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This no knead Dutch oven bread is the crusty, bakery-style loaf that’ll make you feel like a bread wizard with shockingly little effort. No stand mixer, no kneading, just a bowl, a spoon, and a Dutch oven. With a chewy interior and that crackly, golden crust we all chase, this is the real deal.
Want a twist on this easy artisan bread? Try my no knead rosemary bread or my Dutch oven cranberry walnut bread next.
Here is Why This Quick Dutch Bread Recipe Works
This 2 hour artisan bread delivers big bakery energy with barely any hands-on time.
No kneading needed: The long rest time lets the gluten develop naturally, so you can skip the elbow grease.
Steam-powered crust: Baking in a Dutch oven traps moisture, giving you that lofty rise and shatteringly crisp crust.
Simple ingredients: Just flour, yeast, salt, and water—but the flavor payoff is huge.
Versatile base recipe: This method works beautifully with variations too, like my no knead rye bread, baked in a Dutch oven for that same crusty perfection.
Recipe Tips
Use the right water temperature: Keep it around 100°F. Too hot and you’ll kill your yeast; too cold and it’ll take longer to rise.
Don’t skip the preheat: That Dutch oven needs to be scorching hot to give the dough a good oven spring.
Score before baking: A quick slash on top helps control where the bread expands as it bakes.
Use bread flour if you can: The higher protein content gives a chewier crumb and taller rise.
Serve it with garlic butter: This loaf is begging to be dunked in something delicious. Try my garlic butter sauce for the ultimate upgrade.
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Wrap the cooled bread in a clean towel or place in a bread bag and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Avoid the fridge unless your kitchen is very humid.
- Freeze: Let the loaf cool completely, then wrap it tightly in foil and place in a freezer-safe bag. It keeps well for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: To refresh the crust, reheat the thawed bread in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes until warm and crisped up again.
Why No Knead Bread Wins
When you need an easy, dependable loaf that delivers on both taste and texture, this no knead Dutch oven bread pulls through every time. It’s got the artisan look without the artisan effort, and frankly, that’s the kind of kitchen win we all need.
Want to branch out? My no knead focaccia brings the same laid-back method with a totally different vibe.
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Quick No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, or bread flour, 360 grams
- 2¼ teaspoons Quick Rise Instant yeast, 1 packet, or RapidRise instant yeast
- 1½ teaspoons salt, 9 grams
- 1½ cups water, warm, up to 100°F; (338 grams)
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- Fluff up the flour before measuring or weighing; then add the flour, yeast and salt to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in the water, stir and mix completely . The dough will be soft and sticky.
- Cover the bowl with an oil-sprayed plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot at room temperature. Let rise for 1 hour. (I like to set the covered bowl on top of the refrigerator).
- After 40 minutes, place a 4 or 6-quart Dutch oven with lid in the oven and preheat to 450°F.
- Sift a light dusting of flour on a large piece of parchment paper and set aside.
- When the dough has rested for the 1 hour, turn it out onto a lightly flour-dusted work surface. Use a bench scraper to turn and fold the dough 5 or 6 times to shape into a rough ball. Dust lightly with flour.
- Place the dough with the floured side down, in the center of the reserved sheet of parchment paper. Dust the exposed top lightly with flour and cover with a fresh piece of plastic wrap. Let the dough rest on the counter top for 15 minutes.
Bake the Bread:
- Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven, remove the lid. Remove the plastic wrap covering from the dough, and using the parchment paper as a sling, lift the dough and set it into the Dutch oven. Spray the top of the bread with some water (see notes) and score it with a sharp blade.
- Replace the lid and transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid from the Dutch one and bake the bread for an additional 15 minutes.
- Transfer the hot Dutch oven to the work area and using the parchment paper, lift the bread out and place on a wire rack. Let cool before slicing.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!More Artisan Bread Recipes
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- Whole Grain Einkorn Pizza Dough
- Sprouted Rye Bread
- Einkorn English Muffins
- 21 Artisan Bread Recipes
Memories Of By-Gone Days:
I have vivid memories of watching my grandma bake bread when I was a kid. She started early in the morning, and it was a full-day affair. With a crew of farmhands to feed, she didn’t make just one loaf, she made batches. Big ones. The old-fashioned way, with serious kneading.
