pretty and makes the house smell wonderful as added bonuses! Thank you so much for posting this. My husband and I are in Bread Heaven!

    • Joanne Ozug — Reply

      Hi Laurel, awesome!!! So glad to hear you love this bread so much. Happy cooking!

  11. Julie B — Reply

    Made this bread for Easter. The first test loaf was amazing but a tad salty. The loaves I made for Easter dinner I added 1 tsp salt instead of 1 1/2 tsp and added a teaspoon of sugar. It was perfection! Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe!

    • Joanne Ozug — Reply

      Hi Julie, different salts can have different amounts of saltiness. I’m glad that you found an amount that’s perfect for you. Hope you had a nice meal!

  12. Kimberly — Reply

    Cloth problem:

    When I cover the bowl with plastic wrap, i use a little extra.
    When it’s time to take it out, I lay down a dish towel flat. On top
    of it I spread out the same plastic wrap and sprinkle lightly with flour
    (because their will probably be moisture droplets on it).
    Plop the dough on the plastic, and loosely wrap it with the plastic.
    Then loosely wrap with the towel.
    2 hours later I open it and peel off the plastic (it sticks, but is easily
    peeled from the dough). Then plop it in a pan, making an oblong shape.

    No Corn Meal:
    I use a light spray of cooking oil (on the metal dish), works great.

    No Crock Pot:
    I bake it in a metal rectangular baking dish with a tight domed
    tin foil seal for 30 min. Then transfer it to a room temp. glass
    rectangular baking dish for 15 more minutes of cooking time.

    This makes a nice oblong shaped bread, not burned, and crusty-
    tastes great!

  13. elaine — Reply

    will this recipe work using 100% white whole wheat flour?

    • Joanne Ozug — Reply

      Elaine, I don’t recommend it. It won’t have enough protein in it to develop the proper gluten needed for the bread.

      • Elaine —

        OK, thanks!

A Bread Recipe for Those Who Don't Know How To Boil Water (2024)

FAQs

How do you know if bread dough has enough water? ›

Instead of adding water solely based on the measurements in the recipe, Busby's Bakery says it's better to use the consistency of the dough as your guide. Dough with not enough water will not only feel dry to the touch, but will also be difficult to stretch.

Keep Reading ›
What of water is very important when making bread? ›

Workable hydration levels for bread fall between about 66% and 100% hydration. So for every 100g of flour, for example, your recipe might call for 66-100g of water. My usual go-to bread, that I can make with my eyes closed, calls for 375g of flour and 250g of water. Therefore, it's a 66% hydration dough.

View More ›
What happens to bread with too little water? ›

Too little water will result in a dense, dry bread, while too much water will make the bread dough too sticky and result in a gummy texture. An optimal amount of water will hydrate the flour and form gluten, which results in a light and airy texture.

Get More Info ›
What happens when you use milk instead of water in a bread recipe? ›

It adds nutritional value to baked goods. Mainly protein, calcium, and vitamin B12 which are all necessary for a heathy diet. But we don't only look for the nutritional benefits when using milk in our bread dough. The fat and lactose in milk help with tenderizing the crumb of the bread making it softer and sweeter.

View Details ›
Does more water make bread fluffier? ›

The amount of water you add to your dough directly affects how the crumb in your baked loaf. A more open crumb results in bigger holes and a softer texture, whereas a closed crumb results in a more robust textured bread. Simply put, the more water in your dough, the more open the crumb will be.

Get More Info Here ›
What to do if my dough is too dry? ›

First, try adding more liquid to the dough. This can be milk, water, or even just a little bit of extra oil. If that doesn't work, you can try kneading the dough for a few minutes to help it come together. Lastly, if all else fails, you can always add in a few tablespoons of flour to help bind the dough together.

Know More ›
What is the best water for bread dough? ›

Generally, water of medium hardness, with about 100 to 150 ppm of minerals, is best suited to bread baking. The minerals in water provide food for the yeast, and therefore can benefit fermentation.

Read On ›
What is the ratio of flour to water for bread? ›

Water. Different flours absorb different quantities of water, but for a strong white flour the rule of thumb is to take the amount of flour you are using in grams, work out 60% of that and add that amount in ml. For example, if using 1 kilogram of flour, add 600ml water.

Keep Reading ›
Does wet dough make better bread? ›

And with high-hydration doughs like ciabatta or pan de cristal, a wet, soft dough with ample strength is a must. Too little water will leave them dense and, while still delicious, they won't have the thin crust and lacy interior that's the hallmark of the style.

Keep Reading ›
Can you put too much yeast in bread? ›

Because yeast does not divide much in bread dough (only 20-30% increase in cell numbers in 4 hours), what you start with is what you end up with in terms of yeast numbers. This can affect the bread by adding a "yeasty" taste if you put too much into the dough.

See More ›

What does adding milk to bread dough do? ›

In the dough stage, milk increases water absorption. Consequently, dough made with milk should come softer from the mixer than dough made with water. Other aspects of milk in yeast doughs include: Dough may be mixed more intensively.

Explore More ›
Can I use milk instead of water for bread? ›

After making many loaves of bread and trying many variations, the recipe we decided we like best for its taste and texture is made with milk instead of water, and requires very little kneading.

View Details ›
Is it better to use oil or butter for bread? ›

If you want delicate, soft, and tender baked goods, I recommend using oil vs. butter. Butter will result in a denser crumb and not be as moist.

Discover More Details ›
What does adding butter to bread dough do? ›

Butter, technically a dough enrichment, tenderizes bread dough and limits gluten development, yielding a softer, more tender crumb and a richer flavor. The butter in this sourdough babka dough makes the interior tender—and delicious. Photo by Maurizio Leo.

Tell Me More ›
What is the difference between artisan bread and sandwich bread? ›

Artisan bread uses cleaner, less processed ingredients and is often handmade, making each loaf unique. Mass-produced bread often contains more preservatives to help maintain its shelf life and is made by machines on a massive scale. Each and every manufactured loaf of bread will be identical to each other.

Find Out More ›
How wet should my bread dough be? ›

Bread dough should be sticky and wet when you begin kneading it. I encourage everyone in my classes to embrace the stickiness! When water is first added to flour, the flour takes a while to fully absorb it all, making that dough even more sticky.

Get More Info Here ›
How much water do you put in bread dough? ›

Different flours absorb different quantities of water, but for a strong white flour the rule of thumb is to take the amount of flour you are using in grams, work out 60% of that and add that amount in ml. For example, if using 1 kilogram of flour, add 600ml water.

Learn More Now ›
How hydrated should bread dough be? ›

Many formulas, such as white sandwich bread, French bread, and challah, use around 57 to 65% hydration. The dough starts to be a bit more tacky, but also more extensible. These doughs can hold their shape well, but also allow for a greater volume in proofing (rising).

Read The Full Story ›
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