How To Make Bread – Amazing No-knead Bread Recipe!

how to make bread

I am inherently lazy. I have always been that way. I love doing stuff, don’t get me wrong, and I love doing stuff that turns out well and I then can take pride in my work and stuff. But, dangit, doing stuff is hard work! Stuff like making a kickin’ loaf of homemade bread, for example.

I used to bust my stupid hump measuring exactly and kneading dough and sitting by the clock to make sure I didn’t over-rise it, and then still end up with a mediocre loaf of bread that I would not want to share with Martha Stewart, even if she was still in jail and ready to shiv a bitch for some homemade bread. It was so disappointing.

Then I came across this recipe in the New York Times online. It was the answer to my mumbly, half-assed prayers. Perfect every time. Easy as hell. What more could I ask for? Oh, I know. A Martha Stewart brand shiv made from a pork chop bone.

How to Make Bread Video – No-knead Bread Recipe

No-Knead Bread Recipe

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No-Knead Bread

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5 from 3 reviews

So simple, all you need is time!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups flour (all purpose or bread flour; white or whole wheat; a combination of any of the above)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
  • 1 5/8 cups water
  • Cornmeal

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water and mix it up. It’s really wet-looking. That’s fine. Cover it with plastic wrap or a towel and set it aside for 12-18 hours. Go do something else and forget about it.
  2. Come back 20 hours later (it’s okay) and look at it. It’s all wet and bubbly like the La Brea tar pits, right? Right. Punch it!
  3. Dump it onto a lightly floured surface like a countertop.
  4. Fold it over twice.
  5. Put onto a plate sprinkled with cornmeal.
  6. Cover it and let it rise two more hours. Go watch a movie. I suggest Throw Momma from the Train. It’s only 88 minutes long.
  7. When it’s over, turn your oven on to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. Put a heavy pot (that has an oven-proof lid) in the oven to heat up as well. I’ve used ceramic and cast iron with great results.
  9. When your oven is preheated, take the pot out (use oven mitts!), dump in your dough, put the lid on it and stick it in the oven for 30 minutes. Go take a shower.
  10. Take the lid off the bread and cook another 15 minutes (although I have left it in there for the better part of an hour and it’s been fine but for a little more brown).
  11. Pull that bread out and it should release easily from the pan onto a cutting board.
  12. Let it rest 10-15 minutes for best slicing results, or just tear off a hunk like a rabid animal and stick it in your mouth. Psych! Just kidding! It’s really hot!!!

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39 Comments

  1. Christopher Sharpe on April 13, 2010 at 6:37 pm

    Please disregard. I am testing Facebook Connect for comments.

    • Alan on December 19, 2016 at 1:53 pm

      I’ve ignored this for over 6 years. I can’t take it any longer.






    • Janet H. on December 6, 2019 at 10:23 am

      Straight off good! Watched the video first, a sweet five minutes of instructions and tips. Live in Italy and have access to great bread, but needed something for USA visits sorta similar, this is it! Made two loaves, perfect bread! Thank you Hilah Cooking

  2. Nicole on April 13, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    I remember reading about this recipe a while ago and being intrigued but I have such a disastrous bread-making history that its been hard to get motivated. Your yummy bread with all its airy bubbles has changed that! Now I can't wait to try it! Thanks!

    • Hilah Cooking on April 13, 2010 at 3:31 pm

      Oh goody! Try it! Let me know how it goes. I have never had this recipe fail.

  3. Scott Koeneman on April 13, 2010 at 3:38 pm

    I'm not much of a baker, but really want to try this using whole wheat pastry flour (very finely ground whole wheat flour).

    • Hilah Cooking on April 15, 2010 at 11:59 pm

      That should work great, Scott! I’ve also used part rye flour with good results, but a little denser than wheat.

  4. Chef Dennis on April 14, 2010 at 12:22 am

    what can be better than devouring bread freshly and still warm….yummmmy
    I particularly like the part about acting like a rabid animal…

    all the best!!
    Dennis

    • Hilah Cooking on April 16, 2010 at 12:00 am

      Thanks, Dennis! There is nothing better than fresh bread, that is true.

