Overnight Bread

Recipe by: Susanna Wheeler and Erin Anz

6 ingredients•Prep: 18 mins•Cook: 40 mins

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October 1, 2025

My friend shared this easy bread recipe with me and I've made it countless times since. Even if you don't consider yourself a good bread maker you can make this recipe! The hardest part is remembering to get it made the night before. But time does the rest of the work- no kneading required!

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour (3 cups), sugar (½ tsp), instant yeast, (½ tsp) and salt (2 tsp). Make a well in the middle and add the water (1 ½ cups). Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir until no dry spots remain. The dough will look pretty sticky but that's ok! Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at 12-18 hours.
The time is fairly flexible on this dough. I often mix it up right before I go to bed and bake it around four o'clock the next day.
An hour before you want to bake the dough, gently dump it onto a floured countertop. Pull each corner of the dough away from itself until it is slightly stretched then fold into the middle. Try not to completely deflate your dough! do this until a ball forms. Pinch the middle together so that the ball won't fall apart. Place in a lightly greased bowl with the seam side up and Cover with plastic wrap again. Let it rest for an hour.
Half an hour before you want to bake your bread, heat the oven to 425 °F with a cast iron Dutch oven inside. When the oven is hot and the dough has rested for an hour, use hot pads to pull the dutch oven out of the oven. Remove the lid and and pour the olive oil (2 Tbsp) into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Carefully dump the ball of dough into the Dutch oven. Place the lid back on and place into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then carefully remove the lid and bake for an additional five minutes or until the crust is a golden brown.
Remove from the oven and place the bread on a cooling rack. Cool for 45 minutes before slicing.
If you slice into this bread while it is still too hot it will turn gummy because of the high hydration. So when planning your cooking times keep in mind that its better to let it cool for quite awhile before you serve it.