Easy Super Soft No Knead Bread recipe in 5 steps (2024)

You guys!!! This Homemade No-Knead Bread Loaf is the easiest bread recipe you will be ever making!!

All you need to do is mix, proof, transfer to baking pan and bake - it is that simple! Proofing the dough in the Instant Pot is a great hack to efficiently and quickly get your bread from the oven to table!!

Damn, I can never bake a bread!!

How the hell do you shape it?? This just doesn't come together!!!

I can face the world but not the YEAST 😉

If any of this sounds familiar to you.. Then look no further this Easy No-Knead Bread recipe is going to change the way you look at bread.

Popularised by Jim Lahey, this method of bread baking has revolutionized the way home bakers could bake bread!!

Being the most basic of all no-knead loaves, this is your getaway to yeast-based bread baking..

But, What is a No-Knead Bread?

As the name suggests, this is a kind of bread that requires absolutely no kneading..

Less quantity of yeast, wet dough and long duration of fermentation are the characteristics which give the bread its gluten structure to hold together.

Without going into the technicalities let us see,

How to make a No Knead White Bread Loaf in a step by step format:

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

Nothing could be simpler than this!!

5 mins of prep time and you have a beautiful bread dough all ready for you.

Simply combine all the ingredients - water, yeast, sugar (images 1-3) in a bowl or inner pot of your Instant Pot. Give a quick stir.

And add flour, milk powder, salt and olive oil (images 4-7).

Combine everything (image 8) to form a dough.

You are aiming for a wet, sticky mass of dough.

Depending upon the temperature, brand of flour, how old or new it was, humidity and various other factors you might need to add additional 1-2 tbsp of water to get the consistency.

I did add 2 tbsp of water off-camera to the dough.

Before proceeding to the next step let me also take a minute to talk about the Yeast.

What kind of yeast should I use to make homemade bread?

Honestly active dry, fresh and instant - all varieties would work.

If you are using instant or the fresh variety then follow the steps mentioned above.

An active yeast variety needs to be activated first. So once you add the yeast and sugar to the water. Stir to dissolve and then cover it with a tea towel and let it bloom first for 15 mins and then proceed with the recipe.

Step 2 - First Proofing.

Like mentioned the long duration of the bread proofing is what imparts the flavour and texture in this no-knead bread recipe.

So once you have formed the dough, leave it in the bowl itself to prove for 6 hours (image 9 and 10).

The bread would rise beautifully and would almost be tripled in volume.

And here is where our Instant Pot Bread Proofing hack comes super handy.

How to Proof Dough in the Instant Pot?

If you are going to use the instant pot to proof your dough then I would share a little tip which is to mix the bread in the pot itself and directly put it to proofing.

That is one less dish to wash 😉

Ok you can thank me later though.. 😀

Just kidding.

So once the dough is mixed.

Put the pot back onto the base. Cover with the glass lid.

Choose Yogurt Mode (image 10).

Set the time to 3 hours (image 11).

I love this Instant Pot Bread proofing hack so much that I have covered all the details you would want to know in a separate post - Can you proof dough in Instant Pot?

Definitely a good read and would solve many queries that you have related to making Instant Pot Bread.

Step 3: Shaping

So once the dough is proved, release all the air bubbles (that is deflate the dough) using a spatula (image 13).

Transfer it to a greased bread pan (image 14).

My baking pan measures 9×5 inches. An 8.5×4.5 inches bread pan would also work for this particular recipe.

Loosely cover with a cling wrap.

Allow it for second proofing.

Step 4: Second Proofing

Allow the bread to proof for another 30 mins till it has doubled in volume and risen to the very top.

Sprinkle some seeds of choice on top (image 16).

Step 5: Baking the bread

Bake the bread in a preheated oven of 200°C (392°F) for 35-40 mins until the top has a nice golden crust and the bottom sounds hollow.

Once baked let it cool in the pan itself for 5-8 mins and then de-mould and cool completely on a wire rack.

Slice it into even slices once cooled completely and then enjoy with some butter, jam, toast it or use it to make sandwiches of your choice.

I just can't wait to try it with my Homemade Instant Pot Jam.

Do you even count these as a step??

Well, practically what you need to make this No Knead White Bread is to simply combine everything into a dough, proof and bake that's it.

I wish life was as easier as this!!

My Top 6 tips to make Easy Homemade Bread:

1. Check the expiry date of the yeast. If not sure add the yeast to the warm water along with the sugar mentioned in the recipe. Give it a stir, cover with a tea towel and let it sit in a warm place to activate for around 15 mins. If you see small bubbles and the frothy mixture then you are good to go with the recipe.
2. I always prefer weighing my flour and rest of the ingredients rather than going by cup measurements. However, if you do not have a scale yet (though I highly recommend investing in one if you plan to bake regularly; doesn't cost much and lasts a lifetime) check out this video on Focaccia Bread recipe where I teach you the right method of measuring the ingredients to perfect your bread baking techniques.
3. Don't be afraid to add additional tbsp or 2 of water to make a wet, sticky dough. You will do just fine.
4. Grease the baking pan and also the cling wrap that goes on top of the pan while second proofing. The wrap comes out super clean without sticking. I prefer using a cooking spray for this particular step makes your life easier!!
5. Sprinkling the seeds on top not only helps hide the uneven top but also adds to the nutrient quotient and also gives a crunchier texture to the otherwise basic bread loaf.
6. Never be in a rush to de-mould the bread from the pan once baked. The bread is still cooking while cooling so give it a standing time of 5-10 mins before de-moulding and the wait for it to cool completely before slicing.

