Make this No-Knead Italian Bread in a Dutch oven and prepare to be amazed! Just stir the ingredients the night before, fold the dough after 12 hours, and let it rise. Bake it and enjoy the most delicious bread with a crunchy crust and open crumb! It's one of the best Italian Bread Recipes!

This No-Knead Italian Bread might be our favorite bread of all time. And that's saying a lot, since we love so many kinds.
We've been drooling over this Artisan Italian Bread, these Crusty Italian Rolls and this Semolina Bread.
But this overnight Italian bread is a game-changer. Its long rising time (12-18 hours for the first rise, then two hours after the dough is folded) produces the most delicious, airy bread with holes. And baking it in a Dutch oven yields the crunchiest, tastiest crust.
The no-knead method is just a bonus.
I based this off of Jim Lahey's recipe in the New York Times but tweaked the ingredients and added olive oil to give the bread a plush texture. I also followed the advice of others who recommended using parchment paper to help transfer the sticky dough to the Dutch oven.
You have to try this!
Recipe ingredients
Flour: All-purpose flour works great here. But, feel free to use bread flour.
Yeast: I always use instant yeast for this recipe. I store a one-pound package (affiliate link) of it in my freezer for convenience.
But you should be able to use active dry yeast here instead without proofing it, because of the long rising time.
Olive Oil: I love the flavor and moisture olive oil brings to this No-Knead Italian Bread. If you skip it, the bread probably would have even larger holes.
Water: Use room-temperature water. This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of water, which produces a more hydrated, stickier dough. It's needed to result in a loaf with more holes.
Salt: I added slightly more salt to this recipe than I use in my Homemade Italian Bread. The Dutch oven Italian bread tasted bland when we tested it with less salt. But just an extra ¼ teaspoon made all the difference!
How to make Italian no-knead bread
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
Make the dough
Start the night before you want to bake the bread.
- Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the warm water and olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon until you have a shaggy dough.
- Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise for 12-18 hours at room temperature.
Fold the dough
- Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto greased parchment paper. Press it into a thick, rectangular shape.
- Fold the top half down toward the middle.
- Fold the bottom half up over the first fold.
- Fold the left side over toward the center.
- Fold the right side over toward the middle.
Rise and bake it
This is an overview, so be sure to see the recipe card at the end of this post for more details.
- Flip over the folded dough so the seams are down on the parchment paper.
- Cover and let the dough rise for two hours.
- When the dough is ready, place it with the parchment paper in a heated Dutch oven.
- Bake the Italian No-Knead Bread in the pot with the lid on at 450 degrees F, then take the lid off for the last 10-20 minutes.
Recipe tips
- Using greased parchment paper underneath the dough after the first rise will help you transfer the sticky dough to the pot.
- Baking the bread with parchment paper in the Dutch oven will prevent sticking and give you handles to lift the bread out of the pot. This parchment paper (affiliate link) can withstand heat up to 450 degrees F.
Dutch oven to use
For this recipe, use a 6-8 quart cast iron Dutch oven. It can be with or without enamel. You can see in the photos that I own a simple, black, cast iron pot (affiliate link).
If you'd like an enameled pot, here is an economical choice by Lodge (affiliate link). Of course, you can go for the famous Le Creuset brand (affiliate link).
How to store Italian no-knead bread
As with most freshly baked bread, this is best eaten by the next day. Store it at room temperature, wrapped in plastic and then placed in a brown bag. Don't refrigerate it, or it will dry out.
If you know you won't use all of the bread within a day, slice it and freeze it in a zip-top freezer bag.
More recipes to try
- Easy Bread Dipping Oil
- Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia
- Italian Sausage Bread
- Italian Garlic Bread
- Casatiello (Neapolitan Easter Bread)
- Friselle (Italian Twice-Baked Bread)
Enjoy!
If you try this No-Knead Italian Bread recipe, please leave a comment and a rating!
No-Knead Italian Bread (Dutch Oven)
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (430 grams; can use bread flour)
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast (can use active without proofing it)
- 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups room-temperature water
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- The night before you bake the bread: In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, yeast and salt. Stir with a spoon to combine. Pour in the water and olive oil. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix. The dough will be sticky.
- Lift up the dough and grease your mixing bowl with cooking spray (you can use the same bowl without cleaning it first.) Place the dough back in the greased bowl and roll it around to coat it with the oil. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 12-18 hours at room temperature.
- When the dough has risen, it will be puffy and soft. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gently transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper that you've greased with cooking spray. Lightly spray your hands with cooking spray and pat the dough into a thick, rectangular shape.
- Starting at the top long edge, fold the top half over the middle. Fold the bottom half over the top fold. Fold the left side toward the center. Fold the right side toward the middle as well.
- Flip over the folded dough so the seams are on the bottom. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it rise for two hours.
- When the dough has 30 minutes left to rise, remove the top rack of the oven so there is plenty of space above the middle rack. Place a (6-to 8-quart) cast iron or enameled Dutch oven, covered with its lid, on the middle rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- When the dough is finished rising, remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Use the corners of the parchment paper as handles to lift the dough into the pot, along with the parchment paper. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes initially.
- Then, remove the lid and bake the bread for 10-20 minutes longer, until the top is browned nicely. Use the corners of the parchment paper as handles to lift the bread out of the pot and transfer it to a wire rack to cool. You can tap the bottom of the loaf to make sure it sounds hollow. If not, it needs to bake a little longer.
- Store the cooled bread at room temperature, wrapped in plastic and then placed in a brown bag. It is best eaten by the next day or so for freshness. For longer storage, it's best to slice the loaf the first day and freeze it in a freezer bag.
Notes
- If you use active dry yeast, you don't need to proof it first because of the long rising time.
- If the lid on your pot has a plastic or rubber handle, wrap the handle in foil before using it in this recipe.
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Adapted from Jim Lahey's no-knead bread in the New York Times.)
Jenn says
This was absolutely amazing!
How would you suggest storing the leftovers?
Mamma C says
Hi Jenn - I'm so glad you enjoyed it! See step 9 in the recipe for my suggestions.
Wayne says
Wonder if this could be adapted to use whole grain flour?
Thanks,
Wayne
Mamma C says
Hi Wayne - You should be able to use a 50-50 combination of all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour with good results. If you wanted to only use whole grain flour, the bread might turn out really dense. I haven't tested that.
Louise Ciarleglio says
I have made this 3x, love it! How can I get the top crust browner, without burning the bottom? thank you!
Mamma C says
Hi Louise - You could take the lid off sooner while baking. You can try 20 minutes with the lid on, then 20 minutes with the lid off.