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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Recipes

    No knead Wholemeal Bread recipe

    Published: Mar 11, 2012 · Updated: Aug 25, 2020 · by Nicole · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    No Knead Wholemeal Bread
    No Knead Wholemeal Bread
    No Knead Wholemeal Bread
    No Knead Wholemeal Bread
    No Knead Wholemeal Bread

    At the start of the year I made a resolution, I wanted to learn how to make delicious bread at home, and after months of trialing recipes I've finally found the wholemeal bread recipe I'd been looking for.

    No Knead Wholemeal Bread

    While I like crusty bread as much as the next person, particularly with a steaming hot soup in winter, I don't want crusty bread first thing in the morning because when crusty bread is toasted I almost feel like I am at risk of breaking a tooth when enjoying my morning toast.

    So, I set out in search of a wholemeal bread recipe that would produce a bread with a soft crust.

    When I made my resolution to make delicious bread at home I downloaded Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day to the Kindle App on my iPad and promptly forgot about it.

    What a mistake, because inside this book was the recipe to the best bread I've ever made. I won't say it's the best whole wheat bread recipe ever, because bread, like everything in life, is subjective and everyone likes different things.

    But to me, this is the best bread we've tasted. In fact, it's so good that the first day I made the bread my fiancé asked if we could just have the loaf of bread for dinner, he was so enamored with it!

    The beauty of this whole wheat bread recipe is that it's no knead! You don't need to spend 10 minutes kneading the dough until it's smooth, however there are a few little steps involved, each requiring no more than a minute.

    After which time you have enough dough for 2 small loaves of bread or 1 large, which you can refrigerate and bake over the next 4 days.

    I have made a couple of minor changes to the original recipe, firstly I replaced the instant yeast with fresh yeast. While instant yeast is perfectly fine, and I have made this bread with instant yeast, I think the taste is slightly better with fresh yeast.

    Secondly, the original recipe called for the use of sugar or honey as the sweetener. In place of these I have used Brown Rice Syrup (available from the health food section of your supermarket), however if you don't have Brown Rice Syrup simply use honey.

    You could also use sugar too, but I think the honey works well with the whole wheat flour in terms of flavor.

    I now make this wholemeal bread twice a week, we love it that much, and I hope you will too.  In fact, I can happily say we no longer buy bread.

    So tell me ,what do you look for in a perfect loaf of bread? Is it crusty, soft or somewhere in between?

    No Knead Wholemeal Bread

    No Knead Wholemeal Bread

    Wholemeal Bread recipe

    Recipe adapted slightly from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day
    4.65 from 14 votes
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    Course: Bread
    Cuisine: Bread
    Keyword: bread recipe, Wholemeal Bread recipe
    Cook Time: 27 minutes
    Total Time: 27 minutes
    Calories: 355kcal
    Author: Delicious Everyday
    8 servings

    Ingredients

    • 680 g of whole wheat flour wholemeal
    • 14 g of salt
    • 12 g of fresh yeast 4g of dry instant yeast if using
    • 2 ½ tablespoons of Brown Rice Syrup
    • 539 g of room temperature water
    • 43 g of olive oil
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, as well as the dry instant yeast, if using, and stir to combine.
    • If using fresh yeast, crumble into a small bowl and remove 2 tablespoons of the water and mix with the yeast until dissolved. Pour the yeast mixture back into the remaining water and combine with the olive oil and brown rice syrup. Mix to combine before pouring into the flour.
    • Using a wooden spoon, or an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the dough for 1 minute, until well combined. Then leave to rest for 5 minutes to allow the flour to fully hydrate.
    • Mix the dough again, for another minute. You will find the dough will still be very sticky, but should be a little less sticky than before. Grab a large bowl and lightly grease with olive oil and place the dough into the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave for 10 minutes.
    • Wet your hands thoroughly, or cover in a light film of oil (I prefer to wet my hands as it's easier to clean up) and reach into the bowl and grab the middle of the underside of the dough. Pull the dough and stretch it out with your hands and fold the dough on to the top of the dough. Repeat with the opposite side, by spinning the bowl around, and each side, stretching and folding the dough a total of 4 times in total, once on each side. Repeat this process every 10 minutes for the next 30 minutes.
    • After the final stretch and fold of the dough, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 4 days.
    • The next day you will notice the dough has risen substantially. To bake your first loaf, cut the dough in half, being careful not to remove all of the gas. On a lightly floured bench flatten the dough into a 5 inch by 8 inch rectangle, and working from the shorter side, roll up the length of the dough. Pinch the final seam together with your fingertips and gently rock the dough to even it out. Place the loaf in a greased pan, seam side down. Cover and leave for 3 hours, by which time the dough should have doubled in size.
    • An hour before baking, prepare your oven. Adjust the shelves so that 1 shelf is on the bottom and adjust the second shelf to the next rung above the bottom shelf. If possible, set your oven so that the heat comes from the bottom element only, and preheat your oven by turning it up as high as it will go (my oven only reaches a maximum of 250 celsius so the baking time is for this temperature). Place a baking tray on the bottom shelf that is capable of holding 1 cup of water.
    • When you're getting ready to bake, boil the kettle and when it's boiled place the bread in the oven, on the second bottom shelf, and pour 1 cup of boiling water into the tray below. Close the oven door and bake for 12 minutes. If you were unable to set your oven to cook from the bottom element you may need to cover the top of the bread with foil to prevent it from browning too much. Turn the loaf and bake for another 15 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire wrack. Don't cut the loaf until it's completely cooled as this will allow the crumb to set properly.

