Crusty Bread That’s Quite Possibly The Best Homemade Bread Ever
There’s just something about the smell of fresh baked crusty bread that makes you feel at home. If you like fresh baked bread but don’t like all the elbow grease that goes into it then keep reading. Bread makers were all the rage a few years ago and took a lot of the work out of fresh homemade bread. But what if I told you you could get the best homemade crusty bread ever without needing any gadgets, machines or even kneading the dough?
That’s correct, NO KNEADING! The trick is to let time do the work – 24 hours to be exact. This recipe is from an article in the New York Times from 2006. We’ve made it at home here a few times and it has been a success every time. This recipe requires very little hands on time as you will see but it’s easy and produces the best crusty bread we’ve had. So here is the recipe you really should give it a try!
Crusty Bread Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran (optional)
Directions
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6 to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.
Easy right? Granted it takes a bit of forethought and planning but the results are well worth the wait. We love this bread sliced thick with a bit of butter and liquid honey. It’s also great dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a pre-dinner treat…mmmmm.
Oh and if you’re into frugal cooking check out Frugal Mom’s Guide to Cooking Once a Month. You throw on some running shoes, crack open a bottle of wine, turn on the tunes and cook away. It’s a mega cook off but the results pay off for a month and you save money too. 
See also:
5 Ways To Save Money With Young Kids
Spring Cleaning Food: Use Up The Old, Make Way For The Fresh
Coat Rack with Shelf: Add To Your Mud Room Or Entry
56 Responses to “Crusty Bread That’s Quite Possibly The Best Homemade Bread Ever”
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Hey Sherri
Thanks for the recipe!!!! I love fresh home made bread. I will certainly try this recipe because it looks really good.
I love our bread machine because it does make things so easy, but the problem I have is that I get annoyed by the hole left in the bottom of the bread loaf from the mixer. I always have a tough time fishing it out of a new loaf of bread.
I used to make bread by hand a lot but always had a tricky time with getting it to rise just right.
Maybe I’ll try this recipe this weekend. Thanks!
Hi Sherri,
Thank you so much for the recipe. We will have to try it. I love the pictures that coincide with the steps of the recipe, they look so professional! Maybe you should have a food blog too!
Nadia-Happy Lotus’s last blog post..How To Be Green Without Spending Too Much Money: An Interview with Renée Loux
Very little hands-on time works for me.
Thanks for the link!
Looks good!
Do you think I could substitute some whole wheat flour for the white flour?
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@ Steve B – You’re quite welcome! I used to hate that about our bread maker too. You’ll have to let me know how it turns out for you. I’m glad you’re going to give it a go!
@ Nadia – You’re welcome as well. Thanks for the kind words about the pictures but I don’t know about the food blog just yet…this one is keeping me busy enough
@ Vered – No worries those pitas are awesome! I love that this bread recipe is so hands off and there’s no kneading…did I mention that already?
@ Roger – It is good
I haven’t tried it with whole wheat flour but I imagine you could. If I were to do it I might try half and half first? Let me know how it goes if you do substitute!
Happy baking all!
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never baked bread before, although my mother did it every week when I was growing up, but I’m going to give this a go. The no kneading part was what caught my eye. I can still remember Mom kneading and kneading and … – now THAT was a workout!
I’m going over to MomGrind now to check out Vered’s recipe. Thanks!
@ Laurie – Welcome! That’s funny my mom used to make bread all the time as well and all I seem to remember is the kneading and kneading as well! Let me know how it turns out for you and if you like it. Good luck with the pitas too.
What a wonderful recipe…I can’t wait to try it! I’ll let you know how it comes out.
@ Acooba – It really is a great recipe! Please let me know how it turns out for you and if you guys liked it!
Very happy with this recipe! My mom had everyone over for dinner last night and made it, it was a huge hit. I’ll have to make some myself.
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Wow, that looks absolutely delicious! Great post, you did such a nice job presenting the pictures too…I am definitely going to have to try that recipe this weekend! Thanks
@ David – I’m glad it was a hit…it’s our favorite!
@ Garden Landscape Designs – Welcome! Thanks for your kind words. If you do give it a try this weekend let me know what you think!
This bread is fabulous. It’s great with cheese. My adult daughter has declared it as her new favorite. You say it takes 24 hours to be exact…I beg to differ, there is no way I’d wait almost 3 hours for it to cool….we are so anxious we burn our fingers trying to cut it fresh out of the oven.
@ Lu – LOL That’s great!! We do the same thing
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe it IS fabulous!
I need to try this ones out. It looks delicious!
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@ Morten Pedersen – It is delicious I really hope you give it a try.
I’ve been doing no-knead bread more than half a year. About twice a week. I can say with confidence:
1) the middle step is unnecessary. All you have to do is transfer the dough from one vessel to the baking vessel. Massage the dough a little before you transfer it to the baking vessel. You don’t have to touch it with your fingers. You don’t have to powder it. Just massage it, then let it sit for about 1 1/2 hours in the baking vessel before you turn on the heat in the oven.
2) pre-heating the oven is unnecessary. Preheating the baking vessel is unnecessary. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on the baking vessel (probably a dutch oven, but other things can do the job), then 20 to 30 minutes with no lid and the heat turned down maybe 50 degrees.
