No-knead Italian bread that’s rustic, crusty, and easy as heck. Believe it.

This no-knead Italian bread is every bit as simple to make as the name suggests. Seriously. With only 10 minutes of effort, you can make a loaf of bread that easily rivals one you’d buy at your favorite artisan bakery with a chewy crust and a light crumb. The only catch? You have to remember to start it the night before.–Angie Zoobkoff
Why This No-Knead Italian Bread Recipe Works
The reason this recipe works despite being no-knead is that the bread isn’t kneaded but does have a long rising time of 12 to 18 hours to create a risen texture. The inspiration for this recipe was an article published in the New York Times several years ago that featured a revolutionary no-knead bread by Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery. In addition to making bread, you can use this recipe to make dough for pizza and focaccia.
No-Knead Italian Bread
Special Equipment: A 3-quart (2.8-liter) clay-covered, ceramic, or cast iron pot, or Dutch oven with lid (or a larger pot of the same kind)
Ingredients
- 1 cup semolina flour* (163 grams), plus more for dusting and coating
- 1 cup 00 flour* (or substitute cake flour) (140 grams)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour* (120 grams), plus more if you are braiding the bread
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (6 grams)
- 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (1 gram)
- 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (300 ml)
- Melted butter or lightly beaten egg white (optional)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Directions
- 1. In a large bowl, stir together semolina flour, 00 flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and yeast. Add the lukewarm water and stir until the ingredients form into a slightly dry, shaggy dough, about 1 minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture and let the dough rise at room temperature (between 65º and 75ºF or 18° to 24°C) for at least 12 hours and up to 18 hours. After this time, the surface of the dough should be covered with small bubbles and the dough should have risen significantly.
- 2. If you’re making a round or rectangular loaf, gently run a spoon around the bowl to deflate the dough. Use the spoon to gently fold the dough over itself. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. If you’re making a braided loaf, flour a board or surface with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and turn the dough out onto it. Deflate the dough by pressing and kneading the flour into the dough until the dough no longer feels quite as sticky. Roll the dough into a long loaf. Cut the loaf into 3 equal pieces and, using your hands, roll each piece evenly into a rope about 12 inches long. Place the ropes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Braid the bread starting in the middle of the ropes. Take the left rope and cross it over the middle piece. Take the right rope and cross it over the rope that is now in the middle. Repeat crossing left over center, followed by right over center until you reach the end, as if you’re braiding hair. Pinch the bottom ends together and tuck them under the loaf. Repeat for the other side. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
- 3. If you’re making a round or rectangular loaf, spread about 1/4 cup semolina flour onto a cotton dish towel. Take the dough out of the bowl and use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle or ball, depending on the shape of your pot or Dutch oven. The dough will be sticky and shaggy. Fold the dough into thirds and place the dough seam-side down on the dishtowel. Sprinkle some more semolina on the bread. Bring the sides of the towel over the bread to cover loosely. Let the dough rise until double its original size, about 2 hours. If you’re making a braided loaf, move on to step 4.
- 4. While the dough is rising, place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 450ºF (230°C).
- 5. About 30 minutes before the dough is finished rising, place a heavy clay-covered, ceramic, or cast iron pot or Dutch oven with a minimum size of 3 quarts into the oven and heat the pot while the dough finishes rising.
- 6. If desired, after the dough has risen, lightly brush it with melted butter or lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Remove the pot from the oven, gently lift the dough from the towel and place into the pot seam side up. Cover the pot and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the bread is brown on the outside, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the loaf from the pot and cool on a wire rack before slicing.
*NOTE
- To simplify the recipe, you can substitute King Arthur brand bread flour in place of the semolina, 00, or all-purpose flour. You may need to adjust the rise time for the dough to double in size, so watch carefully.
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Would love to see pic of finished product if anyone has one to share…THANKS!
Hey, Lauren. As soon as we have some, we’ll post them!
I love doing Dutch-oven baked bread. Wondering how one fits the braided loaf into the pot. I have a 9-quart oval Le Creuset…would that work?
Roni, we didn’t test it that way. As long as you’re able to wrestle the long loaf into the hot pot and can convert the baking time, I say it’s a go!
Interesting, because that’s the image you have for this…the braided loaf. I might try this with my oval Dutch oven, making a braid that’s more squat than the photo, like my challah. But not today – I already have my own version of a sesame semolina bread in the oven.
Roni, can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Started this last night at 7:30, finished it this morning. Was just cool enough by lunchtime for my adult son to enjoy a PBJ with two slices cut from the center. He loved the moist and light texture compared to other semolina breads I’ve baked. Used 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill semolina flour and 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill artisan bread flour and baked in 6-quart Dutch oven. Came out a bit flatter than I’d hoped. Next time will do the final 2-hour rise in a parchment sling in a 5-quart mixing bowl and transfer that to a smaller (4-quart) Dutch oven for baking. Will also cut slashes across the top.
Sounds good, Roni. And it looks great!
A few thoughts. The first time I made this I made the mistake of using it to make rolls. Tasty but the crust was way way crusty–a challenge for the use I had in mind. This time I braided it. I just took it out of the oven and can’t wait to taste it. I did it in a clay loaf pan with lid. But I would suggest that if you are going to braid it and then try to turn it upside down into whatever vessel you are using, that you sprinkle semolina on the parchment. I could not get it off the parchment to turn upside down into the clay so I put it in, right side up on the parchment. It worked out fine, but if there is a reason to turn it upside down then the semolina would allow that to happen. Will be playing with this a lot. Can’t wait to taste it again. Also, I used a thermometer, rather than time, to determine doneness. I uncovered it at 20 minutes rather than 30, then took it out 10 minutes later. It was 195-199 on instant read thermometer which is within the range of fully baked. Thanks for the recipe. As I say, I expect to have fun with it.
Wow, Jennifer. Love that you are having so much fun playing with this recipe. And thanks for the tip on the semolina!