In response to the many people who either do not have a Dutch oven or find it difficult to lift such a heavy pot, I decided to try making my no knead bread on a baking pan. Well guess what? It works. It makes a great loaf that’s soft inside with a beautiful golden crust. It’s not quite as crispy of a crust as the Dutch oven method but it’s close. It’s important to find a way to create steam in the oven because steam is what makes a crispy crust. But even without steam, it still bakes up nicely but with a softer crust.
For my ciabatta bread, which needs steam, I used a disposable foil 6-cup muffin pan, which you can place beside or just below the bread.
But I also found a small 9 by 5-inch baking pan for $3.50 and a restaurant supply store and it works well too. It’s what I used for this loaf.
It’s important to add the hot water right when you put in the bread and close the oven door right away. The steam is most effective right at the beginning. I use a metal measuring cup with a handle to pour the hot water. I hope my photos are helpful and that now, anyone without a Dutch oven can make this super easy, delicious, artisan bread. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
Your recipe indicates 1/4 tsp yeast. Do you have to make it active with warm water or ate you just adding it to the flour as is??
You do not need to activate the yeast. Just add it to the dry ingredients.
can you bake bread in a bread maker pan IN THE OVEN????
morning. love your recipes. I cant wait to try the no knead bread in the Dutch oven. I’m a new watcher cant wait to see what else you have up your sleeve.
If I use a stainless steel pot with a lid as my Dutch oven substitute, do I still put a pan of water in the oven to create steam?
No, because with a covered pot, the steam is created inside the pot, not in the oven.
I have cooked for 70 years (!!) but i try all your recipes and love them.
Thank you so very much…sending you aloha….
HELLO! I am wanting to make this bread tomorrow. HOPEFULLY you will see this lol before I make it. I have made bread in the past. But I am using bread flour this time, I have no parchment paper adn I have loaf pans. Howe do you suggest I do this. Many thanks………..
Hi Jenny, bread came out of the oven great nice and crusty but after cooling it gets soft, can you tell me how to keep it crusty?
Please see the “How To” in my blog.
Hi..do you fill all the 6 cups with water? And how much water? Thanks!
That is explained in the recipe. Just use the link at the bottom for the recipe.
I aerated my flour, measured water appropriately (twice) and my dough still came out runny ( rather sticky).
Any suggestions you can give me?
Any chance for metric weights for the ingredients (especially the flour)? At least what what 1 C of flour weighs (I usually say 120g per C). But, at that rate, the dough will be almost at 100% hydration! No wonder it won’t hold a shape!
Please see my “Metric” link at the top.
Hi Jenny: Have been using a lot of your recipes these past three months with good results!!! Been making your no knead breads every couple of weeks or so. I have found that Dollar tree stainless steel 7″ dog dishes are just right for one loaf of bread!!! Thank you and Cheers
truly amazing work Jenny!! since the pandemic, I’ve been following you and your recipes… have to pay attention to the videos AND your site since there is so much information that answers all questions!! ONE note… ive also found that if you don’t have a dutch oven, instead of doing a pan with water NEXT to the cooking pan, ive placed a bigger one underneath the cooking shelf…and it worked! bread came out super crunchy!
thanks! JM
CAN YOU DIVIDE A SINGLE RECIPES INTO 2 SMALLER LOAFS AND IF SO HOW LONG WOULD YOU COOK IT
Hi Jenny cannot find the answer to this question.If you want to add raisins or cranberries how much and can you use fresh or frozen cranberries and if so do you leave them whole or cut in half.Thanks
No questions…(ahhh!!, relief)…just thanks, great, simple, easy to follow and a very much needed sense of humor.as we all learn to cook and gratefully get back to basics during this pandemic. Tonight I am trying the No Knead Bread and so it seems is everyone else in Canada who is either into baking or is under quarantine – no flour, no yeast on the shelves of four main stores at 7:00am this morning. Sent my husband out shopping – he loves a challenge!! 🙂
This is a dumb question but when I transfer the bread from the baking sheet straight to the oven rack, do I leave the filled water cupcake pan inside the oven as well or remove that for the end of baking?
You place the baking sheet (with the dough) on the oven rack and pour the hot water into the cups at that time. You leave it in there while the bread bakes.
