As we all start to adjust to the limitations of our new “stay at home” routine, one thing that I have noticed is a sharp rise in the number of you requesting more information on bread making. For me, bread is therapy. The mixing, the forming, the baking, and finally, the sampling of a warm slice slathered in butter, are all so satisfying! So, it almost goes without saying that I am so glad that more and more of you are trying your hand at this wonderful and rewarding part of baking.
If you have never attempted baking a loaf of bread before, this “bread in a pot” recipe is for you. If you are a confident baker and just want to have a fresh bread for dinner tonight without fussing too much about it, this recipe is for you too! I scaled my recipe for the rustic Easy no-knead bread from a few years back and simplified it even more, so you now can make a smaller loaf.
Three ingredients are all you need for this easy bread recipe: all-purpose flour, yeast, and salt. Most important, there is no kneading required, so, really, there is no excuse not to attempt making this bread this weekend.
Step by Step photos:
- Get all your ingredients ready.
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Form a dough, cover it and let it rise.
- Dough rested and ready to bake.
- Form a ball of dough and place it on parchment paper. Place it in a preheated pot with a lid and bake it.
- When the bread is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Now that you know the easy steps of making this foolproof “bread in a pot” recipe, I really hope you will try this easy recipe and maybe even make it your baking project this weekend!
Foolproof “Bread in a Pot”
- 3 cups All-Purpose or bread flour
- 1 tsp. active (or instant) yeast
- 1½ tsp. sea salt
- 1½ cups water
- Measure out your ingredients and warm the water to lukewarm (about 110°F). Whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the water to the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is just incorporated. The dough will feel a little wet; do not worry about it and do not add more flour to compensate. Do not knead the dough.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it on your counter for 6-8 hours. It should double in volume by that time with some bubbles forming.
- Turn on the oven to 450°F. Place a covered, 6-quart Dutch oven (like Staub or Le Creuset or Lodge) or a large ovenproof pot (like an All-Clad) in the oven, and heat it for 30 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, sprinkle a work surface with some flour. Flour the top of your dough and your hands as well. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the work surface. Shape the dough into a round shape, folding the sides inwards to form a ball (you can use a dough scraper for this, if you have one). Lift the dough ball and place it (seam down) in the middle of a large piece of parchment paper. Let is sit, covered with a towel while the pot heats in the oven.
- Open the oven, slide the rack towards you and carefully remove the lid from the hot pot. Lift the dough and the parchment pepper together and place them in the middle of the pot, making sure not to touch it--at this point, the pot will be piping hot! Re-cover the pot with the lid and bake for 30 minutes (during this time the steam trapped inside the pot will make the dough rise before the crust sets). Uncover the pot and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or, until the crust turns golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the Dutch oven or pot, place it on a rack, and let it cool down for 15 minutes before slicing it.
2. If you do not have instant yeast, you can use active yeast instead. Dissolve the yeast in the water and add it to the mixture of flour and salt. Proceed with the recipe.
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Marilena,
This bread is pure magic! I know, because I have made the original loaf many times.
I love the yeasty, airy, chewy crumb and the wonderful, ‘professional’ crust. I can’t wait to try this scaled-down version of one of my all-time favorite breads. Thank you!
– Ratatouille.
Thank you so much for your feedback and your kind words! I hope you try this recipe – I know you are going to love it for its simplicity and great flavor!
What’s the best way of keeping the bread fresh for a few days?
I wrap it in plain paper bags and paper kitchen towels first and then I place it in sealed plastic bags. It will keep on your countertop well for up to three days. If you don’t think you will eat it fast enough, cut it in half and freeze the second half!
Hello Marilena! This is similar to my Prosforo recipe- I am not able to do this now so I will make for my family.
Thank you
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, yes it is similar to Prosforo recipe but much, much easier. As you know, to make a prosforo, you will need an active starter and some kneading to form the dense loaf….. Give this a try, it is so easy to make and so delicious too!
This bread is absolute perfection. So easy and just tastes amazing. Followed the simple recipe and I was so impressed with how it turned out. My husband decided he “will keep me around’ after his first slice. This recipe will be a staple in our house. Thanks Marilena, keep those fantastic recipes coming!
Thank you so much for you feedback and you kind words, Angie! So happy to know that you had success with my recipe and that it is now a staple at your house!
No yeast to be found in several stores I’ve checked BUT a good friend is mailing me some. So sometime this week John and I hope to make our first loaf!!!
I know how hard it is to find yeast these days….. I guess everybody is baking, right? A friend from San Fransisco mailed me some yeast too, which was wonderful, as King Arthur Flour is completely sold out for now! ?
