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    Home » Recipes » Bread

    Small Batch Crusty Bread

    Published: Jun 8, 2021 · Modified: Nov 14, 2022 by Jessie · This post may contain affiliate links; if you buy something we'll earn a commission at no cost to you.

    Jump to Recipe

    This small batch crusty bread recipe has a thin, crispy crust and a soft interior. Ready in just 3 hours (with no kneading required). The perfect size for two or three people!

    Hand holding a small loaf of bread in front of a dark background. this recipe

    We've taught thousands of people to bake their first loaf of bread with our best Easy Crusty French Bread recipe. And while we love digging into that giant loaf, we know that sometimes you just don't need that much bread!

    Enter: This small batch crusty bread recipe.

    (Also: How FREAKING CUTE is this lil' mini baby loaf?! I'm in love).

    Mixing bread dough in a glass bowl on a dark table.
    Mix yeast, honey, and warm water. Let the yeast activate and foam, then add flour and salt.

    This is a scaled-down version of our classic no knead artisan bread, and it's perfect for just a few people! It makes a small loaf that fits easily in the palm of your hand - typically about 6 inches in diameter.

    Bread dough in a glass bowl on a dark table.

    I make this small batch loaf with soup or stew for two people; if we're making sandwiches or crostini, it will serve 4. I usually get about 10 half-inch slices of bread with this recipe.

    PS - If you've made our original recipe before, you'll notice a few small differences here: we tweaked some things to keep this loaf of bread extra simple, and we adjusted the cook time to account for a smaller size.

    Hands shaping bread dough into a round boule.

    How to make this small batch no knead bread

    Mix the dough (10 minutes)

    Mix active dry yeast and a bit of honey with warm water, then let that mixture sit for a few minutes until the yeast activates and foams. Next, mix in the flour and salt. Stir everything together until no dry flour remains and you have a nice, shaggy dough.

    Let it rise (1 hour)

    Cover the dough with a clean towel and let it rise for about an hour until it's doubled in size.

    Shape your loaf & final rise (30 minutes)

    Shape the dough into a boule (see the video below for how to do this!) and let it rise another 30 minutes or so in a small mixing bowl or proofing basket while you heat the oven.

    Bake! (30 minutes)

    Bake your loaf in a hot Dutch oven (or use one of our other methods!) for 22 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and bake another 5-10 minutes to give the crust some more color.

    Small batch loaf in a dutch oven with a piece of brown parchment paper.

    A few tips for successful loaves

    • Use a kitchen scale if you have one! Measuring by weight (with a scale) is much more accurate than measuring by volume (with cups). If you have a kitchen scale, please use it! (No kitchen scale? Measure your flour with the scoop and level method for best results!)
    • Great bread takes patience and persistence. When you're first learning how to make crusty French bread at home, it might not look exactly like these pictures. THAT'S OKAY! The more you practice, the better your bread will get. Stick with it!
    • Use high-quality flour. Trust us: The type of flour you use matters. A LOT. We recommend baking with King Arthur Flour or Bob's Red Mill flour for best results - these flours are the most consistent, and they both have a high protein content (which gives you a stronger, more elastic, less sticky dough!)
    • Read through our baking tips in this post or join our Everyday Artisan Bread course for extra help and support!
    Hands holding a small loaf of bread.

    Small Batch Bread FAQs

    Can I bake crusty French bread without a Dutch oven?

    Yes! We love using a Dutch oven to create a crispy, crackly crust on our bread, but it's definitely not the only way to bake great bread at home. Check out our post about how to bake bread without a Dutch oven.

    Can I use bread flour?

    Yes! We call for All Purpose Flour in this recipe because most people tend to have it on hand, but you can swap bread flour for some or all of the AP flour here. Bread flour will make your dough a little bit smoother and more elastic, and may give you a slightly taller loaf.

    Can I use whole wheat flour?

    You can replace up to 50% of the All Purpose flour in this recipe with whole wheat flour if you like. We don't recommend using more than 50% whole wheat flour here as it can change the texture of the loaf and result in a denser crumb.

    How warm should my water be?

    Use water that is "warm to the touch" - you should be able to comfortably hold your hand in it! We typically aim for water between 95° and 110° F.