These recipes for no knead bread are great but I think it’s time to revisit bread made with regular yeast. CO-VID 19 has seriously depleted the yeast supply in our town. In the 2 grocery stores available (Walmart being one of them) the only thing on the shelf was 2 jars of yeast. The kind you have to measure out. The kind I have never used.
I’ve made your faster no knead bread twice in 4 days using the overnight method. Since I’ve no dutch oven, I used my Romertopf clay pot which works great! Due to your fantastic sounding recipes, I may have to continue wearing only PJs once things finally get back to normal. Haha! Thanks, Jenny. I love your videos and recipes. They make me smile!
With the cool water method, must I let the dough rise for 3 hours (or so) before forming it into a ball and letting it sit covered overnight on the counter?
I’ve looked several places including the FAQs and I don’t find an answer. Thanks!
No. You mix the dough together, cover it and let it rest overnight on the counter. Then in the morning, you form the ball and let it rest for 3 hours and bake.
You mentioned the dough would be sticky, but I can’t even get it to form a ball it’s so sticky!
I had the same bad experience, far far too sticky and loose, won’t hold any shape, just flattened out like an Italian ciabatta. Jenny must have left something out or gave the wrong amounts. I’ll never try her recipes again.
Thank you. My Dutch Oven’s cover cannot be in an over hotter than 375•
Thank you sooo much for this method of baking
Hi Jenny,
I found your videos while looking for something else and they caught my attention. The bread looked so easy to make, so i decided to make it, ( i don’t usually bake). I did not have a dutch oven so i used a Pyrex bowl, did not put the bowl in the oven while the oven was preheating. But i did everything else as you said. Oh i covered the bowl with foil paper. It came out perfect, my husband and i loved it so much that we ate it all right after it cooled down. Then we bought a dutch oven and i made another No Knead Bread and we thought it was not as crispy. Yesterday i wanted to try a No Knead Whole Wheat Bread. I put a little less of the 1 1/2 cups of the hot water so that i could put in 2 TB of molasses and a sprinkle of cinnamon into the dry ingredients to give it more flavor. I put it into the Pyrex bowl again, and this time i used a heavy duty cookie sheet to cover the bowl. it was absolutely delicious.
I’m so glad i found you and your recipes and i put you into my favorites so that i can try some more of you recipes. I am Italian (so i love cooking) but my husband is Polish and i want to try some of your Polish recipes.
Thank You so much!
How big was the pirex you used?
Thank you.
How long do you bake if using cookie sheet?
Thanks
Jenny,love you to the moon.Your recipes are delicious. About the faster bread… can I use a Corning Ware bowl with a lid?.Keep up the wonderful work and your precious sense of humor.J
Yes, you can use corning ware. It is good up to 450 degrees. You can also double check with Google 🙂 🙂 🙂 I have used the Corning several times already.
I used my Corning Ware and it worked great. I did find that my vintage CW, , (wedding gift 45 years ago) got very brown on the outside, handles , glass cover, etc. A bit of scrubbing was required and all is good.
Thank you SO much for this recipe (and many others!
I have been “baking” in a bread machine for over 10 years but was always nervous about no-knead bread. Mine came out just fine (even though I left it on the counter for 17 hours instead of 12). Next step, with olives and a little whole wheat flour!
Since I don’t have a dutch over nor the money to purchase one, I used a cookie sheet the first time I baked this recipe and got frisbees! The loaves were barely 2″ thick and had spread out over the flat surface, but had great taste & lots of “air holes.” Not exactly what I expected.
I contacted Red Star but they said I did it right and the yeast was not out of date.
So what happened? I only mixed till all the flour was incorporated, let it rest the appropriate length of time, and placed it on parchment paper (Reynolds Genuine) & baked. Frisbees.
On another note, do you have any ideas on how to use four over ripe avocados? I’m sure they’re dark green or brown inside! I”ve seen recipes for using them instead of oil/shortening.
I await your learned response.
It’s possible your oven was not hot enough. Mine takes 35 minutes to reach 450. Also there is lots of helpful information about no knead breads in the FAQs.
Doesn’t hot water kill the yeast? All bread recipes call for warm water only.