Hello Marilena, I am going to make this bread when I find instant yeast. Can I use all purpose flour in lieu of King Arthur? I am sure this is a five star recipe!
Hi Lynn! You absolutely can use any All-purpose flour (provided it is “unbleached”).
The reason I like to use the AP King Arthur flour is because it has a much higher protein content, almost as much as “bread flour”. The extra protein in the flour gives more elasticity and strength to the dough!
Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Hi Marilena! Love this bread and recipe. Can I use a multi-grain flour and add some seeds and oats?
Yes, you can use about 50% whole wheat or multi-grain flour for this recipe! If you use seeds as part of your dry ingredients, you will need to adjust the water a bit, as seeds do not absorb liquid!
Can you make 2 smaller loaves in Dutch ovens. I have 3 quart size. It’s only my husband and myself.
Yes you can, Karen! They will just be smaller loaves and you will need to adjust a bit the cooking time.
You can also save half of the dough in the refrigerator, to use later, if you prefer! I hope this helps!
Can this recipe be adapted for the Ninja Foodi 8qt?
Hi Andrea,
Any cookware that is oven-proof, should be fine! I am not familiar with it, but, just check the manufacturer’s info regarding safe oven temperatures!
Marilena
I’ve made this recipe, and others similar to, a couple of times. However my dough is never as “wet” as your picture shows. Is this an issue?
Hi Catherine,
Depending on the kind of flour you use and the way you measure, your dough might feel less wet. Generally speaking, “wet” dough produces lighter bread, full of small and larger holes. The dough in this recipe is a higher hydration dough. However, if you are happy with the loaves you made, then do not worry about it!
Just started another load this time with 1/2 wheat and 1/2 bread flour. Have also done a cranberry walnut variation. All wonderful. Thank you for the original recipe.
Best wishes for 2021.
Thank you for sharing, Catherine, all flavor combinations sound delicious!
Happy 2021!
This is my go-to bread recipe, I love it! It’s so easy and perfect for someone like me who doesn’t know how to deal with a sourdough starter … thank you, Marilena!
That’s wonderful, Alice, so happy to know that you liked it! It is such a simple recipe and works even time!
Can I make this recipe in a loaf pan?
Yes, just make sure you line the pan well with parchment paper!
Hi Marilena,
Sadly, this bread didn’t work for me. I used 2 cups bread flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour (both King Arthur brand), and KA instant yeast. I’m not sure what happened. Everything looked pretty good, although the dough was very wet. The dough rose well (maybe too well? Maybe I let it over proof). But it looked pretty flat when shaped into a ball, it didn’t rise much in the oven (in the Le Creuset pot). When I tried to slice it after cooling, I could hardly get the knife through it. The bread was sticky inside and inedible. Kind of like it wasn’t cooked through. I had baked it for 30 mins covered and 15 uncovered. Very strange. I’m really hesitant to try again as I can’t identify what the problem was. I’m just getting into bread baking and this was the first loaf that didn’t work for me.
Oh! I did measure the flours by weight, according to how many grams were in a cup, per what it said on the bags. Like for the w-w flour, KA says there are 113 grams in a cup, so that’s what I weighed out. Possibly I should have used the spoon-and-level method instead. Maybe there was too little flour and too much water.
All the best, Lisa
Hi Lisa,
From your description, your dough was likely too wet which did not allow it to rise in the oven! For easy breads like this, I do not measure flour by weight, I just use a measuring cup. If a recipe requires measuring by the “spoon-and-level” method, I specify that in my recipe.
Since you measured your flour by weight, you ended up using less flour overall….If you just dip your measuring cup into the flour and scoop it out, and then use an offset spatula to level your flour, you get 138 gr. of flour. This is considerably more than the 113 gr. you said you had!
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!
Thanks for responding, Marilena! I’m sure the weighing thing was the problem; I’m going to try again!
What do I do if the dough has doubled in size and has bubbles after an hour? I used bread flour and instant yeast. Still wait for the 6hrs or bake?
Refrigerate your dough to stop proofing. I am surprised it doubled in size so fast with just one teaspoon of yeast… Did you use more yeast?
Best bread ever. My family can’t get enough!!
That’s great, Ritu! This has been my go to recipe for so many years now, it never fails! Thank you for sharing!
I can literally hear the bread ‘Talking’ as it rests on a cooling rack.
It looks delicious.
I scored it slightly and put a smudge of olive oil with a touch of sesame seeds before baking.
Can I wait 20 more minutes while it cools?
So glad you made this easy bread, Patricia! It is my family’s favorite bread:) I am sure the sesame seeds will taste great, let me know how you like it!
Well I couldn’t wait?
It was truly yummy, great toasted too!
TY for the recipe.
You are very welcome, Patricia! So glad you liked this bread so much!