No Knead Dutch Oven Whole Wheat Bread
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No Knead Dutch Oven Whole Wheat Bread – no kneading required and 4 ingredients gives you a healthy delicious whole wheat crusty bread.
I told you December was going to be about baking! Did you think I was kidding?
Maybe I’ll throw in a crockpot recipe or two, but the rest is all about baking, my friends. Because that’s what I do in December. I bake! Cookies, breads, muffins, scones, more cookies, bars, cakes, etc. The problem is what to do with all the baked goods. Luckily I have lots of test subjects at work who are more than willing to try my goods. 🙂
I made this bread before but with white flour but since I’m on this health kick lately I thought I’d try it with whole wheat flour and what a surprise I had. It was delicious! The recipe is quite similar but different quantities and I used only whole wheat flour and it turned out beautiful and super yummy. You cannot make an easier bread than this. There’s no kneading required, you simply mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon in a big bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it on your counter over night. And magic happens!
The next day your bowl will be filled with this beautiful dough ready to be baked to golden perfection. You need a cast iron pot, or basically an oven proof pot with a lid which should work just as well. This bread is healthy and delicious and there’s nothing better than freshly made warm bread. My favorite thing in the world!
Watch the video for the original No Knead Crusty bread:
If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
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No Knead Whole Wheat Bread
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Resting Time: 15 hrs
Total: 50 mins
Serves: 10
No Knead Dutch Oven Whole Wheat Bread – no kneading required and 4 ingredients gives you a healthy delicious whole wheat crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 cups water room temperature
Instructions
- In a big bowl mix flour, salt and yeast together. Pour water into the bowl and using a spatula mix it until it's all incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit on your counter for 12 to 18 hours.
- Preheat oven to 475 F degrees. Add your cast iron pot to the oven and heat it as well until it's at 475 F degrees.
- Remove pot from oven and remove the lid from it.
- Flour your work surface really well and make sure you flour your hands really well. With your floured hands gently remove the dough from the bowl and roughly shape it into a ball. Take the ball of dough and drop it into the pot. Cover the pot with the lid and place it back in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on, after which remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
Recipe Notes
- Prep time does not include time to let the dough rise.
- Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.
- To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using.
- Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container.
- One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.
- Why is my bread chewy: Usually your bread will be chewy when there isn't enough gluten formation or you're using a low-protein flour. Make sure you let your bread dough rest for at least 12 hours to give it enough time for gluten formation.
- Why is my bread dense: Usually bread will be too dense when there is too much flour. Keep in mind this dough will be pretty sticky, do not add more flour than specified. Other factors that come into play are humidity and age of flour. Little yeast, long rise, sticky dough are keys to a good, light loaf.
- I don't have a Dutch oven, what can I use instead: If you don't have a Dutch Oven, a covered metal pot would work as well, just make sure it can stand up to 475 F heat. A 4 quart Calphalon soup pot with lid would work as well. If your pot doesn't have a lid, you can cover the pot with heavy-duty aluminum foil, just make sure you seal the pot well.
- How do I know when my bread is done baking: Tap the bottom! Take the bread out of the Dutch oven, turn it upside down and give the bottom a firm thump with your thumb, or a knock and if it sounds hollow it's done.
- Nutrition: Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 164kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 35g (12%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 1g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Sodium: 469mg (20%)Potassium: 174mg (5%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Calcium: 18mg (2%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Nutrition Facts
No Knead Whole Wheat Bread
Amount Per Serving
Calories 164
Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 469mg20%
Potassium 174mg5%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 6g12%
Calcium 18mg2%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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No Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Bread
Easy and turned out perfect! Thanks for a great bread recipe.
You are so welcome! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hi Jo, very new to bread making so perhaps silly question here but do I need to parchment line my Dutch oven or lightly grease (have an older heavily used Dutch oven) prior to baking off bread dough? Thank you.
I didn’t use it here, but I have used parchment paper before, so it really is up to you. If you fear it sticking to the bottom, though I’ve never had this problem, then you should use parchment paper.
What size Dutch oven do you use? Mine is 5 1/2 quarts. Is that too big for this recipe?
It should be fine.
Hi I’m super excited to make this- Can I place all the ingredients into a large ziplock bag and leave sealed overnight instead of a bowl ?
I would recommend using a bowl to ensure it rises properly.
Would I be able to do in Pyrex bowl and then place the lid over it – or is plastic wrap recommended
I recommend using the plastic wrap!
Would i be able to add chai seeds to the Whole Wheat Artisan Bread before baking?
If you want them in the dough you’d have to add them when you make the dough.
This was my favourite whole wheat bread I have ever made! It was so easy to make compared to other ones and the overnight rise creates a very slight fermented flavour which I love. I used 3 cups of whole wheat and 1/2 cup white bread flour. Overall a great recipe, thanks!
Glad you liked it!
My dough doesn’t seem to have risen as much regular flour, is that normal?
That’s normal. One way to overcome this is to blend the whole wheat flour with some all-purpose flour, half of each for example.
Hi! Is it okay to use instant yeast in this recipe?
Yep!
Jo, you are amazing! I just found your site and made this bread and am smelling your Romanian stuffed peppers cooking right now. This was the easiest and tastiest whole wheat bread recipe. We fought the urge to cut into it until it cooled. The crust was so crunchy and flavorful! I’m not buying store bread again! Thank you for sharing your passion and I look forward to sampling your recipes!
Thanks, Heidi! You’re going to love those stuffed pepper, they’ll go great with this bread. 🙂
This is a really easy recipe and the loaf I made was delicous! I have do have a question. After mixing the ingredients should the dough be shaggy? Mine seemed dry so I added bit more water. It rose for 14 hours before baking. The end result was delicious but seemed a bit dense. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Usually bread will be too dense when there is too much flour. Keep in mind this dough will be pretty sticky, do not add more flour than specified. Other factors that come into play are humidity and age of flour. Little yeast, long rise, sticky dough are keys to a good, light loaf. Also do not over mix the dough in the beginning, there really is no kneading required.
Hi! I’ve made this dough and am popping it into the oven tomorrow (can’t wait!). I’m new to bread making and I also made the no-knead white bread just before trying this recipe. The white bread recipe asks to fold the dough after its rested for 18 hrs and leave for 15 minutes, then adding wheat bran or cornmeal topping and leaving for 2 hrs. Can I do that same process with this bread or would that dry out the dough? Thank you!
Yes you can.
Awesome. Thank you for the quick reply (and sorry for the weird grammar typos, my phone hates me). Quick follow up question: would I be able to add other toppings besides wheat bran or cornmeal like rosemary or olives or potentially cheese, for example? Thanks again and very excited for tomorrow 🙂
Absolutely, if you do that do it when you mix everything together.
Hi Jo! I love the bread recipe and just made this whole wheat bread! It turned out great! BUT, after sitting out and cooling. I stored it in the parchment paper and ziplock and noticed some dampness and water. It now has a funny smell to it? Is this normal? Thank you!
Only if you stored it while it was still warm. You should let it cool completely before storing it.
Thanks! One more question; making the whole wheat bread, should the flour mixture be as sticky as the original no knead bread recipe? I found that this wasn’t as sticky when transferring to the parchment paper before baking. Is this ok? Thanks so much!
Because of the whole wheat flour the mixture is not quite as sticky as the regular no knead bread.
As I am on restricted and reduced sodium eating, can I omit the salt or reduce it?
Absolutely, don’t think I’d omit it completely because then the bread would have no taste, but you could definitely reduce it.
After heating the dutch oven to 475 degrees do you bake the bread at 475?
Yes, of course!
Can I use a 3 quart pot?
You can, absolutely!