The Easiest Bread Recipe We've Ever Made in an Ooni

If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at bread making but are intimidated by long proofing times, elbow grease, or special equipment, you’re in luck. Here at Ooni, we’ve come up with our easiest bread recipe yet for a mouth-watering loaf with a golden-brown crust and soft interior. It’s perfect for slathering with butter, sandwiches, or served with dips; all you need is a bit of time and a healthy appetite. 

For this oven-baked bread, we were inspired by New York-based author, baker and owner of Sullivan Street Bakery Jim Lahey's no-knead bread recipe, who “[...] first saw it in use in 1991, while working on a farm in Tuscany, when he was 23.” As expected, no kneading is required here (just a few folds), and no wild or hard-to-find ingredients to scare you off – just flour, yeast, salt, water and a bit of cornmeal or wheat bran. Pop the dough in a cast-iron Dutch oven (a lidded pot) and voila: you’ll have fresh-baked bread in no time.

If you’ve never used a Dutch oven before (we’re partial to Cuisinel) it’s ideal for home-made artisan loaves – the steam that’s created in the pot ensures that the bread’s crust will be crispy and the inside crumb soft and open. The steam also helps the bread to rise, as well as keep the surface of the dough cooler for longer. Cooler dough allows enzymes to reduce starches in the flour to simple sugars, which results in that irresistible yeasty, freshly baked smell and flavour. 

The key to getting that coveted steam when you put your dough in the Dutch oven is to preheat the pot about 30 minutes before baking – just be sure to have your gloves handy because you're going to be managing hot cast iron! As a final touch, we like to take our bread out of the Dutch oven for the last 10 minutes or so to get a glossy, golden colour and finish. 

The only danger with this recipe? You just may get hooked on baking and find yourself moving on to sourdough, cakes and baguettes…


Difficulty

Servings

Two 390-gram loaves

Prep Time

21 hours

Cook Time

15 to 20 minutes

By Ooni HQ

Half of a fresh-baked, no-knead bread loaf and two slices, one spread with butter, all on a bamboo serving board next to a plate

Note

This recipe requires about 20 hours for resting and proofing before cooking, as well as a cast-iron Dutch oven with a lid. For best results, we recommend cooking in a Karu 16 or 12G, or any oven that has a door to ensure that the heat is retained inside the loaf and to minimise the risk that your bread won’t cook properly.


1. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt.

Add the 345 grams of water and stir until blended; the dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 12 hours (preferably 18) at room temperature, about 21 °C.

2. Check on your dough: you’ll know it is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles.

At that point, lightly flour a work surface and place the dough on it.

3. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into two balls weighing 390 grams each, using a digital scale for accuracy.

Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape each dough piece into a ball. 

Two hands dividing dough into two balls on a lightly-floured surface with an Ooni Dual Platform Digital Scale and Ooni Pizza Bench Scraper.

4. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour; put the dough seam-side down on the towel and dust with more flour, wheat bran or cornmeal.

Cover the dough with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When ready, the dough will more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked.

One hand touching a proofed dough ball next to another dough ball on a lightly floured surface.

5. At least a half-hour before the dough is ready to bake, preheat the oven to about 305 °C.


6. To prevent the dough from sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven, cut a piece of greaseproof paper into a small circle that fits into the bottom of it.

About 15 minutes before baking your dough, place the Dutch oven into the oven (with the door closed) to preheat for 15 minutes. 

Tip: If cooking with wood, you want the oven to stay hot, but you don’t want a big rolling flame, just enough to get it and keep it at 305 °C. 



7. When the dough is ready, very carefully remove the pot from the oven using your oven gloves.

When the dough is ready, very carefully remove the pot from the oven using your oven gloves. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake the pan once or twice if the dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with the lid and bake for 10 minutes to allow the steam to work its magic for a crispier, taller and better-looking loaf.

One hand wearing an Ooni Pizza Oven Glove taking a Dutch oven with a no-knead bread loaf out of an Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven.

8. With your gloves on, remove the Dutch oven and carefully take off the lid.

Using tongs, remove the loaf from the Dutch oven and place it directly on the stone. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the loaf is beautifully browned to your liking. Cool on a rack.

One hand using tongs to remove a no-knead bread loaf out of an Ooni Karu 16 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven.

9. Slice, serve warm and enjoy! Repeat the steps with the remaining dough.

Ooni HQ

From wood-fired flavour to gas-powered consistency to electrified convenience, you can use Ooni's portable pizza ovens in the kitchen, backyard or beyond.
  • 430 grams plain or bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 gram instant yeast (or 1 ¼ grams active dry yeast)
  • 8 grams flaky salt
  • 345 grams water
  • Cornmeal, wheat bran, or flour, as needed

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