No Knead Skillet Bread

4.84 from 60 votes

This no-knead skillet bread is crusty, soft, and packed with flavor from marinated olives and garlic baked right into the dough.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time30

Resting Time10

Total Time2

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: skillet bread

Servings: Servings

2 cups lukewarm water about 105˚F
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ tablespoon salt
4⅓ cups all-purpose flour divided
1 cup garlic and basil marinated olives drained, herbs and garlic reserved (you can also use any other pitted olives you have on hand)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
coarse salt
dried parsley

Make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the water and yeast. Add 1 cup of flour and salt; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in the olives, herbs, garlic, and garlic powder. Add remaining flour, one cup at a time, stirring until thoroughly combined.
Let it rise. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
Prep the skillet. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a 10-inch to 12-inch cast-iron skillet; using a napkin or your fingers, coat the bottom and sides of the skillet with the oil.
Transfer the dough to the skillet. Flour your hands; remove the plastic wrap, and using your hands, transfer the dough to the prepared skillet and shape it into a disk. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 30 minutes.
Prep for baking. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Bake. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the top of the bread, then sprinkle it with salt and parsley. Score the top of the loaf with a knife, then bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.
Let it cool. Remove from the oven, turn the bread onto a wire rack, and let it cool completely before cutting and serving.

The olives sit in a liquid with garlic and herbs; reserve as much of the herbs and garlic as possible when draining. Alternatively, add your own garlic and freeze-dried basil to the dough.
If you can't find the specified olives, use whatever marinated olives you can find. Then, you can add garlic, dried basil, or other herbs.
Dough Mixing: Use warm, not hot, water to combine the ingredients. Excessive heat can harm the yeast.
Flour: This recipe has been tested with all-purpose flour.
If you do not have a cast iron skillet, use a stoneware baking dish instead.
It is crucial to remove bread from the skillet when it comes out of the oven because it will get moist and soggy if left in the skillet.