You’ve inspired me to do my own blog on this topic. Your blog and breadtopia’s blog are great. But there are other variations and I can do a few of them.
Fantastic — great post like it. Will need to have a go once I get my new kitchen — now for a cup of coffee to enjoy the rest of your site
This is FABULOUS! Admission: I rarely make homemade bread, because I’m too lazy! Gasp! This looks incredibly simple and delish!
So glad you linked up today
Happy Friday!
Ang @ The Creative Mama´s last blog ..Get Your Creative On!
this is the most amazing recipe ever. really, im flabergasted. thank god for bread
Sherri…. a buddy of mine and I cook birthday dinners for our wives and we are looking for a good bread recipe to to with Seafood Bouillibaise…. This looks like it will work wonderfully.
Hi
thanks for sharing this recipe. I have been looking for no-knead bread that uses instant yeast rather than active dry and this is just perfect, I will surely try this!
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I just tried this recipe and loved it. I was just wondering if you would maybe know the answer to this, since I am new at making bread. How long would dough last if I were to let it rise, and then freeze it or refrigerate it, just so I could have some ready if I wanted to make some without having to wait 12-18 hours?
You probably got this recipe from somebody that had seen the 2006 article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html Probably you should credit them.
OOOPS. You did credit them. I’m very sorry.
15/8 cups of water is way to much.
I made this bread yesterday.
WOW! Most “artisanal” bread I’ve ever made and I’ve been making many really good breads, from scratch, for over 30 years.
Very crusty, nice flavor, easy.
I did need to add a little more water to get everything to combine properly. Maybe 2 cups total. This may be due to the very dry air this time of year. I would expect to need a lot less on a rainy or humid day.
I needed to use a silicone spatula to get it out of the bowl and a dough scraper to fold it together in step 2, but it was quick and easy with little to clean up.
The loaf fell easily out of the dutch oven when it was done.
I started another loaf rising yesterday and gift it to some friends this evening.
I plan to try some variations soon.
Thank you.
After 16 hours raising, my dough is very runny. Do you really mean 1+5/8 c water? Seems way too much. I don’t think my batch is going to work.
Hi Claire,
Yes we use 1 5/8 C of water. It is a pretty wet dough but I think it’s the resulting humidity that causes the crusty crust. I say to stick with it and follow it through and see what you get at the end. It is a very different recipe so hang in there.
Let me know how it turns out in the end.
Sherri
Hi,
I am just surfing around looking for some new homemade bread ideas that are easier and came across your recipe! Several years ago I bought a cookware set by Command Performance that included a dutch oven. I have never used it because it is metal, but it IS called a dutch oven…so we shall see. I can`t wait to try this recipe, I will let you know how it comes out!
Sylvia
Beautifully and apparently tasty. Thank you.
GREAT recipe! I’ve baked it twice, the second time I put in some caraway seeds….everybody loves it.
This was so easy and so incredibly good thatnks for sharing the recipe.
Yay! I’m so glad you liked it and that it worked out for you!
I’m about to have a crack at this myself.
I use the sponge method, make a well in the flour and add all the water at once. Leave it to soak in by itself for a couple of hours then stir it.
We will see………….
Sherri,
I have tried to bake it 2 times but I couldn’t be able to have it like the ones in your photos! It looks like there is something wrong with my ingredients.
Thank you
I have what, no doubt, sounds like a very silly question. Are you supposed to bake it with the towel still on/around the dough?
This sounds and looks like some delicious, tantalizing bread. I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks!
Edie
Edie Aldridge: last blog ..terror in the hearts of men
BEST. BREAD. EVER.
Looking so good. I love eating bread with olive oil. So simple, so yummy.
Thanks for sharing.
Mali Rock: last blog ..LoveEat – My Healthy Recipes Food Diary updated Wed Oct 6 2010 8-00 am CDT
You are right about it being probably the best homemade crusty bread! I have tried other no-knead bread recipe before and the texture of this bread wins it all. Thank you so much for sharing!
do i need to use such a big cooking vessell?
I have not baked a loaf of bread in my life..wanted to impress my Italian in-laws and it was perfect on the first try….thanks for the amazing recipe
Yay!! Peter I’m so glad it worked for you.
Well done.
Do you have to oil the pan you cook in? Will the bread not stick??
Thanks.
This was award-winning bread and so easy! Thank you for sharing. I’m also in love with the tear-shaped cutting board displaying the bread in the pictures. Please tell me you know where it came from-I can’t find anything close to it on-line!
I just realized that I didnt fully read the directions and I do NOT have a dutch oven. I already have the dough rising. What else can I do!?
Hi Randine,
I don’t have a dutch oven either but I just use a cast iron roaster (with a lid). I’m sure you could use a casserole dish that is oven safe or a pot/pan that is large enough and oven safe. Hope this helps it really is awesome bread!
thank you. I noticed after 12 hours, it is not foamy. ack. I will wait till hour 18 and try to bake anyway. Any thoughts why this hasnt happened? First time bread maker here! OY!
Could I make this into rolls?
lol I think you posted this 2 years ago.
Hi Ashley,
I’m not sure if you could do it as rolls. I would be inclined to say no since you bake it in the same pot that it rises in … but I don’t know for sure. If you try it let me know!