A unique tip to have Fresh Bread for Breakfast..

Some of you might be knowing this.. but the first time I tried this method few years back I felt like a PRO BAKER and was super happy to serve my family fresh bread for breakfast.

Before going to bed, take out 5 mins.

Combine all the ingredients to form the dough.

Wrap it with a cling wrap and let it sit on your counter-top to prove over-night.

Next morning, the first thing that you could do is transfer the bread to your baking pan and allow it for second proofing and bake.

Fresh bread ready for breakfast!!

If you are planning to let it prove overnight then please place it on your counter-top and not in your Instant Pot.

And if you do want to keep it in your POT then please use a glass lid and not the pot lid.

Even after following the recipe and going through the tips section, there might be some queries that you might have.

Let me address each one of it..

Why did my Bread turn Dense?

One of the obvious reason is, of course, using too much flour.

Like mentioned you are looking for a wet and sticky dough, so do not be afraid to use additional tbsp or 2 of warm water if need be.

The other reason could be substituting any other flour like whole wheat or gluten-free.

This bring to the second query that you might be having.

Can I use any other variety of flour to make this Bread?

Yes, you can.

I have tried this bread with 50:50 APF to Whole Wheat and it turns out just fine.

When planning to make it with completely whole wheat then 1. you might need additional water and 2. this would be on the denser side, nevertheless would be a soft bread.

And yes you can also try it with a gluten-free bread too. That too might be little dense though.

Can I make this bread without an Instant Pot?

Yes, definitely.

Follow the steps mentioned in Step 2 from the above step by step pictorial recipe or from the recipe card.

I do not have Yogurt Setting in my Pot, Can I still make this Bread?

Of course. Why not.

Again follow step 2 of making the bread.

However, you cannot use the Keep Warm setting as it is too hot for the dough and you would end up cooking the dough rather than proofing.

I do not have the Instant Pot Glass Lid, what can I use instead?

If you are following this recipe with the ingredients and time mentioned then you can use the pot lid itself.

You can use any other lid from a different pan that would fit.

Or simply use a plate or wrap it with aluminium foil.

What kind of Yeast do you use to make bread at home?

I always and always use Instant Yeast to make bread at home.

Other than that you can make this no-knead bread recipe with fresh yeast and also with active dry yeast.

Check out the detailed pictorial step 1 for more additional details.

Can I make this bread without yeast?

No, this is not a Yeast-free Bread recipe.

But if you note the amount mentioned is just 1 tsp which is not much.

If you are running short of yeast, you can also use just 1/2 tsp in that case you might need to prove the dough a little longer.

Just note that the dough should have almost doubled if not tripled in volume.

Can I use this recipe to make Dinner Rolls, Baguettes or any other type of bread?

Instant Pot No Knead Artisan Bread - Ultimate Guide is super popular among our readers.

It has more than 6k shares since I shared it a few weeks back and I receive so many pictures on my mail id, Pinterest and Instagram every other day all sharing their success story.

This being a sticky dough, to shape the bread into dinner rolls or baguettes would be a bit difficult, the recipe would need some tweaks here and there but if you guys are interested I would share the recipe soon.

Let me know about your thoughts by leaving a comment down below.

How to Store Homemade Bread?

I simply store my bread in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

You can also put your bread container or bread bag to good use here.

I do not recommend keeping the bread in the fridge as it tends to dry out faster.

Freezing Option:

Wrap the bread well in aluminium foil and place in a ziplock bag.

Freeze for up to 2 months.

A tip to note here is that I would recommend you to slice the bread and then freeze, that way you can take out each piece individually rather than de-freezing the entire bread.

To Thaw:

Thaw it on countertop or microwave for 20-30 sec or simply toast it in your toaster directly from the freezer.

Along with the no-knead bread, you can see the dinner rolls in the picture above, trust me guys this is the softest dinner rolls recipe and trust my words on that or check out our insta stories for additional testimony.

My Baking Pan:

I got a lot of queries regarding my bread pan when I shared the white bread recipe on the blog last week.

So thought of sharing the details here as I am using the same pan for this recipe too.

My pan is 9x5 inches in measurement. Made of aluminium, one of the pan from my 4 other pull man loaf set that I got from my India.

This is the ideal size I use for baking bread.

I have used the smaller one to make Instant Pot Terrine - a fudgy and not a cheesecake dessert.

This is a similar pan I found on Amazon which would work for this recipe.

If you like this recipe or happen to try it then share your experience below in the comments by giving it a star rating or let me know by TAGGING ME,TWEETING MEORINSTAGRAMME. I would love to connect with you and your posts.

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Originally published on Dec 28, 2017.

Edited on 03 April, 2020 to add step by step pictorial images along with improvised tips and tricks, better quality images and a video with better sound and picture quality.

Conclusion:

This is the easiest bread recipe you could ever try your hands on!!

All you need to do is mix, proof, transfer to loaf pan and bake - it is that simple!

Proofing in the Instant Pot makes it even quick and faster.

Perfect for beginners and home bakers find step by step photos and videos to make this vegan bread ready in time for breakfast.

A soft and chewy bread with a characteristic golden crust with some butter is surely going to make your mornings bright.

I will see you soon next year with yet another recipe.

Until then
Hugs
Sushma