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The Best (easiest) No Knead Bread. Crusty on the outside, light and airy inside, with just a little rosemary swirled throughout. It’s the easiest bread recipe, yet still impressive. It’s best served warm right out of the oven with softened butter and a sprinkling of sea salt. Serve alongside your favorite soups, chili, pasta dishes, with roasted chicken, or even on its own. This is certainly sure to become a weekly staple!
Every time I make a pot of soup or chili or even a creamy curry, I also make a homemade bread recipe. Many times I’ll go for everyone’s favorite, honey butter beer bread. And if I’m making Indian, I always, always make naan.
But on snowy Sundays in January, I make my no-knead bread. I’ve been making this for years, sometimes with rosemary, it’s delish with or without.
We LOVE it. But my no-knead bread isn’t like others. I have a little secret.
Instead of water, I use beer, which I think enhances the flavor of the bread. You don’t know it’s there, but it gives the bread more of a sourdough flavor, just without all the work.
Kind of like a “cheaters” sourdough bread in a way.
If you have my Super Simple cookbook, I use this recipe for my pizza dough too. Either way, it’s baked up, it’s delicious. But We really LOVE it as bread (plus I have a new and improved pizza dough that I’ve been making all the time now).
Here are details
Step 1: mix the dough
Using a large bowl and dough hook or just a wooden spoon, mix flour with instant yeast, you could also use active dry yeast, fresh rosemary (if you like), and salt. Now, pour over a room-temperature can/bottle of beer. If you don’t drink, use 1 1/2 cups warm water.
Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not do any kneading!
Step 2: let that dough hang out
Now, cover the dough with a towel and let it hang out on the counter in a nice warm spot for at least 12 hours. I usually let the dough sit overnight or even over two nights for more flavor.
Step 3: bake
Preheat the oven to 450°. Place a cast iron Dutch oven into the oven to preheat. Get it nice and HOT.
Shape the dough into a ball or an oval. Let it rise on a piece of parchment paper while the oven is heating. When ready, you can lift the parchment and the dough up and into the hot Dutch oven.
And then you bake it. Nothing fancy at all. Not even a stand mixer. We love this bread. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
Step 4: enjoy it
Slice with a sharp knife. Of course, we love this bread most when it’s fresh from the oven. Topped with really good butter and a small amount of sea salt – so yum!
Or serve it up with dinner. Soups, chilis, and slow-roasted meats are our favorites. Or use it for avocado toast. For sandwiches, the options certainly are endless.
Looking for other breads to make? Here are a few to try:
Salted Honey Butter Jalapeño Cheddar Rolls
Jalapeño Cheddar Popovers with Honey Butter
Soft Garlic Herb Cheddar Cheese Bread
Easy Pull Apart Garlic Parmesan Bread
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Lastly, if you make this The Best (easiest) No Knead Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
The Best (easiest) No Knead Bread
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories Per Serving: 1450 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast (rapid rise)
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 (12 ounce) can or bottle room temperature beer (or 1 1/2 cups warm water)
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, rosemary (if using), and salt. Add the beer and mix with a spatula until combined. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours, but ideally overnight. 2. Preheat oven to 450° F. Place a large Dutch oven in the oven to preheat for 30 minutes. 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 on a piece of parchment. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size. 3. When ready, carefully lift the dough and the parchment and place in the Dutch oven. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep, golden brown, about 15-20 minutes more. Remove from the oven. Enjoy with softened butter and sea salt. YUM!
This post was originally published on January 16, 2024
Can you make this with almond flour?
Hi Staci,
Sorry, I probably would not recommend almond flour for this recipe. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
My 92 YO mom is craving bread. Can I make it with half white whole wheat flour and half APF?
Hi Judy,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope your mom loves this bread! xT
Just made this and it is SO GOOD!! Couldn’t be easier and fresh bread is so satisfying. It’s a little salty so I would only do one tsp of salt next time. But this was my first time making bread and I’m so proud of myself ❤️
Hey Rose,
Perfect!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for giving it a try! xT
I have made several no knead breads and this is a great recipe! I didn’t have fresh rosemary but used 2tsp dried rosemary and a Shiner Holiday Cheer beer left over from Christmas. It tasted great! I used my 6Qt cast iron Dutch oven with lid but I bet it would do fine in a smaller one as well. Would love to try more no knead breads like this!
Hi heather,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Love to hear it was a hit! xT
How do you store the leftovers? Paper?
Hi Jan,
I store the leftovers in an airtight container on the counter:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I LOVE this bread! It was already mid-rise when I read some of the negative reviews. I also read after the fact that it can rise 2 nights. So I baked it 24hrs later, the following morning. As soon as it came out of the oven I took out another can of beer to make another as it’s diminishing quickly. Has a look of sourdough and a texture of a mix between regular and sourdough. It’s spongey like a crumpet and extra crunchy on the outside like sourdough. I had cut back a little on the salt and I think I would half it. Experiment with flavoured salts. Used a light beer. A keeper to have with soups and when company comes over.
Hi Krista,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and your feedback! Love to hear it turned out well! xT
Can I use alcohol free beer?
Hi Hanan,
Absolutely, that will also work well for you! Let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
The bread taste gross. My family did not enjoy it. Maybe it has to be the exact beer that she uses to create a yummy flavor. Do not make this bread.
Hi Sara,
So sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you. What kind of beer did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Thank You! Followed the instructions and the bread turned out perfect in 45 minutes. Crusty on the outside and fluffy inside, you cannot taste the beer but it does make a difference. I used Shiner Bock beer.
Hi Gladys,
Thanks so much for trying this bread! Love to hear that it turned out well! Happy Sunday! xT
I have the Simple Recipes book and the instructions are different. It doesn’t mention that the beer should be room temperature and it says to let the dough rest for 1-2 hrs…not overnight like it says here. I made two batches trying to figure out where I went wrong. it was impossible to form into a ball, so sticky.
Hi Carly,
Thanks for sharing your feedback. Which recipe did you make? They are different recipes, the one from Super Simple was written in 2019 and not the same as this recipe here. It sounds like you needed more flour. Please let me know how I can help! xx
my dough rested for two days and had a skim on top when I took the towel off. I tried my best to shape into a ball but it was sooo sticky, I added flour but still could not achieve a beautiful ball like yours. Also I noticed in your video on Insta that you added oil at the end but I do not see that an an ingredient. Can you explain?
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! Sorry to hear you had some issues, what kind of skim did it have? Sounds like you just needed some more flour. There is no oil needed:) I hope this helps! xT
The beer definately makes a difference and for me, I don’t care for it. The bread turned out fine except for the smell and taste of beer. I used Point Lager, not some strong brew.
Hi Michael! thank you so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it! xT
I also have a blob. It doubled in size but did not form a ball. Are we missing an ingredient or is something off with the measurements? Too much beer? We will see how it bakes.
Hello! Instead of all purpose flour, would whole wheat flour work? Looking forward to trying this!
Hi there! Yes, that should work just fine! xT
My bread didn’t rise. After resting for 2 days, the dough was very sticky and didn’t form into a ball (more of a blob). The ingredients are simple but I must’ve missed something?
Same exact thing happened to me!! I used Guinness at room temp, yeast was not expired and regular all purpose flour. Let mine sit for two days as well. Im so bummed.