No-Knead Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread: Simple technique that creates a hearty, rustic bread which bakes in a dutch oven. Perfect for serving with soup or toasting up for a hearty breakfast.
I am a confessed carboholic.
To me there is nothing better than a freshly baked bread served up with a comforting soup like Beef and Barley Soup or Corn and Potato Chowder.
Heck, I don’t need Lasagna Soup or Potato Soup or ANY SOUP for an excuse to make Artisan Dutch Bread, I just need to be hungry.
I am a bit of a bread snob. I want hearty, rich, and crusty bread. Bread that is full of flavor and texture and worthy of every calorie consumed.
I want a bread that stands up to a rich soup, a thick marinara, or can be perfectly toasted and spread with jam. Okay, totally drooling right now.
And confession, I don’t like to make bread.
Okay, not entirely true.
I love to bake bread–but I am not always successful at it. I have mastered my everyday whole wheat sandwich bread and quick breads like Spiced Apple Bread, but Artisan bread–can be tricky.
I am just not much of a patient person and Artisan bread requires patience.
Unless we are talking about an easy no knead bread recipe.
No-Knead Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread
This whole wheat no knead bread recipe is a recipe that can be mixed together quickly and thrown into the oven with no kneading, no tricks, very little measuring
Well, sign me up.
And this No-Knead Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread is just that–easy, hearty, delicious.
And FOOL-PROOF–for me that is crucial. You too? Glad I am not alone.
And OH MY WORD!!
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. But it is not–it is something I made with a few simple staples and hardly any effort at all.
How to Make No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
Step One: Make the no knead bread dough by mixing all the ingredients together in a large bowl. I know, hard!
Step Two: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set on the counter to rest overnight. Keep away from any pets that may be tempted to try out the dough!
Step Three: Dump onto a floured cutting board and shape into a circle. While you are doing that, also preheat your oven with your dutch oven in the oven as it preheats.
Step Five: Bake.
Step Six: Let cool and enjoy!
A few notes about Whole Wheat No Knead Bread:
- 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 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.
Recipe for No Knead Whole Wheat Bread
No-Knead Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon yeast
- 3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Mix together water, salt and yeast in large mixing bowl. Mix in flour until well combined. Cover and let sit out overnight.
- 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, shape dough into circle. And drop into skillet. 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.
Notes
- 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. If you use all all-purpose flour you will need to use 4 cups instead of 3 3/4 cups.
For this Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread Recipe I recommend:
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Kristen Chidsey
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I was so excited to try this recipe, at I’d made a white loaf in my Dutch oven last week and it turned out perfectly. But when I took the bowl out this morning, it had risen (not as much as I’d expected, though) and the dough was so wet there was no way it could be formed into a ball (it actually looked like there was some liquid in the bottom of the bowl). I weighed the flour when I made the dough, and the water was the same temp I’ve used for other breads. The only thing I did differently was to cover with plastic wrap instead of a damp towel. I put it in the oven overnight with the light on. Could I have covered it too tightly with the wrap? Was the oven too warm? I’m pretty new to baking bread, so not too good at troubleshooting yet…
Hi Pam! It is hard for me to say exactly what happened, but I have 3 thoughts. What type of flour did you use? If you used white wheat, you may have needed an additional 1/4 cup. Also, I don’t weigh my flour, but instead scoop into measuring cup (this is so that everyone can follow directions, not just those with kitchen scales), so there may have been a difference there as well. And yes, the oven may have been too warm, because this is a slow rise, it should be at room temperature. When placed in the oven with the light on, most ovens can reach over 100 degrees, which is just too warm for that long of a rise. Hope that helps.
Not sure what happened. I followed this recipe to a T, but my bread came out like a brick…being small, hard, and extremely dense. Perhaps too much yeast, (my usual whole wheat bread recipe uses just 1/4 tsp. of active dry yeast.) or foregoing the second rise. I gently formed my deflated dough into a round shape, put it into the pre-heated Dutch oven…and it came out looking just as it had going in.
