No knead eggless bread recipe

No-Knead Eggless Bread

Prep: 10 minutes
Rise: 8–18 hours
Bake: 40–45 minutes
Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour

• 1½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp instant yeast

• 1½ cups (360 ml) lukewarm water

• 1 tsp sugar or honey, optional

• 1 tbsp olive oil, optional

Instructions

1. Mix the dough
   In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and optional sugar and olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a shaggy, sticky dough. Do not knead.

2. First rise
   Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid. Leave at room temperature for 8–18 hours. The dough should become bubbly and roughly double in size.

3. Shape
   Generously flour your work surface. Scrape the dough onto it and gently fold the edges toward the center a few times. Shape into a rough ball. Don’t knead or deflate it too much.

4. Rest
   Place the dough on parchment paper, cover loosely, and let it rest for 30–45 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven
   Place a Dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot with its lid inside the oven. Preheat to 230°C (450°F) for at least 30 minutes.

6. Bake
   Carefully transfer the dough, on the parchment, into the hot pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

7. Brown the crust
   Remove the lid and bake for another 10–15 minutes, until the loaf is deeply golden brown.

8. Cool
   Transfer to a rack and let it cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. This allows the crumb to finish setting.

For a softer crust

Brush the hot loaf lightly with melted butter or olive oil as soon as it comes out of the oven, then cover it with a clean kitchen towel while it cools.

If you don’t have a Dutch oven

Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking tray. Put a separate metal pan on the bottom rack while preheating. When you put the bread in, carefully add about 1 cup of boiling water to the pan to create steam. Bake at 230°C for about 35–45 minutes.