Simple Homemade Bread Recipe with 4 Ingredients + Bread Knife Tips

Have you ever checked the label on store-bought bread? Many loaves sold in supermarkets contain 20 to 30 ingredients, including preservatives, gums, added sugars, and other fillers you can’t even pronounce. Bread was never meant to be this complicated.

Real bread is simple. At its core, you only need flour, yeast, salt, and water. That’s it. When I discovered this, I stopped buying bread and started baking my own, a ritual that quickly became grounding, satisfying, and infinitely more delicious.

A 4-Ingredient Bread Recipe

This is my go-to recipe for a rustic homemade loaf. It’s simple, reliable, and requires no kneading.

• 3⅓ cups flour
• 1¼ tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1½ cups water

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Mix flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water and stir until shaggy and sticky. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 18 hours.
2. Lightly flour a work surface, fold dough over itself twice, then shape into a ball. Rest for 15 minutes.
3. Place seam side down on two layers of floured cotton towels. Let rise for 2 hours until doubled in size.
4. Preheat a Dutch oven with its lid at 450°F for 30 minutes.
5. Carefully transfer dough into the pot, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15–30 minutes until golden and crusty.
6. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

That’s it! A bread recipe with only 4 ingredients, ready to elevate any meal. No additives, no fillers, just real flavor.

How to Slice Bread Without Crushing It

Once your bread is ready, the final step matters just as much as the baking. Cutting a rustic loaf with the wrong knife can tear the crust and crush the crumb, undoing all your effort. The right tool makes all the difference.

A quality bread knife should be serrated, durable, and designed to glide through tough crusts without pressing down on the soft interior. That’s why we created the Dune Bread Knife, inspired by the Arabian desert, built for crust and crumb. It’s the tool every home baker needs to respect the bread they’ve worked so hard to make.

Final Thoughts

Store-bought bread doesn’t have to be your only option. With just four ingredients and a little patience, you can bake bread that’s better tasting, healthier, and more meaningful. And when it’s time to serve, make sure you’re using a knife that honors your effort.

Discover SEKKIN’s Dune Bread Knife, made to slice through your homemade loaves with precision, ease, and respect.