Instant Pot Bread (No Knead!)

With only 4 ingredients, and ready in 2 hours, this Rustic Bread is proofed in the Instant Pot and so easy to make! You won't believe how soft the crumb, yet how crunchy the crust is.

A loaf of bread is on a cutting board. — The crust will be golden brown when fully baked.

This Instant Pot Bread recipe is a staple in my house! There is nothing better than the smell of homemade bread baking in the oven. Even if you are not a professional bread maker, this recipe is easy enough for the new baker to make!

Not only can you proof this bread in the Instant pot, you can use the Instant Pot to proof sourdough bread or even pizza dough! It's such a handy tool to have in the kitchen and is so versatile!

Why This Recipe is Amazing!

It only requires 4 ingredients! With just four simple ingredients, you can make the most delicious artisan bread. These four ingredients are things that you likely already have in your house or pantry. If you don't they can easily be found in your local grocery store.
You don't need much equipment for this recipe. For this recipe, you'll need some bowls, measuring cups, a stand mixer, and your Instant Pot. No need to use a bread maker with this recipe.
This is a quick bread! You can make this easy bread recipe from start to finish in just 2 hours.

An overhead shot of the Instant Pot bread sliced. — The crumb of the bread is light and perfect for sandwiches!

How It Works

The Instant Pot is going to assist in the rise of the dough. Instead of waiting 2 or 3 hours for the dough to rise, the dough will rise in a fraction of the time in the Instant Pot.

The "yogurt function" on your Instant Pot will heat the Instant pot to a low temperature, which is enough to warm the Instant Pot up. That will wake up the yeast and make them rise.

The Instant Pot is also a controlled temperature. If you are going to proof dough in your kitchen, there might be a breeze or change in temperature over the time that the dough is resting. The Instant Pot keeps the temperature the same the entire time.

Ingredients You'll Need

Flour. All purpose flour or bread flour is best.
Kosher salt. Do not use table salt. Kosher salt is preferred.
Lukewarm water. Not too hot or you will kill the yeast, and too cold will take too long for the dough to rise.
Active Dry Yeast. One package or two teaspoons.

Active Dry Yeast vs Instant Yeast

In this recipe, we are using Active Dry Yeast. That means it needs to be "bloomed" or woken up. All you have to do is sprinkle the yeast over some lukewarm liquid and allow it to get foamy. When it does, you are ready to use the yeast!

If it doesn't get foamy, throw out the yeast and start again. That means the yeast is old or expired and won't allow the dough to rise properly.

If you only have instant yeast, you can use that too. No need to "bloom the yeast. Just add it to the liquid along with the flour, water, and salt.

Two slices of Instant pot bread are in front of a half of a loaf of bread. — Serve this bread with soup, jam, or by itself!

The Best Type of Flour To Use

The best type of flour to use for bread is bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content, and high protein means more gluten in your bread loaf.

If you don't have bread flour handy, all purpose flour can be substituted. You won't build up as much gluten as you would with bread flour, but the difference won't be very noticeable.

Whole wheat flour can be used in bread as well, but you don't want to use all whole wheat flour. That can turn the bread very tough and it would not have a great flavor. I like to use 50% bread flour and 50% whole wheat flour.

Equipment You'll Need

How To Make Instant Pot Bread

In a liquid measuring cup, add 1 ¾ cups of water. The cup of water should be room temperature. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and let it sit for 3-4 minutes or until it is foamy.

Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment or a large mixing bowl.

Pour the yeast mixture onto the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on low speed and mix for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture forms a dough ball and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

The water and yeast are in a liquid measuring cup. — Allow the yeast to bloom.

The flour and salt are added to the bowl of the stand mixer. — Add the dry ingredients to the mixer.

Pour in the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients. — Mix all the ingredients together.

Grease the inner pot of the Instant Pot with olive oil. Put the dough ball into the Instant Pot. Close the lid and press the yogurt button. Set the cooking time to 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

After one hour, remove the dough from the Instant Pot and place it on a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough onto itself so it forms a tight ball.

Lynn's Tip! A lot can go into how sticky the dough is. If it's an especially rainy day the humidity can make the dough sticky. Add more flour to the counter if the dough is too sticky. When the dough is shaped and ready to bake, it should not stick to your hands.

Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Place the dough and parchment paper into a large Dutch oven. Make a slice in dough ball.

The dough is added to the Instant Pot. — Make sure to grease the bowl of the Instant Pot before adding the dough.

The dough has doubled in size. — The dough should be light and bubbly when it is ready to bake.

Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the cover from the Dutch oven and bake for another 35 minutes. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and allow it to cool before serving.

Tips and Tricks

To check if the bread is cooked completely, carefully tap on the bottom of the bread. It should sound hollow when you tap it. It should also have a delicious golden-brown crust.
Even though it might be tempting, try to allow the bread to cool. That will set the structure in the bread.
A slice on the top of the bread will make sure that when the bread bakes in the oven, it doesn't explode out any sides. It will bake and open from the top.
You do not have to bake the bread in a hot Dutch oven. It will heat as the bread bakes.

Storage Tips

Once the bread has cooled to room temperature, place it in a large gallon Ziploc bag. It will stay fresh on the counter for 3-4 days.

Pro Tip! Do not place fresh bread in the refrigerator. It will go stale very quickly and grow mold. The counter is the best place for fresh bread.

To freeze this bread, allow the bread to cool completely. Then wrap the bread in plastic wrap and place it in a large Ziploc bag. Freeze the bread up to 3 months. To defrost the bread, keep it on the counter for 24 hours.

If you have some leftover bread, make sure to make it into a Blueberry French Toast Casserole for a special breakfast!

A half of instant pot bread is leaning against another half of the bread. — Allow the bread to cool slightly before serving.

How To Serve Instant Pot Bread

With chicken stew
Dipped in oven baked chicken cacciatore
Alongside broccoli cheddar soup
Dipped in lasagna soup
With cauliflower soup
Alongside Zuppa Toscana
Spread with apple butter, pear butter, peach jam, or mixed berry jam.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Instant Pot doesn't have the yogurt setting, can I still use it to proof the dough?

Yes! When you place the bread dough in the Instant Pot and close the lid, press the "warm" button, then immediately turn it off. This will increase the temperature in the Instant Pot and help make the dough rise.

I don't have a stand mixer, how can I mix the dough?

Use some elbow grease! If you don't have a stand mixer you can still easily make this recipe. Use a wooden spoon and a large bowl and mix everything together until it forms a ball. Then add it to your Instant Pot.

Can I make this bread in loaf pans?

Yes! You will need to cut the dough in half and use two loaf pans. You can also cut the dough in half and bake the dough on a baking sheet to make loaves like Italian bread.

Did you make this recipe and love it?

If you did, don't forget to leave a 5-star review and comment below! Show me your creation on Instagram or Facebook. Just mention @Lynn'sWayofLife or use this hashtag #lynnswayoflife.