Last updated on March 14th, 2018 at 04:23 am
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!
No Knead Dutch Oven Whole Wheat Bread – no kneading required and 4 ingredients gives you a healthy delicious whole wheat crusty bread.
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 cups water room temperature
- 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.
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 450 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.
More delicious recipes from my kitchen
No Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Bread
Sunflower Flax Seeds Whole Wheat Cast Iron Bread
Do you ever make your breads with sourdough?
My husband and I have in the past, we used to have a sourdough started that we used to use, but we need to start another one, since we threw it away when we moved. However, I don’t have any on the blog, will probably get into baking sourdough again next year.
Hello,
Is it okay to let the rise dough for over 18 hours? More like 21 hours…
18 hours worked perfect for us, your bread may deflate for longer. You can give it a try and keep a close eye on it, but just keep in mind it may deflate.
So if I start to see it deflate in the oven, should I take it out and let it cool?
I wouldn’t take it out of the oven until it’s fully cooked
Hello, once the whole wheat bread is taken out of oven, the instructions are to let it cool. Should I take it out of Dutch oven and place on rack to cool, or does it just cool in Dutch oven pot? Thank you.
P.s. I also added another 1/2 cup of water to dough, similar to another person who commented.
Let it cool down in the dutch oven for about 10-15 minutes and then move it to a rack. Bread making can differ depending where you are in the world, with factors such as humidity. You can add more or less flour or water to suit your environment.
I have a couple of questions for you. Mine has been rising overnight and it is about doubled, is it done?
Pot doesn’t require any oil or greasing before adding the dough?
Main question: Most of the no-knead recipes call for a second rise of about 1-2 hours. Was that part omitted? I thought all bread required a second rise time. Do you think it would be more airy, less dense if you allowed it a second rise?
As long as it resembles the video, then yes, it’s done. We added flour to the pot to prevent sticking. If you’d like to do a second rise, that’s totally fine. Use oil rather than flour for the pot and let it rise for another hour or 2 before baking.
Can I cover it with a kitchen towel instead of plastic
You can, however the dough might stick to the towel making it difficult to remove after rising.
I baked my bread today and it turned out wonderfully! I would recommend other people add another half cup of water to the dough mixture the night before. My dough was really dry before adding that. Thank you for the recipe!
It can all depend on your altitude and the type of flour you’re using. Absolutely feel free to adjust amounts to make sure you have perfect bread for your tastes!
Great bread recipe. Has a great taste. I made it in a 10″ Dutch oven and used charcoal briquettes to bake it. I used 25 briquettes on the top and 13 on the bottom to get 475 degrees. Worked great while I am camping. Thanks for the recipe.