Instant Pot No Knead Bread - Ultimate Guide (2025)

Statutory Warning - This Instant Pot No Knead Bread flavoured with cheese and herbs is gonna make you so addicted that you would end up coming back to it again and again.

Grab a coffee and follow along this dutch oven bread proofed in Instant Pot is the only ultimate guide to bread making you will ever need.

Popularised by New York Baker Jim Lahey this method of no-knead bread went viral when people had no clue what viral was 😉 and it revolutionalized the way home bakers or even professional bakers for that matter baked bread.

This No-Knead Bread is:

1.Easy no-knead bread recipe one could ever try their hands-on

2. Simple and Fuss Free

3. No stand mixers, no complicated ingredients, no special equipment needed.

4. You hardly need 10 mins of active time to make this bread. Rest, the dough is either prooving or baking.

A bread that has a golden brown, thin, crusty top with a soft, chewy and flavourful interior.

Characterised by the long duration of the fermentation process which forms the gluten strands that gives the bread its characteristic texture.

And this is where our Mighty INSTANT POT bread baking skills come handy.

Role of Instant Pot in making No-Knead Bread:

Proofing dough in Instant Pot is one the best hacks you could ever try.

Especially when it comes to making a No-Knead Bread which calls for overnight fermentation you can totally cut down on the time by half and literally to hours.

In this case, we will use Instant Pot to proof our bread dough and you will just need 4 HOURS to proof the dough.

In fact the other day I was running short of time so I proofed the dough for just 3.5 HOURS and it worked just fine.

So just before having lunch, mix the dough and put it in your Instant Pot and you will have your bread ready to be served hot and fresh for dinner.

I will tell you exactly how in this step by step recipe on Instant Pot No-Knead Bread.

Step-by-Step Recipe to make Instant Pot No-Knead Bread:

Step 1: Making a Wet Shaggy Dough

That's a crucial part of making no-knead bread dough. The dough has to be really sticky and wet.

All you need is just basic ingredients - Flour, Yeast, Salt, Sugar and Water.

But trust me the bread made using this is so bland, I mean it is not flavourful at all. It does have great texture though but no flavour profile at all.

I highly recommend adding some flavours to your bread.

Today I have used a combination of Cheese and Herbs to flavour this bread. Check out 9 other variations to flavour this bread in the post itself.

Add the dry ingredients -salt, flour, yeast, sugar followed by cheddar cheese, rosemary and olive oil.

Simply combine everything into a sticky wet mass by adding water a little at a time.

Even though the recipe says 1.5 cups of water add little water at a time. I was left out with about 2 to 3 tbsp of water.

Step 2: First Proofing

If you do not have an Instant Pot then transfer the sticky wet mass of dough into a greased bowl, wrap it with cling wrap and let it on your countertop overnight to prove.

Next day follow Step 3.

How to proof bread dough in Instant Pot?

If you have an instant pot then grease the inner pot with some oil.

Transfer the dough into the greased inner pot. Cover with a glass lid and not the sealing lid.

Choose the yoghurt button - Normal mode and set the time to 4 hours.

Step 3: Shaping the dough into a boule

That sounds so professional right!!

Haha.. well it is actually a French word meaning Ball. 😉

So basically all you have to do take your proofed dough onto a well-floured surface, add some flour on top as well and then shape them into a nice ball.

Such that the top of the bread should have a smooth surface as much as possible.

You can watch the quick video for how to shape bread boule or watch the detailed video on Youtube from the recipe card or by clicking here.

Step 4: Second Proofing

So once you get a smooth top and nice ball or oval-shaped dough.

Simply transfer it to a banneton - breadbasket that has been pre-lined with a parchment paper.

If you do not have one then you can use any wok shaped bowl (narrow bottomed and wider sides similar to the basket) to do the job.

And if not that simply let it proof on the countertop. It is perfectly alright.

In fact, this method of proofing is termed as "Bench Time"

No matter which medium you choose, try to shape it on a parchment paper as that way it becomes easier to transfer the dough into the preheated dutch oven.

And the proofing time would be 30 mins.

Step 5: Pre-heating the oven along with the Dutch Oven

Once you have shaped and allowed the dough to rest for 30 mins, time to pre-heat the oven.

Put your dutch oven inside the oven (lol.. that sounds funny to me 😉 ) so anyways and then preheat your oven to 450 Fahrenheit or 230°Celsius for 30 mins.

Step 6: Baking the No-Knead Bread

CAUTION ALERT:

The Dutch oven would be super hot at this stage so patiently and carefully take it out of the oven.

Lift the parchment paper (with the dough in it.. of course 😉 ) from the banneton and carefully transfer to the hot dutch oven.

Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle some chopped rosemary and plain flour on top.

Using a sharp knife make 2, half-inch cuts on the bread.

Close it with the lid and transfer it back to the oven and bake with the lid on for first 30 mins. Then remove the lid and bake for another 15 mins.

I know you are already patting your back and you need to for baking such professional looking bread right in the comfort of your home without any efforts.

Just don't let anyone else know the secret 😉

Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread - Do you really need it?

The characteristic of no-knead bread is a wet shaggy dough and long fermentation process.

So when we put it in the oven, the moisture in the bread converts to steam and this where the dutch oven comes into play as it traps the steam and doesn't allow it to evaporate in the initial 5-10 mins of baking.

What does steam do for bread?

1. It helps to keep the crust soft so that it gets the expansion enabled by the "oven spring" activity.
2. Also helps to dissolve the sugar that caramelizes the sugar on top that ultimately gives the glossy, golden and crusty top to the bread.

