No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread
With 4 simple ingredients and minutes of prep, this recipe for no-knead whole wheat Dutch oven bread is crusty, hearty, and foolproof!
Servings: 12
Equipment
- kitchen scale the most accurate way to measure flour!
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.
Video
Notes
Enameled Dutch Oven: If your manufacturer's brand recommends NOT preheating the pan empty, skip the preheat and bake for 40 minutes covered, then remove the lid and continue to bake for 20 minutes.
Dutch Oven Pan: Anywhere from a 3.5 to a 6-quart dutch oven with a lid will work to bake this bread. 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.
Flour: You can swap the whole wheat flour 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.
Yeast: Be sure your yeast is NOT expired and use dry active yeast (NOT quick-rise or instant yeast.)
Salt: Use coarse kosher salt (like Morton), as any other variety will result in the bread being too salty.
Storage: To store, let the bread cool to room temperature and then wrap it in plastic wrap and foil or place it in an airtight container. 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.
Prevent Sticking: If your pan is high-quality, you should have no issues with the dough sticking to the pan. However, some people have reported this issue. To prevent this from happening, use parchment paper that is suited for 450℉. I don't recommend greasing the pan, as the oil can burn at the high temperature the bread is baked at.
Baking at a high altitude? Check out these adjustments that you may need to follow.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 4g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1.4mg
