Stop struggling with dozens of different bread recipes. This master bread method shows you how to make no-knead dough that can be used for crusty French bread, traditional holiday breads, bagels and even pizza — all with minimal effort and sustainable ingredients. You’ll learn professional techniques alongside simple, step-by-step instructions so you can bake artisan-quality bread at home confidently.
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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of contents
What Makes This Master Bread Method Different
This is an easy master recipe for making all those artisan breads and the traditional holiday breads that seem so intimidating to bake. This method truly is amazing. We wanted to create one easy recipe for all kind of breads. After a little research, we realized that the best flavor came from using all the best ingredients and a method that allowed the flavors to develop.
The flavors develop during a slow rise, which comes from putting the dough in the refrigerator for twelve hours. By using a wetter dough, there was no kneading required, so we were surprised to find that this also made the recipe easier.
Just add the ingredients, one after another, into a bowl on a kitchen scale, measuring as you go, and stir, fold and refrigerate. Everything is measured into one bowl. Easy to make and easy to clean up. Folding the dough a couple of times about an hour after refrigerating it will help it cool down evenly and improves the shape. These folds also help the dough develop elasticity and will improve the rise.
This new and improved recipe requires:
- No making a poolish or a biga
- No feeding a starter for weeks
- No proofing the yeast
- No scalding the milk
- No sifting the flour
- No measuring flour by scooping and swiping
- No difficult mixing
- No kneading
- No punching down the dough
- No finding a warm place for the dough to rise
Ingredients
The best flavor comes from using all the best ingredients. Some brands are higher quality than others. They can vary in quality, weight, and consistency. When the brand matters, we have listed the brands we consider to be the highest quality, and it is important to use the same brand when it is listed.
- Bread Flour – King Arthur Organic Bread Flour – The flour must be unbleached bread flour. Bread flour has more protein than all purpose flour, allowing more gluten to form and the bread to rise. Bleaching makes the flour whiter, but it interferes with the activity of the yeast. As a basic bread flour, we use King Arthur because it is made from high quality wheat and they have a tight control over the amount of protein that is in the flour, so baking with it gives consistent results. Then we use other flours to change the taste of the bread.
- All-Purpose Flour – King Arthur Organic All-Purpose flour – which has a lower protein amount than bread flour and some all purpose flour. This is a good flour for baking enriched breads, since it makes the baked goods more tender. Also, it is important to use the unbleached flour. Bleaching makes the flour whiter, but it interferes with the activity of the yeast. Occasionally, we will add in some King Arthur Organic Bread Flour or King Arthur regenerative whole wheat flour if we want a more hearty bread. Bread flour has more protein than all purpose flour, allowing more gluten to form and the bread to rise. We use King Arthur because it is made from high quality wheat and they have a tight control over the amount of protein that is in the flour, so baking with it gives consistent results.
- Sugar – We use Wholesome regenerative organic sugar. It is produced from sugar cane fields that are grown regeneratively, a method that will actually reverse climate change by sequestering carbon. The canes are also green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers. Burning sugar cane fields contributes to air pollution and climate change, and is a major cause of the destruction of the rain forest. Buying sugar from fields that are green cut helps prevent this destruction. The sugar also has a better taste because of how it is produced, but mostly we use it because it is a sustainable choice. It is more expensive than buying the standard brands, but the difference is only a few cents per recipe, so it’s worth it. We also save money by buying this in bulk direct from the company and storing it in jars in the pantry. Instead of buying brown sugar, we add some sorghum syrup to the recipe, since brown sugar is just sugar with molasses added. Sorghum syrup tastes like molasses, but is not from sugar cane and is grown sustainably. This saves money, since brown sugar is more expensive than white sugar, and it saves storage.
- Milk – Horizon Organics – We use milk from Horizon Organics. Dairy products contribute heavily to climate change by producing methane, but Horizon Organics is producing milk that is using regenerative agriculture, which actually captures carbon and reverses climate change. Currently, 60 percent of Horizon milk products are produced using regenerative agriculture, and by using Horizon Organics products we are encouraging this amount to increase.