Hi Anolis! I am sorry you did not have success with this recipe. This is not an issue anyone has had before, but let me help you troubleshoot it. My best guess is that it did in fact have to so with your yeast or rise time. If your water was too hot or too cold and/or your yeast was older, it may have not been activated to allow the flour to rise correctly. Another issue may have been that if you scooped your flour from your canister, instead of spooning into your measuring cup, it may have resulted in more flour, which would make result in a denser bread. After the overnight rise, the bread should have risen to at least double the size and the dough should be light, and full of bubbles. If that did not happen, it had to do with the yeast or mis-measurement of flour. I hope those tips help you to perfect this recipe.
Thank you for the tips. Rise time may have been a factor here, as the dough seemed to have risen and fallen overnight. Maybe I’ll try this recipe again with a shorter fermentation time, or pop it in the fridge to slow it down.
Especially in the heat of the summer, that could be an issue if your house is warm. I would recommend to start with shorter fermentation time, before popping the in the fridge 🙂
This sounds great! I recently made a very similar version, which uses the Instant Pot to rise the dough; Using the cookingcarnival recipe it takes only 4 hours to rise in the Instant Pot; I went from flour to finished baked bread in about 6 hours. I used white bread flour for the cookingcarnival recipe. Question: would using the instant pot for this bread work? I don’t know if using the whole wheat flour (which is my preference) would change the rise time in the instant pot. Thank you for taking the time to read my message and for your response.
Hi Shirley, I am so sorry I misunderstood your question. I thought you were asking if you could BAKE the bread. So yes, I would think whole wheat bread would change the rise time, but only ever so slightly. I would check at 4 hours and go from there 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
Can I proof the dough in my INstant Pot for 4 hrs and then into the dutch oven?
Hi Rochelle! I have not tried that, but in theory it would work. If you give it a go, let us know how it works out
I made the bread yesterday. If you have an Instant Pot Duo 6 or 8 with a yogurt button you can raise any bread dough in it. Pam the metal insert pot and put the dough directly into it. Press the yogurt button, set it on low and the time on 4 hrs.
It turned out great. My husband loved it too. But the crust is so hard I have a difficult time cutting it w/o tearing the bread. I use a serrated knife. What do you suggest? BTW our favorite Instant Pot roast is your Horseradish Roast recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed this bread! The crust can be a bit tougher, I am able to cut–once cooled with serrated knife, but it is a chewier crust. Most bakeries recommend tearing for thicker crusts actually. 🙂
Hi Kristen, I just want to verify that this dough does not require a second proofing. Thank you!
Hi Jen! That is correct. The overnight proofing is more than sufficient. Enjoy!
Great! Thank you!
I have a stainless steel Dutch oven. Will this work?
Hi Shirley! It absolutely will work 🙂 I hope you enjoy your bread!
My bread was glued to the bottom of the Dutch oven. You don’t grease it or anything, right? The bread tasted great!!
Hi Beth! I am glad you enjoyed the bread, but sorry it stuck to the bottom of your dutch oven. Did you shape your dough on a floured cutting board? That extra flour should have helped prevent your bread from sticking.
I’ve made this using another formulation of flour and water and it was absolutely delicious. Very, very sticky. I’m looking forward to trying this with whole wheat flour. My husband, who’s from England said this is (type) is the best crusty bread he’s had since he’s been an American citizen…and that’s been 18 years. 🙂 I’m so delighted that your version offers whole wheat and I’ll certainly be mixing a batch tonight.
This is a very sticky dough, but with a pastry knife, a little extra flour sprinkled around the boule’ and softly floured hands – it rolls just perfect.
Hi Kim! I hope you enjoy this whole wheat version! And yes, very sticky–but great tips! Thank you!
Flour your hands before handling.
GREAT tip!! Thanks!
