I haven’t always been the most confident baker when it comes to recipes that call for yeast, but that was before I was introduced to this easy overnight bread! The thought of baking a loaf of bread from scratch can be intimidating, but this recipe is so simple that even the most novice baker could pull it off.
Plus, we all know that the aroma and flavor of freshly baked bread are their own rewards! A slice of warm bread with butter is one of life’s simple pleasures, one that’s easier to enjoy than ever with this simple overnight method.
Give it a try, and experience the rewards of making your own bread for yourself!
Looking for bread sans gluten? Don’t miss my favorite gluten-free bread recipe!
How to Make Easy Overnight Bread (no Kneading Required!)
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Active dry yeast
- Warm water
Directions:
Step 1 – Mix the Dough
Start by whisking the flour, salt, and yeast together in a medium-sized bowl. Gradually add the water and stir with a wooden spoon. Mix the dough gently and form it into a ball.
Step 2 – Rest
Transfer the dough to a large ungreased bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside in a room-temperature area. Let the dough rise for 12-18 hours, or until the surface is covered in bubbles and the dough has at least doubled in size.
Step 3 – Prep the Dough
When the dough is ready, place cast iron pot with a lid (like a Dutch oven) inside your oven, turn it on, and set it to 450°F. Let the Dutch oven warm up in your oven for about 30 minutes or so.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Fold the corners of the dough under to create a smooth, rounded ball, then place the dough on a large square of parchment paper and dust the surface with flour. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.
Next, use a sharp knife to score an X-shape into the top of the dough. (The cuts should be shallow and just a few inches long.) Then use a spray bottle on the mist setting to spray the top of the dough lightly with water.
Step 4 – Bake
Remove your preheated Dutch oven and use the parchment paper to lower the dough into the pot. Place the lid back on the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes.
At this point, remove the lid and bake your bread for an additional 8-15 minutes to get a deeper color on the crust. You want the top to be dark, but not burnt.
Remove the finished bread from the oven and cool on a rack for 30 minutes before slicing.
More Ideas You'll Love
Step 5 – Eat!
Now comes the best part: eating! I love a slice of this bread toasted, buttered, and sprinkled with the perfect cinnamon sugar mix. Or slather a piece of your fresh homemade bread in nut butter or jam, and dig in!
More Bread Baking Tips & Tricks
- If you don’t own a Dutch oven, or a cast iron pot, you can use the insert of your crock-pot or a deep stoneware baking dish. And if those don’t have an oven-safe lid, you can always cover it with foil instead!
- Customize your loaf by mixing in your favorite ingredients. Add garlic and herbs for a savory loaf, dried fruit and nuts for a sweeter loaf, or a handful of your favorite shredded cheese. Yum!
- For an even quicker bread, try my mom’s English Muffin Bread!
No-Knead Overnight Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 – 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, salt, and yeast together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Gradually add the water while stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Transfer the dough to a large ungreased bowl, then cover with plastic wrap. Leave the bowl out at room temperature for 12-18 hours, or until the surface is covered in bubbles and the dough has doubled in size.
- Place a Dutch or French oven in your oven, then set it to 450°F. Let the Dutch oven warm up for about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface, then fold the corners of the dough under to form a smooth, rounded surface. Place the dough on a large square of parchment paper, then dust with flour and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife to score an X-shape into the top of the dough. (The cuts should be shallow and just a few inches long.) Mist the top of the dough lightly with water.
- Remove the preheated Dutch oven, then use the parchment paper to place the dough inside. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 8-15 minutes.
- Transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and allow it cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
How much add-ins should be used in this bread for fruit and nuts?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is an exact duplicate of an Italian bread called “Pane Casereccio,” which turns out the same.
Excellent bread; well worth making.
The difference is that it calls for an enameled Dutch Oven, but if you don’t have one that’s enameled, then use parchment paper. Add the cover to the oven (Step #4) so it also heats up, making the bread bake a little faster. You don’t need to score the top with a sharp knife or lame–the bread will give you that signature top without it.
I just made this over the weekend and it’s gone already!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.(UPDATED COMMENT FROM 2021)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just did this bread. It turned out wonderful! Golden brown on top, crunchy crust… and extremely easy to make. I will just grease the paper next time, because it got stuck to the bread.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Since I am relative beginner, at least rough measurements on inngredients!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This bread looks delicious. Is it OK to use something other than a cast iron pot?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sure, Lea… You can use a heavy metal pot instead.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is it possible to substitute the flour with gluten-free flour?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hello everyone. I just joined the free OGT about ten minutes ago.
Well, I followed this recipe yesterday, baked it today and I have no idea what went wrong, but coming out of the “proofing bowl” it was sticky. There was no way that I could shape it. Yes, I did use flour on the counter, the parchment paper, my Dutch Oven, preheated in the oven…
What went wrong?
The bread came out doughy–so I gave it to the birds.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.VERY disappointed.
