🍞 I Don’t Buy Bread Anymore! No Kneading, No Eggs, No Butter!
If you’re looking for a simple, inexpensive homemade bread recipe, this one is worth saving. You only need a handful of basic ingredients, and there’s no kneading, no eggs, and no butter. The dough is simply mixed, allowed to rise, shaped, and baked. No-knead bread works because resting and fermentation allow the gluten to develop without traditional kneading. (Budget Bytes)
📝 Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose or bread flour
- 1½ cups (360 ml) warm water
- 2¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil — optional
For an even simpler version, you can leave out the sugar and oil and make a basic flour-water-yeast-salt loaf. (Wheel of Baking)
👩🍳 How to Make It
1. Activate the yeast
Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and yeast and stir.
Let it sit for 5–10 minutes, until the yeast becomes slightly foamy.
Tip: The water should be warm, not hot. Very hot water can damage the yeast.
2. Make the dough
Add the flour and salt.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir everything together until there are no dry patches of flour.
If you’re using olive oil, stir it in now.
Don’t knead! The dough should be soft and somewhat sticky. That’s exactly what you want for this style of bread.
3. Let it rise
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a lid, or a clean kitchen towel.
Place it somewhere warm and let the dough rise for about 1–2 hours, or until it has noticeably increased in size. (Little Healthy Life)
For even more flavor, you can use a longer, slower fermentation in the refrigerator.
4. Shape the loaf
Lightly flour your work surface.
Gently transfer the dough onto it. Don’t aggressively knead or punch it down.
Shape it into a round or oval loaf.
5. Second rest
Place the shaped dough on parchment paper or in a lightly greased baking dish.
Cover and let it rest for another 30–45 minutes.
6. Prepare the oven
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
For an especially crisp crust, place a Dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot inside while the oven preheats.
7. Bake
Using a Dutch oven:
Carefully transfer the dough into the hot pot. Score the top with a sharp knife if desired.
Cover and bake for 25–30 minutes.
Remove the lid and bake another 10–15 minutes, until deeply golden.
Using a loaf pan or baking dish:
Bake for approximately 30–40 minutes, until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
8. Cool before slicing
This part is important! 🍞
Transfer the bread to a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Cutting it while it’s piping hot can give you a gummy or compressed interior.
✨ Why This Recipe Is So Good
✔️ No kneading
✔️ No eggs
✔️ No butter
✔️ No expensive ingredients
✔️ No stand mixer
✔️ Beginner-friendly
✔️ Great for sandwiches
✔️ Delicious toasted
✔️ Perfect with soup, stew, or eggs
✔️ Easy to customize
🌿 Easy Variations
Once you’ve mastered the basic loaf, try adding:
- 🧄 Garlic + dried herbs
- 🌿 Rosemary
- 🧀 Shredded cheese
- 🌶️ Jalapeños
- 🫒 Olives
- 🌻 Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- 🌾 Sesame seeds
- 🧅 Dried onion
- 🧈 Garlic butter after baking for a richer version
🥪 How to Serve It
This bread is wonderful sliced and toasted with jam or honey in the morning, used for sandwiches at lunch, or served warm alongside soup or stew.
And if you have leftovers, don’t waste them! Turn them into croutons, breadcrumbs, French toast, or garlic toast.
🧊 Storage
Once completely cool, store the bread in an airtight container or bread bag at room temperature for about 2–3 days.
For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze the slices. You can toast them directly from frozen.
💰 A Budget-Friendly Homemade Staple
That’s the beauty of this recipe: flour, water, yeast, salt, and a little time can become a beautiful loaf of homemade bread. No complicated equipment and no long kneading session required.
Save this one—you may find yourself making homemade bread much more often! 🍞❤️
Would you make this instead of buying bread at the store? YES or NO? 👇
