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The Best (easiest) No Knead Bread. Crusty on the outside, light and airy inside, with just a little rosemary swirled throughout. It’s the easiest bread, yet still impressive. It’s best served warm right out of the oven with softened butter and a sprinkling of sea salt. Serve alongside your favorite soups, chili, pasta dishes, with roasted chicken, or even on its own. This is certainly sure to become a weekly staple!
Every time I make a pot of soup or chili or even a creamy curry, I also make bread. Many times I’ll go for everyone’s favorite, honey butter beer bread. And if I’m making Indian, I always, always make naan.
But on snowy Sundays in January, I make my no-knead bread. I’ve been making this for years, sometimes with rosemary, it’s delish with or without.
We LOVE it. But my no-knead bread isn’t like others. I have a little secret.
Instead of water, I use beer, which I think enhances the flavor of the bread. You don’t know it’s there, but it gives the bread more of a sourdough flavor, just without all the work.
Kind of like a “cheaters” sourdough bread in a way.
If you have my Super Simple cookbook, I use this recipe for my pizza dough too. Either way, it’s baked up, it’s delicious. But We really LOVE it as bread (plus I have a new and improved pizza dough that I’ve been making all the time now).
Here are details
Step 1: mix the dough
Mix flour with instant yeast, fresh rosemary (if you like), and salt. Now, pour over a room-temperature can/bottle of beer. If you don’t drink, use 1 1/2 cups warm water.
Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not do any kneading!
Step 2: let that dough hang out
Now, cover the dough and let it hang out on the counter in a nice warm spot for at least 12 hours. I usually let the dough sit overnight or even over two nights for more flavor.
Step 3: bake
Preheat the oven to 450°. Place a cast iron Dutch oven into the oven to preheat. Get it nice and HOT.
Shape the dough into a ball or an oval. Let it rise on a piece of parchment paper while the oven is heating. When ready, you can lift the parchment and the dough up and into the hot Dutch oven.
And then you bake it. Nothing fancy at all. Not even a stand mixer. We love this bread. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
Step 4: enjoy it
Of course, we love this bread most when it’s fresh from the oven. Topped with really good butter and a small amount of sea salt – so yum!
Or serve it up with dinner. Soups, chilis, and slow-roasted meats are our favorites. Or use it for avocado toast. For sandwiches, the options certainly are endless.
Looking for other breads to make? Here are a few to try:
Salted Honey Butter Jalapeño Cheddar Rolls
Jalapeño Cheddar Popovers with Honey Butter
Soft Garlic Herb Cheddar Cheese Bread
Easy Pull Apart Garlic Parmesan Bread
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Lastly, if you make this The Best (easiest) No Knead Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
The Best (easiest) No Knead Bread
Servings: 1 loaf
Calories Per Serving: 1450 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast (rapid rise)
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 (12 ounce) can or bottle room temperature beer (or 1 1/2 cups warm water)
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, rosemary (if using), and salt. Add the beer and mix with a spatula until combined. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours, but ideally overnight. 2. Preheat oven to 450° F. Place a large Dutch oven in the oven to preheat for 30 minutes. 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 on a piece of parchment. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size. 3. When ready, carefully lift the dough and the parchment and place in the Dutch oven. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep, golden brown, about 15-20 minutes more. Remove from the oven. Enjoy with softened butter and sea salt. YUM!Â
The dough was so loose it was more like pancake batter and when I formed the ball the parchment stuck to it should I increase the flour next time? That being said it was delicious
Hi Michelle,
Yes, it sounds like you needed some additional flour. Was there anything else you may have adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xT
I had to leave a 5 star review on this one. So easy and so delicious (especially with Rosemary). My entire family loved it and I’m taking my second loaf now.
Hey Bri,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well! Have a great weekend! xT
If you’re looks like pancake batter you’re doing it wrong. Try making it again and look at your measurements properly. I make it weekly without problems.
OMG, this bread was so awesome. Absolutely delicious! I added some chopped Kalamata olives along with the rosemary. I don’t know from different types of beer and ended up going with Corona from the advice of the clerk in the store. Wonderful bread!
Question could I make this and add shredded cheese?
Yay!! Love to hear this Terry! Thanks so much for giving this bread a try:) Sure, I bet cheese would be yummy here! xT
This recipe is amazing. So easy and received great feedback from the crew that enjoyed the loaf. What was left over we toasted in the morning and it was amazingly delicious toasted up. My new go to. I am making again and trying bread flour this time to see if there is any difference. Thanks for this recipe, it makes me look professional!! P.S. All I had was Bud Light and it worked great. It will be fun to fool around with other beer flavors and see what the results are.
Hey Gretchen,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This is the best and easiest bread I’ve made in a long
Thank you
Yay!! Love to hear this Bonnie:) Thanks so much for making this recipe and your message! Have a great week! xT
Whatttt!!! This was so easy and came out so delicious. Definitely bookmarking this recipe!
Quick question, you think it’s ok to slice and freeze this?
Hi Jordan,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Yes, I think it would be just fine for you to slice and freeze:) xT
I started this yesterday & wondered about letting sit overnight. Because we keep the house cool at night, I proofed it in the microwave (google for how to). We didn’t have any beer in the house, so I used water as suggested. It really was a sticky mess when I took it out of the bowl, and didn’t rise in the hour. After baking it, covered, for 1/2 hour, I basted the bread with a bit of melted butter before cooking it for the last bit of time. It has a great chewy crust (reminiscent of a sour dough). This is a great bread for soups or stews.
Hi Ali,
Amazing!! Thanks a lot for trying this bread and sharing your notes, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I have tried this recipe followed the instructions exactly and left it overnight. Unfortunately when it came to trying to make the dough into a ball the dough stayed runny and sticky. I also left it to rise for an hour and it didn’t double in size either so not sure what I’ve done wrong. I will try again.
Hi Adrienn,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the recipe? Was your beer room temp? Please let me know how I can help! xT
Thank you for this recipe.
The instructions state to let the bread sit on the counter for at least 12 hours at “room temperature.” Room temperature can be anywhere from 60°F – 80°F depending on the time of year and where you live.
To be successful, does the temperature of the room make a difference and what should it be?
Thank you,
Deni
Hi Deni,
I did not test the recipe checking on the temperature of my kitchen, so as long as it’s on your counter and not in the fridge it should be good! I hope you love this recipe! xT
What happens if you don’t have a cast iron Dutch oven, or a Dutch oven at all?
Hi Suzanne,
You could use an oven safe skillet and cover with foil. That should work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi! I would really love to try this using the same beer that you use! What are some of your faves for this bread?
Hi Natalie,
I love using a pumpkin beer, but something as simple as a Modelo also works great! I hope this helps! Xx
This is my first time making bread and the initial dough was rough looking not smooth like yours, does the smoothness come with the rising? *concerned* lol
Hi April,
Thanks for trying this recipe! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? The dough should be pretty smooth. Please let me know how I can help! xT
Would love to try this as a sourdough cheat – sometimes I just don’t have the time for sourdough! What type of beer would you recommend for a slightly sour flavor but without the flavor of beer? Thanks!
Hi Susie,
Thanks!! I would try a sour beer, I know Sierra Nevada and Dogfish head both make one that you should be able to find at your local liquor store. I hope this helps! xT
Would this work as a pie dough as well??
Hi Maria,
I would not recommend this as pie dough. You might like this recipe though:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/my-favorite-buttermilk-pie-crust/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I made this tonight (started the dough about 22 hours ago) with Heineken beer and bread flour and it came out absolutely perfect!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, love to hear it was a hit! xT