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    Home » Recipes » Bread Recipes

    No Knead Artisan Bread

    Published: Jan 22, 2012 · Modified: Mar 17, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

    157 shares
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    4.42 from 17 votes
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    I don’t know if you’ve ever made no-knead artisan bread before,  but it really is simple, and quite good. One of the best books I have purchased is “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes” by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg. You can find a lot of helpful information as well as how to video’s at their website  Bread in Five.

    no knead artisan bread

    Jeff and Zoe have brought bread back to the masses. With a simple foolproof recipe. I had absolutely no experience making bread and this recipe works every time! I also had the pleasure of meeting both Zoe and Jeff at the Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco where they were handing out they’re a new book on Pizza.

    no knead artisan bread
    You only need four ingredients to make Artisan Bread; water, coarse salt, yeast, and flour. Let’s talk about the flour first. According to the authors, all of their recipes were made with all-purpose flour, not bread flour.

    ]That being said, the next thing you need to know is all flours are not made equal. I use King Arthur’s flour at home for everything else, but it has a very high protein count (11.7), similar to bread flour (12.0). Now I can use it, but I will have to experiment to get the ratio correct.

    Instead of going through extra work on the recipe just buy gold medal or Pillsbury flour which is closer to the 9.0 range.

    As for yeast just buy the packets of regular yeast or if you are going to make bread on a regular basis buy the jar, it will be cheaper. Salt needs to be kosher, or Sea Salt, the flavor of the salt really isn’t going to come thru so any coarse salt will do (don’t use table salt). The last ingredient is simply warm water.

    You will need a container to store your dough in to let it rise and to refrigerate it in. This dough can be made in either a Mixer with a dough attachment, or you can mix it by hand the old-fashioned way. I used a mixer with a dough attachment, which takes about five minutes.

    I have made one adjustment to the recipe and it seems to have made the dough lighter and lets it rise more while proofing. I read somewhere that salt can kill yeast, and in the original recipe, you add the salt and yeast to the water and then add the flour.
    I started adding just the yeast to the water and adding the salt to the flour, so it doesn’t hit the yeast at full strength. My results have been better.

    no knead artisan bread

    You might also like these recipes:

    • The Best Homemade Artisan Bread
    • Pecan Caramel Cinnamon Rolls (no-knead)
    • Apple Butter Sticky Bun Recipe
    • Pan Dulce Recipe (no-knead)
    no knead artisan bread
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    4.42 from 17 votes

    No Knead Artisan Bread

    if you've ever wanted to make bread, this is the recipe for you! It takes just 5 minutes to put it together with no kneading! This no-knead artisan bread recipe will make 3 or 4 loaves of delicious rustic homemade bread!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Proofing Time2 hrs 40 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 32
    Calories: 92kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups warm water
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons Coarse Salt
    • 1 /1/2 Tablespoons Yeast 2 packets
    • 6 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tbsp Corn meal for dusting peal
    • 1 tbsp Flour to dust dough ball
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    Instructions

    • Start with tap water at about 100 degrees (body temperature), make sure the water is not too hot it will kill the yeast. Colder water is ok it will just take longer to rise, if your letting it sit overnight it really doesn’t matter.
    • add the yeast to the water and mix it up. Don’t worry if all the yeast does not dissolve, it will finish mixing in the flour.
    • Mix the salt into the flour
    • add the flour into the yeast water and start your mixer. (This is a wet dough.)
    • Now place your dough into your container, and cover but not tightly and place on the counter for about 2 hours to rise. (If you don’t have time to wait let it sit out for about a half an hour or so, and put it in the refrigerator overnight, it will rise just more slowly.) The dough does need to sit in the refrigerator after the initial rise for at least 3 hours before using*
    • Now that your dough has set up we are ready to form a dough ball. Pull off about a one-pound piece of dough (this recipe will make about 3 loaves this size). This is the only time you really handle the dough. You need to pull it down to form a ball, tucking all the ends in at the bottom. The ball should be semi-smooth.
    • place the dough ball on a pizza peel or cookie sheet with a liberal amount of cornmeal under it so it will not stick.
    • Let this dough rise for 40 minutes, and while it is rising let's preheat our oven and baking stone to 450 degrees for at least 20 minutes*
    • Before sliding the dough off the peel, dust the top with flour and make some light slices into the dough for that artisan look.*
    • before you slide it into the oven you need one more thing, in another baking dish, or the broiler tray, add two cups of water, the steam it creates will give the crust that nice crackle.
    • Now slide of the dough closer the door and give it 30 minutes to start.
    • The dough should have a dark color (probably darker than you think it should be), this is our rustic artisan bread.
    • You may have to experiment a little to get it just right for your oven, but you won’t be far off the mark with this as your starting point, my oven took 35 minutes

