This bread is SO simple to make and tastes SO delicious. It’s perfect for beginners. This is a basic yeast bread, also known as rustic bread, peasant bread, or artisan bread. This super-easy bread rises and bakes in under four hours, requires no kneading, and is inexpensive to make (less than $1 per loaf)! And, you can make it entirely from your pantry supplies without any need for groceries.
This is a popular recipe, made by many people with great success! I hear many wonderful reports about how it turned out in other kitchens.
I’ve been making loaf after loaf for the last week. So easy and delicious
Michele, YouTube viewer
Easy 4-Ingredient Bread
Equipment
- 1 2.5 quart mixing bowl
- 1 mixing spoon
- 1 sheet of parchment paper
- 1 cotton or linen cloth
- 1 bread knife serrated
- 2 pot holders
- 1 oven gas or electric
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups warm water 105-115°F / 40-46°C — warmer than this can kill the yeast
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast fresh is best
- 4 cups bread flour can also use all purpose flour, but do not use whole wheat
- 2 teaspoons salt any type, I used kosher
Instructions
- Step 1. Mix Your IngredientsPut warm water in a bowl or other container. Mix warm water and yeast until combined, then let sit for 10 minutes. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add water-yeast mixture.1.5 cups warm water, 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 4 cups bread flour, 2 teaspoons salt
- Step 2. Do the First Proof (Rise)Cover your bowl with a clean cloth for two hours at room temperature or slightly warmer (but not cooler). The dough should double in size in this time.
- Step 3. Fold the DoughPut flour on a clean work surface and transfer dough from your bowl to the surface. Fold dough onto itself several times with your hands — do not knead. Form dough into a ball.
- Step 4. Do the Second ProofCover your dough with a cotton or linen cloth and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Step 5. Prepare Your Heavy PotLine your heavy pot with parchment paper. If you do not have a pot, you can just line a baking sheet with parchment paper instead, but it may not get the same golden brown crust. Pre-heat the oven to 430°F (221°C) and put your heavy pot in the oven to warm up with it.
- Step 6. Transfer Dough to PotRemove hot pot and transfer dough ball into the pot. You can score the top of the bread with a knife to control where it cracks, but it's also okay if you do not (I did not).
- Step 7. Bake Your BreadPut the lid back on the pot and return to oven to bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes to get a golden brown crust.
- Step 8. Enjoy Your BreadRemove the bread from the pot. Let the loaf cool to near room temperature, and slice down the middle.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
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Meet Jennifer
Jennifer cooks and experiments in the kitchen at Maker Farm, where she focuses on simple pantry cooking, homemade staples, and practical recipes that make everyday meals easier. Over the years she has tested many ways to make cooking simpler and more dependable, and shares the methods that work best in her own kitchen, occasionally showing them on her Heart to Home at Maker Farm vlog.
Omigosh! Jennifer you finally did it! Or I did, thanks to you! No more throwing loaves out, no more torturing my husband as a taste tester, you gave me a simple but very effective bread recipe. Thank you so much.
I went out of my comfort zone and made this wonderful loaf of bread. It is delicious and easy to make. I hope there are more in the future.
Thank you Jennifer Maker for this recipe. It was so easy to make and the bread came out delicious. I also made some homemade garlic butter with my 1922 Dazey butter churn. This was my first time making both. ❤
Way to go, Mimi!
I had never baked bread before because I was afraid of kneading and not knowing how to do it. But after seeing how simple it looked, I couldn’t resist buying everything I needed and trying it myself. The whole process was wonderful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making and sharing this, so that people like me who had never baked bread before could finally do it. God bless you abundantly.
Thank you so much Jennifer for sharing this bread recipe. First time making it and it was total a success. My husband kept saying ‘this bread is really nice’. If anyone has never made bread before, try Jennifer’s recipe, it’s so easy to follow and the fact that it is a no knead bread is a bonus. I highly recommend this recipe
So happy to hear this, Pat! Thank you!
Hi Jennifer,
I have not yet made this recipe, but I am wondering about the lack of sugar to feed the yeast? Would it affect the texture to add a teaspoon of sugar?
This recipe does not need sugar, but it should not hurt to add it if you wish. 🙂