She’d mix everything into a massive lump of dough, let it rise, punch it down (my favorite part), and knead it all over again. I loved when she let me punch the dough and that warm, yeasty smell whooshed up—pure heaven.
After shaping the dough into loaves and giving them one last rise, she’d finally bake them. The kitchen smelled unreal. I can still picture those four golden loaves cooling on the rack, and if it wasn’t too close to dinner, she’d slice off a heel and slather it with homemade butter just for me.
Bread baking has changed a lot since those days, and I think she would’ve loved this easier, 2-hour version. Honestly, give me a thick slice of this toasted bread with butter and raspberry jam, and you can keep your chocolate cake.
This is the best bread recipe, directions are so easy to follow and it turns out delicious every time. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for the kind words! So glad the directions were easy to follow too. Appreciate you taking the time to leave a note!
I’ve used this bread recipe twice now. Both times, the ration of flour to water resulted in a sticky dough without enough solidity to form a ball. The recipe notes say “The dough should be soft and sticky”. When I follow the recipe again, I will use less than 1½ cups water, to see if I can make a dough with some solidity.
Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you’ve made it twice! The dough is meant to be soft and sticky, but you’re right that it can feel too wet depending on your flour or measuring method. Reducing the water slightly next time might help.
I followed this exactly as you said and the dough was so soft, it was spreading al over and sticking to the parchment’s paper..nd yes I did flour the parchment paper….what did I do wrong?
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! You didn’t do anything “wrong”, pizza dough can be a little moody. It sounds like your dough might have been just a bit too hydrated. A few things could’ve caused that super soft, sticky texture. Measuring flour by volume instead of weight is a common culprit since cups can vary a lot. Humidity and flour type can also affect how much moisture your dough can handle.
Next time, you could try adding just a bit more flour (a tablespoon at a time) during mixing until the dough feels tacky but not gooey. And if it’s still spreading too much, a quick chill in the fridge can help firm it up before shaping.
When I first made this the bread came out good, but seemed a bit dense. I don’t think it raised as much as it should have. It was edible. I just made a second loaf and what a big difference. I made sure the water temperature was 100 degrees. To raise, I turned on the light under the microwave and unlatched the door so both lights would generate some heat. I also put a cup of hot water inside the microwave to give some moisture. Wow! it raised much better. I will make this bread from now on instead of buy bread at the store (which has preservatives and sugar. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Wow, Dori!…I love your creative approach to helping the dough rise! You’r absolutely right–the water temperature makes a big difference. I usually place my covered bowl of dough on top of the refrigerator since it’s a bit warmer there. However, my new oven has a ‘Proof’ feature/setting that I haven’t tried yet. Thank you for sharing your comments and ideas! I’m so glad this recipe is working well for you.
Brilliant, spraying with water before placing in the oven, best tip ever!
Right? It makes such a difference! A little steam goes a long way for getting that beautiful crust. So glad you found the tip helpful!
Can I use wheat flour instead of all purpose
That’s a great question! If you swap all of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour, it would actually turn into a different recipe — whole wheat absorbs more water and makes a denser, heavier loaf. This dough is designed to be soft and light, so a full swap wouldn’t work well without adjusting the water and technique too.
However, you can replace about 25% of the flour with whole wheat (about 90 grams) without needing to change anything else.
My husband and I absolutely Love this recipe, it’s so easy and produces a fantastic light loaf.
Thank you so much—that means a lot! I’m so glad you both love the recipe. It’s always a win when something so simple turns out that well. Thanks for taking the time to share!
This recipe was super easy and fun to make. It yielded a wonderfully crusty loaf that is super soft and airy on the inside with just the right amount of chew. Could hardly wait for it to cool to cut it open. Delicious!!
Thanks for the comment. I can never wait for the loaf to cool either 🙂
This is such a simple and good recipe! I love that there are gram measurements and that it’s so hands off! The only change I made (both times I’ve made this) was not using instant yeast , and using less yeast (heaping teaspoon) and a longer rise time and more of a second rise (I think first rise I did 1.5hr and second I did maybe 40 min). Fantastic!
Hi, Jill…I am so pleased that you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for your comments as well as the 5-star review!
Have had great success with your recipe! It is my go to. Easy and delicious, and the quick rise is awesome. Thank you.
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe is your go-to!