Jul 26, 2015

No Dutch Oven?

No knead bread depends on the steam created inside a pot with a tight-filling lid. I use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven but other people have commented on my website that they had success using:

  • a glass pyrex dish with a lid
  • a stainless steel pot with a lid
  • a stainless steel pot with foil on top and the original pot lid over the the foil
  • a clay baker
  • a springform pan with an aluminum foil top
  • a pizza stone with a stainless steel bowl as a cover
  • several people posted that they used a black cast iron pot with a lid
  • a roasting pan with a tightly sealed foil heavy duty top
  • a heavy soup pot with a lid
  • a corning dish with a glass lid
  • a Romertopf clay pot
  • a crock pot bowl with a lid
  • two nonstick bread pans, no parchment paper – put the dough in one of the bread pans, flip the other pan upside down over the first pan and put binder clips on the two ends to hold the pans together.
  • an oven-safe stoneware insert (removed from a slow cooker) with a cookie sheet over it as a lid.
  • a cast iron skillet and foil as a lid
  • 2 1/2 quart corning ware casserole.

Keep in mind that any lid must be tight fitting because you need to create steam inside the pot and the lid should have an oven-proof handle (not plastic). Your pot will need to hold at least 3 quarts but 5 to 6 quarts is most common. Or… You can make my No Knead Ciabatta Bread or No Dutch Oven Bread – they both bake on a pan, no Dutch oven needed. Click here for the recipes.

26 Comments on "No Dutch Oven?"

  1. Idit

    Always wanted to make bread
    Will try this easy tips.
    Thank you

  2. Deborah

    going to try cooking the bread not using a Dutch Oven.will try one of your ideas .Thanks for the sugestions,

  3. Muriel

    Hi Jenny,
    My parchment paper only accept heat in the oven up to 425. Can you suggest something else for me.
    Thank You.

    • Jenny Can Cook

      I use Reynolds brand with no problems. It says 425 on the package. I don’t know about other brands but Reynolds always works for me with no knead breads.

    • Al

      Use it all the time. Absolutely no problem.

  4. Shirley Head

    Jenny thank you for recipes. My daughter was on your show, one of the shows with snakes with a short dress.😜
    Anyway, the bread that takes 3 1/2 hours like artisan bread, that’s not faster and I started the recipe without reading it and I realize it’s not a quicker artisans style bread except maybe 1/2 hour knotty knotty 🤪🤪🥰

    • Billie

      I think she was talking about the Artisan bread recipe and tutorial, that takes anywhere from 2-3 days to complete (Your choice) Which I made. I’m trying this one today,

  5. TamyT

    I so enjoy your videos! You are cute as a button, and I have been a fan of yours since your comedy days.
    I made this bread recipe with no lidded pan available, so I heated a half cup of water in the microwave then poured the hot water in the bottom of the hot oven a few seconds before I put in the uncovered bread pan.
    It made lots of steam, the bread came out perfectly, but it ruined my hairdo and fogged up my eyeglasses for about 30 seconds.
    Who’s your daddy now? ;-D

  6. BillieO

    Hello

    I have never seen a recipe that uses only 1/4 tsp of yeast per 3 cups of flour anywhere ever!

    Saw it on you YouTube video.

  7. Zanne

    Weird question for you. How tall is the actual loaf when done? The reason I asked this is because I use a countertop oven and it doesn’t have a lot of height inside. I can make a substitute baker (no room for a Dutch oven) but need to figure out vertical space.
    Thank you

    Remember you from your TV show!👍😎

  8. Nancy

    How big is the Dutch oven you are using in the video?

  9. Suzanne Blay

    You gave me all the information except the recipe!

  10. Vicki

    Was the pot you used to put dough in hot already?

  11. Theresa_G

    Dear Jenny,

    I have been a faithful viewer both TV and here. You are the best I love you (crushing on you. Please4 keep up your wonderful videos.

    T

  12. EmmyJoyful

    I make this recipe with variations every other day or so. We love it. I’ve used a/p flour, bread flour, red whole wheat flour and often toss in some wheat bran and/or oatmeal .. up to about a cup of each. I just add a bit more yeast, and whatever amount of cold water needed to get the texture right. So far, I’ve never had a failure. I usually mix it last thing before I head off to bed. It takes about as long as it takes to bring my cup of water for tea to a boil. That’s fast. Then I bake it in the morning while I’m having my coffee. I use a bread pan with another the same size upturned as a lid. It works great. When I want a round loaf, I use my cast iron dutch oven. A few minutes ago I mixed a loaf using 1 c. a/p flour 1 c. red whole wheat flour and 1 cup of no-wheat flour (a combination of bean flour, rice flour, sorghum and other flours, that I got at the bulk food store) plus a tsp of xantham gum. It’s resting now, and I will bake it in the morning. I love this recipe!! I hope the wheat flour substitute for 1 c. of the a/p flour will work well. We are trying to get away from using so much gluten!! We’ll find out in the morning! Almost every loaf gets a photo posted to my Facebook page, lol. My friends are trying this recipe, now. So that’s fun. Thanks Jennie for a great recipe.

  13. Lorraine

    Do you leave the oven at 450 *while baking the bread? RSVP.

    • Lorraine

      Jenny, do you leave the oven at 450′ while baking the bread? RSVP? Thank you. Lorraine.

  14. Susan

    So good. Like the bread I ate in Germany.
    I have arthritis in my hands so there’s no kneading.

  15. elli1212

    Hi Jennie,
    You just answered my youtube question about what to use to cook the no-knead bread without a Dutch Oven. I should have deleted the question because I found an answer on a french video, where the chef made the exact same recipe but he used an ordinary loaf pan wiped down with vegetable oill and what he did for the steam is add another cake pan full of water on the grill above the one where the bread would bake thus creating the steam (pre-warmed the oven too and the pan of water) Thanks so much for answering, I will keep this website in my recipe fav folder. hagd from Canada lol

    • Sandra

      Hi Elli or Had, I live in Canada also and I really like this idea thank you! I do have a dutch oven and I will probably try it but I wanted to be able to make it shaped like a loaf. I am in Southwest Ontario where are you?

    • Stan

      My oven will not allow me put a pan of water in the oven while baking bread, for a reason, unknown to me, it will shut off. Remove the water, let the oven sit and cool a bit and I can bake the bread sans the water.

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