  5. Sandra :) on April 14, 2010 at 3:23 am

    Awwwwwwwwwwww you’re such a cutie – what a great video! I’m going to try your recipe tomorrow – I’ve made focaccia before but I haven’t tried regular bread yet – it’s definitely time!!

    • Hilah Cooking on April 16, 2010 at 12:03 am

      Thanks, Sandra! This is a great first-timer recipe. Let me know how it turns out!

  6. Christy on May 7, 2010 at 6:06 am

    Wow, this makes so much more sense than fighting with bread the old fashioned way. I am going to attempt to do this with gluten-free flour this weekend and I will report back; hopefully it works!

    • Hilah Cooking on May 7, 2010 at 12:38 pm

      Oh yes! Please let me know, I’ve had several people ask me and I’ve never tried it with all gluten free flour. Hope it works!

      • Christy on May 9, 2010 at 8:42 am

        Yes, it does work! It needs a bit of tweaking from the original recipe to work as easily and beautifully as with gluten-flour, but it does work and not having to even attempt to knead the dough is WONDERFUL with gluten-free flour. That stuff is a sticky mess, even at the best of times!

        Here’s my write-up with photos: http://dysfunctionalkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/05/bread-experiment-in-progress.html

        The biggest change I would make is to cook it longer at a lower temperature, because the dough is SO DENSE (which is normal for gluten-free bread dough). The other change is that I really need to get myself a cast iron dutch oven! The glass dish I used was great for photographs, but the bread stuck to the inside and we had to pry it loose.

        Otherwise I would absolutely give this a go for gluten-free cooking.

        • Hilah Cooking on May 9, 2010 at 3:28 pm

          Thanks for reporting back, Christy! Your loaf looks perfect!

  7. Janet on May 8, 2010 at 5:57 pm

    I just tried this recipe and it works! I really had my doubts because the dough was VERY wet and didn’t hold together enough for me to even do the brief kneading. And during the second rise it oozed all over my countertops.

    But it just came out of the oven 20 minutes ago and it looked FANTASTIC. And now that I’ve just had a slice–OMG!!!!!

    This is TRULY the easiest bread recipe ever.

    • Hilah Cooking on May 8, 2010 at 9:45 pm

      Yeah, I was skeptical the first time I tried it but it works every time!

  8. Divya on March 10, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    Hey Hilah,
    I was really psyched to try this recipe out (mainly cause i have a lot of plain flour lying around – long story), and reading all those wonderful success stories i honestly thought it would work but I was not too successful..
    My bread looks amazing on the outside perfect brown crust and tastes like bread as well, but it is not springy, it turned out dense inside. No air pockets it looks like it did not cook properly from the inside. any suggestions? any tweaking that would need to be done?

    • Hilah Cooking on March 10, 2011 at 5:20 pm

      Hi Divya! That is a sad story! I’m sorry it didn’t work. It sounds like your yeast was dead. Try it again with some fresh yeast and check the date on the package before you buy it. If you don’t want to toss the sad loaf, you could still use it to make breadcrumbs with a food processor. Thanks for writing and please let me know how the next round goes!
      -h

  9. Mazz on March 10, 2011 at 5:04 pm

    I just finished making this and I kicked its ass. The only thing I did different was after uncovering it for the last 15min, I brushed the top with olive oil and a little butter.
    also, while it was sitting I dusted the top with various spices I thought would like and then when I did the folds it made some nice spicy streaks in the bread.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/19254021@N00/5515349786/

    • Hilah Cooking on March 10, 2011 at 5:18 pm

      Hi Mazz! Thanks for the update! Great idea to smear some fat on top – I bet that was real good. What spices did you add?

  10. Amelia on June 12, 2012 at 7:20 am

    Hi Hilah!

    I just made the most heavenly bread with this recipe! I’ve tried another before but the bread came out dense and the crust was dull and thick; not this time though! I think covering the bread for the first 30 minutes makes all the difference. It’s so good I just gobbled down 2 slices with butter:P

    Thanks for the recipe – I’m currently studying for exams in uni and this experiment was an EXCELLENT diversion!






