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

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

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.

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:

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:

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:

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

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.

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”

Donnis Franklin — September 26, 2023 @ 4:56 pm Reply

It looks great. However, I do not have a Dutch oven. Can this be baked in a loaf pan?
Anna — January 5, 2022 @ 11:56 am Reply

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

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- Joanne — January 12, 2022 @ 1:26 pm Reply
  
  Yes, the lid too 🙂
Bharati — November 4, 2020 @ 1:26 pm 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?
Mika — July 14, 2017 @ 11:38 pm 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 — July 16, 2017 @ 8:11 pm 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 — July 23, 2017 @ 3:38 pm
    
    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!
DeAnn Franklin — February 24, 2015 @ 9:52 pm Reply

Wow! I can’t wait to try your no knead bread. Tonight’s the night. Fun Website, kiddo.
Drema — December 23, 2014 @ 8:23 pm 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!)
Carolina — December 3, 2014 @ 9:22 pm Reply

Do you bake it with the pot’s lid on or off
Amanda — December 2, 2014 @ 11:55 pm Reply

Would all-purpose flour work?
Matthew Madsen — November 20, 2014 @ 12:06 am 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.
Laurel Johnson — April 21, 2013 @ 8:38 pm 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 — April 22, 2013 @ 12:13 pm Reply
  
  Hi Laurel, awesome!!! So glad to hear you love this bread so much. Happy cooking!
Julie B — March 31, 2013 @ 10:15 pm 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 — April 1, 2013 @ 9:29 am 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!
Kimberly — March 9, 2013 @ 12:53 pm 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!
elaine — February 16, 2013 @ 3:17 pm Reply

will this recipe work using 100% white whole wheat flour?
- Joanne Ozug — February 17, 2013 @ 12:08 am 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 — February 17, 2013 @ 12:56 am
    
    OK, thanks!

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

FAQs

What happens if you use milk instead of water to make bread? ›

Using milk instead of water in your yeasted bread is an easy way to add a touch of sweetness, making it ideal for challah, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, and hot dog buns. Milk sugars not only add a hint of sweetness but also result in a softer, more uniform crumb and ensure a nicely browned crust.

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What breads are boiled before baking? ›

One of the main differences between bagels and bread is that bagels are boiled before baking, whereas bread is not boiled. Briefly boiling bagels allow the bagels to gelatinize the starches on the bagel's outer surface, revealing the crunchy exterior we are all familiar with.

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What does boiling water do to flour? ›

Scalded flour is just that: flour that you cover with boiling water to scald. In this process the flour is cooked and the starch in the flour becomes like jelly. Think of it – kneading jelly into dough….

What happens when you put baking powder in boiling water? ›

Baking powder powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate). If you add it to hot water, the bicarbonate will decompose to form sodium hydroxide and carbon dioxide.

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Why is it important not to use boiling water to mix a dough? ›

As mentioned above, yeast will start to die and will stop producing gas at temperatures above 37C. So it's important not to use water that's too hot. If you have a food-safe thermometer, then that's a great way to check your water temperature.

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What does salt do to bread? ›

Next to its role in boosting the flavor of your bread, salt plays a role in tightening the gluten structure and adding strength to your dough. It helps the loaf to hold on to the carbon dioxide gas that is formed during fermentation, supporting good volume. Salt slows down fermentation and enzyme activity in dough.

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What is the Yudane method? ›

What Is the Yudane Method? In this approach, you precook the starch by stirring boiling water into flour, often in a ratio of 1 part water to an equal weight of flour (the exact proportions can vary), and then you cool the mixture and combine it with the other ingredients to make the dough.

Can I use milk instead of water in my bread machine? ›

Water is a common ingredient, but since many people use the timer on their bread machines, most recipes call for non-fat dry milk or powdered buttermilk. However, if you are mixing your dough right away, you can certainly use fresh milk. Simply replace the water with milk or buttermilk and omit the powdered milk.

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How does milk affect bread dough? ›

Milk yields dough with a higher pH compared to water dough, and the fermentation will be slower. Fermentation tolerance (the ability of the dough to work properly in a range of temperatures) will be slightly improved. Bench time will be extended as the dough ferments more slowly at this stage.

What happens if you don't add water to bread? ›

Dough with not enough water will not only feel dry to the touch, but will also be difficult to stretch. If that's the case, you'll want to add water before the dough has the chance to proof and damage the gluten. Add the water little by little until the dough is wet, but not sticky.