No Knead Garlic Bread
on Apr 18, 2024
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Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the most irresistible loaf 🍞 of them all? Hands down, my No Knead Peasant Bread! This timeless, natural beauty has been a staple in my kitchen since I was a little girl. That’s why I’ve decided to put my modern twist on this traditional recipe and create this No Knead Garlic Bread version for all my garlic 🧄 lovers out there.
Infused with a homemade garlic confit (which sounds much more intimidating to make than it actually is), this No Knead Garlic Bread will elevate your bread game and turn you into a self-proclaimed bread snob 😤.
Why You’ll Love No Knead Garlic Bread
Golden brown and crispy on the outside with a soft and airy interior – this bread is what carb dreams 💭 are made of! When you break through the crust, you encounter a garlicky, slightly chewy but light and pillowy crumb that’s going to have you devouring the whole loaf 🍞. Slathered with butter or served with soup or stew, this No Knead Garlic Bread is giving everything it needs to give (and more).
How to Prepare
🧄 First make the garlic confit. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
🫒 Peel garlic cloves, place them in a dish, and then cover with olive oil.
🔥 Bake for 30-40 minutes until light golden and soft.
🥣 Next, work on the dough. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, and active dry yeast.
🌿 Remove garlic from the oil, and add to the bowl with the herbs.
💦 Add warm water and then mix until sticky.
🛏️ Cover and let rest for 3 hours or overnight, until tripled in size.
🌾 Flour the counter, and then shape the dough into an oval and place it in an oven-safe dish lined with parchment paper.
🧊 Place the pan in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 450°F (230°C).
♨️ Bake covered for 30 mins, then uncovered for 25-30 mins until golden.
❄️ Let cool for 5-10 mins.
🧄 Mix garlic oil with balsamic vinegar for dipping. Store leftover bread wrapped on the counter, best served warm.
Nonna’s Tip 💦
The water added to the dough must be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 43 degrees Celsius). If the water is too hot or too cold the yeast will not activate. Always check if the yeast is expired prior to starting.
Variations and Substitutions for No Knead Garlic Bread
Don’t hesitate to adjust the recipe according to your preferences. But keep in mind that you may need to change quantities and experiment with different techniques to achieve the desired flavor and texture.
- Instead of dry oregano or rosemary, you can experiment with other 🌿 herbs such as thyme, basil, or parsley.
- Feel free to use whole wheat flour or a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a heartier loaf.
- If you don’t have active dry yeast, you can use instant yeast. Just keep in mind that instant yeast may require different activation methods, so follow the package instructions.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of 🧄 garlic cloves according to your taste preferences. You can also roast additional garlic cloves to use as a spread or topping for the bread.
- Get creative with additional ingredients to mix into the dough, such as grated Parmesan 🧀 cheese, chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or caramelized onions.
Other Bread Recipes
No Knead Bread
6 hrs 5 mins
No Knead Olive Bread
6 hrs 5 mins
No Knead Gluten Free Bread
6 hrs 20 mins
No Knead Focaccia
12 hrs 50 mins
No Knead Cheddar Bread
6 hrs 10 mins
Best Served With
- A hearty soup like my Healthy Cream of Broccoil Soup or Creamy Vegetable Soup
- A Holiday Charcuterie Board or a cheese board like my Viral Goat Cheese Board
Common Questions
I have a Corning Ware Dish in my Amazon storefront that is similar to the dish I used in this recipe.
Maintaining this water temperature range is crucial because it ensures that the yeast activates properly. Water that’s too hot or too cold can hinder yeast activation.
When you make the No Knead Garlic Bread, I encourage you to add water gradually until you achieve a very thick and sticky dough, following the “na oko” or “by eye” method.
To test the yeast’s activity, add it to warm water. If it doesn’t foam up, you’ll need to start with new yeast. Foaming indicates that the yeast is active and is ready to be added to the flour and salt.
If the dough is too wet, you can sprinkle in a bit more flour to adjust. Conversely, if it’s too dry, add warm water a little at a time until you have a tacky dough.
Yes, any oven-safe baking dish that can accommodate a loaf of bread will work. For example, a Corning Ware Dish or something similar will do the job.
Preheat your Dutch oven in a 450F (230C) oven with its lid on, shape the dough, place it inside, bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
You certainly can. Although this recipe specifically calls for active dry yeast you can also try instant yeast as well.
This method ensures more precise measurements, helping you achieve the right consistency for the dough.
While I have not explicitly tested it, aluminum foil should work as a substitute for a dish lid.
Yes, you certainly can use whole-wheat flour for your No Knead Garlic Bread.
Yes, you can use 1-1 gluten-free flour for this recipe, or you can make my No-Knead Gluten-Free Bread.
The dough should rest for a minimum of 5 hours, but it’s common to leave it overnight and bake it the following morning, typically at room temperature away from drafts.
In hotter climates, the dough may rise much faster, so I would advise placing it in a cooler room or limiting the rise to a maximum of 2 to 3 hours to prevent over-expansion. Once it doubles or triples in size, it should be baked immediately.
The recipe hasn’t been tested at higher altitudes, so adjustments may be necessary.
The dough for your No Knead Garlic Bread should not be watery or dry; it should have a thick and sticky consistency.