    Notes

    The remaining dough can be baked any time over the next 4 days.

    Nutrition (Estimated)

    Calories: 355kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 11gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 688mgPotassium: 317mgFiber: 9gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 10IUCalcium: 35mgIron: 3.1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lydia says

      October 21, 2014 at 8:02 pm

      4 stars
      Delicious!! Super light and fluffy! Just about to start a second batch for my 1 year old baby, toddler and ourselves. Yep, even my 'I don't eat brown bread'-hubby liked it very much 🙂

      Reply
    2. Carrie says

      March 17, 2013 at 6:06 am

      Thanks for the info! My bread turned out great!! I made sure to add enough water like you said, and it definitely did the trick. No more dense heavy loaf but now I have a nice airy light loaf. Something I never thought I would achieve in a whole wheat bread 🙂

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        March 17, 2013 at 11:27 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread Carrie. It really is such a great recipe, and so easy too. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Carrie says

      February 09, 2013 at 1:13 am

      This looks delicious! I've been trying different whole wheat bread recipes and always end up with a very heavy, dense, bread 🙁 From your picture, your's look light and airy. Is there any tips to getting that kind of texture? Most of my recipes are almost identical to what you have here. Thanks in advance 🙂

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 09, 2013 at 9:51 am

        Hi Carrie,

        I think the key for this recipe is the amount of water, which makes for a light loaf. The dough will look very sticky, but it's exactly as it should be. I don't have any particular tips, if you follow the recipe and the rising time you should end up with a light loaf too. Let me know how it turns out 😀

        Reply
    4. Elizabeth says

      December 13, 2012 at 2:56 pm

      I finally tracked down some fresh yeast, time to make this loaf! Just wondering, did you use ordinary wholemeal flour or wholemeal bread flour? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        December 13, 2012 at 4:38 pm

        Hi Elizabeth,

        I just used ordinary wholemeal flour as it's what I had on hand and I think it's perfectly fine with that. You can also make the bread with dried year. Just divide the year quantity by 4.

        Reply
    5. Christine says

      December 01, 2012 at 4:34 am

      thank you for the post.. now I am tracking down a conversion chart 🙂

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        December 02, 2012 at 5:44 pm

        Hi Christine,

        I have a conversion chart here https://www.deliciouseveryday.com/conversions/ I hope that helps 😀

        Reply
        • Christine says

          December 02, 2012 at 10:30 pm

          Wow!! thank you Jennifer!

    6. Ernest Taylor says

      August 15, 2012 at 8:08 pm

      5 stars
      Sounds like a great recipe

      Reply
    7. Veronica says

      August 07, 2012 at 6:15 pm

      Wow, this is the shortest time to make bread!! I've starting making my own bread lately and it took me at least 2.5 hours before I could smell the aroma of the bread. I find it so time consuming. Thanks for sharing your recipe and I think I will give it a try.

      Reply
    8. Elizabeth says

      June 24, 2012 at 6:54 pm

      Hi there, just wondering, did you use bread flour or ordinary flour?

      Reply
      • Paul Borowiak says

        July 15, 2012 at 2:33 pm

        When you say turn the loaf in the final paragraph what do you mean by turn? Turn the whole loaf upside down in the tin or move it around in the oven.

        Reply
        • Jennifer says

          July 16, 2012 at 2:23 pm

          Hi Paul,

          I mean to turn the loaf around in the oven so it browns evenly (ie move the front to the back). 😀

        • Paul Borowiak says

          July 17, 2012 at 10:54 am

          That's what my wife ended up doing. The bread tastes beautiful,thanks for the reply.

