No Knead Cheddar Bread (Printable)
Rustic golden loaf with crisp crust, tender cheesy crumb. Perfect for sandwiches, toasting, or soup.
# What You Need:
→ Dry Ingredients
01 - 3 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons salt
03 - ½ teaspoon instant yeast
→ Cheddar
04 - 1½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
→ Wet Ingredients
05 - 1¼ cups lukewarm water
# How-To:
01 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast until well blended.
02 - Add the grated cheddar and toss to distribute evenly throughout the flour mixture.
03 - Pour in the lukewarm water and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until a shaggy, sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.
04 - Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a clean towel. Let dough rise at room temperature for 3–4 hours, or until it has doubled in size and bubbles form on the surface.
05 - Preheat your oven to 450°F. Place a Dutch oven or heavy pot with lid inside to heat up for at least 30 minutes.
06 - Once the dough has risen, lightly flour a work surface and your hands. Carefully turn the dough out, shape it into a round loaf, and place it on parchment paper.
07 - Cover with a towel and let rest for 20–30 minutes while the oven continues heating.
08 - Using oven mitts, remove the hot pot from the oven. Lift the dough with the parchment paper and lower it into the pot.
09 - Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes to create steam and develop the crust.
10 - Remove the lid and bake another 10–15 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
11 - Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing to ensure proper texture.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The crust gets impossibly crispy while staying tender inside thanks to that steam bath in the Dutch oven
- Five minutes of active work transforms into something that looks like it came from a bakery
02 -
- The dough should feel sticky and slightly tacky not dry like sandwich dough this creates those signature irregular holes
- That second bake without the lid is non-negotiable for the crunch factor I once skipped it and ended up with soft pale crust
03 -
- Put a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below your Dutch oven to catch any cheese that melts and drips
- The pot needs at least 30 minutes of preheating or the crust wont develop properly I learned this the hard way