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 Dutch Oven 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 Dutch Oven 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.
More delicious recipes from my kitchen
No Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Bread
The bread came out pretty nice, and it was easy to make. I would do a little less salt though, and less yeast. The yeasty flavor was strong.
Baked my loaf this morning and it came out great! I added two tbsp of vital wheat gluten and some garlic powder and am so happy with the result.
Super easy and looked and smelled amazing. But, pretty dense and chewy. New flour, new yeast. I wonder if it wasn’t warm enough? Our house is pretty chilly so I was thinking that might be the problem, My oven has a “bread proof” setting (100 degrees). Would it be better to use that? If so, for how long? Thanks!!
You can find the info you need here in this post: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/no-knead-bread/
Followed the recipe exactly, came out just like the picture. Very good. I’m thinking about what I could add to spice it up. I like the other reader’s idea about jalapenos and cheddar but the cheddar would kind of defeat the whole purpose (for me anyway) of making whole wheat bread.
Hi Jo!
Can I add some rye flour in here?
Sure, haven’t tried it myself with rye flour but I think it should be fine.
Hi Jo,
I tried this whole wheat recipe and it turned out great! Thank you!
I’m thinking of venturing into whole wheat sourdough. Could this recipe be easily modified to create a simple whole wheat sourdough loaf without adding all of the extra steps I see in most sourdough recipes out there? How would you turn this into a “No Knead Cast Iron Whole Wheat -Sourdough- Bread”?
You probably could, but I haven’t ventured myself into the no knead sourdough bread or even sourdough bread in general, so I’m afraid I don’t have any recommendation for you. It’s been on my to do list for a while, but I just keep putting it off. 🙂
how do I store this bread to keep the freshness?
This bread can dry out a little easily so it is best to store it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container to preserve it longer. You can store it like this for about 3 to 4 days right on the counter or freeze it for up to 3 months.
Could I add honey to this to make a honey wheat loaf? How much would you recommend adding?
You can add 1 or 2 tbsp of honey.
Does the bread stick to the pan? Do you oil the pot or put cornmeal on the bottom?
If you heat up the pot as instructed it shouldn’t stick to the pot, you can use a bit of cornmeal or parchment paper.
Do you add the yeast to the flour “dry” without adding the water as directed on the yeast pkg?
That’s right.
Can I bake this on a loaf pan?
It won’t work, you need something with a lid to get a crispy crust. For a skillet version, you can check out this recipe: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/no-knead-skillet-bread/
Great recipe, and so easy! I added 2 Tbsp honey to the water to take the edge off the wheat flour. The dutch oven is the bomb. It produced a brown, crusty loaf. I plan to try some of your other bread recipes. Thank you.
Beautiful loaf! I wish I had a smaller pot because my loaf was a little short. Also there was a very strong taste. But that could be that my dough “proofed” for 22-24 hours vs. 12-18 (I made it mid day and didn’t get up early to bake it). This is the first light all wheat bread I have ever made, all others tend to be dense. I’ll make another one soon possibly with 1/2 the salt in order to share with my parents
I haven’t made this recipe, but I got an almost alcoholic, beer-like taste when I let a dough rest too long in the past. If that sounds similar, that’s probably it