This is a recipe for bread the easy way. No starters. No kneading no failures. Perfect bread every time.
Perfect every time
Have you been an ISO baker? Have you given up on feeding starters and wondered why everyone on Instagram seems to have the perfect sourdough?
Then this is the bread for you.
You are not going to worry anymore about that heavy disappointing flat hard bread you waited 12 or 24 hours for, OK? Put it behind you. People spend a lifetime perfecting sourdough. We don’t have that time.
This bread has been popular on the internet for years so it’s not new but maybe you haven’t had the chance to try it before. Now is your chance.
This highly achievable AND simple recipe will amaze you. The hardest thing you will have to do is plan ahead.
This type of bread is more often known as no knead bread. I’ve given you a few similar recipes, like this. Try this Brioche bread. ( its also easy ). Or this No Knead Sweet Potato bread. They are perfect and will work to encourage you on your bread journey. This style of bread works by using a long fermentation. The moisture in the very wet dough helps build gluten without all of the work of kneading!
So here it is. The bread will have a thin crisp crust that shatters under your knife with a sourdough like interior.
What you will need to make bread
- You’ll need 4 basic ingredients. Four, salt, yeast, and water
- You will need to plan a day ahead (more about that later)
- Make the basic recipe before getting fancy
- You will need a Dutch Oven (like a le Creuset, le chasseur or Crofton). This creates the intense heat and moist atmosphere you need for this bread. This recipe was tested in an ovenproof pot with a lid. The results were positive but not as good as the Dutch oven.
- Use baker’s flour. All-purpose flour is too soft. You can purchase specific flour from a market, supermarket, or bakery. It should say bread, pizza or baker’s flour.
How to make this bread and more
- Don’t knead the dough, just mix together. Once water hits flour the gluten starts to form. Strong gluten makes great bread.
- As the dough sits, the water gets into every flour grain. The official name for this is “autolyze”. You may have come across that term when making sourdough. What it means is that when you go back to your dough it will be very soft and sticky
- This bread does not require any mixing, kneading or knocking back. In fact the lazier you are the better your bread will be!
- If you don’t have scales, don’t worry. Use cup and spoon measurements
- Now the planning bit. Start this bread the day before you need it. If you want it today make another softer yeasted bread. This one needs 24 hours to perfect. If you want it for breakfast on Sunday morning, mix it up before heading out on Saturday. Eg. make it at 8 am before going shopping (it will take 10 minutes at most) On Sunday morning at 8 am, you will cook it for breakfast. Follow the step by step instructions!
- I bought my Dutch Oven for $24.95 at Aldi
- After you have made a loaf or two you can experiment. Wholewheat is a perfect choice. Or add olives herbs, dried tomatoes or seeds. I will include this in the notes below
Watch this video for helpful hints
Bread the easy way. No starter. No Kneading
This is a recipe for bread that requires no starters. So no kneading and no failures. Perfect bread every time.
Ingredients
Method
- You will need a medium sized bowl. it can be stainless steel, glass or ceramic. Just as long as it is big enough to give the bread space to grow.I make the dough at the time I need it the next day. If you want it for breakfast or lunch make the base dough in the morning. If it is for dinner time then make it in the afternoon etc.You will also need baking paper and a Dutch Oven
- Put the flour, salt and yeast into the bowl and whisk together (or stir well)
- If you are using olive oil add it to the water then…..Add all the water at once and begin to stir with your hand (just one, the other one is holding the bowl). Mix from the outside, collecting all the dry flour. You don't need to mix a lot, it just needs to come together. There may still be bits and pieces around the bowl, and it will not look smooth and mixed. Use a deep bowl with room for the mix to rise. You can also lightly oil spray the cling wrap or airtight wrap you use so the dough will not stick when it rises.)
- Get rid of the excess from your fingers. Cover in plastic wrap well and put in a place where it will be undisturbed till tomorrow. ( Leave it well covered and airtight on a bench or in a corner outside the fridge.
- Next day, the dough will be a bubbly honeycomb mixture. Put some flour on the bench. Run your fingers around the top of the dough, loosening the edges and then lift and fold the dough over itself a couple of times, then scrape the remainder out onto the floured bench, it will be very sticky. You DO NOT have to Knead it. Push it into a ball. Do this by using both hands to push the dough from the base inwards going around the base forming a circle. The dough will start to stretch and gather, pushing the dough towards yourself from the base works best. DONE (2-3 minutes)
- Lightly oil or spray a piece of baking paper 30 x 30 cm (12×12 in) or just a round piece for the base of the baker). Put the dough ball onto the paper Lift the paper and put it into the Dutch oven. Cut the top of the dough with scissors. Cut very deep indets in around 3-4 places. This will allow the bread to expand. Put the lid on and set aside.
- Turn the oven and heat to 220C or 430 F. Leave for 10 minutes to heat and then put the baker into the oven. After about 20 minutes you will start to smell the bread baking. It will rise in this time so do not lift the lid before the first 30-35 minutes. Do not check until this time. Lift the lid swiftly. The bread should be well risen and some ears starting to form. If the bread is just shiny and not starting to rise and become rough put the lid back on for another 10 minutes before removing ***Caution when baking in a Dutch Oven. These are hot and heavy.
- The baking time will vary with different ovens. As a general rule after the first 30-40 minutes, you can take the lid off and let your bread brown. Final cooking time should be approximately another 15 minutes.Once you remove the lid If your oven is extra hot (that is your bread is browning very quickly) you can turn it down to around 190C / 375F and let the bread finish browning for another 15 minutes.
Notes
Be sure to watch the video
Olive oil adds flavour and sheen but it is not essential
No kneading or knocking back is required
Add flavours when you do the final folding and shaping
To make whole-wheat bread swap out 1 cup (150 gm) of whole-wheat bakers flour in place of one cup of white flour
You can use a thick pot with a lid if you don’t have a dutch oven. Warning though the result is not quite as good…but it can be done
I tried making it but the dough is too loose to be rolled into a ball. It over proofing the case? definitely within 24hr.
Hi I am sorry I missed your comment.
It sounds like the liquid measurement was just slightly out. The dough is however very soft when ready
How did you get on with the finished bread in the end?
Tania
If i want to double the size of the bread, should I just double the measure of all ingredients or normal math doesn’t apply to the water? And, for double in the same bread, how long should I keep it in the over cooking? Thank you.
When doubling a recipe double all of it. Makes sense right? You need to duplicate it to get it the same twice ( doubled)
I am making your bread now do I heat the pan in oven to get hot then put bread in to bake
Not necessary. Just follow the recipe as it is.