CRAZY Easy No Knead Bread Recipe!

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(This post has been updated from the original Febuary 2014 version to provide a better experience for you)

No knead bread is the easiest bread in the whole wide world to make. And with this recipe you don’t even have to weigh anything! You simply use a mug. I promise you, bread recipes don’t get any simpler than this one!

Just like everything in my simple store cupboard recipes post, there’s something so undeniably satisfying about heading to your store cupboard, grabbing basic ingredients and turning them into something beautiful like a homemade loaf of bread.

That being said, my biggest baking nemesis to date has got to be bread. Yes I’ve made ‘nice’ breads before but I’ve honestly never felt like I got it until creating this recipe.

There’s no measuring, no kneading and pretty much no faff whatsoever! Yet it’s hands down, the most beautiful bread I have ever created in my kitchen. 

How does no knead bread work?

Ok so here’s the science. (Well sort of, I’m clearly not a scientist haha!) So yeast feeds on sugar and starch, which there is obviously a lot of in bread dough. When it eats, it releases carbon dioxide as a result which is what makes your dough rise/gives it all those lovely air bubbles. 

When you knead bread it forms gluten. This is what traps the carbon dioxide bubbles inside the dough. If you don’t knead, the dough will still form gluten, it just takes a lot longer. In essence, you’re taking out the kneading but adding in longer proving times.

Why is no knead bread so good?

No knead bread is good if you don’t have the arm muscles to do it by hand, don’t own an electric stand mixer or don’t have the hands on time available. With no knead bread there is very little hands on time but more waiting overall. It’s more of a ‘set it and forget it’ kind of bread. Which is great if you’re a super busy person!

Do I need any fancy tools?

The short answer is no. You don’t need lots of fancy or expensive tools to make no knead bread. There are tools that may help or give you a nicer shape (like a dough scraper or a bannetone basket. Affiliate links.) but you don’t need them to make it.

No knead bread recipe tips

• Wetter is better. If you’re unsure about the state of your dough, just remember this and you’ll be fine. A wetter dough is always better than a dry one.
• Don’t add the salt and yeast on top of each other. The salt can kill the yeast if they comes into direct contact with each other.
• Wait until your bread is completely cooled before slicing. It will cut much neater.
• Can’t tell if your dough has risen or not? Take a photo of it before proving, then you can easily compare.
• Leaving it covered in the fridge overnight on the second prove (or for 8-12 hours) will yield a better flavour. This slows down the proving and, the slower the prove, the better the flavour.
• Using a bannetone? Remember to very generously flour it before adding your dough. Otherwise it will stick.

Still feel like your lacking baking knowledge? Brush up on the basics with baking for beginners first.

No knead bread ingredients

Here’s everything you ‘knead’ to know about bread ingredients. See what I did there?!

• Strong white bread flour – If you don’t have any strong bread flour, plain (all purpose) flour will actually work fine too! (Trust me, I’ve done it myself and it was delicious.)
• Salt – Salt is super important for flavour. I guarantee your bread will taste awful without it! Doesn’t matter whether you use table salt or sea salt, just don’t leave it out.
• Yeast – I always used dried yeast as it keeps for longer in the cupboard but, realistically, you could use any kind. Just don’t let it directly touch the salt, that could kill it.
• Water – Some say warm water, others lukewarm, I say tepid. Meaning, if you put your finger in and can’t tell if it’s warm or cold – you’ve nailed it.

Easy No Knead Bread Recipe

Here is what you will need to make 1 loaf.

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

• 2 + 1/4 Mugs of Strong White Bread Flour *
• Enough Salt just to coat the bottom of the mug
• 1 x 7g (2 + 1/4 tsp) Sachet of Fast-Action Yeast
• 1 Full Mug of Tepid Water

Essential Equipment

• Mug
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon
• Bannetone Proving Basket (Optional)
• Baking Stone or Large Baking Tray
• Very Sharp Knife

*If you don’t have bread flour, plain (all purpose) flour will work fine too.

Fill your mug two and a quarter times with flour and tip it all into a large mixing bowl.

Then pour enough salt into the same mug until the bottom is just covered. Briefly rub this into the flour with your thumb & forefingers then add in the yeast (1 x 7g sachet | 2 + 1/4 tsp) and rub briefly again.

Fill the same mug with tepid water. By ‘tepid’ I mean when you put a finger in, if you can’t tell whether it’s hot or cold – it’s just right. Pour this into the centre of the bowl and bring the mixture together using a wooden spoon.

When it’s nearly come together, get your hands in and mix until you can’t see any more flour. It’s also worth noting, this should be quite a wet, sticky dough.

Next, cover with a damp tea towel or cling film and leave to rest for about 40mins. (Or until noticeably more plump.) Yep, NO KNEADING!

When it’s rested, using wet hands (keep wetting if they start to stick) slide your fingers underneath the dough then fold it in half firmly. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat the fold again. Continue to do this until there is no more air left in the dough and it’s a smooth ball.

Now cover again and allow to prove for about 1 hour or until just doubled in size. Alternatively, you can put your dough in the fridge. This will slow down that 1 hour process to about 8-12 hours. Also, the slower the prove, the better the flavour!

How to Shape No Knead Bread

Tip your dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Moving the dough round, almost stroking it from the top to the bottom with your hands, smooth it into a round ball. The seam should be on the bottom.

Then roll it into a kind of sausage shape. Keep it nice and even from one end to the other.

If you are using a bannetone basket, flour very generously and lay your shaped loaf into the base, bottom/seam side up.

Don’t have one? Line a baking sheet with baking paper and sprinkle generously with a coarse flour, like corn meal or semolina then lay your shaped bread on top. If you don’t have a coarse flour, just generously use normal flour.

Either way, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove until doubled in size again. (Approx 1 hour.)

At least half an hour before baking, preheat your oven to about 230/240°C – regardless of electric or fan ovens.

It’s also worth mentioning your baking surface at this point. Ever noticed when you bake bread at home that you end up with a line of dense stodge at the bottom? It’s because the surface that you baked it on wasn’t as hot as the air in your oven, resulting in an uneven bake. To stop this from happening, get a baking stone and place it in the oven before you preheat it.

If you don’t have a stone, turn a large baking sheet upside down instead and you will achieve a similar result.

If you used a bannetone proving basket, cut a large sheet of baking paper and place over the basket. Carefully flip it over and place straight onto a baking sheet. Now gently remove the basket to reveal a beautiful ‘artisan’ looking pattern.

All that remains for you to do is to ‘slash’ the top with the sharpest knife you have. I made 3 diagonal incisions along the top of mine.

How to bake no knead bread

This is done in 5 simple steps.

1. With the loaf still on the baking parchment, slide it off the baking tray and onto the preheated baking stone/upside down baking sheet.
2. Throw half a mug of cold water on the bottom of the oven and quickly shut the door. (This creates steam which will help it rise.)
3. Turn your oven down to 210°C.
4. Cook for at least 40 minutes until you get a good, dark golden crust.
5. Allow to cool completely before you slice it.

And there you have it! Beautiful homemade bread without any of the kneading. It’s stunning isn’t it?! And I bet your house smells incredible right now doesn’t it?

Store your bread in a paper bag / metal tin or bread bin and consume within 3 days. 

Have you made this recipe?

Will this CRAZY good no knead bread be making it’s way into your home? I’d love to know if it is! Send me your pics and comments on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram or email me at emma@kitchenmason.com.

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