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It’s about that time of year when I begin to crave bread baking, and this cheaters no-knead dutch oven sourdough bread is my newest homemade obsession.
Did anyone else’s moms bake bread when they were growing up? As I’ve mentioned…over and over, my mom is not much of a cook, but she has always loved to bake. Most of the time her baking was limited to chocolate chip cookies and pecan pies, but during the fall and winter months my mom would bake up a fresh loaf of bread for Sunday night dinner.
The woman loves bread like no other. Give her fresh, homemade bread and there’s a good chance she’ll end up eating the entire loaf within a day…the warmth, the carbs…the butter!
Anyway, mom baking bread on Sunday night is always such a relaxing and comforting memory for me. The house smelled incredible, the kitchen was warm from the oven, and often times there was also a roaring fire.
So basically the perfect fall night.
Recently, I’ve been seriously craving those comforting smells of homemade bread. A lot of this is due to my anxiety being kicked into high gear lately, but it’s also the extremely chilly nights and much cooler days we’ve been experiencing here that totally have me wanting to bake.
Also, it snowed up in the mountains while I was hiking on Saturday morning, so yeah, there’s that too.
Warm, baked things are clearly what needs to happen over here.
One of my favorite loaves of bread is a really good loaf of crusty sourdough. For years now I have been wanting to develop a sourdough bread recipe for the blog, but the involvement of making homemade sourdough always scared me off. It can take weeks to make a really great loaf of sourdough and let’s just be honest, that’s kind of way too much time for most of us.
I mean, right?
I make my homemade naan with plain greek yogurt, and it’s probably the most popular recipe here on the site…and with good reason. It’s incredible and I’m not sure I can really top that naan, but the use of yogurt in the recipe got me thinking.
Greek yogurt has some of the same cultures as a sourdough starter, so I thought I might try adding some to a no-knead bread recipe and see how it turned out.
The results? Sourdough bread perfection. YES.
Like any other no-knead bread recipe, this cheater’s sourdough is EASY. The dough is made with a total of six ingredients, including the water, and it all goes into one bowl, gets mixed up, and is then left to sit and rise. You can literally be done with the actual mixing of the bread in five to ten minutes. The rest of the time involved is rising and baking time.
Meaning hands-on work is so minimal. Mix. Let Sit. Bake. EAT. Simple as that.
As the title of this recipe states, you need a good dutch oven for baking the bread. It’s a must for getting a bread that’s crusty on the outside, but extra soft on the inside. I love my Staub 5 1/2 Quart Cocotte for this bread, it’s the perfect size. Any heavy cast iron pot that’s 4 quarts or larger will be great though!
Another key to success? A super hot oven and keeping the lid tight on the pot for the first half of baking. This traps the heat inside the pot, which in turn creates the extra hard crust, but extra soft interior.
Again, perfection and so easy!
I’ve made this multiple times now in the last few weeks, most of the time on Sunday, because I just love the smells and memories it brings.
Plus, serving it up with a bowl of chili is pretty much the best Sunday night dinner.
And of course, any leftovers are delicious when toasted the next day for breakfast, or used as a base for your favorite lunchtime sandwich. I’ve been spreading my homemade apple butter over toasted pieces of this bread, and it’s quickly becoming my go-to breakfast and/or afternoon snack…and yes, the apple butter recipe is coming soon. I’ll be sending out the recipe exclusively to all the HBH email subscribers, so if you aren’t signed up yet, I’d do so soon!
Cheaters No Knead Dutch Oven Sourdough Bread
Servings: 12 servings
Calories Per Serving: 241 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt (any % fat will do, but I use full fat)
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, yeast, honey, flour, salt, and yogurt. Using the dough hook, mix until the flour is completely incorporated. Alternately, you can mix the dough with a wooden spoon until it comes together. Cover the bowl with a wet towel or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 2 hours or until it doubles in size.2. If time allows, punch the dough down, cover the bowl, and transfer to the fridge to let sit overnight. This will help develop a stronger "sourdough" flavor. 3. Generously dust a work surface with flour. Scrape the dough out of the bowl. It should be loose and sticky. Form the dough into a ball and place in a parchment lined 4 quart or larger dutch oven. Allow to rise 1 hour or until doubled in size. 4. Preheat to 475 degrees F. Bake, covered for 20-25 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove the hot lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep, golden brown, about 20-30 minutes more. Remove from the oven. Carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Don't slice into the bread right out of the oven, the bread continues to cook as it cools. Enjoy!