    • Hilah on June 12, 2012 at 8:22 am

      Hi Amelia!
      That’s so great! What an excellent distraction from studying. 😉 Thanks for the feedback. I hope you try some more recipes!

  11. Melanie on September 20, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    so Hilah….I so thought I had really screwed this up all the way into the oven…you are so right!!! I can’t believe what happened here!!!! Yummy, delicious, with amazing texture….I swear, I was ready to throw it out…..but I’m so glad I didn’t!!!!

    • Hilah on September 21, 2012 at 1:05 pm

      Ha! It’s really cool how it works, right? Like a total science experiment in the oven. Thanks for writing in, Melanie! Glad it worked for you.

  12. Cheryl on December 29, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    The BEST homemade bread EVER. Most times when we make bread at home it does not go over very well. I stop making it and toss the bread machine.

    I made this bread as a chance to redeem all homemade breads. This bread went over amazing. In fact, I was ready to make a gray and bread breakfast with some – it is gone. My family ate the whole loaf in less than 2 hours. This is a must have in our house. Thank you!!






    • Hilah on December 31, 2012 at 1:07 pm

      Yay! That makes me SO happy, Cheryl! And reminds me I should make a loaf of this again, too. 🙂 Happy New Year!

  13. sara on November 9, 2013 at 4:34 pm

    Looking forward to trying recipe….could you make rolls from this dough.

    • Hilah on November 10, 2013 at 3:21 pm

      Hi Sara!
      I haven’t tried making rolls with this, but I think it would be difficult because the dough is so soft you can’t really form it at all. It just turns out the shape of your cooking vessel. I’ll be posting a dinner rolls recipe soon, though!

      • crystal on November 22, 2016 at 8:58 am

        Just use a cupcake pan and it will be rolls.

  14. Louise on February 15, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    Hello Hilah!

    Just tripped over your cute video on bread making. You make it look so easy I’ve decided it will be fun to follow your website and try out your recipes. I’ve just forwarded your site to my son’s girlfriend. She is brand new to cooking and baking and I think she will learn a lot from your videos. You make it FUN and not overwhelming.

    Tell me, what could I add to your bread recipe in the way of grains or cheese … olives???

    Will you be doing a video on how to make whole grain type of bread?

    Many thanks,

    Louise

    • Hilah on February 17, 2014 at 4:47 pm

      Hi, Louise!
      Thanks for writing. I’m glad you found me. 🙂
      I think grated cheese or olives would both be delicious! Maybe some toasted nuts or seeds mixed into the dough, or just sprinkled on top before baking, too.
      I have meant to do a regular, kneaded bread dough for a while and it will probably be whole grain. Thanks again. I read your other comment and got tears in my eyes.
      Hugs!

  15. Denise on July 26, 2014 at 3:51 am

    I’ve shy’d from bread making because for some reason I’m intimidated by yeast. But after watching your video (3 times), I’m going to go RIGHT now and start the dough. I hope to have a good loaf tomorrow night. 🙂

    • Hilah on July 26, 2014 at 7:56 am

      Oh that’s so exciting, Denise! Best of luck on your first bread making. Hope you have fun!

  16. Vicki Penniment on December 20, 2016 at 2:27 am

    I am going to give this a go, but could you please tell me what the equivalent to cornmeal might be. I am in the land of Oz. I cant imagine what else I could use. thanks. x

    • Hilah on December 20, 2016 at 7:36 am

      Good question, Vicki. The purpose of it is to just keep it from sticking so something else coarse would prob work… maybe fine polenta? Or oat bran?

  17. sonny on December 22, 2016 at 2:31 pm

    wow I made bread for the first time, its amazing thanks.

  18. Nathan Dagley on December 24, 2016 at 6:26 am

    I tried this recipe and it has been 14 hours. My dough is not rising? Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong?

    • Hilah on December 25, 2016 at 5:43 pm

      Hey Nathan! Did it rise at all? If there were a few bubbles, it could mean that your room temperature is a little cooler than the yeast like. If there were zero bubbles, no action at all, then your yeast was probably dead.

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