I have been making this exact recipe for 4 yrs. I got the recipe on Jennie can cook.com. It really is delicious and ez. Just to update you on a slight modified version, you can make this in 2hours. Just use rapid rise yeast instead. Same directions except cover with Saran Wrap for 60 min. Then lay on floured surface and just turn dough about 10-12 turns. Put dough in parchment lined bowl cover with towel for 10-12 minutes. Then add paper and dough in cast iron or ceramic pot in very preheated 450 oven. For same amount of time. Makes the same bread but faster.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What size dutch oven do you use?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a 4 qt.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great recipe my fiance and I loved it! Thanks!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve never made bread before but like so many others this quarantine has inspired me to try. Just put this in the oven. It was pretty sticky and much flatter looking than your photos. We’ll see how it turns out soon though.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can I use rapid rise yeast?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have made this so many times. Always fantastic. And so yummy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi, no where in the remarks do I seem to find if you leave the oven at 450 during the 30 minutes baking time? I would like to try this tonight, bake in the AM from my home office (!!! it will smell so good while I am doing data….). But don’t want to leave the oven on if I should turn it off once I put the bread into the pan, cover it up and then put it back in the oven.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes you do leave it 450 oven.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There’s a recipe from “Jenny Can Cook” that is the same except it only takes 2 hours. It’s delicious!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi Jillee,
That looks really yummy. Unfortunately, the hoarders in my area have taken all the flour. I haven’t been able to find any for weeks. I will one day, and I will make this bread for sure.
Also, I haven’t seen a cleaning tip from you in regards to rubber spatulas. If the heads come off, as many of them do, they should be removed before putting into the dishwasher, or hand washing. When I first started doing this I was surprised at the funk that collected in there.
Thanks for all your tips and suggestions, I really enjoy getting these every day.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great recipe, thanks for sharing. I use a Crock-pot insert for baking this bread. According to Crock-pots’s website, the temperature of the oven should not exceed 400 degrees. I do not use the lid but use foil with another oven proof lid on top to create a tight seal. From what I read on other baking sites, it is impotant to have a tight seal because the bread has to steam-bake for that 30 minutes. I bake the bread at 400 without any problems. It is also important to insert your cooking vessel before turning the oven on. I do not preheat the lid.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I forgot to say that I add 1 heaping tablespoon of caraway seeds when I bake the bread. I mix it with the dry ingredients.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks Jillee for reposting this recipe. I have 3 precious packages of Rapid Rise Yeast that I’ve been saving for just this kind of recipe. It’s the perfect comfort food we need right now. I also wanted to give a shout out to your community of followers — all their tips and comments really help a beginning homemaker like me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just pulled my second ever loaf of bread using your recipe out of the oven! Outstanding results. I mixed it up last evening at 6:00 pm, at midnight it had risen so much, but I left it overnight and got it in the oven by 0640 this morning.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made the recipe last week but didn’t proof the yeast and although it turned out ok and edible it wasn’t like this one! I found your recipe yesterday afternoon and it’s proved to be the best one! So thank you! What with being at home more than I’ve ever been I decided to try my hand at making bread. Going to try making French baguettes one of these days soon.
Can I use table salt instead of kosher salt?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used himalayenne salt and it was Ok
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Salt with iodine can inhibit rising, so you can use table salt but you might not get as much rise.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes you can
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have now made this a few times and love it. I use my crockpot insert and because I don’t have parchment, I sprinkle it with corn meal. I have also substituted 1 cup of white flour with wheat flour and had great results. The only thing different is, my dough is always so much more wet and stickier then yours looks. Otherwise it is an awesome recipe.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So anxious to try this recipe but there is no yeast available ANYWHERE in our area. Darn virus!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.No yeast to be found in south east Ark either… What in the world are they doing with it?? Plenty of bread to be had, the yeast is as hard to find as the toilet paper!!! LOL
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I ordered some from Amazon. It was a one pound package and came within a week.
lol it’s the same for us in Montreal. I had to beg my neighbor to give me some.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This sounds amazing, can’t wait to try! BUT…Is there a point that my oven temp should be lowered or do you do all the warming up AND the baking at the 450?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.All at 450…I bake this bread, almost exclusively, now. It is important to get the dutch oven good and hot before “plopping” the bread in.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Did anyone else find that the dough was way too soft and wouldn’t hold it’s shape after combining all the ingredients? I followed the recipe perfectly and the dough was a giant blob!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If the dough is too soft, simply add more flour! You want to mixture to be loose and soft, but not wet or sticky :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve had not issues with wet and sticky except it’s a bit more difficult to put in the pot.
I probably added near a cup more flour and it still will not hold shape. It falls into A blob during the 15 min. Rest time. I’ve tried twice now. What else can I do?
Make sure you always aerate flour before measuring. Make a huge difference. I make this bread a lot. There is also the quickest recipe 2hrs. Use rapid rise yeast. Same outcome believe me.
Thanks Linda for the suggestion, I also had the same problem. I only wish that the recipe said that! It would not have been a flop :-(
Great tip about the flour, thank you.
Very important to aerate your flour before measuring. This is why many recipes are too wet or dry. Not to sift but stir and fluff before you measuring flour.
You must areate flour first always bc if not your measurements will be off. Not sift. But fluff the flour before measuring
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Now being a senior citizen and recently become a widower I have never made bread before, and this looks fairly simple. The only thing Jillee is, what size of cooking vessel are you using. What would you say would be the best size pot for the your advised ingredients once the mixture has risen. Does it have to be cast iron or crock. Could an enamelled metal casserole lidded pot be used. Otherwise it means paying out a lot to buy a Dutch oven.
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