This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Dutch Oven Bread is hands-down the easiest way to make homemade whole wheat bread. No kneading, no fancy equipment! Just a few minutes of prep and a handful of ingredients and you can easily create a beautiful loaf of artisan whole wheat bread right at home!
This No Knead Whole Wheat Bread is crusty on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of hearty flavor. It is the perfect starter bread recipe as it is simple, forgiving, and rewarding.
Kristen's Keys for No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread
While an exceptionally easy recipe, I have a few key pointers to keep in mind before starting.
- You must use a Dutch Oven. This no-knead bread must be baked in a 3½ to 6-quart heavy-duty dutch oven that can withstand temperatures up to 450℉ (230℃). No other pan will conduct heat in the same way.
- Measure flour with care. A kitchen scale is the most accurate way to measure flour when making bread (or ANY baked good). If you don't have a scale, use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup, rather than scooping directly from the canister.
- Use active dry yeast NOT rapid rise or Instant yeast. We want a slow and steady rise.
- The flour is interchangeable. Whole wheat flour gives this bread a hearty flavor, but you can use white wheat flour or all-purpose flour for a lighter texture.
- Parchment paper is optional but helpful. It makes lifting the bread in and out of the Dutch oven seamless. Just be sure to use parchment paper safe up to 450℉ (230℃).
- Plan to make the dough at least 8 hours prior to baking the bread. You need time to let the yeast work it's magic.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
5-star Reader Review
This is the absolute best no knead bread recipe I have ever tried. It's hearty and moist and any add-in you throw at it turns out wonderful! -LouAnne⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How to Make No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread
Making bread at home can feel intimidating. But with this easy no knead whole wheat bread recipe and my step-by-step guidance, there is no need to be intimidated. 😉
Step One: Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure the flour is to place a mixing bowl on a kitchen scale, zero it out, and set it to measure in grams. Scoop flour into the bowl until the scale reads 500 grams.
👉🏻No Scale? Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup and level. You will need 3¾ cups of whole wheat flour.
Step Two: Combine Dough
Add the yeast and salt to the mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the warm water, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir until just combined. It is meant to be a shaggy (slightly damp) dough.
👉🏻Your water should be between 100-115℉ (38-46℃ ). Any colder water won't activate the yeast, while hotter water can kill the yeast. Use a digital thermometer for accurate results.
Step Three: Let Rest
Cover the mixing bowl with a clean kitchen towel or piece of plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours. I find 12 hours to be perfect! This slow rise develops incredible flavor and gives the dough that beautiful airy structure.
Step Four: Preheat the Oven and Dutch Oven
When you are ready to bake the bread, place the Dutch Oven in the oven and turn the oven to 450°F (230℃). Preheating the Dutch oven helps create that signature crusty exterior.
👉🏻 Using an Enameled Dutch Oven? A few brands state not to preheat empty (most say preheating in the oven is fine, just not on the stove--check your manual carefully). Simply skip the preheat and add an additional 5-10 minutes to the baking time.
Step Five: Shape Dough
While the oven is preheating, use the time to shape the dough. Remember it is meant to be a rustic dough, so don't worry about it being perfect. The less you work the dough, the better.
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto the counter and very lightly dust with flour.
- Turn the dough onto the parchment paper and shape into a circle with lightly floured hands.
- Brush off excess flour from dough and parchment paper and let rest until oven is fully preheated.
Step Six: Bake
Carefully transfer the shaped dough into the preheated Dutch oven, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown.
👉🏻 Unsure if your bread is fully cooked? Stick a digital thermometer into the center of the loaf. The internal temperature should be between 207-209°F (97-98℃).
Step Seven: Cool
The hardest part about making this bread is waiting for it to cool! But in order to prevent it from being gummy and next to impossible to slices, you need to let it fully cool. Immediately remove the bread from the Dutch Oven and let cool on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes before trying to slice.
Recipe Notes & Modifications
- Vary the Flour: While this recipe is written using whole wheat flour, you can swap it out for whole white wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, bread flour, all-purpose flour, or a combination of flours. Whatever flour used, it must measure 500 grams. And because different varieties of flour have different weights, a scale is critical here. Gluten-free flour blends and self-rising flour are not recommended!
- Optional Additions: Add up to and no more than 1 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, or pistachios), seeds (pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds), and/or dried fruit (raisins or dried cranberries) to the flour mixture before adding water to the dough. (Or try my cranberry walnut bread recipe.)
- Dutch Oven Size & Recommendations: A smaller Dutch oven yields a higher, rounder loaf, while a larger Dutch causes the dough to spread more. While still delicious, the bread will be flatter. I prefer a 4-quart Dutch oven for a beautiful tall loaf. And while Staub brand is my favorite, Lodge dutch ovens work well and are much more affordable.
- Storage Tips: Once fully cooled, wrap well in plastic wrap or place in airtight container. Store at room temperature and use within 3 days. Alternatively, wrap well in foil, place in freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature. For best results, slice as needed rather than slicing all at once--this will prevent the bread from drying out.