    Can I use a stand mixer?

    We recommend mixing this dough by hand in a mixing bowl! Because it's such a small amount of dough, we've found that a stand mixer doesn't work quite as well here. You spend so much time scraping down the sides of the mixer bowl and repositioning the dough that you might as well just mix by hand!

    Have another question?

    See even more detailed FAQs about bread baking in our Easy Crusty French Bread post, or enroll in our Everyday Artisan Bread course for step-by-step training lessons that take you through every technique, buzzword, and more!

    Hand holding two halves of a small loaf of bread.

    VIDEO: HOW TO SHAPE A LOAF OF BREAD

    This video is an excerpt from our Everyday Artisan Bread online course. It demonstrates how to shape a loaf of bread into a round boule. The dough in this video makes a large loaf, but the technique is the same for this small batch recipe!

     
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    Hand holding a small loaf of bread in front of a black background.

    Small Batch Crusty Bread

    ★★★★★ 5 from 40 reviews
    • Author: Jessie
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Inactive Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
    • Yield: 1 small loaf (2-4 servings) 1x
    • Category: Bread
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Vegetarian
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This easy small batch crusty bread is perfect as a quick side dish for two or three people!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (4 grams)
    • 1 teaspoon honey (6 grams)
    • ⅔ cups warm water (150 grams)
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (4 grams)
    • 1 to 1 ⅔ cups All-Purpose Flour (200 grams), plus extra for dusting (see recipe notes)

    Instructions

    MIX THE DOUGH AND FIRST RISE (1 HOUR)

    1. Combine yeast, honey, and warm water in a large mixing bowl.
    2. Let the yeast proof for about 5 minutes, until the mixture looks nice and foamy.
    3. Add flour to bowl. Mix with a sturdy spatula until the dough starts to come together, then add salt and mix well, until no dry flour remains. Dough should be slightly loose, shaggy, and a bit sticky!
    4. Cover bowl with a clean towel. Let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.

    SHAPE THE DOUGH & FINAL RISE (30 MINUTES)

    1. When dough has risen, lightly flour a large cutting board.
    2. Tip dough out onto the board. Don’t punch the dough down - handle it gently to preserve all those air bubbles! If the dough is sticking to the bowl, run your hand under cold water (to prevent sticking) and gently pull the dough onto the cutting board.
    3. Shape your dough into a round loaf by gently pulling each edge into the center like you’re folding an envelope. Fold the dough in towards the center several times, until the dough stiffens and begins to resist your folds. When that happens, flip the dough over and gently pull it towards you, across the cutting board, so that the loaf tightens a bit. 
    4. Dust a small mixing bowl with flour (I like to line my bowl with a linen napkin to help distribute the flour more evenly) and place your loaf into the bowl seam-side down. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for another 30 minutes while you heat the oven.

    HEAT THE OVEN

    1. While bread proofs, place an empty dutch oven (with the lid on) in your oven and heat to 460° F.

    BAKE! (30 MINUTES)

    1. When the oven is hot, tip your loaf - seam side UP this time - onto a piece of parchment paper.
    2. Use oven mitts to pull out the hot Dutch oven and remove the lid. Use the parchment paper to carefully lift your loaf into the pot, then use your oven mitts to return the Dutch oven lid and then slide the pot back into your hot oven.
    3. Cook bread for 22 minutes.
    4. After 22 minutes, carefully remove the lid from your dutch oven. The bread should be crusty and lightly browned. Continue baking, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes to deepen the color.
    5. Transfer bread to a cooling rack and let cool at least 30 minutes (and ideally a few hours) before slicing. Enjoy!

    Notes

    Equipment. We have tested this recipe in Le Creuset, Staub, Marquette Castings, and Challenger Breadware Dutch ovens. Be sure your Dutch oven is safe at high temperatures, and as always, please check the care instructions on your own equipment before baking. 

    Ingredients. For best results, use a high-quality flour for this recipe: We recommend King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill flour. This recipe was developed with Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, which is colloquially known as the "least salty salt." If you need to use table salt or another fine salt and you are measuring by volume with a teaspoon, reduce the amount of salt by ¼ teaspoon (if you're measuring by weight, don't worry about what brand of salt you're using - just follow the gram measurements!) If you don't have honey, use sugar in its place.

    Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring flour with cups is notoriously unreliable, so please use a kitchen scale and follow our gram measurements if you can! If you don't have a scale, measure your flour with the scoop-and-level method to be as accurate as possible. (We have a whole write-up about this flour measuring conundrum in our online course!)

    This is a slightly sticky dough - it won't pull into a smooth ball as you mix it, and it will be a bit sticky and shaggy. Don't worry - it will smooth out as it rises! If the dough is sticking too much while you're shaping it, add another dusting of flour.

    Do I need a proofing basket? If you've made our Easy Crusty French Bread before, you know that we love using a proofing basket to help the bread hold its shape during its final rise! With this small loaf, a 9-inch proofing basket is often too big, so we prefer using a small mixing bowl (about 6 inches across) to help this loaf hold its shape more effectively. 

    Love this recipe? Check out our Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Bread or our Easy Asiago Bread next! And if you're ready to level up your bread game (and get our best recipes without the ads!) check out our Everyday Artisan Bread course.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 191
    • Sugar: 1.6 g
    • Sodium: 313.2 mg
    • Fat: 0.6 g
    • Carbohydrates: 40 g
    • Protein: 5.6 g
    • Cholesterol: 0 mg

    Keywords: baking, fall, winter

    Tag @lifeasastrawberry on Instagram to show us what you're cooking! Nutrition information is calculated per serving; it is approximate and will vary based on many factors.

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    I'm Jessie, and I like to talk about food. Tag your recipes #LifeAsAStrawberry on social media to share your creations! Learn about our team!

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    1. Beth

      September 30, 2023 at 4:39 pm

      I’m bummed, I followed the recipe exactly but my dough was so sticky, I couldn’t get it to change after adding tons of extra flour. The dough was about the size of a cookie at the end, because most of it was lost on my cutting board and fingers. It ended up being a huge mess and I had a hard time getting it off my cutting board because it was so sticky. Not sure what else to trouble shoot. If it’s so sticky is it over proofed or under proofed?

      Reply
    2. Cathy Christy

      September 21, 2023 at 11:58 pm

      What size is the dutch oven used for this recipe? Thank you.

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        September 22, 2023 at 2:39 pm

        This loaf is about 6 inches in diameter when baked. We typically use a 4-6 quart Dutch ovens, but there are smaller sizes available that would work as well! If you don't have a Dutch oven, read about our favorite alternatives.

        Reply
    3. Kelly Snider

      September 17, 2023 at 12:13 pm

      I tried this tonight. I’m a rookie. I followed the instructions but failed miserably. My dough was like a child’s sticky dough tough. I tossed it. Obviously it’s me as others loved it. I’ll try again after the sting of complete failure fades.

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        September 17, 2023 at 1:39 pm

        We'd love to help you troubleshoot! Did your dough rise as expected but still feel too sticky? This is a relatively slack (wet) dough, so it will be a bit shaggy and sticky at first, but it will smooth out and become more elastic as it rises and again as you shape it. You can always add more flour as needed to reach a texture you're more comfortable working with!

        Reply
    4. Julie Wilson

      September 09, 2023 at 7:39 pm

      Do you think this would work with King Arthur gluten-free flour? It looks delicious and I want to try it!

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        September 10, 2023 at 1:48 pm

        This recipe hasn’t been tested with gluten-free flour, and straight substitutions of gluten-free flour do tend to affect the texture and outcome of baked goods quite a bit, so we don’t recommend swapping the flour here for a gluten-free blend (although we’re working hard on a gluten-free version, so stay tuned!)

        Reply
    5. Gail Brehm

      August 31, 2023 at 4:47 pm

      Just tried it, simple and turned out great

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        September 05, 2023 at 9:25 pm

        WAHOO! We're so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    6. Helen Jones

      August 22, 2023 at 7:22 am

      I cannot believe how incredible this small crusty loaf is . It tastes amazing. So easy to make,your notes and video made it so easy to follow. I've made bread before but thickens hands down for taste,texture ,everything in absolute delighted

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        August 23, 2023 at 5:05 pm

        WAHOO! We're so glad you love this loaf!

