Overnight No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread in a Dutch Oven

This beginner-friendly no-knead whole wheat bread is a riff on my overnight no-knead white bread (a favorite of The Practical Kitchen readers!) that uses whole wheat flour and bakes into a rustic round loaf with a golden-brown, crackling crust. Inside, you'll find a dense-yet-tender crumb with a nutty-yet-mild whole wheat flavor.

Baked in a Dutch oven, it delivers a warm, inviting aroma and hearty slices perfect for making sandwiches or toasting aggressively and slathering with homemade butter.

Jump to:

• About Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread
• The Ratio of Whole Wheat and White Flour
• Whole Wheat Bread Hydration
• Ingredient Notes
• How to Make Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread
• Scoring and Baking
• Baking in a Dutch Oven
• Bread Making Equipment
• Practical Tips & Recipe Notes
• Storage Notes
• Why is this recipe in grams? I want to use cups!
• TL;DR - Recipe Summary
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

About Whole Wheat No-Knead Bread

Longtime readers of The Practical Kitchen know I have mixed feelings about requests for whole wheat bread recipes. One, I'm not the biggest fan of the flavor of whole wheat breads.

And two, I approach food and recipe development from an anti-diet culture perspective, and the requests for whole wheat bread recipes often come from people who disparage white flour because they think white flour is inherently "unhealthy" or "bad for you". Repeat after me: Food is food, food is morally neutral, and food isn't "bad" for you unless you're allergic or intolerant.

As to whether whole grain flours are radically more nutritious than refined flours, the answer is not as cut and dry as you might think. White flour is refined, but, unlike white sugar, it is not a purified compound; it does contain protein, vitamins, and minerals alongside all that starch. And wheat starch, unlike sucrose, is a complex carbohydrate, not a simple one. Yes, white flour is lacking in fiber, but you can get fiber elsewhere in your diet, and, more importantly, the health benefits of fiber are not incontrovertible.

— Bread Educator Andrew Janjigian, "Wheat or White?"

But some people do just like how whole wheat bread tastes. And I wanted to challenge myself to come up with a whole wheat bread recipe that was beginner-friendly and tasted good for those of you who want to enjoy whole wheat bread! For whatever reason!

From a purely baking science perspective, making bread with whole wheat flour is a lot harder than making bread with white flour. This is because bread making is all about developing a gluten network in your dough. The strength of the gluten network is what allows the dough to trap air and hold its shape as it rises and bakes. Whole wheat flour contains the bran and endosperm of the wheat berries, which cut through that gluten network and weaken it.

Whole wheat flour is also more absorbent than white flour, which is why whole wheat breads often have a reputation for being dry. They need more water than their white bread counterparts. And more water = stickier dough = dough that's harder to handle.

So when I decided to make a whole wheat bread recipe, I wanted to make a loaf of whole wheat bread I genuinely enjoyed eating from a dough that wasn't a total pain to work with. I wanted to push the amount of whole wheat flour and water as high as I could without sacrificing too much strength, structure, and, most importantly — taste. And I wanted to do it while keeping the ingredient list as small and simple as possible.

The Ratio of Whole Wheat and White Flour

Like most whole wheat bread recipes, this recipe uses a blend of whole wheat and white flours. In this case, a blend of 42% whole wheat flour and 58% all-purpose flour.

A general rule of thumb when subbing whole wheat flour into a bread recipe that uses all-purpose or bread flour is not to substitute more than 20-25% of the total amount of flour.

To develop this whole wheat bread recipe, I started with my easy no-knead crusty white bread recipe and began experimenting with replacing a portion of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour in increasingly larger amounts. I was shocked and delighted to find I could go as high as 42% whole wheat flour and still produce a dough that was relatively easy to work with and a loaf of bread that wasn't dry.

Whole Wheat Bread Hydration

On average, no-knead breads like this tend to range in hydration from 70% to 90%. My white no-knead bread recipe is an 80% hydration loaf (meaning the amount of water is 80% of the total amount of the flour). But whole wheat flour is more absorbent than white flour, and I did not want a dry, dense whole wheat bread so I increased the amount of water in this whole wheat bread recipe to 85% hydration.

Even with more water, which usually produces larger air bubbles in the final bread loaf, this final whole wheat loaf has a relatively uniform interior crumb. That's because of the weaker gluten network from the whole wheat flour — it can't stretch as much to trap larger air bubbles.

