Instant Pot No-Knead Bread

With this quick no knead bread, you get a loaf of crusty, artisan bread in less than two hours! Proofing the bread dough in the Instant Pot cuts down on the rise times dramatically.

The smell of freshly baked bread in the air lends such an air of homey comfort, doesn’t it? And nothing tastes better than a crusty, warm loaf with a soft and tender crumb.

But those gorgeous loaves can take so. much. time. and effort. And most people don’t have either of those to spare. That’s what makes no knead breads so popular–they give us the fresh crust and crumb we crave while requiring little more than a quick mix and a few hours for the yeast to work it’s magic.

But what if I told you that even no knead bread just got easier? Even quicker than it already was? It truly is now, thanks to the Instant Pot. This Instant Pot No Knead Bread is truly the quickest, easiest way to get a perfect loaf onto your table and into your belly.

To Make Instant Pot No Knead Bread…

…the only tools you need are a smallish mixing bowl, a measuring cup, and wooden spoon, and, of course, an Instant Pot. Any size will work, as long as your mixing bowl will fit inside it. The ingredients are incredibly straightforward also. You probably have most of them on hand! You’ll need:

• Water
• Yeast
• Sugar
• Flour, all-purpose or bread
• Salt

How to Make Instant Pot No Knead Bread

• Start by placing 1 cup (8 oz.) of lukewarm water in a mixing bowl. It should be less than 110°F, or feel neither cold nor hot to the touch. Yeast is a living organism, and water that is too hot will kill it and your bread will not rise. Which would be really, really sad.
• Sprinkle 2 1/2 tsp. (8 g.) instant or active yeast over the water, then add 2 tsp. (8 g.) sugar on top of it and stir together. Allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the yeast has dissolved and become bubbly and foamy. If it doesn’t do that, your yeast is dead and you’ll need to get new yeast before making bread.
• Add the flour and salt to the water and yeast and stir together until a rough, shaggy dough starts to form. It’ll be very dry, so slowly stir in more water a tablespoon or two at a time until you have a soft, tacky (but not wet) dough.
• Once your dough is thoroughly mixed, cover it with a clean towel and place the bowl in your Instant Pot. Push the yogurt button until the light is on the “Normal” setting, place the lid (a glass one will work too!) over the top, and allow it to sit for 25 minutes. The dough will not quite double, but should be puffy and noticeably risen.

• Preheat the oven to 425° with a Dutch oven, pizza stone, or baking sheet inside {see notes}.
• After the dough has proofed for 25 minutes, remove the bowl from the Instant Pot. Turn it out on a clean towel that has been generously sprinkled and spread with flour–don’t skimp on the flour, since your dough will be rising in it and will stick there isn’t enough. Fold the edges of the dough up several times until it forms a tight ball, then pinch the bottom of the dough together.
• Pick up the corners of the towel, place it back in the bowl, and pop the bowl back in the Instant Pot on the yogurt setting for another 15 minutes.
• Once the second rise is completed, remove the dough from the Instant Pot and turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper that’s set on top of a peel (you can use any edgeless, flat surface, like the back of a baking sheet). Using a baker’s lame or a sharp knife, cut a slash across the top of the loaf.

• Working quickly, open the oven, remove the Dutch oven lid, and slide the bread in. Replace the lid and close the oven door as quickly as possible.
• Bake the bread for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10-15, or until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the bread sounds hollow when you tap it.
• Allow the bread to cool for at least 15 minutes, though an hour is even better.
• Slice and enjoy your Instant Pot No Knead Bread!

Recipe Notes

• If you’ve been around here for a while, I probably sound like a broken record, but I’ll say it again…if at all possible, bake by weight rather than by volume. Not only does it give you a more consistent, satisfactory result, it saves you dishes to wash (hurray!). If you do prefer to bake by volume, be sure to scoop flour into the cup with a spoon and scrape it off level, rather than using the cup itself as your scoop. That method will pack a lot of extra flour into the cup and you’ll have a drier dough.
• You can use all-purpose or bread flour for this recipe. Just be aware that different types of flour have different moisture absorption rates, so watch the dough consistency when adding water to make sure that it’s not too dry or wet.
• While this is a no knead bread recipe, giving the dough a few turns will give you better crumb structure. But there’s no need (Ha! no need…get it?) to turn the dough out on the counter and make a mess. Simply flour your hand, sprinkle a little more over the dough, and give it a few folds in the bowl. Voila!
• Scoring the top of your loaf may seem counterproductive in getting a rise, but it’s actually a very important part of a well shaped loaf. Scoring/slashing helps the bread rise up where it’s been cut since it’s getting less resistance where you’ve cut the gluten structure. Don’t worry if the loaf deflates a bit when you cut it–it’ll spring back up when it hits the heat of the oven.
• For the crustiest loaf, I recommend baking the bread in a cast iron Dutch oven.
• If you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can also bake on a pizza stone or a baking sheet. Whichever option you’re using, I recommend placing them inside the oven as it preheats. The heat from the baking surface will give your dough a better rise, also called oven spring, from hitting a very hot surface.
• Let your loaf rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing, though an hour is better. After it’s taken from the oven, it will continue to bake and slicing it too early could give you a gummy interior and a smashed loaf.

Bread Making Tools

Here are a few things that might make bread making easier for you. None of them are strictly necessary for this recipe, as long as you have a bowl, spoon, a way to measure, an Instant Pot, and an oven.

• Any mixing bowl that fits inside your Instant Pot work to proof the bread. This 3 quart mixing bowl is one of my favorite things in my kitchen, and it fits perfectly into an 8 quart IP.
• I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven (thank you, wedding registry!) for all of my artisan bread baking, and it really is a fabulous thing to have in your kitchen collection. However, they are definitely an investment piece. This one from Lodge is a more affordable option that will definitely do the job well!
• A baker’s lame (pronounced lahm) will make a quick, deep cut. However, a sharp, straight edged knife will also do the job.
• I really recommend using a bakers scale for a more consistent result and no measuring cups to wash. Win win. Here’s one that’s really affordable and works great.
• Bread is best sliced with a bread knife (I know, Captain Obvious here). Here’s the one I have and love!

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