No-Knead Bread (Boule)

This no-knead bread is everything you want in an artisanal bakery loaf made right at home! With this easy bread, there's no need to lug out the stand mixer, get a serious arm workout, or babysit dough all day. You can even pop the dough in the fridge for a few days if you're not quite ready to bake it. This bread goes great with hearty soups and stews, is perfect for making strata, and makes an epic sandwich, too. It has a crispy, perfectly golden crust and a soft, flavorful, and chewy interior. What more could you want?

What is no-knead bread?

The first idea one might have of bread baking is an image of a liberally floured work surface and constant folding and working of a blob of dough. Luckily, the dough-whisperers of the world have figured out a new normal for making a crusty, artisanal loaf by mixing flour, salt, and yeast with a higher proportion of water than a hand-kneaded dough. A longer proofing time gives the dough’s gluten molecules a chance to align and create a strong, elastic network, eliminating the need to work the dough.

Why do you score no-knead bread?

As the bread bakes, it expands and releases steam: Scoring essentially controls where the bread expands. Scoring is not crucial and won't change the taste and texture of the bread; it will, however, make your loaf a lot prettier! If you don't score the bread, the steam has full reign to escape where it pleases which means your loaf could end up with unwanted bulges or blowouts. Find out our best tips for scoring below.

How do you score no-knead bread?

To score bread, use a sharp knife or bread lame to make shallow cuts in the top of the unbaked loaf. Cut the slits at an angle, making sure to go deep enough to break the skin but not so deep that you dig into the loaf. You cut do one long slice straight down the middle of the loaf, or cut several smaller diagonal slits for a totally different design. Make sure you don't press down on the bread when scoring—let the knife do the work! 

Unless you're a seasoned bread baker, you may not have a bread lame—a tool featuring a razor blade and handle made for easy scoring. Don't worry, a super sharp knife will do the trick! 

How do you bake no-knead bread?

A sturdy Dutch oven is the only special equipment needed for a beautiful, crusty loaf of bread. In a similar method used in this artisan sourdough recipe, heating the pot in a ripping hot 500 degree oven for 45 minutes is essential to creating that crust (don’t worry, the bread is baked at a lower temperature). It mimics the commercial steam ovens by trapping the moisture given off by the bread during baking to expand and set it. While some recipes use a steam bath, spray bottle, or even ice cubes to create that steam, a preheated Dutch oven is the easiest, cleanest, and most reliable method to get that perfect oven spring and crisp crust!

Does no-knead bread need to rise all night?

This recipe uses more yeast than usual no-knead breads for a shorter rise time. While other recipes recommend a slow fermentation of 12 to 18 hours, sometimes the need for bread is more urgent! This recipe uses a full packet of active dry yeast so that the bread can rise in just four hours total. However, if an overnight proofing time is more convenient for your schedule, only add 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast to the dough. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature, covered, for 12 to 18 hours. Continue the recipe at step 4.