Ingredient Notes

You only need five ingredients to make this easy whole wheat no-knead bread! See recipe card (at the end of the post) for quantities.

• All-Purpose Flour - I use King Arthur Baking Company's all purpose flour which has a higher protein content (closer to bread flour) than other brands of flour. If you're using a grocery store brand of flour, you may get better results using their bread flour.
• Whole Wheat Flour - You can use whole wheat or white whole wheat flour in this bread recipe. They are the same nutritionally and in terms of the way they behave in baking. The only difference between them is that whole wheat flour is made from hard red spring wheat, while white whole wheat flour is made from hard white spring wheat. White whole wheat flour has a more mild taste, ideal if you're someone who doesn't love the aggressively nutty taste whole wheat flour often brings to baked goods.
• Salt - Salt helps control the yeast activity and therefore the texture and gluten development of your bread dough, as well as adding flavor. I use the chef-standard Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which has larger, irregular crystals that dissolve quickly compared to other brands and styles of salt. Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is also half as salty as other brands of salt by volume, so make sure you're measuring salt by weight! If you're using a different type or brand of salt and measuring by volume, cut the amount of salt in half.
• Instant Yeast - Sometimes called "rapid rise," "bread machine," or "instant dry" yeast. Store your yeast in the fridge or freezer to be sure it stays good! If your kitchen is warm (70°F+), consider cutting the amount of yeast in half.
• Cool Water - Cool or lukewarm to the touch. You don't want to use warm or hot water for this whole wheat bread recipe.

No-knead bread relies on time (instead of kneading) to develop a gluten network. The gluten network traps the gas produced by the yeast, creating air bubbles in the dough.

Thanks to the long, slow rise time you have a big window (about 2-4 hours) where this whole wheat bread dough is perfectly proofed and for shaping.

Depending on how cool or warm your kitchen is, your dough may rise faster or slower.

Make adjustments based on your kitchen environment as needed!

When your whole wheat bread dough is ready to shape, use a bench scraper or lightly floured hands to release the top edges of the dough from the bowl by pulling them into the middle.

Then, turn the dough out onto a generously floured counter. It's very sticky dough, and the flour will prevent it from sticking. Dust the top lightly with flour too — just enough so your hands don't stick.

Carefully fold all the edges in, pressing down gently but firmly to pinch them to each other.

Whole wheat dough can feel particularly fragile during this process, so, if it helps, you can slide a bench scraper or plastic bowl scraper under the edges of the dough to help lift and fold the dough edges over the middle.

The dough may stick to your hands slightly, but that's okay. You want it to stretch, not tear, so don't stretch it past its breaking point. Use a light touch and flour your hands or the bench scraper as needed to prevent sticking.

When all the edges have been tucked into the middle, flip the dough over. Again, use a bench scraper to help you if you need to.

Now, the dough ball will have a nice smooth top.

Dust the top of the shaped loaf with flour, then cover it with a clean kitchen towel to rest. Let it rest for 1 hour if your kitchen is warm, or up to 2 hours if it is cold. This final resting step after shaping allows the gluten network to relax and strengthen and also regain some volume before baking.

During the final 30 minutes of rising time, preheat the oven to 450°F with a covered Dutch oven inside.

Scoring and Baking

Scoring bread creates a vent for steam to escape during baking. Without scoring, your bread will burst open unpredictably during any weak spots in the gluten network, and might even blow out at the bottom.

When I make whole wheat bread like this, I like to use my lame to cut a design with a shaft of wheat into the top of the loaf. But you can also just do a single slash down the middle or side if you prefer.

Carefully lift the dough in the parchment paper sling and transfer it into the preheated Dutch oven. Be careful not to burn yourself!

Baking in a Dutch Oven

Cover the Dutch oven and place it in the oven. Bake the whole wheat bread covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 10-15 minutes. The tight space of the Dutch oven traps the steam released by the dough as it bakes, creating a moist environment for creating a super crunchy crust.

When you first take the lid off, your loaf will look pale. That's normal. The final 10-15 minute uncovered bake time is when the top will take on that gorgeous brown color. You're looking for an internal temperature of at least 200°-210°F for doneness.

Carefully remove the whole wheat loaf from the Dutch oven to a cooling rack. Let the whole wheat bread cool completely before slicing it. If you slice it before it cools, the steam trapped in the bread will turn the starches to mush.