- Butter – Horizon Organics – Often the butter is browned before adding it to the recipe in order to add more flavor. This can be done ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
- Sunflower Oil – Sometimes, instead of butter, we use regenerative sunflower oil, which is a healthy, sustainable oil, and makes the bread more moist.
- Nut Oil
- Yeast – SAF-Instant Red – for Hearth Bread and SAF-Instant Gold for Enriched Bread. The yeast must be good quality and not past its expiration date. We use SAF-instant. Instant yeast is easier to work with and is more reliable because of how it’s processed. If it’s in date, it doesn’t need to be proofed (soaked in water to prove it is active) before using it. It can just be added to the mix, but soaking it will hydrate it and give it a head start. The water temperature should be between 95 and 115 degrees F, ideally 110 degrees F (over 120 will harm the yeast). Store the yeast in an air tight container in the freezer.
- Salt – Diamond Kosher – We like the quality of Diamond Kosher salt and don’t want the iodine taste. The weight and structure of salt varies between brands so it is important to chose a salt and stick with it to be consistent. Salt will interfere with the activity of the yeast. This might be a problem, or it might be something that is desired in order to slow down the yeast. Mixing the salt with the flour before adding the yeast will help limit the effect.
- Barley Malt Syrup – Many of the same flavors of baked bread are found in barley malt syrup, so we often add some to the dough to increase the flavor.
- Maple Syrup
- Sorghum Syrup – can also add a rich flavor to sweet enriched breads.
- Spices – Ordering spices in bulk from a spice dealer, like World Spice will give you a great price and the best quality. This will make a huge difference in your baking. We order most spices in the fall just before the biggest holiday baking season.
- Nuts
- Seeds
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Method
STEP 1 – Weigh the Ingredients with a Kitchen Scale
It is very difficult to accurately measure dry ingredients, like flour, in a volume container, like a measuring cup. The ingredients for baking bread need to be measured by weight, in grams, using a scale. It is easier to use grams instead of having to do the math on ounces and pounds. And it is much more accurate to use grams because it is a smaller more precise measurement.
STEP 2 – Use a Kitchen Thermometer
If the recipe calls for heating up the milk or water, it is important that it is the correct temperature. If it is too hot it could kill the yeast. If it is too cold, the bread may not rise as well. A kitchen thermometer is also helpful for determining if the bread is thoroughly baked.
STEP 3 – Add the Liquid and then Let it Rest
Add the liquid to the flour and then let it rest for 20 to 60 minutes before adding the other ingredients and mixing. This allows the protein to relax and extend, becoming stretchy before the other ingredients are added. It also creates sugars for the yeast to consume, giving the bread a better rise. This is called the Autolyse Method – The King Arthur baking site has a really good explanation of the science behind the autolyse method.
STEP 4 – Use a Wetter Dough
This method for making bread calls for using more liquid to create a wetter dough. This allows the gluten to form naturally without kneading the dough. The dough will look shaggy, but will smooth out while it is rising.
STEP 5 – Chill the Dough for a Slower Rise
MORE FLAVOR – After mixing all the ingredients together, the dough is left to rise. The yeast increases, causing the dough to rise. At room temperature, the yeast will complete the rise in about four hours. While it is rising, the starch in the flour converts to sugars and other flavors are released. But the best flavor takes about twelve hours to develop. Chilling the dough for twelve hours will slow down the rise while still allow the flavors to develop. This is easy to do at home just by putting the dough in the refrigerator for twelve hours
NO-KNEAD – If a wetter dough is used, the slow rise also eliminates the step of kneading the dough, so it’s easier. Folding the dough a couple of times about an hour after refrigerating it will help it cool down evenly and improves the shape. These folds also help the dough develop elasticity and will improve the rise.
