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!
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
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.
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.
Want more small-batch recipes?
My Small Batch Breads cookbook is now available for pre-order!
Featuring fifty easy-to-follow bread recipes made using 1 cup of flour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
💭 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!
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
Small Batch Crusty Bread (Made with 1 CUP of Flour)
Recipe Notes
- If you are measuring with cups, it is super important that you measure the ingredients properly. See my guide to measuring as accurately as possible by volume for how to do this. If you measure with cups/teaspoons and the recipe did not turn out right, that is likely why. Try again!
- For a longer cold rise: Put this no-knead dough in the fridge immediately after mixing or after the first overnight rise. I've left it for as long as 5 days in the fridge before baking and it works just fine. As a bonus, gluten tightens up in the cold, meaning refrigerated dough is slightly easier to shape.
- For a same-day bake: Increase the yeast to 3 grams and follow the folding instructions from my small batch baguette recipe. Then come back here for the shaping and baking instructions. You'll have a small loaf of crusty bread in just about 3 hours!
- Adding flavors: This is a great base recipe for adding lots of fun spices, herbs, cheese, seeds, and more. If you add anything wet like peppers, raw onions, olives, etc. it will add moisture to the dough. And if you add too many dry ingredients, it also can affect the dough's hydration. I recommend adding no more than 24 grams of additional flavorings/ingredients to this dough.
Ingredients
- 120 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup, aerated and loosely scooped, plus more for dusting)
- 3 grams diamond crystal kosher salt (1 teaspoon, use half as much of any other brand of salt)
- 1 gram instant yeast (heaping ¼ teaspoon)
- 100 grams cool water (¼ cup + 3 Tablespoons)
Instructions
- Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in a mixing bowl.
- Pour the water into the middle of the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. It will be shaggy and messy. That's okay. Cover the bowl and set it aside at room temp to rest for 12-18 hours (or in the fridge for up to 5 days). You're looking for the dough to double or triple in size with a flat, bubbly top.
- During the final hour of the rise time, preheat oven to 450°F. When the oven reaches temperature, place a Dutch oven inside, covered, and let preheat for 30 minutes at 450°F. Crumple a piece of parchment paper into a ball. Flatten it out, then crumple and flatten it out again.
- While Dutch oven preheats, generously flour a clean countertop. Release the dough from the sides of the bowl and onto the counter. Dust the top lightly with flour, just enough so your hands don't stick.
- Gently stretch the dough into a loose square. Dust any excess flour off the top. Fold the corners of the dough up and across itself to pull it into a round shape with the edges pinched together on top. Flip the loaf over so the seam side is underneath. Cup your hands around it and lightly lift and rotate the ball of dough against the counter, tucking the dough underneath itself as you go to create surface tension on top.
- Use the bench scraper to lift the ball of dough onto the flattened piece of crumpled parchment paper. Dust the surface of the dough lightly with flour, cover it with a clean dish towel, and let it sit until the Dutch oven finishes preheating.
- Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Take the lid off and set it aside. Score the top of the loaf to create a vent for steam to escape. Gather the corners of the parchment paper together, pick the dough up and place it inside the Dutch oven. Put the lid back on the Dutch oven.
- Bake with the lid on for 20 minutes (don't peek!), then remove the lid and bake another 10 minutes until deeply golden brown on top. You're looking for an internal temperature of at least 200°F for doneness.
- Transfer the fully baked loaf to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing.
Mali says
Would I be able to use self-rising flour for this recipe?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Absolutely not — self-raising flour already has baking powder and salt mixed in, it will throw off the entire recipe.
Ashleigh says
The is so good and I love to make it. Have seen your note re: stickiness and will try that next time. Has anyone else had problems with the parchment paper sticking to the bottom of the cooked loaf? I'm still gonna make it, I'm still gonna eat the parchment 'cos bread - just thought I'd see if there were any ways to change my current paper heavy diet?....
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You can try putting some semolina flour or cornmeal down on the bottom of the parchment paper before you put the dough down! It may also be that the bottom of your oven is running extra hot, try putting the dutch oven on a sheet pan for some extra insulation at the bottom. Good luck!
glo says
how long do you cool the bread before slicing?? ive heard people say to let it cool for about an hour but i dont have time for that 😭 do i have to wait an hour?? also should i punch the dough before shaping?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
No need to punch down the dough for this one, it will deflate naturally when you turn it out of the bowl. And this is a relatively small loaf, it'll probably be fine after 30 minutes but if it still feels quite warm, maybe give it at least an hour!
Andrea says
You suggest that I can put the dough in the fridge for 5 days…does the dough rise in the fridge? Do I cover the dough? How long does the dough take to rise in the fridge?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Yes, cover the dough in the fridge. The dough will rise in the fridge, it just rises a lot slower!
Vince says
So I have 2 questions. (1) On this recipe page there is an option to multiply the recipe 2x or 3x. Have I made a mistake in using these ingredient totals? (2) I live at around 5280 feet. I'm not sure where you live but do I need to alter this recipe based on my altitude?
Thanks!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
This is a pretty forgiving recipe, I think you'll be okay! If you want to scale this recipe up, I recommend using my full size no-knead dutch oven bread which is already properly scaled. With recipes that have a long rise time like this, even if you increase the ingredients you'll still want to keep the amount of yeast pretty low in proportion to the flour — I wouldn't increase that as the other ingredients increase. And I don't know about baking at altitude, you'll have to do some googling about how to modify! Good luck!
