In a nutshell
- 🍞 3-ingredient no-knead bread (plus water) with a bakery-style crust in just 5 minutes prep, using a screaming-hot Dutch oven for pro-level steam.
- ⏱️ Clear metrics: 400 g flour, 1 g yeast, 8 g salt, 320 ml water; rise 8–18 h, proof 30–60 min, bake 30 min covered + 12–15 min uncovered.
- 🔥 Science that works: high hydration + long rest builds gluten, steam fuels oven spring, and the Maillard reaction delivers that blistered, crackling crust.
- 🥖 Step-by-step: mix to a shaggy dough, long ferment, fold and shape, score, bake hot, then cool at least 45 minutes; target an internal temp of ~96°C for best texture.
- 🌾 Practical tips & tweaks: prefer bread flour (plain works), preheat to 230°C (210°C fan), try 20% wholemeal or rye or seeds, and scale the method with confidence.
Imagine tearing into a loaf that cracks like kindling and sings as it cools, yet took you all of five minutes to prepare. This is the quiet magic of the 3‑ingredient no‑knead bread (plus water), a cleverly lazy method that gifts you a bakery‑style crust and open, glossy crumb with almost no effort. Five minutes of hands‑on prep, bakery finish at home. The secret isn’t frantic kneading or special equipment; it’s time, moisture, and a very hot pot. Ideal for busy weeknights or languid Sunday brunches, it’s the kind of recipe you’ll memorise after one bake, then riff on endlessly.
Why This No-Knead Method Delivers Bakery-Level Results
The science is simple but striking. With a high‑hydration dough, gluten strands align gradually as the mixture rests, so you don’t have to knead at all. Yeast works slowly, creating carbon dioxide and subtle acids that deepen flavour while strengthening the dough’s structure. Time does the kneading you don’t want to do. That’s the heart of the no‑knead approach: patience replacing elbow grease, consistency replacing guesswork.
Then comes heat. Baking inside a preheated Dutch oven (a heavy, lidded cast‑iron casserole) traps steam released by the wet dough. That steam keeps the surface supple during the oven spring, letting the loaf rise dramatically before the crust sets. Remove the lid and the exterior dries fast; the Maillard reaction takes over, caramelising sugars into a blistered, burnished shell with real crackle. The crumb stays tender and moist because the crust now guards it like armour. You get lift, you get sheen, you get that bakery shatter. It’s repeatable, forgiving, and brilliantly satisfying.
The Three Ingredients, Tools, and Exact Timing
We’re counting three staples: flour, yeast, salt. Water hydrates, but most bakers don’t list it as an “ingredient”. Use strong white bread flour for reliable structure, though plain flour works in a pinch. A pinch of instant yeast is enough because slow fermentation does the heavy lifting; salt keeps the yeast in check and amplifies flavour. The rest is a clock and a hot pot. Below is a concise reference you can stick on the fridge.
| Item | Quantity (Metric) | Notes / Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Strong white bread flour | 400 g | Room temperature |
| Instant yeast | 1 g (about 1/4 tsp) | Do not overdo |
| Fine sea salt | 8 g (about 1 1/4 tsp) | Balances flavour |
| Water | 320 ml | Cool to lukewarm; 80% hydration |
| Active prep | ~5 minutes | Stir until shaggy |
| First rise | 8–18 hours | Covered at room temp |
| Second proof | 30–60 minutes | While oven preheats |
| Bake | 45 minutes | 30 covered, 15 uncovered |
Tools: a mixing bowl, a spatula or spoon, baking paper, and a 20–24 cm cast‑iron casserole with lid. Preheat your pot to 230°C (210°C fan). That screaming‑hot enclosure is your professional steam oven, without the price tag.
Step-by-Step: From Bowl to Shattering Crust
Stir flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Pour in the water and mix until you have a rough, sticky mass—no dry patches, no kneading. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for 8–18 hours. The dough will double, grow bubbly, and smell gently sweet. Dust the worktop, tip out the dough, and fold it in thirds like a letter, twice, using a scraper if you have one. Shape into a tight ball, seam down on a square of baking paper. Rest 30–60 minutes while your Dutch oven preheats at 230°C (210°C fan).
Lift the dough by the paper and lower it into the hot pot. Score with a sharp knife or razor—one bold slash helps it bloom. Lid on, bake 30 minutes. Lid off, bake 12–15 minutes until deeply golden and crackling. For precision, aim for an internal temperature near 96°C. Cool on a rack at least 45 minutes; the crumb finishes setting and flavours round out. Cutting too soon squashes the steam‑soft crumb and dulls the crust’s snap. Slice thick for stews, thin for toast, or tear with butter and sea salt for a simple, triumphant finish.
This is everyday alchemy: three pantry staples, water, and a clock yielding a loaf that wouldn’t look out of place behind glass at your favourite bakery. The method scales, too—double the batch, or swap 20% of the flour for wholemeal or rye for a nuttier edge. Add seeds if you like, but try it plain once to taste the pure grain and long ferment. Five minutes in the bowl, a day on the counter, a roar in the oven—job done. What will you tweak first: flour blend, crust colour, or the ritual of when you bake so it’s still warm for supper?
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