Small Batch Crusty Bread

4.89 from 124 votes

Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— April 18, 2023 (updated June 4, 2026) — 309 Comments

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With just four ingredients and minimal hands-on work time, this small batch crusty bread is the perfect low-effort personal-sized bread-making project. It uses one cup (120 grams) of flour and fits in just about any size Dutch oven, too!

Once you get the hang of this small-batch bread, you'll have no problem challenging yourself with my recipes for small-batch challah and small-batch ciabatta next!

two hands holding a small grapefruit sized loaf of crusty bread over a dutch oven.

This small crusty loaf bakes up about the size of a large grapefruit and is perfect for slathering with homemade butter or dipping in my best 5-minute olive oil bread dip.

This mini loaf has become a successful favorite of The Practical Kitchen readers of all ages, particularly those who are new to bread making or find it intimidating. Thanks to everyone who has chimed in in the comments with adaptations for using different flours, flavors, etc.!

5 star reader review

“Just made two of these guys this morning and I just want to say thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve never made any kind of bread before because it seemed daunting but with your help it was super easy AND I love the mini recipes for my small household. Also this was so easy and so good, make the cutest baby bread ever, you won’t be sad!”
—Megan

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No-Knead Small Batch Crusty Bread

This small-batch crusty bread recipe is a mini version of my full-sized no-knead Dutch oven bread recipe with a few small tweaks. I've written lots more about the science of no-knead breads and crusty breads in that blog post so head over there if you want a lot more detail!

The biggest difference is the hydration of the dough. My full-size recipe is an 80% hydration dough. For this small-batch recipe, I pushed the hydration as high as I could — 83% — while keeping the dough easy to shape and work with. A 3% increase (a mere 4 grams of water!) might not seem like much, but in a loaf this small it does make a significant difference in the size of the final loaf.

A round loaf of small batch crusty bread sits on parchment paper inside a light green Dutch oven, with the lid resting nearby and a textured white cloth in the background. — Such a cute small-batch crusty bread!

This recipe also has a slightly higher ratio of yeast-to-flour than my full-size recipe. Where the larger loaf calls for 2 grams of yeast, this recipe uses just 1 gram. If I shrunk the amount of yeast proportionally, you'd be trying to measure a fraction of a gram, and I didn't want to do that to you. That does mean the dough can be ready to shape a bit sooner, though it still needs the overnight rise.

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A ball of dough for small batch crusty bread sits on a floured wooden surface, with a white cloth and a container in the background.

Here are the four ingredients you need to make this small batch crusty bread! See recipe card (at the end of the blog post) for quantities.

A bowl of all-purpose flour, a small jug of water, and two small bowls containing instant yeast and salt are arranged on a white surface—perfect for making small batch crusty bread. Each ingredient is labeled with text. — **Not pictured: Cool water!**

I use cool water when making overnight breads because the cooler water allows the yeast to move more slowly. Warm water makes yeast move faster, so the cooler the water is, the longer I have before the dough needs to be shaped. Since I'm not building strength into the dough by kneading, I want the yeast and gluten network to have as much time to work on their own as possible before shaping.

A 5-Minute Bread Dough

Making no-knead bread dough is so fast. All you have to do is mix everything together until you have a messy, shaggy dough. It literally takes five minutes. Then you cover the bowl and let it rise.

No-knead bread relies on time instead of kneading to develop a strong gluten network — the structure that gives bread its shape and texture. The gluten network traps the gas produced by the yeast, creating air bubbles in the dough.

While you can let this dough rise for as long as 18 or even 20 hours before shaping it, or shape it as soon as 8 hours into the rise time, its small size means it's often at its peak and ready to be shaped around the 12 hour mark.

A bowl filled with a bubbly, thick, off-white mixture for small batch crusty bread sits on a textured white surface. — When the dough is ready it will have a flat, bubbly top.

Use Plenty of Flour When Shaping

This dough is relatively easy to handle once you dust the dough and your hands with flour. But if you're not used to working with wet and sticky doughs, it may still be a bit of a challenge the first time you try it, especially if you're new to bread-making.

Dusting it with flour before you take it out of the bowl will prevent it from sticking to the bowl as you tip it onto the counter. Once it's on the counter, dust the top very lightly with flour too — just enough so your hands don't stick to it.

