This no-knead artisan bread recipe is perfect for beginner bakers. Made with instant yeast and baked in a Dutch oven, my easy step-by-step photos and instructions will teach you exactly how to make crusty, bakery-style bread at home— no kneading required.
Interested in baking homemade bread? Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread recipe is an excellent starting point. His method follows an incredibly easy formula: mix the dough and let it rise overnight. That’s it.
You don’t need a stand mixer or a bread machine, and there’s no kneading involved! Just 2 minutes of prep time and the rest is hands-off. The result? A gorgeous, perfectly golden crusty loaf with a soft, chewy interior. I learned this method first before moving onto sourdough bread.
How To Make Easy Homemade Bread (Step-By-Step Recipe)
Step 1: Mix The Dough
First, clear away all kitchen clutter: bills, toys, rogue phone chargers— you’ll want a clean surface to work on.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, instant yeast, and salt. Add water and stir to combine. As the dough thickens, switch to your hands and bring everything together. It’ll look shaggy, wet, and sticky.
Instant Yeast vs. Active Dry Yeast: What’s The Difference? While both types of yeast make bread dough rise, instant yeast can be added directly to the dough. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved (or “bloomed”) in warm water first. If that’s what you’re using, bloom it before mixing.
Step 2: Let The Dough Rise (Overnight)
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container and cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap to prevent sticking. Let it rise at room temperature (about 68-70 degrees F) for 12 hours to overnight.
Your dough is ready when it has puffed up in volume, about 1.5–2x the original size. You will also see lots of bubbles.
Pro Tip: If your kitchen’s chilly and the dough seems sluggish, place it in the microwave with the light on (door ajar). The gentle warmth helps wake up the yeast (my friend Celia gave me this genius tip!).
Step 3: Shape The Dough (And Let It Rest Again)
Flour a piece of parchment paper. Remove the dough from its container and place it on top. Fold the dough in half (like a book) and then fold it again. Sprinkle the surface with more flour to prevent sticking.
To shape: gently tuck the edges of the dough under itself to form a round ball. Place seam side down on the parchment like so…
Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let it rest again until puffy. It will start to spread out slightly as it rises- this is ok. The 2nd rise will not take as long as the first, but expect to wait about 30 minutes- 1 hour depending how warm your kitchen is.
Step 4: Preheat The Oven
About 30 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 500 F with a Dutch oven inside (lid on).
Why a Dutch oven? Steam is essential for that shiny, crisp crust. The pot traps moisture, which allows the dough to form a beautiful, artisan-style crust (for reference, baking without steam might cause the crust to harden too quickly which equates to dense and heavy bread). No Dutch oven? Any heavy oven-safe pot with a lid will do, as long as it can heat up to 450 F+.
Once the pot is hot, carefully slide your hand underneath the parchment paper and invert the dough into the pot. The seam will now be facing up. Take a look…
Step 5: Bake The Dough
Place the pot in the oven and immediately lower the heat to 400°F. Bake covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15–20 minutes until the crust is deeply golden.
Want to be sure it’s fully baked? Check the internal temperature. It should read 200–205°F. I use this digital thermometer and swear by it.
Step 6: Let It Cool
Transfer the loaf to a wire rack. Tap the bottom— it should sound hollow and feel light. You’ll hear it crackle as it cools (bread music!). Let it rest for at least 1 hour before slicing. Cutting too soon can result in a gummy crumb. Trust me, I speak from experience. And there you have it: easy, no-knead artisan bread!
Final Thoughts…
When I first started baking, I had no idea what I was doing. Jim Lahey’s no-knead method changed that. It’s forgiving, low effort, and tastes like you bought it from a fancy bakery! If you’re just beginning your bread journey, this recipe will give you the confidence to level up— to sourdough bread, light brioche hamburger buns (fan favorite!), pull apart brioche rolls, and beyond. Not only does it taste good, this loaf cost less than $1 to make!