        Reply
    7. Jennifer Sullivan

      August 19, 2023 at 4:33 pm

      Can this recipe be doubled

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        August 20, 2023 at 9:05 am

        Our original Easy Crusty French Bread recipe is a doubled version of this loaf! You can either bake the full, larger loaf or separate it into two smaller loaves and bake as instructed in this recipe.

        Reply
    8. MrsM

      July 14, 2023 at 10:56 am

      It is a little salty, but really delish. Very easy, too.

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        July 14, 2023 at 12:15 pm

        We're so happy you enjoyed this recipe!

        Any taste of salt could have been related to the type of salt used. We use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, which has wide, thin flakes that dissolve easily and uniformly into bread dough so you don't find any weird pockets of salty flavor. Morton Kosher Salt is another good choice if you can’t find Diamond Crystal near you - it’s a little heavier and saltier, but works just as well! Just be careful about using iodized table salt. If you're using table salt, 4g is about 3/4 teaspoons but 4g of Diamond Crystal is typically 1 teaspoon by volume. This is a great example of why you should always measure by weight!

        Reply
      • Helen Jones

        August 22, 2023 at 7:24 am

        I used sea salt and reduced the amount to 3/4 of a teaspoon

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    9. Debbie

      June 08, 2023 at 12:27 pm

      Today I decided to attempt this small boule and was not disappointed. I have made a regular recipe that did not turn out very good with a sour dough starter and what I realized was instant yeast. It was too dense and never rose. Today I did incorporate the sourdough starter thanks to the comments above. I was a little worried about it not having the grams to omit water and flour for the SD but tried it anyways. I used my LeCreuset DO which is big so aside from it spreading this thing is beautiful. Next time I will scrunch up some foil outside my parchment all the way around so I get more pouf. Can't wait to taste it!! I have a picture but didn't know how to add that. Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        June 10, 2023 at 11:07 am

        We're SO happy to hear you loved making this loaf! We have tons of bread baking resources in our Everyday Artisan Bread course, including a complete guide to sourdough!

        Reply
    10. J

      May 16, 2023 at 9:25 am

      Is the 191 calories for the whole thing or serving size? What is the serving size?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Team Life As A Strawberry

        May 19, 2023 at 1:02 pm

        The calories in the nutrition facts are listed per serving, which is 1/3 of the small loaf. Happy baking!

        Reply
    11. Janine

      April 09, 2023 at 8:44 pm

      Turned out nice and soft! I only had instant yeast so the conversion is 3/4 tsp.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    12. Cvanilla

      March 27, 2023 at 12:21 pm

      Perfect bread, and perfect size, sorry I didn’t take a pic right out of the oven, but you will see it is good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    13. Cvanilla

      March 27, 2023 at 12:21 pm

      Perfect bread, and perfect size, sorry I didn’t take a pic right out of the oven, but you will see it is good! Couldn’t get the photo into the review.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry

        May 03, 2023 at 4:48 pm

        I'm sorry we couldn't see the photo but we're so glad it turned out!

        Reply
    14. Vivienne

      March 26, 2023 at 9:41 pm

      First attempt making bread without a bread machine, it is delicious. Bread machine bread never tasted good. Perfect size for me alone and I’m not wasting anything.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Jim

        April 23, 2023 at 10:19 am

        I only use my bread machine to make the dough…I agree with you when you say that the bread machine baked bread never tastes good…try this and see if you like it…(I really don’t like to make the bread dough by hand)this definitely works for me…try it one time and see what you think…

        ★★★★★

        Reply
      • Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry

        May 03, 2023 at 4:47 pm

        Wahoo! So glad you loved it!

        Reply
    15. Julie Ann Maggio

      February 25, 2023 at 9:19 pm

      Great recipe and very easy to make. I opted to double the recipe and it turned out great.

      Reply
      • Rhonda @ Life As A Strawberry

        March 07, 2023 at 12:45 pm

        Glad you love this. For a larger loaf you can also use our original recipe - Easy Crusty French Bread!

        Reply
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