No Knead Bread Recipe in Less than 5 Minutes a Day (2024)

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This easy no-knead artisan bread recipe takes just 5 minutes a day and uses only 5 ingredients. It has a soft and fluffy inside and a perfectly crunchy crust. Everything bread should be without all the work! This step-by-step tutorial will have you turning out loaves of homemade goodness in no time.

I first fell in love with this bread when I had toddlers at home, was working full time, and needed a foolproof quick bread recipe.

Since then I’ve tweaked this basic recipe from No-Knead Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Dayby Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francios to a thing of perfection. If you have my book Hand Made: the Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living you’ll recognize this from page 44 as my Master Dough Recipe.

Having a versatile quick super easy no-knead bread recipe is key, I’ve made this all different ways over the years, including different bake times and baking dishes, and below is my favorite variation.

Trust me, this will quickly become a staple at your house. Fresh bread is a thing of beauty, and this recipe makes excellent garlic bread, sandwiches, torn and dipped into soup… or you might just devour it as is, slathered with some butter, of course!

If you’re wondering just how to make those delicious looking cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, hamburger buns, and more, go grab my full Homemade Bread and Baking Course!

Ingredients

With this dough sitting in the refrigerator waiting for you, it’s so nice not to have to worry about having ingredients on hand when making a fresh loaf of bread, or needing to let your dough rise to room temperature first. This dough actually works best straight from the fridge.

You will, however, need the following ingredients to make the master dough. See each ingredient below for tips and ingredient substitutions.

1. Flour –Use unsifted all-purpose flour or bread flour. You can use whole wheat or fresh ground, but reduce flour to 5 1/2 cups and increase only if the dough is too wet and won’t hold any type of shape. I’ve successfully done half whole wheat and half all-purpose at the full 6 and 1/2 cups. To avoid measuring errors, spoon flour into measuring cup and then level.
2. Water –Make sure water is warm enough to activate yeast but not so hot it kills it. If using a thermometer about 115 degrees Fahrenheit or warm to the inside of your wrist. You’ll also want to be sure your water is free of chlorine or other contaminants as this can affect baking.
3. Salt – I use Redmond’s Real Salt or sea salt, but table salt works fine too.
4. Vinegar –I use my homemade apple cider vinegar but any vinegar will do, it helps create a better texture in no-knead bread recipes.
5. Yeast – I use active dry yeast but instant will work too. Store your yeast in the fridge to help prolong shelf life.

This bread has that awesome crunchy yet chewy crust with an incredible soft flaky crumb. My kids inhale it. The recipe states this makes two nice sized loaves.

No Knead Bread Equipment

While not required, these are some tools that I find invaluable in my bread baking, both this easy no knead artisan bread dough and my sourdough loaves. Speaking of sourdough, here’s my free homemade sourdough starter series!

• Banneton dough proofing bowlthis little bowl is priceless to help form a nice dome on top of round loaves.
• Bread lame this razor blade makes it easy to slash the top of the dough without tearing it or burning myself on the side of the preheated Dutch oven.
• Cast iron bread baking Dutch oven I love this one because I don’t worry about the knob melting and can use the lid as a skillet, plus no enamel coating to scratch or damage.
• Wooden bench knife makes it super easy to separte out the dough without it sticking to your hands and helps to form the loaf, plus makes clean up a breeze (no gummy flour on sponges or countertops). You can make it without one but they make things so much easier and are a work horse in the kitchen 10 Time-Saving Uses for a Wooden Bench Knife in the Kitchen
• Wooden dough scraper is handy for scraping the dough out of the bowl

How to Make This Recipe

1.Mix together yeast and water in a large bowl. Allow yeast to turn bubbly (about 3 to 6 minutes).

2. Stir in vinegar, salt, and three cups of flour.

3. Incorporate remaining flour one cup at a time. Only add in that extra 1/2 cup if your dough doesn’t seem to be holding together (see video for demonstration).

4. Allow dough to rise for 2 to 3 hours until it has at least doubled in size.

5. Cover bowl, don’t seal completely and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours before use.

6. Use 1/2 of the dough (just pull it out with your hands) and from a round loaf on parchment paper. Let the dough rise for 40 minutes (rise time may vary depending on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen).

Note: You can use a well-floured banneton for the rise time if you’d like your dough to stay a nice tall uniform shape. The banneton isn’t necessary and I use it whenever I’d like a pretty swirl on the top of my loaf.

7. Preheat oven with cast iron Dutch oven inside to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

8. Transfer loaf to preheated Dutch oven (it’s hot, use oven mitts) and slash the top with a sharp knife or bread lame.

9. Bake with lid on for 25 minutes. Your bread should just be starting to brown at this point.

10. Remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes or until perfectly golden brown on top and starting to get very crunchy.

11. Carefully remove from oven, move bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 1 hour before slicing (or at least 20 minutes if you’re in a rush!).

Artisan Bread Tips and Tricks

• Flour.Use unsifted all-purpose or bread flour. Spoon flour into measuring cup and level. You can use whole wheat or fresh ground, but reduce flour to 5 1/2 cups and increase only if the dough is too wet and won’t hold any type of shape. I’ve successfully done half whole wheat and half all-purpose at the full 6 and 1/2 cups.
• The dough will be wet. This is intended to be a wet dough, don’t keep adding flour expecting a loaf to form. We call this a “free-form” loaf of bread. Because it’s no-knead, it needs to be wet in order for the gluten to form properly.
• Flour your hands and work-surface. Using well-floured hands and work-surface will help tremendously in keeping the dough from being too sticky. You don’t want to go crazy with the flour, but a well-coated surface is helpful.
• No Dutch Oven? No problem! You can use a cookie sheet for your bread (parchment paper is still helpful) and place a metal broiling pan in the oven on the lowest rack and preheat both pans in the oven to 450 degrees. Put your loaf in the oven and then quickly pour a cup of HOT water into the broiler pan and shut your oven. Bake for 45 minutes.
• Wait to slice into the bread. I know it’s difficult, but try to wait at least 20 minutes before slicing into your loaf. If you slice into a hot loaf, you’ll end up with a gummy center that will seem underbaked.
• For a softer crust – If you’re not a fan of the crispy crunchy crust, you can immediately brush your loaf with butter when it comes out of the oven. This will soften the crust just a bit so it’s not so crunchy.
• How to store your artisan bread. If you don’t eat it all immediately, the best way to store it is in a linen bread bag. Go here for How to Store Homemade Bread (Stays Fresh Longer!)

More Easy Homemade Bread Recipes

• Easy Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
• Easy Dinner Roll Recipe from 1950
• Traditional Hot Cross Buns – Easy Recipe from 1950
• How to Make Homemade Indian Fry Bread
• Grandmother’s Date Bread Recipe from WWII
• How to Store Homemade Bread (Stays Fresh Longer!)
• EASIEST Homemade Bao Bun Recipe

Turn the other half of the dough into these Chocolate Caramel Cinnamon Rolls – the sauce makes itself in the pan while they bake!

Did you make this recipe? If you did, I’d love for you to give it a quick star-rating on the recipe card below! And if you’re on social media and love posting pics of your food, tag me, I wanna see!