This 4-Ingredient No-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread Is Quick, Easy and Delicious

Photo byMonika GrabkowskaonUnsplash

I love homemade crusty bread in the fall. Even buying fresh bread at the grocery store isn't the same as cutting a slice that's still warm from my own oven. This recipe uses four simple ingredients--flour, salt, rapid-rise yeast and water--to create a rustic round loaf that's ready to serve in a few hours.

Best of all, you don't have to knead the dough for this recipe and you don't need to go out and buy bread flour. Regular all-purpose flour works just fine, though bread flour may give you a larger crumb.

The same goes for the dutch oven. I love baking this bread in a cast-iron dutch oven but if you don't have one you can use any large container with a secure cover. You can even bake the dough on a tray with a pan of hot water below it (bake for about 40 minutes with the door shut instead of the times called for in the recipe).

This no-knead version is a variation on a recipe that was published in The New York Times in 2006 (it was wildly popular, but it took up to 14 hours for the dough to rise). In a follow-up recipe, The Times reduced the rising time down to about 4 1/2 hours. The rapid-rise yeast cuts that time down even more, to 2-3 hours, which is a huge plus for me. While some recipes call for a second rise of about 30 minutes, you can skip that step here.

This bread is perfect for soup night or as a side dish. Cut thick slabs for hearty sandwiches or slather a slice with real butter and enjoy.

Crusty Artisan Bread

Ingredients

3 cups (450 grams) all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus extra for dusting

2 1/4 teaspoons (.25-ounce package) instant rapid rise yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups very warm tap water

Instructions

1. Mix flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water, then use a spatula or a wooden spoon to mix ingredients until they're just blended. Dough will be shaggy and somewhat wet. Adjust with more water or flour, if needed.

2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and let the dough rise 2 to 3 hours, until it doubles in volume. It should look bubbly on top and be a bit wobbly.

3. About 30 minutes before you plan to bake the dough, preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a dutch oven (about 5.5 quarts) inside with the lid on.

4. Dust a flat surface with flour then use a spatula or dough-scraper to remove the dough from the bowl. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour as well.

5. Using the dough scraper or spatula, fold the sides inward toward the center of the dough several times to form a round shape. It doesn't need to look perfect.

6. Place a piece of parchment paper next to the dough and flip the dough over onto the paper. Maneuver it toward the middle and form it into a round shape with the dough scraper or your hands.

7. Remove the dutch oven from the oven and take off the cover. Gather the parchment paper to lift the dough and lower it into the pot then cover it with the lid.

8. Bake 30 minutes covered, then remove the lid and bake 12 more minutes uncovered, or until deep golden brown and crispy.

9. Cool the bread on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes about 10 slices

Notes

You can add a few ice cubes inside the dutch oven but outside the parchment paper. That will create steam, which will make the bread even more crusty.

Stir the dough until it's just combined. It's better not to overmix it.

Check the yeast package to make sure it's not expired.

Be careful when lowering the parchment paper into the dutch oven. The pot is super hot and I've forgotten that fact in the past.

If the water is scalding hot it will kill the yeast (aim for about 100 degrees F).

It usually takes about 20 minutes of uncovered baking to get the right color for the bread in my oven.

Lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup so it's not too packed down. The more moist the dough is, the bigger the crumb will be.

If you're using Kosher salt, not table salt, use 2 teaspoons.

Remember to use parchment paper, not wax paper.