Easy 3-Ingredient Bread | No-Knead Artisan Recipe
Whip up a warm, crusty artisan bread with just 3 simple ingredients! No kneading necessary—perfect for beginners craving bakery-style results at home.
3-Ingredient Bread Recipe.
What is artisan bread? Many artisan breads originated in France, where they use only basic ingredients to make delicious bread without unnecessary chemicals. Most artisan breads only require yeast, flour, salt and water, which is what we will use for this no-knead bread recipe. Unlike regular bread, this three-ingredient bread is handmade (cannot be made in bulk) and only uses natural components.
What Do I Need to Make No-Knead Bread?
As far as equipment goes all you need is:
- Large mixing bowl
- Dough whisk or wooden spoon
- Baking dish –I used a Dutch oven
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet (optional)
To make the bread dough you only need three basic ingredients:
- 360 g bread flour * (about 3 cups, not packed)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 packet active dry yeast (or 2 ¼ tsp)
- 1 ¼ cup warm water (110 degrees Fahrenheit)
Notes & Ingredient Variations.
The goal here is to provide an easy bread recipe, something you can make at home with simple ingredients, regardless of whether you have made bread before. Therefore, I added a few notes regarding variations and substitutions.
- The type of flour you use is up to you. I used bread flour because it gives the bread a bit more structure and chew. However, using the same amount of all purpose flour is perfectly fine for this recipe.
- If you do not have active dry yeast but you do have instant yeast (or a type of yeast you are familiar with), use that instead. It will not alter the results on the bread.
- For the salt, if you do not have sea salt, you can use the same amount of kosher salt. You can also use table salt instead, but less.
- If you do not have a Dutch oven, use a baking stone or any baking dish with a lid (one loaf pan on top of another works, too). The lid helps the bread expand properly and maintain moisture without developing too much of a crispy crust.
- The baking sheet is optional because all you need is a place to rest the dough ball while the oven preheats. Even the counter works!
How To Make No Knead Artisan Bread.
Make the dough. To a large bowl, add flour, yeast and salt. Stir. Then add warm water to dry ingredients and stir with a bread whisk or wooden spoon until well incorporated. It will form a dough ball; tacky but still manageable. If it is too tacky, simply add a bit more flour. If it is too dry, add water.
Rise the dough. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) and let the dough rise for 2-4 hours in a (draft-free) warm place or overnight in the refrigerator. Placing the bread dough in the fridge to rise overnight allows it to ferment and gives it a chewier texture. Well worth it!
Shape the dough and rise again. Once the dough has doubled in size use a spoon or spatula to gently release it from the bowl, then tip the dough ball to a floured work surface. Do not knead the dough. Tuck it into itself to form a ball then place it on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of the bread with some flour and cover again for a second rise (about a half hour) while the oven preheats.
Bake the bread. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place the Dutch oven (or baking dish) inside. Once the oven preheats, use oven mitts to remove the baking dish from the oven. At this point, score the dough if you would like. Then carefully place the bread dough with the parchment paper inside the Dutch oven. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes until golden brown.
Allow bread to cool and enjoy! Remove from the oven and baking dish and allow the beautiful round loaf to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!
Store any leftover bread in a paper bag or airtight container (bread box) for up to three days. It can also be frozen for later consumption.
I hope you enjoyed this easy 3-ingredient bread recipe. We love a delicious homemade bread recipe, and this one is perfect for anyone starting out with bread or if you just enjoy artisan bread.
For other bread recipes, check out these 3 Best Homemade Caribbean Bread recipes. Also, if you love a good cup of coffee or hot chocolate with your bread, this Authentic Puerto Rican Coffee recipe as well as this 5-Minute Hot Chocolate recipe will become the best companion for your favorite bread.
As always, buen provecho from The Happy Wookiee!
Easy 3-Ingredient Bread | No Knead Artisan Recipe
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- Dough whisk or wooden spoon
- Baking dish with a lid I used a Dutch oven
- Parchment Paper
- baking sheet optional
Ingredients
- 360 g bread flour or all-purpose flour * about 3 cups, not packed
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 packet dry active yeast or 2 ¼ tsp
- 1 ¼ cup warm water 110 degrees Fahrenheit
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add flour, yeast and salt. Stir.
- Add warm water to dry ingredients and stir with a bread whisk or wooden spoon until well incorporated. It will form a dough ball; tacky but still manageable. If it is too tacky, simply add a bit more flour.
- Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) and let the dough rise for 2-4 hours in a warm-draft-free place or overnight in the refrigerator.*
- Once it has doubled in size use a spoon or spatula to gently release the bread dough from the bowl, then tip the dough ball to a floured surface.
- Do not knead the dough. Tuck it into itself to form a ball then place it on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle top with flour and cover again to allow it to rise while the oven preheats (about 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the Dutch oven (or baking dish) inside.
- Once the oven preheats, use mittens to remove the baking dish from the oven. At this point, score the dough if you would like. Then carefully place the bread dough with the parchment paper inside the Dutch oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and baking dish and allow the beautiful round loaf to cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes before slicing.
- ¡Buen provecho from The Happy Wookiee!
Notes
- If you do not have bread flour, you can use the same amount of all purpose flour instead. While the structure of the bread might be a little different, you will still achieve a delicious result.
- If you do not have active dry yeast but you do have instant yeast (or a type of yeast you are familiar with), use that instead. It will not alter the results on the bread.
- For the salt, if you do not have sea salt, you can use the same amount of kosher salt. You can also use table salt instead, but less.
- Placing the bread dough in the fridge to rise overnight allows it to ferment and gives it a chewier texture. Well worth it!
- If you do not have a Dutch oven, use a baking stone or any baking dish with a lid (one loaf pan on top of another works, too). The lid helps the bread expand properly and maintain moisture without developing too much of a crispy crust.
- The baking sheet is optional because all you need is a place to rest the dough ball while the oven preheats. Even the counter works!
- You will know it is done because when tapped on the bottom it sounds hollow.
- Store any leftover bread in a paper bag or airtight container (bread box) for up to three days. It can also be frozen for later consumption.
- For other bread recipes, check out these 3 Best Homemade Caribbean Bread recipes. Also, if you love a good cup of coffee or hot chocolate with your bread, this Authentic Puerto Rican Coffee recipe as well as this 5-Minute Hot Chocolate recipe will become the best companion for your favorite bread.