Please see the FAQs.
Can I use silpat sheet instead of parchment for this recipe?
I tried this and it is very good. Great to have a recipe for those of us who dot=nt have a Dutch oven. it is not dry like some wheat bread, very moist!
Thank you!
Jenny I discovered your bread recipe a few months ago and have had to make a couple of loaves each week. I taught my son in law by giving him all the ingredients and your recipe – plus he learned by watching your great instructional video!
Many thanks for the best bread on this continent ?
My bread just came out of the oven. I didn’t have a dutch oven so I used IMUSA non stick pan. And it baked perfect.
We normally eat whole wheat bread so I added a little whole wheat (approximately 90g). Also, I used 1/2 tablespoon of zatar spice and 1 teaspoon of carom seeds for flavour. My husband could not believe that it was home made.
Thank you so much Jenny for sharing yoir recipe.
I have been making this when we go camping in my 12 inch deep Dutch oven (24 coals on top and 11 around the bottom give it 10 minutes to heat it to the 450) always a crowd pleasurer!
Thanks
Keith
Keith, thanks for adding the camp cook method. Question, do you bake it for the same time called for as oven method?
Thanks!
I baked this bread for the first time this morning. I doubled the recipe (I have teenagers) and baked each loaf separately. My son cut the first loaf right out of the oven, so it was hard to judge the crumb. It tasted great, but again, too hot to tell anything. I’m waiting patiently for the second loaf to cool completely!
I mixed everything last evening and left it out on the counter overnight in a very cool room (55 degrees). I’m thinking of keeping this in the fridge for a few days for it to develop a more sourdough flavor.
I do spent grain baking, as well, I’m going to play around with this recipe and the spent grains and post a follow up.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Jenny,
Made the bread, several times. Was told I need to make it a couple of hundred more to get it just right.”thanks”. On a serious note, it’s delicious and easy. Thank you.
Love your bread. I’m baking it all the time for the family and friends. Just wandering, where do you place the oven rack when you bake the bread or rolls without the dutch oven(top or button part of the oven)?
Thanks
Agi
Always in the middle.
Jenny,
I’ve been working on a sour dough starter since first of January.
So far, so good. To make a crispy crust, I have been placing a
9″x13″ Pyrex pan on bottom shelf with hot water and bread on shelf
right above. When oven is at 450 I place the bread in and then use
a bottle of water with a spritzer attachment and squirt the heck out of
the walls of the hot oven and it’s off to a steamy start. My crust has
been so crispy. I am going to try your no knead recipe and cook it
in the round in an old fashioned round Pyrex bowl that I have from the
1960’s. and use this method. Will let you know if your recipe works
this way.
Can this be put in fridge overnight , rather than the 3 hrs, and then proceed the next morning? Thanks!
If you use cold water you can leave it out overnight but on the counter top, not refrigerated, like my original recipe shows. https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/faster-no-knead-bread/
Do you have to put a lid on the baking pan where the bread goes?
I bought the 3.5 dutch oven but with the lid it doesn’t fit In my toaster iven.
You do need a lid to create steam inside the pot. You could try using the lid upside down. But first, remove the knob/handle but leave the screw in the hole to block heat from escaping. If you can’t leave the screw in the hole, you could fill the hold with aluminum foil. Let me know if that works.
For health reasons I would need to use whole wheat or rye flour. I would also like to add some flaxseed or perhaps chia seeds. Would this still work? I also can not have oil of any kind so I use apple sauce.
Thank You so very much.
I’ve followed you for quite awhile but have had to change my diet.
Please see my other variations.
Can I make no knead bread in a 8 inch covered cast iron pot?
jenny..can i make the mo knead bread in 8 inch covered cast iron pot?? Thanks
Love your video’s. I bake sometimes the next day, in a cast iron pot with a lid, last 15 minutes without the lid.
Can,t lift my iron pot, so will try this, thank you Jenny
I made it but I had a big hole inside of the bread? hollow
what is the problem?
Please share some specific information about your exact ingredients, baking pan, source of steam, and oven. How long did you preheat the oven? With some more detail, we might be able to figure this out.
Fantastic. Jenny, you are truly amazing. Thank you so much for your recipes.
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