Kristen– I’m perplexed about something. 2 cups water, 3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour. Two cups of water weighs 473g (grams). According to the King Arthur Flour chart at https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart.html 3 3/4 cups of flour at 113g/cup weighs 424g. So the weight ratio of water to flour is 473/424, or 112% hydration the way that pro bakers talk. That’s an *extremely* wet dough. 100% hydration is so wet that the dough is very hard to handle. Your pics, and the glowing recipe reviews, don’t indicate such a wet dough. So, I’m puzzled.
Happy New Year!
Hi Steve!
I understand how this may confuse you. This is a very wet dough, but it bakes up perfectly every time for me. If I feel it is too wet, I simply sprinkle with a bit of flour before shaping into a ball. I hope you give it a try.
This looks absolutely delicious! I’m wondering if it would work to add fresh cranberries and toasted walnuts to the mix? And if so, when should I add them?
Hi Jenny! If you are mixing in fruits and nuts, you will want to fold those in after the first rise. Flour your work surface and place dough on surface. Sprinkle with cranberries and walnuts and then lightly knead 2-3 times to mix fruit and nuts into dough. Then shape into a ball and cover again and let rise another 30 minutes to hour before proceeding with baking. And be careful not to crush the cranberries–you want very little juice mixed into the bread as that will add moisture and change it’s structure. In fact, dried cranberries may be a better option (but I understand wanting to try with fresh!) Enjoy!
I had my first ever attempt at making bread using this recipe and it turned out incredible. I added 2TBSP each (pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, white and black sesame seed) to the mix and an additional 1TBSP of each to the top.
My question, how long does this recipe keep for once cooked and what is the best way to store it?
Thank you for the great and simple recipe and I’m excited to delve more into the world of no-knead bread.
Thank you.
Hi Weston, your additions sound FABULOUS! I would store this bread (once fully cooled) in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days. I have had it last longer, but the taste is diminished. If you have more than you need in 3 days, I would slice and store in freezer safe bag for up to 1 month–it toasts well from the freezer or makes a great base for french toast. Enjoy!!!
Thank you for the prompt reply.
Since I am cooking for one, I will likely freeze half the loaf once it cools and store the remaining half in an airtight container until I go through it. Have you had issues with mould growing in an container? I’ve read so many different opinions on how to store homemade no-knead bread (in a linen cloth, plastic bag, paper, bag, container, fridge…).
Do you find the airtight container helps keep it from going stale and does it keep the crust pretty hard?
Thank you!
There are so many varying thoughts on how to store bread, it is CONFUSING. For this loaf, I would allow to cool fully. Slice and then place in dry air tight container and keep at room temperature for 3 days. Most breads run into growing mold if they are stored while still slightly warm, as condensation forms in bag or container and that moisture leads to mold growth. A linen cloth helps absorb moisture, but if completely cool, you should not have an issue. I do store whole wheat baked goods in fridge, but this bread tastes best at room temperature and is fine for 3 days. And the container keeps the crust hard and bread soft 🙂
Perfect. Thank you! Worst case scenario, it goes stale or moldy and I get to make another loaf 🙂
Last question, have you ever turned this recipe into individual rolls instead of a whole loaf? I’m curious if it’s possible and how much to reduce the cook time both covered and uncovered.
You should be good 🙂 As for individual rolls, I would proceed with recipe as stated, but after dough has risen overnight, I would roll into 8 individual rolls and then gently place into the heated dutch oven. Bake for 30 minutes covered, and then 10-15 minutes uncovered.
I have never used a Dutch Oven before, so I am wondering, what size you use? I will need to buy one.
Hi Pam! I use a 6 quart dutch oven. Here is the one I use https://amzn.to/2PEvduC (which is an affliate link) but you can buy them at Walmart even 🙂 I just baked a batch today for soup we are having tonight. Enjoy!
Can this bread be baked in a round covered casserole dish instead of a dutch oven?
Thank you
Hi Mary! As long as your casserole dish is deep enough and can be heated up to 450 degrees, it will work perfectly.
Hi Kristin,
Approx how many hours of rise time do you recommend? I’ve made other versions of no-knead bread and times vary.
