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4.9 from 507 votes

Jim Lahey’s No-Knead Bread

Jim Lahey's no-knead bread recipe turned traditional bread making upside down for all of us. Made with just flour, yeast, salt, and water, the bread is the fastest, easiest, and best you may ever make.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
15 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 16 slices
Calories: 85 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour plus more for the work surface
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (it's a small amount but trust me, it's correct)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
  • cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl, stir together the 3 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt.
  2. Add the 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water and mix with a spoon or your hand until you have a shaggy, sticky dough. This should take roughly 30 seconds. You want it to be a little sticky. (Many people who bake this bread find the dough to be sticker than other bread doughs they've worked with. Even though it's not what you're accustomed to handling, it's perfectly fine.)
  3. Cover the bowl with a plate, towel, or plastic wrap and set it aside to rest at warm room temperature (but not in direct sunlight) for at least 12 hours and preferably about 18 hours. (Ideally, you want the room to be about 72°F. In the dead of winter, when the dough will tend to rise more slowly, as long as 24 hours may be necessary.) ☞ TESTER TIP: You'll know the dough is properly fermented and ready because its surface will be dotted with bubbles. This long, slow fermentation is what yields the bread's rich flavor.
  4. Generously flour your work surface. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to turn the dough onto the surface in one blob. The dough will cling to the bowl in long, thread-like strands and it will be quite loose and sticky. This is exactly what you want. Do not add more flour. Instead use lightly floured hands to gently and quickly lift the edges of the dough in toward the center, effectively folding the dough over onto itself. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round. That's it. Don't knead the dough.
  5. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, cornmeal or wheat bran. Place the dough, seam side down, on the towel and dust the surface with a little more flour, bran, or cornmeal. Cover the dough with another cotton towel and let it rise for about 2 hours.
  6. When it's ready, the dough will be double in size and will hold the impression of your fingertip when you poke it lightly, making an indentation. If the dough readily springs back when you poke it, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
  7. A half hour before the dough is done with its second rise, preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and place a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot and its lid (whether cast iron or enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats.
  8. When the dough is done with its second rise, carefully remove the pot from the oven and uncover it. Also, uncover the dough. Lift up the dough and quickly but gently turn it over into the pot, seam side up, being very careful not to touch the pot. The blob of dough may look like a mess, but trust us, everything is O.K. Cover pot with its lid and bake for 30 minutes.
  9. Remove the lid and bake until the loaf is beautifully browned to a deep chestnut color, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a wire rack. Don’t slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.

Notes

  • Room temperature—If your room is cooler than 72°F (22°C), the bread will need longer to rise.
  • Storage—The bread is best enjoyed the day that it's made. Extra bread can be stored in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1slice Calories 85kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 32mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 16slices

Amount Per Serving

Calories 85

% Daily Value*

Serving 1slice
Calories 85kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 32mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.