Sallysue says
I tried the recipe with bread flour.. the hydration was perfect so yes I think use a little less water if using uk all purpose flour
Lisa says
I make this at least once a week. So easy and a perfect size! absolutely delicious!
Erin says
Which type of yeast do I use for this recipe? Active Dry or Rapid Rise Instant? New to baking and I’m not sure what the difference is.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I answered this clearly in the Ingredient Notes section! Happy baking!
Ricky says
How can we make it sourdough?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You'd still need the yeast to ensure it rises on time, but you can add 20 grams of sourdough starter and reduce the water and flour by 10g each.
Linda says
I tried this small loaf today. Super easy to mix up. It appeared ready to shape this morning after a 15 hr overnight rise but it’s not as risen as the photo of yours. I’m sure it’ll taste delicious with dinner tonight though!
Michelle says
My family loved these! These were so simple and turned out perfect! I used them for bread bowls for chili. My husband was such a fan he was actually talking about them at work, and needed to ask me for the recipe to share with a co-worker! I will definitely be making these again, and not just on chili night!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
So glad you and your family enjoyed them! They really do make such great bread bowls!
Hari says
Thanks for another wonderful recipe. I tried it and it came out looking almost the same as yours. It tasted really good and was airy and light. We made a cheese platter around it for the evening and it was perfect.
The one thing I’d like for it to be different is the texture…it was a bit more chewy than fluffy and I wondered why- I don’t have Dutch oven and used the alternate options you gave suggested in the mini baguette recipe. I used a cake Pan and covered it with another cake pan of the same diameter ( closest to trapping the steam inside) - would that have impacted the texture and made it chewy?
Mary says
Can I use a 1 quart purchase oven? I hope so bc it's preheating!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I don’t know what a purchase oven is, so can’t say for sure. Hope it worked out for you!
Mary says
Supposed to be 1 quart. Silly autocorrect. I used a 4 quart which seemed too big but boy oh boy was the bread delicious!!!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Oh a 1 quart might be a little tight but I’m glad you had the 4 quart to work with! So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Cliffa says
We don't go by grams where I'm at and having trouble with the measurements. Can you help please
Rebecca Eisenberg says
There is a whole section in the blog post already with cup measurements for you!
John B says
Just had this small loaf for Lunch! My very first try and it turned out perfect. I followed the instructions to the letter, even using the mentioned equipment. I am now hooked on your bread and plan on trying all of the various breads. (Wife says I am now in charge of bread making). Thank you for the extremely detailed instructions.
Trish says
This is wonderful! Tastes great and just the right size for two!
Miranda says
I love these one cup recipes. I am starting to get into bread making and it's great for testing out different ratios and methods.
Could I do a poolish with this recipe or is it too little flour ? I tried doing it using 20% of the total flour and it was a disaster and I accidentally used too much salt so it didn't rise (I think it dehydrated the yeast).
I googled but I didn't find much info for small batch recipes using poolish.
Thanks !
Disco says
Hi, this bread looks delicious and fun!
However, it seems like this is a fairly small loaf, and that a 3-quart dutch oven could accommodate a larger loaf. Is that right? What would be the maximum amounts for this recipe if I intend to use a 3-qt? is 2x too much? Thank you!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
This is a small loaf, yes! A 3-qt dutch oven could definitely fit a 2x version of this recipe, maybe even 3x, but if you're going to scale it up I recommend using my full-size overnight crusty bread recipe instead.
Gina Berry says
Great! I double this and it's perfect for two people! This has turned out wonderful both times I've made it. I appreciate your well-written instructions!
Sara says
This is a very good and resilient recipe. I messed up on several steps while making this but it still turned out the best bread I've ever made and I would proudly share it, if I hadn't already eaten it as soon as it cooled.
Anjuli says
I was so skeptical about the flour. It was like slop but it is just amazing. Trust the process! So freaking good. Thank you. Shame I can’t add a pic. It will be gone in 5 mins! Yum!
Eberhard says
This came out quite well. A bit burned on the bottom so I'll adjust the time or temp next time around. Very easy and a quick loaf a bread for an Italian dinner.
Joan says
Excited to try this!!! Can I add a bit of rye flour as part of the total flour weight to add flavor? Say 10% of flour weight?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Yep! It might make the final crumb a little more dense, but 10% shouldn't change it too much.
Randi says
I'm so glad I finally tried this recipe! I've been trying my hand at bread making for years now and have gotten mediocre results at best no matter how many different recipes/techniques I try. It's really discouraging to spend hours and hours making recipes (that often make multiple loaves) only to have them fail.
This small crusty bread was perfect for 2 people, and it came out soft and airy with an amazing flavor/texture, requiring minimal hands-on time. The fact that it benefits from a long, cooler ferment was a bonus since our house gets pretty chilly at night.
I even had to make some on the fly adjustments to make up for using slightly too much water and the dough recovered beautifully. I can't wait to make it again, and I'm telling everyone I know to give it a shot. This was the easiest and best tasting bread I've made yet.
Tim says
I'm thinking of using wholemeal flour instead of white bread flour, what adjustments do I need to make (if any) to the water content of the dough?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You’ll need more water. But I don’t recommend using 100% whole wheat flour in this recipe, it struggles to develop a gluten network strong enough to support the dough.