No Knead Rustic-Style Artisan Bread

4.93 from 27 votes

A simple no-knead rustic-style artisan bread recipe proofed in your Instant Pot and baked to crusty perfection. Perfect for home bakers seeking easy, hands-free comfort bread.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Instant Pot Proofing4

Total Time5

Course: Bread, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Artisan Bread, Bread, crusty bread recipe, easy crusty bread, Instant Pot, Rustic-style bread

Servings: loaf

Author: Silvia Dunnirvine

Equipment

Instant pot
Dutch Oven

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pecan, finely diced
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp honey or sugar

Instructions

Mix lukewarm water with honey, stir to combine. Add in yeast, cover and wait about 10 minutes. Mixture will look foamy.
In a large bowl combine flour, salt, cranberries and pecan. Set aside
Pour yeast water into the flour bowl. Using a wooden spatula fold until all the flour are incorporated. You can finish this step using your hands, to fold into a ball/ loaf. Dough will be sticky and surface uneven.
Place the bread dough in a greased instant pot, cover and turn pot on yogurt mode for 4 hours*. At the end the dough will be twice the size and have lost the round shape.
When the time is up, add a little bit of flour to your counter/ working surface and transfer the bread dough from the instant pot to the prepared surface. Roll dough into a ball without overworking it, tucking any extra dough on to the bottom side. Let the bread sit on the counter while you pre-heat the oven.
Place a dutch oven, cast iron or any oven-safe deep pan with cover in the oven and pre-heat to 450F. When oven is heated to 450F carefully remove dutch oven and sit it on a towel and line with parchment paper.
Carefully place bread dough in the dutch over, cover and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes covered. Remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes un-covered or until bread crust is nice and brown.
Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes. It can be served warm after that or wait until bread is completely cooled before you store it away.

Notes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use sugar instead of honey?

Yes! Replace the honey with 1 tablespoon of sugar. It feeds the yeast the same way and encourages great browning.

Can I make this without a Dutch oven?

You can. Use a heavy oven-safe pot with a tight lid. You won’t get the exact same crust as a Dutch oven, but it will still be excellent.

Do I have to use the Instant Pot for proofing?

Not at all. Any warm, draft-free spot works. The Instant Pot simply speeds things along on busy days. Note that older models of Instant pot do not have the yogurt mode for this step.

Why is my dough so sticky?

No-knead dough is meant to be sticky so resist the urge to add more flour. Lightly wetting or oiling your hands makes handling it much easier.

Can I refrigerate the dough overnight?

Yes, and the flavor gets even better. Just let it sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before shaping and baking.

How do I know when the bread is done?

The crust will be deeply golden and the bottom will sound hollow when tapped. You may also hear the gentle “crackle” as it cools a sign of a good crust.

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