No-Knead Bread with Herbs and Olive Oil
A foolproof no-knead herb and olive oil bread dough with the flavors of olive oil and herbs. We love serving this alongside pasta. You won’t need any special equipment or skills to make this.
For an extra crispy crust, you can preheat an empty, metal-rimmed baking sheet and pour 1 cup of water on it to create steam.
If your dough hasn’t doubled in size after ten hours, give it more time. Let the dough be your guide, not the clock.
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Table of Contents
Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need
Use dried herbs instead of fresh (except for the rosemary), since the fresh will have too much moisture. All you need is a baking sheet, but if you have a Dutch Oven, use it.
This makes 1 loaf, but it freezes great, so make a few extra loaves for later. To double or triple this recipe, or use metric measurements, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup water plus 3 tablespoons
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast or active dry
- 3 tablespoons mixed dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, optional, use it if you have it
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
How to Make
If you have a Dutch oven, you’ll get a better rise in the oven and a browner crust. Preheat the Dutch oven and carefully lower the shaped loaf into it. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes, and off for 15 minutes.
Step One: Mix
In a large bowl, get all your ingredients together – the flour, water, salt, sugar, olive oil, yeast, rosemary, and your chosen herbs. Stir it up with a rubber spatula. The dough will look ragged, but don’t worry, that’s how it should be.
Step Two: First Rise
Cover the bowl tightly with some plastic wrap and leave it to rise on your kitchen counter. We’re aiming for a ten-hour rise. The dough should roughly double in size, but if it doesn’t, just leave it be for a bit longer.
Step Three: Second Rise
Once the dough has risen, scoop it out of the bowl and shape it into a smooth ball. Use the baking sheet you’ve prepared with either parchment paper or cooking spray.
Find a warm spot (like inside a briefly heated oven or near a bowl of hot water) and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes. Remember to remove the dough from the oven before preheating it to 425 degrees.
Step Four: Slash
Decorate the top with a little flour and rosemary if you want, then make slashes on the top.
Step Five: Bake
Finally, it’s baking time! Bake your beautiful creation for 35-40 minutes at 425. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s turned a deep golden brown and the inside temperature is around 200 degrees.
Storage Instructions
Note: Make sure the bread is completely cool before storing. This takes hours.
To store the bread, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or put it in a zip-top bag at room temperature. It will last about 2-3 days.
If you want to make it last longer, you can definitely freeze it. Just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove the foil and leave it at room temperature for a few hours.
Questions and Troubleshooting
I prefer dried. Fresh are wet and tend to have less flavor after baking. Rosemary is the exception.
Bread flour is fine, but you’ll need a bit more water.
More No-Knead Bread Recipes
- This simple no-knead bread without a Dutch Oven will give you great everyday bread.
- Cinnamon raisin no-knead bread is delicious. Let it rise overnight and bake in the morning.
- Cheddar jalapeno no-knead bread makes an amazing grilled cheese!
- Use slices of cranberry nut no-knead bread to make a turkey sandwich.
- No-knead dinner rolls are so easy, you’ll never want store-bought ones again.
- No-knead sourdough IS possible! So straightforward that anyone can do it!
Printable Recipe
No-Knead Herb and Olive Oil Bread
Equipment
- Dutch oven with lid optional, see note
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 cup water plus 3 tablespoons
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast or active dry
- 3 tablespoons mixed dried herbs such as thyme, oregano, basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary optional, use it if you have it
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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Instructions
- Mix. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, water, salt, sugar, oil, yeast, rosemary, and other herbs. Use a rubber spatula to mix well, incorporating any dry areas of flour. The dough should form a shaggy ball. If there are any dry bits that are not being incorporated, add a few more teaspoons of water and mix again.
- Cover and rise. Tightly cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap. Place the covered bowl on the counter and allow it to rise for ten hours. Ideally, it will have doubled in size. If the dough has not changed much in size, give it more time to rise on the counter. You can always place the dough in the fridge to slow the process down and pick it up again later.
- Shape. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or spraying it generously with nonstick cooking spray. Gently pick the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a smooth ball. Pull from the bottom of the dough to smooth out the top rather than smashing the dough down. Deflate any large air bubbles that have formed. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the loaf with flour and some additional rosemary for decoration if you'd like. Using a very sharp knife or lame, make a slash in the center of the loaf, cutting around ¼ inch deep.
- Second rise. Prepare a warm place for the second rise, either by briefly turning on your oven or placing a bowl of hot water inside it. Cover the ball of dough with greased plastic wrap, making sure that the loaf is completely covered. Let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until puffy but not quite doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425℉ with the rack in the center. Be sure to remove the dough from the oven first.
- Bake. Bake the loaf for 35-40 minutes at 425℉. The finished loaf will be deep golden brown and have an internal temperature of 200 degrees. Carefully remove the bread from the baking sheet and place it on a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for at least thirty minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Love,
This was amazing!! My husband, a serious foodie, even asked me why we bother buying bread when we can have this! This bread is getting a permanent spot in my recipe box. Any suggestions for other toppings/additions besides herbs?
hey Tess! that’s so great to hear! yes I have a lot of mixins I love: diced, drained, pickled jalapeños with cubes of sharp cheddar/ chocolate chunks and dried cherrries/ lemon zest and fresh blueberries 🙂
Hi, I love your site EVERYTHING that you publish it is the way I feel it should be and for that I thank you. I just wanted to know how can you measure water in grams? could it be that it should read 280ml instead of grams? please clarify I would love to make your no knead bread as a gift for a dear friend of mine.
Thank you and please keep up with the wonderful job you are doing.
Maria del Carmen
hey Maria, you can for sure measure water in grams, it’s just a unit of weight 🙂 but mL will be the same for water. go by the picture and look of the dough not as much as the weight. I hope you love it!