I use Redmond Real Salt, please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be less or more salty. Salt is always to taste. Always taste and adjust as you cook.
No Knead Garlic Bread
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
The Garlic Confit
- 16 cloves garlic
- olive oil , enough to cover the cloves
The Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the counter and top of the bread
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast, check the expiration
- dry oregano or rosemary, to taste
- 1 ¾ cups warm water, between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 to 43 degrees Celsius
- additional flour for dusting the counter plus the top of the bread, no kneading, dust the top and bottom well, gently shape and transfer
Instructions
The Garlic Confit
- Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
- Peel the garlic cloves and add to a small dish or ramekin. Pour olive oil on top. I like to add enough to cover the garlic.
- Cover it and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
- The garlic should be cooked until it turns light golden and becomes soft enough to poke through with a knife.
- Take it out, let it cool, and set aside.
The Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and yeast. Mix with a whisk, wooden spoon, or with clean hands.
- Remove the garlic from the oil, ensuring to strain any excess oil, and add it to the bowl. Add dry oregano or any preferred herb.
- Tip: Remember to reserve the garlic-infused oil for dipping later!
- Now, Add the water and mix with a spatula until you have a sticky dough. Note: The water must be **between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit** (37 to 43 degrees Celsius). If the water is too hot or too cold the yeast will not activate.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Place the bowl of dough away from drafty areas, such as in the microwave, cupboard, or in a cold oven.
- After the dough has tripled in size, uncover it, and flour the counter. Pour the dough out onto the counter and generously sprinkle the top with flour.
- You do NOT need to knead the dough. You can simply move it around until you have a really nice and soft dough that is no longer sticky and is oval in shape. If the loaf sticks to your hands or the counter, sprinkle on a little more flour.
- Place the loaf into any oven-safe dish lined with parchment paper. Place a lid on the dish, and place the dish in a cold oven (an oven that is NOT preheated).
- Turn the oven on to 450F (230C) once the bread is inside. Bake the bread with the lid on the dish for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the hot lid from the dish and bake the bread for another 25 to 30 minutes.
- The bake time will depend on your oven, so keep an eye on it. Total bake time will be about 1 hour from the moment you place the bread into the cold oven.
- The bread is done once it’s light and golden all over. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, I mix garlic-infused oil with balsamic vinegar and serve it with fresh bread for dipping.
- To store leftover bread, let the bread cool completely, wrap it up in plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, or a clean kitchen towel, and store the bread on the counter. This bread is always best served warm the same day.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am making your no knead garlic bread right now. So, I put the bread in a cold oven and heat to 450. Do I time the bake after the oven has reached 450? Do I time it from the time I put it in the oven? Bread came together great. Can’t wait to eat it.
Hi Marty! Bake time begins as soon as the oven door is closed and temp is set to 450. Hope it was delish!
Freaking tasty and delicious 🫶🏼
Amazing recipe!!!!!
Love this, Jemellee!
I am in the process of making this your No-Nead Garlic bread today. Quick question. I usually weigh my ingredients. The recipe calls for 3 cups (413 grams) of All-Purpose flour. The 413 grams seemed right with the consistency. I was under the assumption that one cup of flour was equal to 120 grams.
Hi Patty! The weight of the flour varies based on the brand. And depending on whether you measure imperial cups first, then weigh the ingredients is also a factor. In my case 3 cups of the brand of flour I used weighed 413 grams. Hope this helps!
This was amazing, and so simple to make! The roasted garlic was tasty and the garlic oil and balsamic dipping is a must. Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe from one Nonna to another!
You’re so welcome, Debi!! So glad a fellow Nonna enjoyed this! 🥰❤️
I love your recipes and have tried to print this recipe three different times. Unfortunately, some of the important information is redacted with heavy black lines covering some directions and amounts of ingredients. Is there anything you can do to correct this, please? Thank you for so many wonderful recipes!
Thanks for letting me know Maureen, I’ll look into it. So happy you are loving my recipes!
Oh my this bread was delicious! Flavorful, a great crunch and so easy. The garlic was perfect a the dipping was a must. From one Nonna to another – thankyou!! (I tried to attach a picture but couldn’t get it to load)
You’re welcome, Debi!! Thank YOU so much for your review and comment! I am so thankful you shared your experience! ❤️
I haven’t made this because I’m confused about the instructions. After mixing the dough, it says “remove garlic from oil and add to the flour”. Its not clear to me if that means add the oil to the flour, or add the garlic cloves to the flour? I’d really like to make this bread so please clarify the directions. Many thanks!
Hi Leslie, add the garlic to the flour and save the garlic-infused oil for serving with the finished bread.
I love how your recipes are so detailed & easy to make , I think every person with a willingness to cook , can make delicious food using your recipes. 😊 And l’m definitely going to make your Easy Apple Cake 👍
Thank you so much! 🥰❤️ That means the world to me.
Delicious! I am not a baker and chose this recipe since no kneading is required. Absolutely delish! Was easy to make, and the recipe resulted in a beautiful loaf of bread that tastes great! Love that there is no sugar in the recipe. This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so glad, Gail! I love hearing when my recipes make things easier! Thank you for your comment and rating! ❤️
What temperature do you bake the garlic in?
Hi Sue, the garlic gets baked at 400F.