Bread Making Equipment

You don't need to use the equipment I use, but here are the tools I used and recommend:

• Kitchen Scale - You'll need a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients for this bread recipe. You'll get the best results from pretty much any baking recipe if you measure ingredients by weight.
• Cast Iron Dutch Oven - Any 4+ quart cast iron dutch oven will work here. In these photos I'm using the round 5 quart Milo Dutch oven from Kana Goods (disclaimer: it was gifted to me by the brand). An oval Dutch oven will also work; You can either fit a round loaf in it, or shape the loaf into an oval instead.
• Parchment Paper - I've been using these pre-cut parchment sheets lately and can usually get 2-3 uses out of them!
• Dough Whisk - The sturdy wire coil of a dough whisk is designed for mixing wet and sticky doughs — the wire cuts through any sneaky clumps of flour easily!
• Lame - A lame (prounounced "lahm") is a sharp razor blade with a handle used for scoring bread dough. Use the corner of the blade at an angle for slashing. A sharp knife will also work.
• Bowl Scraper - A plastic bowl scraper makes removing the dough from your mixing bowl easy.
• Bench Scraper - A metal bench scraper provides broad support when lifting and flipping the dough. You can also use it to help create tension while shaping.
• Flour Duster - I always keep flour in a flour duster handy so I can easily dust my counter and bread with flour without it being clumpy or uneven.

What if you don't have a dutch oven? I tested this on a sheet pan in a 450°F oven with a couple ice cubes on the sheet pan to create steam and it does work, but the crust isn't quite as nice and you won't get quite as dramatic of a rise (oven spring). The confined space of the Dutch oven really will give you the best results. That said, the Kitchn has a good blog post with alternatives to Dutch ovens, but I haven't personally tested them and can't speak to how well they'll work.

Practical Tips & Recipe Notes

• Head over to my no-knead bread recipe for instructions on how to use a banneton or brotform to shape this whole wheat dough, for more detailed tips on doing a longer cold rise in the fridge, and more!
• Be gentle and use very light pressure during the shaping steps to leave as much air inside the dough as possible.
• This is a great base recipe for adding lots of fun spices, herbs, cheese, seeds, and more. Adding anything wet like peppers, raw onions, olives, etc. will add moisture to the dough and disrupt the gluten network while adding too many dry ingredients can also can affect the dough's hydration. I recommend adding no more than 50 grams of additional flavorings/ingredients/mixins to this dough. That's about 10% by baker's percentage (10% of the total weight of the flour).
• You should absolutely feel free to experiment with adjusting the hydration levels and the ratio of whole wheat flour to all-purpose flour in this recipe to find your perfect version! Remember, the more you increase the water and whole wheat flour, the weaker the gluten network will be. The more you decrease them, the stronger the gluten network will be, and the airier the interior crumb will be.
• Getting a nice tall loaf of bread depends on proper proofing, your shaping technique, and can be affected by the size of your Dutch oven. I got the best results baking this in a 5.5 quart Dutch oven. If you used a bigger (7+ quart) Dutch oven, if your dough was overproofed at all, or if you didn't create enough surface tension when you shaped the dough, these are all things that can cause a loaf to bake up with a flatter shape.

Storage Notes

This whole wheat no-knead bread is best eaten within the first 3-4 days after baking. You can store it at room temperature for 5-7 days. Storing it in an airtight container like a large resealable bag works well, though the crust will soften due to trapped moisture.

A cloth bag, brown paper bag, or a bread box with a controlled air vent will help the bread retain moisture while preserving the crunchy crust. Do not refrigerate bread; the fridge temperature will make it go stale even faster.

To freeze this whole wheat bread, slice it first. Store the slices in an airtight plastic bag in the freezer with as much air pressed out as possible. Reheat from frozen in a toaster.

Why is this recipe in grams? I want to use cups!

A kitchen scale is more accurate than cup measurements and will give you the right ratio of water, yeast, salt, and flour so that your bread dough behaves the way you want it to. Depending on how much you pack the flour in and what brand of measuring cups you’re using, you may be off by 30-50 grams of flour per cup which can make a huge difference in how your bread comes out.

I tested and developed this recipe using weight measurements. If I were to convert it to cups, I would be using Google — just like you would. And since there's no set standard for what "1 cup" of flour weighs, different online converters use different amounts, which means I wouldn't be able to promise you'd get the same delicious results! Basically, if you convert this recipe to cup measurements it will have a higher rate of failure. I don’t recommend it!

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