Honestly though…it’s doesn’t get better than this bread…with a little salted butter. YUM.
This post was originally published on September 19, 2017
This is one of my favorite recipes! Is there anyway to make it vegan (what would you replace the yogurt with)?
Thanks!
Hey Elizabeth,
I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe, you can use a dairy free yogurt:) Let me know how that works! xTieghan
I made this bread in an enamelware dutch oven. The crust came out very dark, almost burnt and stated cracking as it cooled. Do you keep the temp at 475 or do you turn it down once you take the lid off? Or do I just need to bake it in cast iron?
Hey Shirl,
So sorry about the bread! I keep my heat at 475 during the entire bake. Next time, maybe lower it a bit, the cracking is totally normal! I hope this helps! xTieghan
I loved this recipe! It was very easy to follow and tasted delicious! Definitely will be added to my family’s list of go to bread recipes. Yum!
Hey Casey,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a go, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Can you make this bread without letting it sit over night? Planning to make this today, and missed the part about letting it sit over night.
Thank you, in advance!
Hey Casey,
You do not need to let it sit overnight:) I hope you love the bread, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I had high hopes for this recipe, but it didn’t work out for me. Bottom of the loaf burned, next time I’ll use a pan under my Dutch oven. Also bread didn’t rise, maybe my water was too hot. Worth mentioning that temp of warm shouldn’t be over 100°F.
Also, I think 1 tablespoon of salt is a bit much. I’ll try 1/2 next time.
Happy baking, all!
Hey there,
So sorry this recipe did not workout for you. Was there anything you may have adjusted? What kind of yeast did you use? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Can you make this recipe without a Dutch oven ?
Hey Brittany,
Yes, you can use a cast iron skillet and cover with foil. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Tiegan,
Is the temp really 475 degrees? I made this and it cooked very fast and even burned a bit in 40 minutes. 475 seems awfully high temp for baking bread.
Hey Dianne,
Yes, 475 is correct. Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Did you bake it covered for the first 20-25 minutes? This really should prevent the dough from burning. Let me know if this helps! xTieghan
Tasty and perfect. I have made this three times so far. The first time it was in the form of a loaf, with a halved recipe, while the last two have been rolls/biscuits!! I use 1/2 cup of plain, nonfat yogurt, 2 /12 cups of flour, and a whole package of yeast. For the rolls, I place them in greased biscuit tins after putting the dough in the fridge overnight!
Thank you for your hard work and efforts in practicing and posting these recipes. God bless you!
Hey there,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! I hope you have an awesome weekend:) xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, would bread flour or whole wheat flour work in this recipe? Thanks!
Hey Orit,
Sure either of those would work well, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Yummm…looks so dreamy – need to make ♡
Just wondering…i dont have a dutch oven so would any oven proof pot and lid work?
Hey Autumn,
Absolutely! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
What would you recommend doing if I wanted to make it a whole wheat sourdough, could i substitute the 5 cups for whole wheat flour?
Hey Beth,
I have not tested this with whole wheat flour, but it should work well for you. Let me know how it turns out! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I borrowed a Dutch oven from the friend who gave me the recipe the first time I made this and I loved the bread, but am counting calories and needed a more consistent size for the bread than I could get with the round loaf. The next time, I made the dough into twelve rolls after the first rise and let them rise again and bake in the Pampered Chef deep-dish 13 X 9 stoneware, using a Silpat mat as the cover, using a little less time for both cooking stages. They came out great!
Hey Janis,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Can step 2 be completely missed?
Hey Kat,
Yes, you can skip this step. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Can I use a 7 quart? If so, do I make a recipe and a half?
Hey Robyn,
The 7 quart is large enough to hold the whole recipe! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This recipe is a LIFESAVER! How would the recipe change if I use active dry yeast in place of instant yeast? I prefer active dry since I buy it in bulk 🙂
Hey Alaska,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. To use active dry yeast, just mix with warm water and honey, let that bubble, and then follow the recipe as is. Happy Holidays! xTieghan