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Jim Lahey’s Easy No-Knead Artisan Bread
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Yeast Bread
- Method: Oven-Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
An incredible recipe for no-knead artisan bread baked in a Dutch oven. I like to make the dough in the evening (after dinner) to rise overnight. It’s fantastic for sandwiches, crostini, and to mop up delicious sauces! Recipe adapted from Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Artisan Bread.
Ingredients
- 390g (3 cups) bread flour (not all-purpose) + more for dusting
- ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 320g (about 1 1/3 cups) water
Notes
I use King Arthur Bread Flour & SAF instant yeast. You can use any 5 1/2- 6 quart Dutch oven, cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic bakeware (with lid) that can heat up to 500 degrees F.
Instructions
In a large bowl add the flour, yeast, salt and water. Stir until a rough dough forms. If it seems very dry, add more water.
Transfer to an oiled container and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for 14 hours- overnight, at room temperature (about 70 degrees). Your dough is ready when it has puffed up in volume, about 1 1/2 -2x its original size. *See note below.
Lightly flour a sheet of parchment paper and place the dough on top. Fold dough in half and then fold it in half again.
Shape the dough into a ball by tucking the sides underneath itself, and place onto the paper, seam side down. Cover and rest again until puffy but not fully risen, about 30 minutes- 2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Preheat your oven to 500 F. Put a (6 quart) dutch oven pot inside for 20 minutes. When ready to bake, remove pot from the oven. Place your hand underneath the parchment paper and invert the dough into the pot. The seam will be facing up. Cover the pot with the lid.
Place your bread into the oven, and reduce the temperature from 500 to 400 F. Bake for 40 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
To make sure that the bread is completely cooked through, take its temperature. Carefully tip the bread onto its side and insert a thermometer into the bottom. It should read 200-205 F. If not, place it back into the oven until it is ready (extra time in bread baking is a good thing). If you’re worried about the top getting too brown, put the lid back on.
When your bread is ready, transfer to a wire rack to cool. It should feel light and make a hollow sound when you give it a knock underneath. Let it cool for at least 1 hour. Cutting it too soon might ruin the texture resulting in a gummy crumb!
Notes
If your dough isn’t puffed and bubbly after the initial rise, place it in the microwave with the light on (keeping the door ajar). The warmth from the light will give the yeast a boost. My friend Celia gave me this tip and it works like a charm, especially in chilly kitchens!
Comments
Janet A Hogan says
I made the artisan bread. My husband loved it. Only thing, how to keep it past 1 day. The bread became hard to cut on the second day.
Please advise.
Thank you.
Cynthia Lukas says
Hello,
Can this recipe be baked in a long covered ceramic baker?
Thank you
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Cynthia! As long as the covered baker can safely heat up to 500 F (handles, lid, all parts) then it should work. PS: If you need a little wiggle room on temp., I wanted to let you know that I’ve made this recipe preheating to 450 F (instead of 500F) with excellent results.
Mike Williams says
Janet,
I brush my bread all over with margarine when hot from the oven including bottom. Makes and keeps the crust delightfully soft and chewy. Yum!
Judy says
Hello i’ve been making bread but with Leah’s original recipe measuring in grams; the best way I know to soften is to take the crusted bread and run the whole thing underwater so the entire piece of bread that’s left has hit the water, then shake it down-you’re not going to saturate it like a sponge. Place the cut side down on a piece of parchment, put the oven on 325 and within a half hour you have crusty but a soft chew to the bread. Never fails me
Robert olsen says
I follow your recipe to a t. I use bread flour, whole wheat, and ap flour. I always use 1/2 ts instant yeast. it always come out perfect cooked in a tramontina 9.5 bread dutch. thank you and Jim for the knowledge.
Emilie Raffa says
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Robert!
Jane says
Is this recipe suitable for wholemeal bread flour?
Thanks
Grace says
This bread recipe is amazing! Super simple and easy to follow. Did it with my Dutch oven, and minimal mess. I let my bread rise for about 16 hours- would recommend!