Thanks!
Hi Mame–I let this sit at least 8 hours. I usually make when prepping dinner, and then leave sit out overnight and bake in the morning, for me, that is about 12 hours.
Hi, this looks lovely. Planning to try out tonight. Can you confirm approx how many grams is 1 cup please?
Hi Sam, I hope you weren’t waiting up last night for my response–I am in bed early! HA! 1 cup is 128 grams. Hope that helps and you enjoy!
Hello! I would like to use this recipe but just using my starter and not yeast. Do you happen to know how much longer would it need to rise? Thanks!
Hi Fiona! I have never tried this recipe with a starter in place of yeast. However, I would think 24 hours would be sufficient. That is double the time for traditional yeast, and should work out! If you try it, let us know how it goes so others can learn! Thanks!
Is it possible to do this with rye flour??
Thank you!
Svend
I have never tried this with Rye flour, so I can not predict how using rye flour would turn out. But I do know that most rye breads are a mixture of rye and wheat, so if you experiment with rye flour, I would suggest starting with half and half. And let us know the results if you test it out 🙂
My Dutch oven is oval and I wonder if its’ Size and shape will mean baking time should be adjusted. What is the diameter of your Dutch oven? Thanks!
Hi Mona, my dutch oven has a diameter of just about 10 inches. Honestly, if you shape your dough into a ball when you drop into your dutch oven, your bread SHOULD bake up the same. Just be sure to have your bread rise in a round bowl overnight 🙂
What kind of yeast?
Thanks for the recipe
Hi Mimi. You would use regular yeast (active dry) for this bread (NOT instant yeast).
I have the dough resting right now to bake tonight–high time these pictures are updated and we are having soup tomorrow night that this bread will pair perfectly with. Enjoy!
Maybe whole wheat requires a bit more hydration.
Hi Nigel!
Depending on your elevation or the humidity in the air, sometimes you may need to add 1/4 to 1/3 cup more water to your dough. I am going to watch for a dry day here and play with this recipe again to be able to better offer trouble-shooting tips for you.
My cast iron Dutch oven is not enameled. Should I put some oil or butter in it before adding the bread dough?
Yes, just a light brushing of oil will prevent sticking.
What kind of yeast do you use? I have active dry yeast. Does it matter?
Yes Valerie, active dry yeast works perfect!
I’m a carboholic too!! So excited to give it a try! Thanks for sharing on the Let’s Get Real link up 🙂
You will love it!
This bread looks great! SO easy and whole grain bread is always so much better than white! Thanks for sharing! 😀
You bet Kennedy 🙂
I’ve made the no-knead bread like this many times at home and I am so impressed with how this turns out. It’s just like the pricey artisan bread at the bakery. I’ll have to try your whole wheat version.
It is so easy, I am always amazed by it too 🙂
Nothing is better than freshly baked bread, I definitely need to try this, it looks so crusty and amazing!
Thanks Joy!!
What a gorgeous loaf! I love making yeast bread, this is a real winner Kristen!
I’ve seen the odd similar recipes recently and keep meaning to give one a go as there’s nothing quite like homemade bread but it can be a little time consuming. This looks and sounds great, must try!
How cool is this – just 4 ingredients and NO KNEAD!!! My daughter and I used to make bread often – but don’t seem to have the time to sit around waiting for it to proof – so I am loving this overnight dealio! I could do that for sure! Thanks so much for sharing this one Kristen!
Sometimes I think you are reading my mind. I was just thinking about making a no knead bread for my mother in law’s birthday on the way to my computer! I have never used whole wheat flour before and I’m not much of a baker. Does it work differently than regular flour? I guess I mean is the consistency different? I’d love to make this for my son’s lunch.
So glad I can be your mind reader, Denise!! Whole wheat flour is different–heartier and typically denser. You can make this with all-purpose flour as well with the same ratios. But I would suggest half whole wheat, half all-purpose and work your way (or your son’s way) into 100% whole wheat. And I bet your mother in law would love this!