    9. happibarri says

      May 08, 2012 at 11:34 pm

      Hi

      Thank you for the wonderful recipe!! I attempted to make it, but for some reason, my bread was quite dense and didn't seem to cook through... But I did get good reviews from people who ate it!

      I was wondering what the purpose of the "pulling underside of dough and stretching and putting it on top". Is it possible to use a dough hook on electric mixer instead?

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        May 11, 2012 at 9:03 pm

        Hi Happibarri,

        The purpose of pulling the dough, or the "stretch and fold" is similar to kneading. If your bread didn't quite cook through, perhaps the cooking time needs to be adjusted for your oven. My oven reaches a maximum temperature of 250 degrees celsius and the bread bakes in half an hour. You may need to play with timings for your ovens. Also, did you bake 2 loaves out of the dough or one large loaf? If you bake one large loaf the timing might need to be adjusted. Sorry I can't be more direct as to what went wrong. If you let me know a little more I might be able to help.

        Reply
    10. Deb says

      March 15, 2012 at 1:51 am

      Thank you for sharing such a easy recipe for making such a delectable loaf of whole grain goodness!
      I often make Dutch oven bread, which is a very easy recipe and would like to add an easy whole grain loaf into my weekly baking. Ths is the perfect recipe for me to try!

      Reply
    11. Nancy/SpicieFoodie says

      March 15, 2012 at 12:27 am

      Wow, I really want to try this recipe. Every time I've tried a whole wheat bread it is usually dense and not airy like my ap flour ones. I also recently downloaded a bread book to my kindle so like you I could have fresh bread often. Thanks for sharing. Oh and I like both the crusty and soft breads, they each have a purpose 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 15, 2012 at 7:27 am

        I found all of the other whole wheat bread recipes I tried were dense too, but this one is the complete opposite, it's deliciously soft and light. 😀

        Reply
    12. Priscilla @ShesCookin says

      March 14, 2012 at 8:39 am

      I've not had very good luck with the recipes I've been trying lately, so I'm ready to move on to a new recipe! Great texture - my favorite bread is medium dense with a crunchy crust 🙂

      Reply
    13. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says

      March 14, 2012 at 4:48 am

      Wow, this is beautiful! You make it twice a week? Before you know it, you'll know this recipe like the back of your hand!

      Reply
    14. Patty says

      March 14, 2012 at 2:10 am

      Nothing like homemade bread and I especially like the flavor of whole wheat! Your bread looks perfectly baked and fresh out of the oven;-)

      Reply
    15. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says

      March 13, 2012 at 11:49 pm

      Peter Reinhart knows what he is doing with bread! Great recipe! I have his Bread Baker's Apprentice book, and highly recommend it. I love making fresh bread!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 14, 2012 at 11:19 am

        I'll keep his bread bakers apprentice book in mind, thanks Erin 😀

        Reply
    16. Sandra's Easy Cooking says

      March 13, 2012 at 11:48 pm

      5 stars
      Bread is like my favorite food:)) and yours came out perfect! Great photos and recipe!!!!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 14, 2012 at 11:18 am

        Thank you so much Sandra 😀

        Reply
    17. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

      March 13, 2012 at 4:52 pm

      5 stars
      Making bread at home has been always my dream, but I haven't really had the chance to work on it yet - perhaps I better start baking more as cooking has been more comfortable for me than baking. Your whole wheat bread looks very moist and delicious! Making this bread twice a week is very impressive! I wish someone will bake homemade bread for me... =) I'm new here so I'm going to take a tour to check your other recipes. Very beautiful and comfortable space here. 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 14, 2012 at 11:17 am

        Hi Nami,

        This is a great recipe to try if you are getting started with your own bread baking as it really is so simple, and you are rewarded with delicious bread that fills your home with that freshly baked bread aroma, which I love. 😀 Thanks for your kind words too 🙂

        Reply
    18. Russell at Chasing Delicious says

      March 13, 2012 at 1:43 pm

      Mmm. I suddenly have a craving for a nice big loaf of homemade bread. I'm going to have to make a loaf of this for my sandwiches this week.