MORE CONVENIENT – This also makes it more convenient. But, it requires some planning so that the dough is not ready to be baked in the middle of the night. The dough can be made in the evening in just a short time with very little work, and then chilled. We make the dough at 6:00 pm, so it will be ready to form by 8:00 am, bake by 10:00 am, and is cool enough to cut by 12:00 for lunch.
Because of the limited space in the refrigerator, this method can be much harder for a bakery to do, so artisan bakery bread is often made with a portion of refrigerated dough (a poolish or a biga) and a portion of fresh flour and water, making the recipes more complicated. This explanation is an over simplification of a much more complicated process, but it does give a clearer picture of why this works.
STEP 6 – Folding and Shaping
When the dough has completed the rise, it is removed from the refrigerator and allowed to warm up for 30 minutes. This will result in a better crumb. Carefully folding the dough in order to avoid deflating it. Cut the dough with a scissors or sharp knife instead of pulling and tearing it, which can deflate it.
The dough is shaped while it’s still fairly cool, and then left to proof at room temperature. Proofing will take longer than if it was left at room temperature during the fermentation stage, usually about an extra hour.
STEP 7 – Bake
Bake at the proper temperature given in the recipe. Test the internal temperature with a kitchen thermometer.
STEP 8 – Cool
Allow the bread to cool completely before cutting- The bread will continue to bake with residual heat after removed from the oven. Do not cut into it until it is completely cooled.
Artisan Breads – Baguettes, Focaccia, Pizza & More
This method can be used to make lean breads like French bread and Pizza. Lean breads are usually just flour, water, salt and yeast with no added butter, eggs and sugar. They are often baked at a high temperatures and sometimes with steam to encourage a crispy crust. Baking the bread in a Dutch oven can mimic hearth baking by increasing the temperature and keeping the steam from the bread close to the loaf as it bakes. Using this method makes it easy to bake bread that rivals European breads like baguettes and ciabatta.
Artisan Breads:
- pain à l’Ancienne French bread
- baguettes
- focaccia
- ciabatta
- pizza
- crackers
- bagels
- bialys
- Flammekuchen
Holiday Breads – Cinnamon Rolls, Sweet Breads, Waffles
There’s something magical about baking holiday bread — the warmth of spice, the golden crust, the first slice shared around the table. After years of testing, we created one master dough that forms the base for dozens of traditional Christmas breads from around the world. This simple, sustainable recipe gives you authentic flavor and soft, rich texture — without the stress or long hours.
The special breads baked for holidays and celebrations often include eggs, milk, sugar, and butter. They sometimes contain fruit, nuts, and other add-ins. These ingredients add a lot of flavor, but they also make the dough harder to make. It is important to allow the bread dough to rise in the refrigerator and not on the counter when it contains eggs and milk. This master recipe uses the same foundational techniques professional bakers rely on — enriched dough, slow fermentation, and quality ingredients. It’s easy enough for home bakers but versatile enough to transform into a festive cinnamon twist, Stollen, or even a Panettone.
Once you master this base, you can create endless festive variations. Many celebrate a different holiday tradition with unique flavors and shapes.
Holiday Breads
- The most Amazing Cinnamon Rolls – Delicious – Easy – Sustainable
- An easy Czech Easter Bread Recipe – Mazanec – for making Holiday Bread
- Best Swedish Cardamom Buns Recipe (Kardemummabullar) – We updated the recipe so it was still homemade and delicious, but easy and sustainable.
- The Best Walnut Bread Recipe
- A dark sandwich Rye Bread For Solstice
- Best Yeast Waffle Recipe that is made the night before, so it is ready for breakfast.
- Easy Star Bread Recipe – This is an easy star bread recipe for a soft sweet bread that looks very festive – Delicious – Easy – Sustainable – Healthier
Recipes that start with this Master Bread Making Method
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, this recipe combines the best seasonal ingredients and quality brands with homemade methods to maximize both flavor and sustainability. It was inspired by our travels and works well as a holiday recipe.
Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen. Featured on various publications.