No-Knead Bread Recipe • 5★

Recipe from Jim Lahey

Adapted by Mark Bittman

Updated December 28, 2025

Jospeph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

8:05Credit...Scott Loitsch and Scott Loitsch

Here is one of the most popular recipes The Times has ever published, courtesy of Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan Street Bakery. It requires no kneading. It uses no special ingredients, equipment or techniques. And it takes very little effort — only time. You will need 24 hours to create the bread, but much of this is unattended waiting, a slow fermentation of the dough that results in a perfect loaf. (We've updated the recipe to reflect changes Mark Bittman made to the recipe in 2006 after publishing and receiving reader feedback. The original recipe called for 3 cups flour; we've adjusted it to call for 3 ⅓ cups/430 grams flour.) In 2021, J. Kenji López-Alt revisited the recipe and shared his own tweaked version. —Mark Bittman

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3 ⅓ cups/430 grams all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting

Generous ¼ teaspoon/1 gram instant yeast

2 teaspoons/8 grams kosher salt

Cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed

Step 1In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 ½ cups/345 grams water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 ½ cups/345 grams water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Step 2Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Step 3Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

Step 4At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Where you use towels to hold the dough, I use parchment paper...then I grab the paper, lower it into the 450 degree pot put on the lid, and bake it. No sticking. No burning.

My results were equally perplexing. I used 3 c of flour. Added 1 c butter and 2 c semi sweet morsels. Two eggs and some vanilla. Instead of forming a loaf, I spooned tablespoon sized balls on a baking sheet. Baked for 10 mins at 350. Came out tasting like chocolate chip cookies!!! Not sure what I did wrong. Maybe a little more tweaking will help.I'm kidding, but you didn't follow a single thing from the original recipe. Your comment has nothing to do with Bittman's recipe.

I've made this for years. I double or triple the batch and after rising 2 hours I put it, tightly covered, in the fridge. The next day I take out a large handful/grapefruit sized amount of dough, shape it and let it rise on the counter on a lightly floured silpat covered with a kitchen towel for 1-2 hours depending on how much time I have. Follow the preheat directions and use the silpat to transfer the dough to the pot. You'll have dough for days and it will taste more complex as days pass.

We make this almost every week.

completely stuck to the bottom of the pan. DO NOT ignore the parchment tip. also smelled like vinegar while baking; I think 18 hours was too long for the initial ferment. crust is nice but the inside seems gummy, we'll see if it changes when it's cooler

You should really weight the ingredients in this recipe, makes a huge difference. Also, let the dough rise for at least 18 to 24 hours. So much better

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread