No Knead Whole Wheat Bread

Updated: Jan 26, 2021

Glorious whole wheat bread that is soft on the inside with a crispy and flavorful outer crust! Just 4 ingredients and crazy easy to make. It takes an hour to make (over the course of 22 hours....bot for most of that time it's resting and you don't even touch it!)

To see how to make no knead bread with regular flour, click here: https://brock280.wixsite.com/rachelsfoodblog/blog/no-knead-artisan-bread

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used Robin Hood because it was available)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. yeast (I use Red Star)
1 2/3 cups warm water
All purpose flour for dusting

Note: I used a coarse-grained whole wheat flour, but for a fine grained (like Dakota Maid) you may want to use 2 cups of water.

Directions:

Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Then on one side add the yeast and on the other side add the salt (you don't want them to come into direct contact because salt inactivates yeast). Whisk to combine.
Pour in the water. Mix it in with a spoon at first and when it gets too messy use your hands to mix and fold it together just until everything is moist. If it's still vey dry add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time, and mix until everything is moist. It will be a very sticky dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise at room temperature (65-75°F) for 12-18 hours (any longer and it may affect the outcome).
After rising, gently scrape the dough onto a heavily floured surface. You want to be gently so you don't destroy too many CO2 bubbles.
Use your hands (and more flour) to fold the dough onto itself like a letter. Then fold it in half so that the smooth side is on top and the seams are on the bottom. Another way to shape it into a ball is by picking it up and shaping it into a round shape while tucking the ends underneath. Then place it seam side down on a heavily floured piece of parchment paper. Cover with a bowl and let rise 2 hours at room temperature (70-75°F).
During the last hour of the rise, place your dutch oven in the oven and preheat to 450°F, allowing the dutch oven to come up to temperature.
When the dough is ready, take the HOT dutch oven out of the oven, place the dough inside (using the parchment paper as handles helps), cover, and place back in the oven.
Bake the bread for 30 minutes with the lid on, and 10-20 minutes with the lid off (or until it's 200°F internally and your desired color).
Let cool 2 hours on a wire rack before slicing.
Store up to 4 days at room temperature, 2 weeks in the refrigerator, and 3 months in the freezer.
Makes 1 loaf.

So you got your flour in a bowl.

Then we add the yeast and salt on opposite sides (because salt can inactivate yeast). Whisk that together.

After mixing the flour, yeast, and salt together we can add the water.

Then we mix in the water and the dough will look something like this!

Close up of the dough!

Then we cover the dough and let rise for 12-18 hours!

After rising a little over 18 hours.

Close up of that dough :)

Then we gently dump the giant blob onto a heavily floured surface and totally embarrass ourselves by trying to shape this wet, sticky mass into a nice smooth ball.

I managed to shape it into a ball!

Side of the ball.

Then we cover and let rest or 2 hours!

After resting 2 hours. It turned into a pancake! (Probably a little too high hydration, which is why I adjusted the recipe from 2 cups flour to 1 2/3 cup above.)

The side of the pancake! Now it's time to bake!

So I already dusted the top with flour and I used a lame to cut slits into it (a sharp knife or razor blade may work as well). Although this loaf didn't rise all that much the cuts made it look cool :)