Is there anything better than the smell of freshly baked bread wafting throughout your home? Or that taste of a fresh slice of bread still warm? In my world, definitely not. And that’s why today I want to share the recipe for our absolute favorite bread with you and show you how it is to bake your own bread. After all, baking bread won’t get any easier than with this 100% whole wheat no-knead bread recipe. Plus, this bread is literally 100% whole wheat flour. This is something you are unlikely to find at bakeries as well as in grocery stores. Therefore, I’m happy to show you how to bake a your own 100% whole wheat no-knead bread!
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Why whole wheat flour is your best choice!
Whole-grain spelt flour is an ingredient you’ll always find in my recipes. And there’s a reason for that, because it’s my favorite choice when it comes to flour. One reason is that I always try to use whole grains. And of course, that’s especially true when I’m baking something with flour. Whole grain has so many advantages over regular all-purpose white flour. It’ s not only more nutritious and higher in fiber, but it also contains more vitamins than white flour. And while it’s definiteyl fair to call white flour products so-called empty calories, this does not apply to whole wheat products. Especially since it is so good for our digestion due to its high fiber content. This is also why it’s keeps us full for so much longer.
In addition to the typical characteristics of whole grain products, spelt in particular has some more advantages. Spelt belongs to the type of cereals, which also include rice, oats or buckwheat. For this reason, the spelt grains have an outer protective layer that is not edible and therefore must be removed. This makes spelt an naturally organic product. Because this outer layer protects the grain from external influences such as chemicals.
In addition, whole-grain spelt flour also has more minerals, vitamins, trace elements and enzymes than whole-grain wheat flour. This makes it not only naturally organic, but also even more nutrient-dense than whole wheat flour. And that’s why whole-grain spelt flour is by far my favorite choice.
100% Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread
When baking your own bread you also have the advantage of being able to choose which type of flour to use. So you can either go with an whole wheat flour or an whole-grain spelt flour. And if you’ve never baked bread yourself, this 100% whole wheat no-knead bread the perfect beginner recipe. Since, surprise, you do not even have to knead the dough. You don’t even need a kitchen machine or a hand mixer to make it. In fact all you need to make the dough is a wooden spoon and a large bowl. And these ingredients…
- whole-grain spelt flour or whole wheat flour
- half a cube of fresh yeast or 2.5 teaspoons of instant yeast
- one teaspoon of hony or maple syrup
- one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, one teaspoon of both salt and bread spices
- and if you like you can also add olives, dried tomatoes, freh or dried herbs, nuts and many more
Super Easy No-Knead Bread Recipe
Baking bread can really be done by anyone, especially with this recipe. The only thing you might need for this is some time, since the dough has to rise. But that’s all it needs. So let’s dive right in and I’ll show you how it’s done.
First of all, add the yeast into a measuring jug or bowl where you’ve already measured out the water. Make sure that your water is really lukewarm and not too warm or too cold. Then add the honey and stir thoroughly until the yeast is dissolved. Then measure the flour in a large mixing bowl or in a wooden bowl and mix it with the salt. Now gradually add your yeast water and mix everything with a wooden spoon. Then add the apple cider vinegar and the bread spice and mix the dough again with your spoon. And that’s all you have to do for now. As you can see, the slogan no-knead bread wasn’t a joke.
Dutch Oven 100% Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread
For now just cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise for two hours somewhere warm. After the two hours it should have risen nicely and approximately doubled in size. Now add about 40 grams of flour to your work surface. Then carefully remove the dough from the bowl and place it on the flour. Then sprinkle it again with about 40 grams of flour and start to gently shape it into a ball without kneading.
Put tis ball in a cast iron pot or dutch oven, to which you have a suitable lid. You should have sprayed this with some baking release spray or brushed it with a little oil beforehand, so that the bread does not stick. Now you can put the pot with the lid on it into the cold oven. It is important that the oven is really cold. Turn it on as soon as you put the bread in. Then bake it with the lid on at 200°C / 400°F heat for about 30 minutes. Then take the lid off and bake it for another 30 minutes. And that’s it! Baking a 100% whole wheat no-knead bread can be literally that easy.
