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No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread (Puffy with a Crisp Crust)

4.50 from 6 reader reviews
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
RESTING TIME 14 hours
Total Time 15 hours 5 minutes
Servings 1 LOAF
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups (390 grams) whole wheat flour, divided (plus extra)
  • 1 ¾ cups (415 mL) room temperature water, divided
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon oil (olive, sunflower etc)
  • 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 3 ice cubes, for baking

Instructions

Please read through all instructions before proceeding.

    Make the autolyse:

    • In a large glass/ceramic bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour (260 grams) and 1 ½ cups (350 mL) of the water. Use a rubber spatula to stir these ingredients together thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour.

    After 1 hour, finish the dough:

    • Pour the remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) water into a small bowl. To the water, add the salt, instant yeast, oil, molasses, and lemon juice. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
    • Remove the plastic wrap and set aside to reuse. To the autolyse, add the remaining cup (130 grams) of whole wheat flour as well as the salt, yeast, molasses etc. mixture that you just whisked up. Use the rubber spatula to stir/fold everything together until a uniform, fully incorporated dough is formed. This should take about 1 minute. Cover tightly with the plastic wrap, and leave it out on the counter for 12-18 hours (my kitchen is around 67°F).

    **12-18 hours later** Shape the dough:

    • The dough should be doubled in size with lots of little bubbles on the surface.
    • Rip a piece of parchment paper that’s large enough to hold/carry the dough like a sling. Place it near your dough shaping work area.
    • Flour a working surface generously with whole wheat flour. Dump the very wet and sticky dough out onto the floured surface. It should start spreading out quite a bit. Flour your hands and fold the dough in half lengthwise (across the long side). Then, take one short side of the dough and fold it into the center. Repeat this fold with the other side, closing it over the two previous folds.
    • Flour your hands again and flip the dough over. Dust some flour on top of the loaf. Using a bench scraper, shape the dough into a ball with surface tension on the top (see note). This dough is quite sticky, so just do your best.
    • Transfer the shaped dough to your parchment and dust a bit of flour on the top (I use a little fine mesh sieve). Cover the dough with your plastic wrap. Let it puff up for 1 hour.

    Bake the bread:

    • With about 30 minutes left on the resting time, place your Dutch oven (with the lid on) in the oven. Close the door and preheat to 450°F.
    • Once the full hour is up, uncover the dough. Dust it with a bit more flour if you like and cut a long slit in the top with a sharp knife. Get out your ice cubes.
    • Remove the Dutch oven from the preheated oven and remove the lid. Carefully, using the parchment as a “sling,” transfer the dough to the hot Dutch oven. Carefully rip any excess parchment that might crush on top of the dough once the lid is placed on top. Pop the ice cubes under the parchment at 3 equidistant points around the dough. Immediately close the lid on top.
    • Transfer the Dutch oven to the preheated oven. Let the loaf bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then, remove the lid and bake for an additional 15-18 minutes to get a nicely browned crust.
    • Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and carefully transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Let it cool before enjoying!

    Equipment

    • Bench Scraper
    • 5 qt Dutch Oven

    Recipe Notes

    • You might second guess yourself while making this. The dough will seem too wet and sticky, especially at the shaping stage. Trust the process and do your best!
    • A bench scraper is essential for shaping this loaf! I have this one. If you are new to this technique, I recommend watching this video first.
    • I used a pricier brand name whole wheat flour as well as a cheap store brand in my tests. Both performed great!
    With a shockingly tender open crumb and gratifying crisp crust, this homemade whole wheat bread is so fun to make! No kneading or mixer required.