Easy No Knead Artisan Bread

How do you make a loaf of No-Knead Artisan Bread and have it turn out just like the local bakery? It all starts a day ahead, but don’t worry, it’s a simple process.

No-Knead Artisan Bread

When we were visiting San Francisco many, many years ago we took a walk down the boardwalk and the smell of fresh, hot bread was completely intoxicating. How can something as simple as bread be so wonderful? That beautiful, golden, crisp crust, the soft pillowy inside and the smell that makes you feel such peace no matter what.

You can’t deny it, fresh bread baking is one of the greatest smells of all time. And fresh cut grass. Oh, and the rain, I love the smell of the rain. Growing up in Washington state will do that to you.

We love to make homemade bread, and Cade’s dad happens to be a fantastic bread maker, but the truth is, sometimes you don’t just want a sandwich bread — no, you want artisan bread. But can you really do it from home? Here’s how to make artisan bread in 5 minutes.

What is Artisan Bread?

If you’ve never made artisan bread before, you may be wondering what makes it so special. In truth, there’s no single definition for “artisan bread.” To us, artisan bread is a type of bread that’s been made with real ingredients (i.e. no preservatives or flavorings) and left to ferment overnight to create a slighty nutty, easier-to-digest loaf. 

No-Knead Artisan Bread Ingredients

To make this dutch oven no-knead bread, you only need flour, sugar, salt, yeast and water. That’s it. The sugar helps to activate or feed the yeast just a little, which I’ve noticed helps to yield and fluffier inside, but in a pinch you can skip it. Just mix together the dry ingredients, pour in the warm water and mix until the dough comes together.

How to Make Artisan Bread

Because this is a no-knead bread recipe, the dough must be left to rise overnight on your countertop. This takes more time than a traditional bread recipe, but it requires much less effort on your part. Here’s how we make no-knead artisan bread at home: 

1. Stir together the ingredients in a large bowl. 
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave on your counter overnight. 
3. The next day, preheat the oven with the dutch oven inside (just the pot, not the lid). Let the pot heat for 30 minutes. 
4. Once preheated, place parchment paper into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Then place ball of dough inside. 
5. Bake the bread with the lid on, then remove the lid halfway through the bake time. 
6. Let the artisan bread cool before slicing it. 

 The Best Dutch Oven for Artisan Bread

I’m adding a little note in here because since posting this dutch oven no-knead bread recipe we’ve had a lot of emails about what dutch oven we prefer and what size of dutch oven to bake bread in. 

We love our Cobalt Blue Le Creuset 5 1/2 Qt Dutch Oven. We use it for everything from our Perfect Pizza Sauce and Favorite Homemade Spaghetti Sauce to Cade’s Poblano Braised Beef Tacos. 

If you’re not ready to bite the bullet on a Le Creuset, we also like the Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. I kind of wish we had a smaller dutch oven as we aren’t a very big family but 5 1/2 is working well for us.

FAQs About Using Yeast

There are more questions about yeast than we could ever answer in this post, but in an effort to help you all feel successful and confident about how to use yeast we’ve broken it all down. I promise, yeast is not hard to work with, you just have to be willing to try it once or twice and then it will be as easy as can be.

What is Instant Yeast?

Instant Yeast is also known as Rapid Rise or Bread Machine Yeast. You can use instant yeast and active dry yeast pretty interchangeably. Instant yeast can be added straight to the flour without proofing first. Proofing yeast is when you add it to warm water to get fluffy before mixing it into the dough. Instant yeast also takes less time for the dough to rise, which is pretty darn handy. We still proof our instant yeast at least half of the time because it’s a sure way for me to make sure my yeast is still fresh and the bread will turn out.

What is Active Dry Yeast?

Active dry yeast is going to take a little longer to activate and get the dough rising. If you use this yeast instead of instant yeast, plan on up to an extra hour of rise time. Also, make sure you use warm water so there’s no risk of killing the yeast (another reason instant yeast is easier) and make sure it foams up before using it.

How to Store Yeast

Yeast is a living thing and definitely goes bad. We keep a bigger bag of yeast in the freezer and a glass jar of yeast in our fridge. The colder temperature will help extend its shelf life.

How to Store No-Knead Artisan Bread

Artisan breads are different than a soft, sandwich loaf or rolls. They like to breath, so storing your bread in a paper bag with a cloth around it is really your best bet for this dutch oven no-knead bread.

If you won’t be eating your bread for a day or two, store the bread in a plastic bag, but never refrigerate it. Once you’re ready to serve it, wrap it in a little foil and pop it in a 425 degree oven so it gets heated through again and the crust crisps back up.

If you wish to freeze your bread, which I do all the time, wrap it in plastic wrap and tinfoil and then place it in the freezer. If it will be in the freezer for longer than a week or two, use a plastic bag bag to stretch it out an additional week or two longer.

Tips for Making No-Knead Artisan Bread

One of the biggest things I’ve noticed with yeast breads is that the temperature of my house matters. If your yeast is good and the artisan bread isn’t rising like it normally does, there’s a chance your house is too cold. 

Adding a little sugar to the yeast as it proofs in the water will give the yeast something to eat and you will get more action from it. We prefer to proof both active and instant yeast just to be sure it’s still fresh and hasn’t died.

Also note that salt can kill your yeast, so when adding it straight into the flour try to keep them apart until everything is evenly mixed together.  

Lastly, cover the dough with plastic wrap while it’s rising in the bowl and not a towel. This will keep the dough from drying out on top.

If you’re looking for another delicious crusty bread, try this sourdough bread recipe! It’s super easy and fail-proof!

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