Also, the heat retained by the dutch oven is much more than our home-based ovens.

So it is highly recommended to use a dutch oven for baking artisan bread.

Can I bake no-knead bread without Dutch Oven?

Oh yes, of course!!!

You can use two skillets instead; one which holds the bread and the other placed upside down which acts as the cover or the lid.

If you do not have skillets then you can bake it in a cookie tray as well or any baking pan for that matter just mimic the steam by placing boiling hot water along with the bread while baking.

I would love to do a separate post on the same.

Will you guys be interested?? Let me know by commenting - YES.. 😀

My 6 major tips for making Instant Pot No Knead Bread:

1. The no-knead bread dough has to be wet, shaggy and sticky mass. Just feel the dough, add water little at a time and mix. If you feel that it is too wet add some flour and adjust.
2. I would recommend you to add flavouring of your choice while making the bread as find the plainer version to be a little bit bland.
3. Shaping the Dough:Do not add too much flour while shaping the dough - you need just 2 to 3 tbsp at the max because you do not want to end up with the dry dough. The moisture content of the dough is the key when it comes to making this easy no-knead bread recipe.
4. Try to make use of a banneton or a bowl similar to it to get that bakery-style shape, well honestly the messier this bread gets the more artistic it looks once baked.
5. Using a sharp knife to score (cut) the bread is the key. You do not want to drag it too much. Be gentle but quick at the same time while making cuts on the dough for that artistic look. Oh please do not miss this step as it is not just for looks but instead, this also helps the bread to increase in volume and expand under the heat. 😀
6. High heat to bake this Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread is another key factor. So make sure that your oven is hot when you place the bread for baking. It takes nearly 30 mins to reach to that high heat so do keep that in mind. 🙂
7. The final 15 mins are what makes the bread crusty. So the longer you bake the more the crustier your top will be ultimately yielding a golden brown, thin, crusty top with a soft, chewy and flavourful interior.
8. Always use a glass lid or a plate to cover your Instant Pot and not the regular lid as if accidentally you allow it to prove for longer there are possibilities that the dough would rise and get stuck to the sealing pin from within and it would become too tough to open the lid.
9. You can use a 3qt, 6qt or even a 10qt Instant Pot to prove the bread.

How to Score Bread - Is it essential?

If you read through my tips, you might have observed in Tip No 5 where I mention about using a sharp knife to score your bread.

This is not just for decorative purpose, scoring has its own role in bread baking.

By scoring a bread you actually allow the bread a chance to increase in volume and expand during baking in the initial oven spring.

If you do not score there are chances that the bread would tear apart or crack at undesirable places and won't yield a rustic looking bread.

Some tips to get the perfect scoring on bread:

1. Use a sharp knife. For beginners, I would advise using fresh new blade. Due to its sharpness, you will find it easier to work with.
2. Do not drag too much. Be gentle and quick. Apply gentle pressure and make cut at an angle. Dragging too much would expose the interiors of the bread and would make it look unpleasant.

No-Knead Bread Variations:

Here are few flavour variations that you can try while making this Instant Pot No-Knead Bread.

1. Instant Pot Rosemary Bread - This seems to be the most common flavour choice. Just add 2 tbsp of chopped rosemary to the dough.
2. Instant Pot Olive Oil Rosemary No-Knead Bread - Ad 1/4 cup Olive Oil and 2 tbsp Rosemary.
3. Cheese and Herbs - Just like the recipe that I have shared today - Cheddar Cheese and Rosemary. Any different type of cheese and herbs can be used.
4. Herbed bread - A blend of herbs - rosemary, basil, chives etc or any other herbs of choice can be used.
5. Triple Cheese - Blend of cheese - Cheddar, Parmesan, Mozzarella etc.
6. Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil - 1/3 cup of sun-dried tomatoes and 3 tbsp of basil would be an amazing flavour variation.
7. You can also opt for a sweeter version by adding cinnamon and raisins or even some chocolate to the dough.
8. Few other variations like pesto, pizza seasoning, garlic butter etc can all be used. I have also shared a list of flavour combination that one can use in my Christmas Star Bread Recipe which you can check out by clicking the link.

Try it for breakfast with some coffee or with a salad on the side or make some sandwiches for school lunches or simply dip into your favourite soup this season, this would surely become your favourite go-to bread here on.

Here is a detailed step by step recipe on how to make Instant Pot No-Knead Bread

If you like this recipe or happen to try it then share your experience below in the comments by giving it a STAR RATING or let me know by tagging me, tweeting me or Instagram me. I would love to connect with you and your posts.

Oh by the way if you love baking bread and too in an Instant Pot then definitely check out my two of the most popular bread recipes by clicking here and here.

Conclusion:

Name it Dutch Oven No-Knead Bread or an Instant Pot No Knead Bread this no-knead bread recipe comes together so easily that even a 4 yr old can totally rock it.

Perfect bread recipe for home bakers.. just mix, prove and bake and enjoy the feel of making artisan bread right at the comfort of your kitchen.

This instant bread recipe has the perfect crusty golden top with a soft and chewy texture from within that would surely be a great addition to your home baking recipes.

Try it for breakfast with some coffee or with a salad on the side or make some sandwiches for school lunches or simply dip into your favourite soup this season, this would surely become your favourite go-to bread here on.

Pin this to your Bread board

I will see you soon with yet another recipe

Until then

Hugs

Sushma