No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

A Journey into Bread-Making

Since I moved to Canada, I have been on a bread journey. Coming from the Netherlands, my mother taught me to never lower my standards when it comes to something as essential as bread. And boy, was I shocked to learn what supermarket bread contains here! Diving into bread turned out to be a little overwhelming, as most content I could find worked with a self-started sourdough and baker's percentages. These technicalities made me nervous to start because it seemed too easy to mess up. That was until I discovered Steve's channel.

I added a video by Steve, as he turned out to be a great inspiration and motivator for me to get started on this bread journey. He described his recipes as very forgiving. He uses cup measurements and encourages you to play around with whatever tools you have to create a Dutch oven effect, without having to immediately spend a fortune on a cast iron Dutch oven. All of these factors gave me a lot of confidence to JUST START.

Through the journey so far, I found that making your own bread is not only achievable but also incredibly rewarding. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and convenience. You don’t need to spend hours kneading; instead, you mix your ingredients, let the dough ferment overnight, and bake the next morning. I personally prefer whole wheat bread, as this has more bite and nutritional value.

Let’s Bake Some Bread!

Ready to embark on your own bread-making journey? Here’s my easy no-knead whole wheat bread recipe that uses dry yeast. It’s straightforward and perfect for beginners!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of strong white bread flour

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
  Note: Feel free to use 3 ½ cups of whole wheat bread flour if you have this. Bread flour has a slightly higher protein content, making for a better-textured bread.

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt

• ½ teaspoon dry yeast

• 16 oz of lukewarm water

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, salt, and dry yeast. You can mix everything together using the back of a spoon or a bread mixing tool. I have linked a beautiful set of basic baker's tools at the end of this recipe.

2. Add warm water to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it sit at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours. The dough should be bubbly and sticky. I usually let the dough proof overnight.

4. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C) and place a Dutch oven inside to heat up.
   NOTE: If you don't have a Dutch oven, no worries! You can use whatever you have laying around that enables steam to be trapped during the baking process. I started with a roasting pan. This one doesn't require preheating. Nowadays, I've been loving this domed bread baker, which is cheaper than a Dutch oven (and I bake pizza on it with the top off)

5. Dust your hands with flour and gently shape the dough into a ball on a floured surface. Don’t worry about perfection!

6. While the oven heats up, allow your dough to undergo a final, brief proofing. To do this, you can place your dough on some parchment paper and lower it into a pan that is about the same shape of the pot you will bake your bread in.

7. If using a Dutch oven, carefully remove the hot Dutch oven and place your dough (with the parchment paper!) inside. You can score the dough before baking, if you want to prevent the bread from tearing while baking. Cover with the lid and return to the oven.

8. Bake for 40 minutes covered, then remove the lid and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes to get that beautiful crust.

9. Once done, immediately remove the bread from the pot and let it cool on a wire rack before slicing!

This no-knead whole wheat bread is truly a game changer. Not only does it taste fantastic, but it’s also a fun project that will give your house the most cozy smell. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

If you caught the baking bug, you could consider getting yourself some baker's tool. This beautiful set has absolutely changed my bread game!

Happy baking!