This is the EASIEST method for making Whole Wheat Bread! This recipe for No-Knead bread is made without special equipment, only a few minutes of prep and produces the most delicious hearty, rustic bread.
Not only is this Dutch Oven Bread incredibly easy to make, but it is also one of my favorite bread recipes. It toasts up perfectly but is divine when served with a smear of butter next to homemade Potato Corn Chowder or Lasagna Soup.
I am a bit of a bread snob. I want hearty, rich, and crusty bread that is full of flavor and texture and worthy of every calorie consumed.
And friends, this No-Knead Dutch Oven bread not only meets my high standards for bread, but it is also the EASIEST bread recipe to make.
- One Bowl
- 4 Ingredients
- No-Kneading!!
This no-knead dutch oven bread is just perfection!!
Crusty on the outside and tender on the inside. It reminds me of a fresh loaf of bread that I would pick up from an expensive bakery. Instead, it is something I made with a few simple staples and hardly any effort at all--FOR PENNIES!
How to Make No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, salt, and water until just combined.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set on the counter to rest overnight.
- After the dough has risen, place the dutch oven in the oven and turn the oven to 450 degrees. You must preheat your dutch oven for this bread to turn out perfectly.
- Dump onto a floured cutting board and shape into a circle.
- Carefully remove dutch oven from oven and then place the rounded dough into the pan. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove cover and bake for an additional for 20 minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Important Notes on this Recipe
- You will know your bread is done cooking when it reaches a temperature on an instant-read thermometer of 207-209 degrees.
- I use whole wheat flour for this recipe, but you can use half whole wheat and half all-purpose or whole white wheat flour as well.
- Be sure to use a spoon/scoop to add flour to your measuring cup--if you just scoop from canister using the measuring cup, you will end up with significantly more flour than this recipe calls for.
- Use regular active dry yeast, not rapid rise or instant yeast.
- Do NOT forget the step to preheat your dutch oven in the oven while the oven preheats, that is crucial to achieving the right texture.
More Bread Recipes
- Easy Whole Wheat Cranberry Walnut Bread
- Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Homemade Italian Bread
- Honey Whole Wheat Bread
This is a great starter recipe for homemade bread. It is simple, easy, and delicious! I hope you give a try and enjoy!
No-Knead Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 3 ¾ cups whole wheat flour or 480 grams
Instructions
- Mix together water, salt and yeast in large mixing bowl. Mix in flour until well combined. Cov
- Cover the dough and let sit out overnight at room temperature--or for at least 8 hours.
- The next day, place a dutch oven in oven and pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Once heated, carefully remove dutch oven.
- With floured hands, quickly shape dough into a circle--it's okay if not perfect. And drop into the preheated pan.
- Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove bread from dutch oven and let cool on wire rack for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- You will know your bread is done cooking when it reaches a temperature on an instant read thermometer of 207-209 degrees.
- Anywhere from a 3.5 to a 6 quart dutch oven with a lid will work to bake this bread. I use a 4.5 quart myself.
- I use whole wheat flour for this recipe, but you can use half whole wheat and half all-purpose or whole white wheat flour as well. If you use all all-purpose flour you will need to use 4 cups instead of 3 ¾ cups.
- Be sure your yeast is NOT expired.
- It is best to scoop your flour into a measuring cup with a spoon to ensure your don't use too much flour.
- Be sure not to not allow the dough to rise over 12-14 hours or it may deflate.
- Baking at high altitude? Check out these adjustments that you may need to follow.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2017 but has been updated in 2020 with new tips.
EI
Made this tonight, Excellent! I did 380g of whole wheat, and 100g of bread flour. Mixed the dough at 6am and had it in the oven at 3pm just in time for dinner. Will make weekly. Thank you for a wonderful recipe
Sita Shankar
I have a 4 qt Staub. Would this recipe work in a dutch oven this size? Would the baking time be different?
Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Sita! It will work perfectly with no time change.
Emily
Hi,
Can I add whole grains to this recipe?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Emily! Without experimenting myself, I would not know how much to suggest adding/how much whole wheat flour to remove before it changes the structure of the bread.
Aaron
I'd specify that the yeast is active and not quick rise in the recipe itself, rather than the notes below. I made this bread and it came out very dense because it did not properly rise using quick rise. Unfortunately, I only spotted the direction below after mixing the yeast in. The bread is still good, but as you can imagine, a bit soft and salty.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Aaron! I am sorry that was not clear to you and have updated the post to note the specific need to use dry active yeast in several more places.
Lucas
Would I be able to add honey to this recipe?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lucas, for this recipe, I don't recommend adding honey or sugar, as it may interfere with how the yeast works and through the ratios off. Bread is a bit of an exact process. I do have a recipe for Honey Whole Wheat Bread though that is delicious.
Sue Andrews
Is oven temperature 450 degrees for the entire baking period?
Kristen Chidsey
That is correct Sue. Enjoy.
Kelsey
Could I sub gluten free flour??
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kelsey! I have not tried using a 1:1 gluten-free flour in this recipe. I use it all the time with success in muffins, but bread is a bit more finicky and precise. If you are willing to try it, I would love for you to let us know how it goes.
BARBARA
Thanks for sharing this! Do you know how to convert the flour measurement to grams? I live in AZ and the flour is very dry here so I think measuring by weight works best.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Barbara! The grams equivalent would be 480 grams. I will add that to the recipe notes now for others as well.
Joyce
Is the one teaspoon active yeast accurate? I have a 1/4 oz packet packet that I usually use for one loaf bread. The packet says it equals 2 and 1/4 teaspoon. Is 1 teaspoon enough?
Kristen Chidsey
For this recipe, yes Joyce. 2 1/4 teaspoon is typically for a larger loaf of bread. Enjoy!
Rebecca Ofstehage
Kristen, I tried your recipe using half white and half wheat flour.I used instant yeast because that was all I had. Let it rise over night and it deflated but I made a round loaf and put it in the heated Dutch oven. It turned out perfect, nice round loaf! Now I found some new sour dough yeast and wanted to use your recipe with that! Maybe use less wheat flour. I don’t have sour dough starter.Do you make sour dough bread? Would this recipe work? Let me know your thoughts!☺️
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Rebecca. As for sourdough yeast, I do not have experience with using that--it is typically used in place of a sourdough starter. Sorry I can not help you more, but I bread making is a science and I would need to experiment with this more before advising.
Jamie
This was my first attempt at making bread and this recipe was super easy!! Great starting off point. Like mentioned previously, it has a thick crust and is dense. Can't wait to try it with soup tonight! It is also very wheat-y.. Obviously!!
Sarah Owens
Just wanted to stop by and thank you for this. The flavor and texture are perfect. I, too, can’t find active dry yeast so I used the instant we had. It rose fast! So I put it in the fridge to slow it down over night. Mistake! It never rose right after that. Next time I’ll still have to use instant yeast, but bake it after less rising time I guess. Like you said in a comment above? Do you have any other ideas for using instant yeast instead of active dry? I see this a becoming our go-to bread...Thank again!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! As for using instant yeast, you would just want to bake once doubled--which in this case would typically be 4-6 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.