Kecia says
The easiest and tastiest artisan bread I’ve ever made. My kids loved it too. Super moist in the inside and held its structure well while remaining moist for days after.
Great recipe that has given me the confidence to try more difficult bread recipes !!
Donna Mahanna says
How much starter do you use instead of store bought yeast when making this recipe?
John Parkes says
Family approves. Perfectly crusty and tasty.
Laura says
Hello, love this but I can’t get the “invert into a pan” technique down. It kind of flops off the parchment paper and becomes misshapen. Can you do a video of the technique, point me in the direction of one, or explain in more detail how to do this? I just can’t figure it out.
Donna H says
You might want to try what I do – I just pick the whole thing up – parchment and all – and set it in my dutch oven. It’s easiest if you and another person each hold 2 corners. Kind of gently lower it in – no “plopping” and no inverting necessary. The parchment is fine in the oven, but I like to take a scissors and cut off any that would otherwise hang over the edge. Please let me know if you try this. Good luck!
Michele Regan says
I do the same. Never invert the bread.
Cheryl Litherland says
I bought the 32 oz containers you have a link to, made my dough and put it in the container and lightly covered with the oiled plastic wrap to rise. In the morning the dough had risen so much overnight that about 1/2 of the dough had dripped over the edge and onto the countertop. I couldn’t figure out how a container like that could hold rising dough, and guess my thoughts were correct. Should I next try to rise my dough in a glass bowl?
Emilie Raffa says
Hi Cheryl! My guess is temperature + rise time length. The warmer it gets, the faster the dough will rise which means you might have to shorten your rise time so the dough doesn’t overproof (or spill out of the container). Rise times always need to be adjusted based on your current ambient temperature. Next time, use a glass bowl to rise the dough. Or, try a high-sided dough tub with measuring marks- you’ll be able to track the dough as it grows. Hope this helps.
Bob says
Hi , I just made the bread for the first time today, and found it successful and enjoyable except for 1 glitch. The inside was great, but the crust was way too hard. In fact , I needed to use an electric knife in order to cut through the crust.
HELP ! What went wrong ??? My only guess is that the oven was too hot. I followed the recipe temps verbatim. At the end, the continued bake @15 – 20 min , without the lid ,I baked 20 min. I did so due to color. Perhaps that was too long ?
Thanks
Shannon says
I threw a batch of ‘rustic’ dough in the frig for the next day after starting too many tasks. The next day I baked it, thought it was burnt, but thankfully didn’t throw it away because after it cooked and was sliced it is delicious. Then ‘My Bread’ delivered from Amazon and I learned that method of bread baking is an official ‘technique.’ Sign me up! It’s easy and tastes great. I have more dough on the frig right now… trying wheat and rye.
Emilie Raffa says
Ahhh… love this. You sound like me “too many tasks”. It’s nice to have a dough that’s forgiving, and ready for you when you need (knead) it. 🤣
Pete says
Can I make this in a 4″ x 8″ loaf pan inside a Dutch oven? I like the size better for slicing for sandwiches,
Dona Sickels says
I’ll preface my comment by saying that I’ve been making yeast bread for over thirty years. That said, is the finished loaf supposed to be about 2” tall? I’m guessing that given the small amount of yeast used that it is. Do you have another recipe where the bread is bigger? I think I’ll try it again as the bread is delicious, but with more yeast.
Emilie Raffa says
Hi there! Thanks for sharing your experience. The finished baked loaf should be taller than 2 inches. In your case, my sense is that your dough might have over proofed during the first rise and/or second rise. Do you remember the timing for both? And your current ambient temp?
Danny says
Perfect flour to water ratio! Better even than Lahey’s ratio in his book!
Emilie Raffa says
Cheers, Danny! Thank you!
Rebecca Andrew says
Perfect and perfectly easy!
Emilie Raffa says
Thank you for your feedback Rebecca!