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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
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Honestly though…it’s doesn’t get better than this bread…with a little salted butter. YUM.
This turned out well, I only had 1/2 c of greek yogurt and it still developed enough. I cooked right after rising but I could see how letting it sit over night would help the sourdough flavor. Slices well and used for blt’s and sandwiches.
Hey Bridget,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I have active dry yeast in my pantry right now. Would that work in place of the instant yeast? Would I just allow the yeast to sit in the warm water until it is frothy before adding in the other ingredients?
Thanks!
Hey Madeline,
You bet! That will work well for you:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! xT
This bread looks amazing, I’m going to try making it today, but need quick clarification. Do I need to let it rise for two hours initially, and then again for another hour after it’s been punched down? Also, do you preheat the dutch oven before putting the bread in it?
Hey Michelle,
Yes, you are going to let it rise for 2 hours in step 1 and then again for another hour in step 3. I don’t preheat my dutch oven for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this bread! xT
Thank you so much for responding, I’m going to make this with your Broccoli Cheddar Noodle Soup. Your recipes are always a hit with my family <3
Thanks so much Michelle!!
Hi Tieghan, I’m going to make the overnight/ fridge version. Any recommendations on time ,etc to let rest before baking the next day ? This looks absolutely amazing btw 🥰🥖
Hey Polly,
I would say a couple hours:) Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you, I hope you love it! xx
What can you substitute for the honey? (I’m allergic to honey.)
Hi April,
You could use maple syrup. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Is there a yogurt substitute that could be used if dairy free?!
Hey Meghan,
I would use a dairy free yogurt for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this turns out well for you! xx
You let it rise in the dutch oven? Often recipes say to per-heat the dutch oven then drop your bread ( on parchment) into it.
Hey there,
Sorry for any confusion here, but you are just letting this rise in a bowl in step 1. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Sooooo easy and delish. We used for a bread dip of EVOO and spices…Mmmmmm goood. Will use this recipe again.
Hey Liz,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
It’s unclear whether I should punch the dough down and let it rise again regardless of whether it has been refrigerated. Your instructions (3.) following the suggestion to put the dough in the fridge seem to be for the refrigerated dough but could also be for if not refrigerating. Please clarify. Thank you. Btw. I have done the refrigerated method with great success but sometimes I want to make the bread and bake it the same day.
Hey there,
You are going to punch the dough down if you are putting it in the fridge or not. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
In step 2, cover it with what exactly? Cloth or plastic wrap.
Also, if you don’t have a Dutch oven, can you make this in anything else? I have greenpan ceremic/stainless pots.
Thanks
Hey Mita,
Cover with a dish towel and any oven safe pot will work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Can you substitute all purpose gluten free flour?
Hi Sean,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I had high expectations for this bread flavor-wise, and while mine didn’t taste like conventional sourdough, the texture was good. Denser than regular bread but it held up perfectly for the next 4 days, fresh as new after wrapping it in tin foil.
I give the recipe 4 starts because the flavor wasn’t developed enough in my opinion, but I would do it again as a tastier and better texture “white bread” alternative.
Hey Rachel,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! Sorry to hear it wasn’t your fave! xx
Hi, I would love to be able to eat sour dough bread, but it generally has gluten. Some how we have companies like Out of The Breadbox making similar to sour dough bread in a smaller roll yet i can’t find how to make anything like it for my family in a larger sour dough size. Please consider this as a recipe
Thanks for sharing your feedback Anna:)
I decided I had to leave a comment. I discovered this recipe during the sourdough explosion of 2020. I’d received a Dutch oven for Christmas and have always loved sourdough but hate the idea of taking care of the starter. So… perfect recipe.
Since then, I’ve been making about a loaf a week. My kids love it as sandwich bread for school lunches, and it makes the most incredible toast and grilled sandwiches.
Thanks for posting this. I’d rate it higher if I could. I’ve shared it with many others!
Hey Odin,
Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe so often and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it always turns out well for you! xT
OBSESSED with this recipe. I am by no means a talented baker, but this was unbelievably easy. Once it’s cooled, I slice and freeze it so I can eat it through the week (it freezes beautifully, and helps keep it fresh since it has no preservatives). Love it so much, I’ve shared the recipe with my friends.
Hey Karla,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Decided I was making this to go with dinner before I realized I was out of Greek yogurt. Subbed it for sour cream and this turned out fantastic! Thank you for a great recipe.
Hey Cam,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! xx