Serving Suggestions
This artisan-style whole wheat bread is heartier and chewier than my honey whole wheat bread and reminds me a bit of the texture of sourdough bread. It is is perfect toasted, slathered with butter, or served alongside one of following cozy soups:
No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 500 grams whole wheat flour, ~3¾ cups
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 2 cups warm water, between 100-115℉
Instructions
- Place a large mixing bowl on a kitchen scale, change units to grams, and zero it out. Add whole wheat flour until the scale reads 500 g (for 500 grams.) To measure flour without a scale, fluff the flour in its container, then spoon into a measuring cup, leveling off the excess. Measure out 3¾ cups whole wheat flour and place in mixing bowl (see recipe notes if using a different variety of flour).
- Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon dry active yeast to the flour and mix well to incorporate. Add 2 cups warm water to the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until the flour is fully moistened. Resist the urge to overmix. Stop mixing once there are no longer any dry pockets of flour.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let rest at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 18 hours.
- After the dough has risen, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper or lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and then roughly shape the dough into a circle. The dough will be sticky! Brush excess flour off the dough ball and parchment paper and let the dough rest while the oven preheats.
- Place the Dutch oven pan, fitted with a lid, into the oven and then set to preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃), with the pan in the oven.
- Once the oven is preheated, carefully remove the pan from the oven and carefully drop the shaped bread into the heated pan.
- Place the lid on the Dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes covered. Carefully remove the lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden and the internal temperature of the bread reaches 207-209°F (97-98℃).
- Remove bread from dutch oven and let cool on wire rack for 30-45 minutes before slicing and serving.
Equipment
- kitchen scale the most accurate way to measure flour!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2017 but has been updated in 2025 .
Can I make half of this? I have a 2 Qt Dutch oven and just want to bake for one person. Thank you
I honestly am not sure. I would think the baking time would change quite a bit. If you do give it a try, please let us know how it goes.
Is it possible for you to provide the measurements in grams for the other ingredients? Thanks
Hi Mike! For the water you would need 236.59 grams. For the salt you would need 11 grams and for the yeast, 5.7 grams.
My first try - the crust was way too hard and a little bit burned.
I am sorry you had this issue--can I ask you what type of pan you used to further troubleshoot?
Hi, Kristen! I used my plain cast iron dutch oven and realized later that this was because of the dark color. I’ll try baking at 425° next time, what do you think?
I used my plain cast iron dutch oven and realized later that this was because of the dark color. I’ll try baking at 425° next time, what do you think?
I've made your recipe a few times and it always turns out well. I only have instant yeast but it seems to work okay. Lately I've been doing about 360 grams whole wheat and 120 grams white. Yum!
Do you think if I used regular the bread would be even puffier? It seems adequately puffy but maybe I am missing out! Thank you for your great recipe.
Is it supposed to be really wet? I let mine set for 9 good and it rise but it was more like a sponge than a dough. I had to add a good bit of flour to get it to hold any semblance of a shape. I weighed everything carefully. Haven't baked it yet so we'll see but I'm nervous.
It is a much wetter dough than what you would expect.
I have never been successful with making any type of bread. I think it's something about accurate measurements and science and the stars aligning that just never works for me. This bread seemed almost too simple. And when I left that sticky brown dough in the bowl over night, I was certain I would fail yet again.
But that crust! The crust was heavenly! The inside was so soft and delicious and almost had a sourdough flavor to it. Don't ask me how!
The only thing that could have been better is perhaps the inside could have been slightly less dense, and the crust on the bottom was quite hard. That being said, my scale is looking at retirement, and I am quite certain I used a bit more flour than the recipe called for..
But I will purchase a new scale and definitely make this again! Thank you for this super easy and delicious recipe!!
Couple of questions:
My Dutch oven is quite big, which I think made my bread a little flatter and wider than yours. Can I double the recipe, and if so, how much longer do I need to cook it?
Also, if I want to add my own oat flour or barley flour to this, do I just keep the total weight of flour the same, or does it need more or less of something? (I know nothing about bread making, so I apologize if these are silly questions!)
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I would not add oat or barley flour as that would create a different texture and ratio of flour needed. As for doubling, that would take some experimentation to ensure the right cooking time.
We love this bread with whole wheat flour. Wondered if I could turn it into cinnamon raisin bread? If so how much of each, and would it work better with 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 wheat flour?
Hi Cathy! I am so happy you enjoy this recipe. I have a recipe for Cranberry Walnut Bread using whole white wheat flour that turns out fantastic. So I would recommend using half and half wheat to white flour or whole white wheat for a lighter loaf. Then mix in 1/2 cup of raisins with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in with the flour and follow the recipe as directed.
Does anybody have any issue with the dough too wet and sticky? Can’t seem to shape it at all. I tried folding it for quite some time hopefully it would dry up a bit and can be shaped properly but doesnt seem to work. Would love to hear how this can be fixed? I’m using 100% whole wheat flour by the way.
Hi Mike! This dough should be pretty wet. That said, if you are really struggling to shape, I wouldn't suggest kneading, as that can make the dough tough, instead, I would dust with flour when shaping. It is okay if it is pretty loose.
Very good and will make again. Like another poster, after shaping the dough I flop it onto parchment paper and then use the paper as a sling to get it into the dutch oven and as a liner for the oven. No sticking that way!
This recipe is the very best solution for mobile applications like yachting or RVing. One pot does it all. I store wheat berries and grind flour as needed to avoid spoilage.
This is my favorite bread recipe. I use 100 % whole wheat flour and add all sorts of things in like chia seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds etc. It turns out perfectly every time and never sticks in the dutch oven. Thank you!
I love hearing this is your favorite recipe Arlene! Thank you for sharing.