    Notes

    *Its best to make it a day or two before you need it, remember this dough will last up to 14 days in the refrigerator, and the older it gets the better it will taste. You’ll begin to get more of a sourdough taste as it ages, in fact when you make your second batch don’t clean out the container and let the scraps of your original dough speed up the fermentation process.
    *if you don’t have a bread stone you can bake this bread on a cookie sheet , you just won’t get the crusty hardened bottom to the loaf
    *(You can form the dough into a longer loaf if you like, or make a bigger loaf, a bigger loaf may require a longer cooking time though)

    Nutrition

    Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 27mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1.2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

    More Bread Recipes

    • Traditional Irish Soda Bread
    • Authentic Potica {Traditional Slovenian Nut Roll}
    • No-Knead Brioche Dough Pecan Caramel Rolls
    • Almost No-Knead Artisan Bread Recipe

    About Chef Dennis

    Picture of Chef Dennis

    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rose Ann Sales

      November 24, 2020 at 10:33 am

      5 stars
      Thanks for this savory bread stuffing recipe.. My family will surely love this .

      Reply
    2. Jacqlyn

      May 17, 2020 at 11:02 am

      So far I’ve made 6 loaves from 2 separate batches. . The first loaf was amazing. Looked great. However my dough balls run flat while waiting the 40 min before baking. The other 5 loaves have been flat and although they taste great they don’t have that beautiful look. Tips?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        May 17, 2020 at 11:12 am

        hi Jacqlyn

        I always had a problem with the second rise. While the bread was delicious it never developed into the bread I wanted to be. I have since developed a folding method / partial knead for the second rise and it has given me much better results. You can try this technique with this bread or switch over to this recipe https://www.askchefdennis.com/homemade-artisan-bread-recipe/

        Reply
    3. Kate

      December 24, 2015 at 3:36 pm

      So, what protein percentage is required in the flour for no knead bread. Thanks and Merry Christmas

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        December 26, 2015 at 9:10 am

        hi Kate, you can use any type of all purpose flour which is generally around the 10% protein percentage. King Arthur is high at 11.7% and can be used but the water will need to be adjusted. The recipe I shared is using standard all purpose flour, not King Arthur.

        Reply
    4. Jennifer

      February 09, 2014 at 1:50 pm

      I just whipped up my first batch of dough from the Bread in 5 recipe on the Gold Medal flour bag, and came across your post while looking for baking hints. (Fingers crossed that mine turns out as lovely as yours.) One thing I noticed — your recipe calls for double the yeast (the Bread in 5 recipe calls for only 1 pkg. or 2 1/4 teaspoons). I wonder if the extra yeast is what caused you the problems you originally experienced? Or did you modify the amount based on your experience? Thanks!

      Reply
    5. alma

      August 30, 2013 at 11:42 am

      thanks for the no knead dough recipe. I think it will be great. i also hope your beautiful boy is healthy. he sure is beautiful. we are animals lovers and our dogs are our babies. have a good day.

      alma

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        August 30, 2013 at 11:52 am

        Thanks Alma. Beau is having a harder time getting up these days, but he’s still a happy boy, such a gentle sweet soul.

        Reply
    6. Nancy Baggett

      January 30, 2012 at 7:00 pm

      Wish you would try the rustic no-knead whilte pot boule posted on my site. It’s from my book Kneadlessly Simple–so easy and really has excellent flavor and texture. The flavor is due a my using the retarded first fermentation method–meaning that I start off with ice cold water, which retards yeast growth at first and allows other flavor enhancing activities to occur. The yeast is NOT killed–you do have to use bread machine yeast, or fast-acting yeast–the regular yeast doesn’t work right.

      Reply
      • Chef D

        January 30, 2012 at 8:10 pm

        Thanks for the tip Nancy, I will check it out!

        Reply
    7. Emily @ Life on Food

      January 30, 2012 at 1:31 pm

      Nothing is better than homemade bread.

      Reply
    8. Maggie @ kitchie coo

      January 29, 2012 at 11:33 pm

      I am so relieved that your dog is okay. I was bracing for the worst while I read your story and I am glad it didn’t turn out that way. We have a really old dog, 13, and everyday I cherish the moments we have with her. Now, onto the bread! That bread is gorgeous and so simple! I love making bread but haven’t tried any of the 5-minute recipes. I will save this for future baking days.

