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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.
Delicious and easy bread recipe.
I found this recipe because I accidentally bought a tub of 10% fat Greek yogurt and was looking for things to do with it. I’m not sure I’d call it “sourdough”, but absolutely delicious in it’s own right. Small, soft crumb, but sturdy and flavorful. Possibly due to the fat content of the yogurt I used, the interior stays nice and soft even after the toaster starts browning the outside giving even toasted slices the sensation of grilled cheese bread. Using it for Banh Mi tonight and grilled cheese later in the week.
Hey George,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
The bread is wonderful. But, the bottom of the loaf burned. How can I avoid that happening in the future?
Hey Susan,
So sorry to hear this! Did you line the bottom with parchment paper? Let me know how I can help! xT
I have had this problem with some breads baked in dutch ovens. I remembered some loaf pans and a baking sheet I had with the dual-layer, air-insulated bottoms didn’t brown well. I wadded up an additional piece of parchment to crinkle it, put it in the bottom of the dutch oven, then baked the bread with better results. Still better was to fashion a nest of a few lightly crinkled (to trap air) tin foil pieces which I now just use as an insert for my dutch oven when baking bread — the bread goes on top of parchment over the foil, not directly on it.
Do you have to use the parchment paper for this recipe?
Hi Rhianna,
Yes, I would recommend using the parchment paper to prevent sticking. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I do not own a stand up mixer nor have I ever used one. I do own a 14 quart Cuisinart food processor. It came with a dough blade that I’ve never used because I’ve never made bread dough in it. Will using this food processor work? Or only a stand up mixer?
Hi Karen,
I would just mix with a wooden spoon and knead by hand:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I did the overnight in the fridge…do I still need to let rise another 2 hr in the Dutch oven before baking? Thanks.
Hey Sue,
I would let it sit for 2 hours or until it comes to room temp. I hope you love the recipe, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Could I use full fat European style yogurt? Just ran out of Greek yogurt!
Hey Laura,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. I hope it turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
This has become my absolute favorite bread recipe!! It’s delicious!!
Hey Lisa,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner. Have the best weekend:) xT
Could I make 2 small loaves of bread in a 8X4 pan? How long do you think I would need to bake them?
Hey Tracey,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you. I would probably say about 45 minutes or so. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Okay, I’m so obsessed with this recipe! I’ve always wanted to be able to keep up with feeding a sourdough starter, but let’s be honest-I’m just trying to keep the kids alive! Ha! But this recipe is so easy, and I always have the ingredients on hand! I’ve made it twice in the last 4 days! It doesn’t last very long in our house! We toast, butter, and add a little honey on top of our slices! Yummm!
Hey Ali,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
What do you think about using half whole wheat flour?
Hey Shelby,
I think that would work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Ugh. I am not a baker but I was excited to try this recipe. I just combined all ingredients, covered and left to rest. Unfortunately, while cleaning up I discovered I used the wrong type of yeast ( the active yeast vs. the quick rise). Is this a way to save this batch or will I need to start over? Thanks !!
Hi Jeanne,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, unfortunately it depends how you mixed in the yeast. I would see what happens with this loaf, it might now be a total failure. Let me know! xTieghan
Just made this & it turned so well! Absolutely delish…. While I could easily eat it all right now… what is the best way to store it to keep fresh and tasty over the next few days?
Hey Elizabeth,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Just keep in an airtight container on the counter. Have a great week! xxT
I’m baking this bread right now and it smells delish! Can you make this using gluten free flour? Thank you!
Hey Rebecca,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I have your cookbook that has the basic everyday bread dough recipe in it. The instructions only say how to make the dough, there isn’t anything on how to just bake it for a nice loaf of bread. How do I bake it?
Hi Sarah,
I would recommend punching the dough down, placing it in a bread pan and allowing it to rise for 40-50 minutes. Then bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until gold brown on top. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Hoping to make this today! Wondering if you have to put it in the fridge overnight?
Hi Taylor,
You could skip that, it will just be less sourdough like. I would pop in the fridge for a couple hours if you can! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan