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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.
Parchment papers vary on recommended temperatures for use. My most recent box cautioned that it would withstand temps only to 400F or 204C. The previous box said 425F.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Cathy! I’ve never had any issues with the parchment paper in this recipe:)
First, I love your recipes, have made dozens and reco to all my friends! Then, what are your thoughts on letting the dough stay in the fridge for 2-3 days? Wouldn’t it ferment more, for more complex flavor? Thank you!
Hey Kimberly,
Thanks so much! Yes, if you have the time to let the dough sit longer, go for it!! I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xx
This is the second time I have tried this recipe and it was delicious! The first time I made it, it made a big loaf. What would the cooking time be if I split the dough into two smaller loaves?
Hi Rylea,
Happy Easter!! 🐰🐣🌈 Thank you very much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! I would just use the bake time as a guide and pull when it’s golden. xT
Sadly I only have a ceramic crockpot insert or a cast iron skillet- would either work for the necessary high temp here? Is a deep pot needed to ensure the shape of the loaf and encourage the rise during baking or could I potentially ‘dome’ a cast iron skillet and use that instead? I’d do any rigging required to make this ASAP- looks amazing!
Hi Lucy,
I think the cast iron skillet could work well for you here! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope turns out well for you! xT
Would this work with a 1-1 gluten free flour and plain Culina (thick, coconut-based/non-dairy Greek-like) yogurt?
Hi Cristina,
Yes, both of those should be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Thanks so much for the recipe! It was my first attempt at bread and I just took it out of the oven. I added a bit of extra water because the dough seemed too flaky at the beginning, but now it is too dense! Any suggestions?
Hey Megan,
Happy Monday!!⛅️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try! Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do at this point:) I would try keeping the recipe as is next time! xx
Can you use whole Wheat Flour?
Thank you!
Hey Carly,
Sure, I bet that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I am not a bread baker and this was easy and delicious. Does it have the same health benefits as traditional sourdough?
Hey Gayle,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! Sorry, I’m not positive on that, but I don’t see why not! xx
I’m making your sourdough bread but it didn’t rise as much as I expected. I used Red Star instant yeast. Your recipe says to use warm water but is the temperature of the water important? What temp would be ideal? And I just dumped all of the ingredients into my mixing bowl together. I did not dissolve the yeast in the water first. Hopefully it will turn out great
Hey Mindy,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! With instant yeast, you do not need to let it dissolve in water first. Yes, if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast. Is the dough sitting in a warm spot in your kitchen? Let me know how I can help! xx