Here’s how to create your personally 100% whole wheat no-knead bread!
Who would like to vary his whole wheat bread from time to time can also add some additional ingredients. I like to give some olives and dried tomatoes to the dough. But also nuts, herbs, pine or pumpkin seeds fit really well in this simple spelt wholemeal bread. Sometimes I then skip the bread seasoning, especially when I use such flavorful ingredients like olives or sun-dried tomatoes. But of course, that is entirely up to you.
Oh yeah, and if you don’t have a cast iron pot or dutch oven at home yet, one more piece of advice. This investment is really worth it. Because once you’ve baked this whole grain spelt bread, you’ll bake it over and over again. Since it’ s so easy and tastes so delicious, it will definitely be worth the purchase. And if you’re not quite sure what kind of pot I’m talking about, I’ll link you to a few examples here.
Recipe FAQs
You could either use whole wheat flour or whole-grain spelt flour or a mix of both. I have not yet tried it with gluten-free flour and can therefore not assess whether it also works with it.
If you consume the bread quickly, you can simply store it wrapped in a paper or tissue bag in the bread basket. But if you bake it just for one of two people, it could be quite dry after three or four days. Therefore, my tip is to cut the bread directly into thin slices after it has cooled down. You can then simply freeze these slices in a bag and defrost them individually overnight in the refrigerator. You can also just put the frozen slices directly into the toaster. We do so every morning and this way the bread always tastes as fresh as on the first day!
You can easily freeze this bread. I explained how to do so in the previous question.
Do you have another question? Then feel free to leave a comment down below this post. I’ll be happy to answer it for you.
I hope I could convince you how easy it is to bake your own whole wheat bread. If you’ve tried this super easy 100% whole wheat no-knead bread, I’d love to hear back from you! And of course, I would love to see your own 100% whole wheat no-knead bread variation. Therefore, just tag me on Instagram (@julesbalancedrecipes.com) when you post your bread there or in your instagram story.
I hope you enjoy baking your whole wheat no-knead bread and see you next time,
Jules
You might also like …
- Need some sandwhich inspirations for your freshly baked bread? How about this healthy tofu sandwich?
- not only gread with pasta, but also great on a fresh slice of bread: homemade pumkin pesto
- another all time favorite of mine: homemade bagels
100% whole wheat no-knead bread
Equipment
- cast iron pot or dutch oven (it's important to have a matching lid)
- big mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
- ½ cube fresh yeast alternatively 1 package dried active yeast
- 400 ml lukewarm water (1 + ⅔ cups)
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
- 500 g whole wheat flour or whole grain spelt flour (~5 cups)
- 1 tsp salz
- 1 tsp bread spices
- optional: olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh or dried herbs, nuts, seeds, …
- 80 g flour (~⅔ cups)
Instructions
Step 1: Bread Dough
- Put water in a small bowl, crumble yeast into it, add honey and stir well. Place flour, salt and seasoning in a large mixing or wooden bowl and mix while gradually adding the yeast mixture. Mix dough with a wooden spoon until it's well combined. Add any remaining ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes, olives, etc. if desired, and stir well again. Cover dough and let it rise in a warm place for two hours.
Step 2: Shape & Bake The Bread
- Sprinkle remaining flour on work surface. Carefully remove dough from bowl with a spatula and place onto your floured work surface. (Be careful, dough is very sticky and moist). Dust with flour and gently shape the dough into a ball without kneading.
- Spray cast iron pan or dutch ofen with a little baking spray or brush with oil. Carefully place dough ball inside. Place in cold oven with the lid on. Next, turn oven on to 200°C / 400°F and bake bread for 30 minutes. Then remove lid and bake for another 30-35 minutes. Afterwards let the bread cool down on a cooling rack.
Notes
- calories: 99 kcal
- fats: 0.6 g
- carbohydrates: 18.1 g
- proteins: 3.7 g