      Reply
    9. Lacy

      January 26, 2012 at 4:51 pm

      Ah I’ve had one of those weekends before! Of course I’m scared out of my mind so I keep bothering my poor little pup. Those walks always seem to fix everything. This bread looks awesome. I’ve been getting into making bread so I absolutely have to try this!

      Reply
    10. Sofie Dittmann @thegermanfoodie

      January 26, 2012 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      First off, glad your dog is doing better. We just adopted a boxer mix from the pound, and he was WAY too thin as well, although fortunately didn’t appear to be that mistreated. He’s snoring next to me as I write this.

      I have been making artisan bread for a few years now, and most loaves are a 2-day process, starter and all. I have had what you could call the “No-Knead Artisan Bread Bible” for a while now, and will finally try one out today, inspired by this post. You must have read my mind, I just got two clay bakers in, which should be perfect.

      Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    11. mike @ TheCulinaryLens

      January 25, 2012 at 4:48 pm

      I have been playing around with a bread machine recently and have had people tell me a good no knead bread is the way to go. I have bookmarked this and can’t wait to try it. I like that this version does not use a dutch oven

      Reply
      • Chef D

        January 25, 2012 at 5:29 pm

        it really is a darn good loaf, and not adding in the salt with the yeast, seems to make all the difference in how it rises. I heard the dutch oven bread is really good too, I just can’t bring myself to ruin one of my good le cruset pots..lol

        Reply
    12. nicole @ I am a Honey Bee

      January 25, 2012 at 12:38 pm

      i like how you explain about flour varies by brand and what really matters. very helpful.

      Reply
    13. torviewtoronto and createwithmom

      January 24, 2012 at 9:48 pm

      I got this book too and I love making this bread so easy lovely post Chef Dennis

      Reply
    14. Elin

      January 24, 2012 at 8:36 pm

      Beau is such a lovely and great dog. If you don’t tell his story I would not have known about his condition and thought he is another healthy dog…under your love and care, he is has grown up to be healthier and back to a normal happy dog. You and Lisa are such good foster ‘parents” to him. I am so touched by his story, and pray for a speedy recovery for him.

      Your no knead bread looks good with those air pockets in them. I am going to try this bread!. Heard so much about this book and I think I will get the book soon :))) since you mentioned it is one of the best bread book 🙂 Chef, have a great week ahead and wish all of you have a peaceful and relax week .

      Regards,
      Elin

      Reply
    15. Mary Oxendine

      January 24, 2012 at 8:27 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing this recipe. I love to bake yeast bread and will try this. Thanks for sharing how to make the crust crackle – I never knew that.

      Also thank you for sharing Beau! I am so happy that beautiful baby has a loving home. I hope he is well now! Mary

      Reply
    16. Rescie

      January 24, 2012 at 4:19 pm

      Love the bread recipe; first one I’ve ever wanted to make.

      Hope Beau is romping in the snow as I write. I have two rescues that have been brutilly treated but are aging gracefully and doing very well now. Would that all dogs get the love they deserve and return 100 fold, nah, a million fold.

      Reply
    17. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

      January 24, 2012 at 2:15 pm

      So glad to hear that your do is on the mend. So hard when our pets are sick, and we don’t know what is wrong with them!
      I love this bread, and this cookbook!

      Reply
    18. kale @ tastes good to me!

      January 24, 2012 at 2:03 pm

      First time reading your blog and I was totally pulled in by your story. I am happy Beau is doing better. I wish all neglected and abused animals could be given a safe home like yours. And there is something so soothing about fresh bread! Thank you for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Chef D

        January 24, 2012 at 2:41 pm

        Thanks so much for stopping by. I know some people think your crazy when you care so much about animals, but this poor sweet boy has been through so much in his life, it breaks my heart to see him suffer.

        Reply
    19. Steve @ the black peppercorn

      January 24, 2012 at 1:14 pm

      I love dogs! This has been my first year without having a dog in the family. All my life I have had a dog. Our black lab that my wife and I got when we got engaged passed away last year after 14 years of life. Dogs can bring so much joy to a home. I hope that Beau comes through great and you get to hear the woo woo woo a whole lot more!

      Now this bread – it looks awesome. I love artisan crusty breads. I love sopping them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I am definitely going to try this one!! Thanks

      Reply
    20. Nicole, RD

      January 24, 2012 at 11:13 am

      Poor guy 🙁 I would do anything for my dog…she means the world to me.

      This bread looks fantastic…the no-knead sold me!

      Reply
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    My name is Dennis Littley or "Chef Dennis" as I'm known both at work and across the blogosphere. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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