A person prepares small batch crusty bread, stretching dough on a floured wooden cutting board. A bowl of flour sits in the corner, and scattered flour dusts both the surface and board. — Loosely stretch the dough out flat. Dust any excess flour off the top of the dough.

A hand presses into a ball of dough for small batch crusty bread on a floured wooden cutting board, with more flour scattered around and a bowl of flour in the background. — Fold all the edges in, pressing down gently but firmly to pinch them to each other.

The dough may stick to your hands slightly, but that's okay. Use a light touch as you do the shaping. When all the edges have been tucked in, flip the dough over. You'll have a nice smooth top.

Cup your hands around the dough and gently lift and rotate it in short, quick movements to create surface tension on the top as you tuck the dough underneath. Then transfer the dough onto a crumpled and flattened piece of parchment paper and cover it for its final rise while the Dutch oven finishes preheating.

A pair of hands holding a round ball of small batch crusty bread dough over a wooden cutting board dusted with flour, with a white bowl of flour nearby. — You want a nice smooth top with the edges tucked underneath.

A hand covers a ball of small batch crusty bread dough with a white cloth on parchment paper. A container of flour sits nearby on a light-colored surface. — Loosely cover the loaf while the oven preheats.

Don't beat yourself up if handling the dough doesn't come naturally to you — it will become easier with practice. Just remember: this is not meant to be a tightly controlled dough, so even if it's a little lumpy or imperfect or messy, that's absolutely okay.When your dough is ready to shape, dust the top of it in the bowl, then turn it out onto a well-floured counter.

Scoring is decorative and functional (also optional)

Scoring bread creates a vent through which steam can escape during baking. Without scoring, the steam will escape through any weak points it can find in the loaf—it might even blow out at the bottom.

You can even cut designs into your loaf. But you do need at least one big, deep slash.

A hand uses a bench scraper to divide a ball of small batch crusty bread dough on a sheet of parchment paper, with a bowl of flour partially visible in the corner. — Use a sharp knife or *lame* to slash the top of the loaf.

A round ball of dough for small batch crusty bread sits on parchment paper inside a light-colored Dutch oven on a white textured surface. — Immediately transfer into the preheated Dutch oven.

For Best Results, Bake in a Dutch Oven

The confined space of a pre-heated Dutch oven traps the steam released by the dough as it bakes, creating a nice moist environment which results in a super crunchy crust.

When you first take the lid off, your small batch crusty bread will look quite pale. That's normal. The final 10-minute uncovered bake time is when the top will take on that gorgeous brown color.

A round loaf of small batch crusty bread sits on parchment paper inside a Dutch oven. Surrounding items include a bowl of flour, a metal measuring cup, a knife, and a light cloth on a white surface.

Carefully remove the baked loaf from the Dutch oven to a cooling rack. If you listen closely you'll be able to hear the crust cracking as the inside of the loaf contracts as it begins to cool!

Let the small batch crusty bread cool completely before slicing it. If you slice it before it has cooled, the steam still trapped in the bread will turn the starches to mush.

I tested baking this without a Dutch oven on a sheet pan in a 450°F oven with an ice cube on the pan to create steam, and it does work, but the crust isn't quite as nice. The open space of the oven also results in more bread blowouts on the bottom, even when properly scored.

Two pieces of small batch crusty bread are placed on parchment paper on a light surface. A light green pot and a small bowl are blurred in the background, creating a softly lit and minimalistic scene.

💭 Have More Baking Questions?

I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:

Ingredient swaps and FAQs
Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques

See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!

A round loaf of small batch crusty bread with a golden, crackling exterior sits on parchment paper. A green Dutch oven and white bowl are blurred in the background on a light-colored surface.

TL;DR — Recipe Summary

Mix the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and mix into a sticky dough.
Cover and rise for 12-18 hours at room temperature.
Turn the dough onto a well floured surface. Dust lightly with flour.
Tuck the edges of the dough up to form a ball. Flip so the seam side is down. Transfer to a crumpled and flattened sheet of parchment paper.
Dust the top with flour, cover and rest 30 minutes while the Dutch oven preheats at 450°F.
Score the top of the dough. Then place the dough in the Dutch oven.
Bake for 20 minutes covered, then 10-15 minutes uncovered.
Let cool completely before slicing.

📖 Recipe