      Reply
    19. shez says

      March 12, 2012 at 7:49 pm

      I love freshly baked bread - it's one of life's simple and delicious pleasures. Totally agree with the risk-of-breaking-a-tooth-in-the-morning-on-crust sentiment. I used to eat the middles of my bread and leave the crusts well alone for that very reason.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 14, 2012 at 10:57 am

        Thanks Shez, glad to see I'm not alone on the crusty bread first thing in the morning issue 😀

        Reply
    20. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

      March 13, 2012 at 9:15 am

      Gorgeous! I too, could easily dine on bread alone for dinner - I always refer to myself as a "bread girl"!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 14, 2012 at 11:09 am

        My fiance could easily be a bread boy. I keep catching him slicing bread and cheese to snack on 😀

        Reply
    21. Baker Street says

      March 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm

      5 stars
      What a gorgeous loaf Jen! Looks absolutely perfect.

      Reply
    22. thelittleloaf says

      March 12, 2012 at 11:26 pm

      I love making my own bread and would almost always choose wholemeal over white. This looks absolutely delicious, and so simple to make. Definitely one to try, although at the moment I'm obsessed with experimenting with my sourdough starter! 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 14, 2012 at 11:08 am

        I want to try a sourdough starter soon as my fiance absolutely loves sourdough. I think I have a new addiction with bread baking 😀

        Reply
    23. tania@mykitchenstories.com.au says

      March 12, 2012 at 10:52 pm

      Thank you a lovely bread recipe .

      Reply
    24. Martyna @ WholesomeCook says

      March 12, 2012 at 9:04 pm

      Great minds! I just made no knead bread too! I like mine crusty, but moist and a little dense in the middle. But you are right that when it comes to toast, non-crusty bread is much better - I always ask for my sourdough fresh rather than toasted. Having said that your bread would be great for that.

      Reply
    25. Anna @ the shady pine says

      March 12, 2012 at 7:34 pm

      Great job on a fab looking loaf! It's so satisfying to make your own bread.

      Reply
    26. Amanda says

      March 12, 2012 at 3:15 pm

      Well done, Jennifer, that's a lovely looking loaf.
      I'm a big fan of home baked bread too and love that book - it really makes home made bread accessible to everyone.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 4:46 pm

        Thanks Amanda 😀 It really does make bread accessible to everyone. I've bookmarked so many recipes I want to try, but for the moment I can't stop making the wholemeal bread. It's so good. Do you have a favourite recipe from the book?

        Reply
    27. kankana says

      March 12, 2012 at 12:44 pm

      I have the same resolution and may be this recipe will help me tick that check off ! I suck at baking bread.
      This looks so perfect and whole wheat!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 4:37 pm

        Hi Kankana,

        This is a great recipe to start with because it's really so easy. 🙂 If you try it I'd love to hear what you thought.

        Reply
    28. Claire @ Claire K Creations says

      March 12, 2012 at 12:10 pm

      I love making bread at home. There's something so satisfying about taking it out of the oven and biting into a piece of fresh bread. This looks like a great simple recipe. I think a lot of people think bread-making must be hard. If only they knew!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 4:34 pm

        You're right, if only people knew how easy making your own bread is. It's so satisfying and delicious, and so much better than store bought bread. 😀

        Reply
    29. jen @ giftboxology says

      March 12, 2012 at 11:26 am

      oh i am going to have to give this a go. i want to bake some bread for us to eat but i usually end up eating it myself whilst the rest of the family eats the bakery stuff!
      i could substitute agave syrup? rather than honey or brown rice syrup?
      jen

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 2:52 pm

        Hi Jen,

        Yes, agave syrup is fine, in fact it's one of the suggestions in the book, along with honey. I have tried all 3 and prefer the brown rice syrup. 😀 Let me know what you think. I've got another batch in progress now 😀

        Reply
    30. Lizzy (Good Things) says

      March 12, 2012 at 10:37 am

      4 stars
      Jen, your bread looks divine. I have to go easy on eating bread these days, but love a bread that has texture, crunchy crust and flavour.

      Reply
    31. Kiri W. says

      March 12, 2012 at 10:08 am

      Look delicious! I love whole wheat bread, and that looks like a nice, fluffy slice 🙂

      Reply
    32. Anna@ The Littlest Anchovy says

      March 12, 2012 at 9:48 am

      5 stars
      Yeah, Yeah! I too have been looking for a good all purpose bread recipe. I need not look any further now 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 10:28 am

        I hope you enjoy it as much as we have Anna 😀

        Reply
    33. K-bobo @ Gormandize with A-dizzle & K-bobo says

      March 12, 2012 at 9:14 am

      Looks lovely! What a coincidence we both posted bread type recipes yesterday 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 4:32 pm

        How funny! Must have been something in the air 🙂

        Reply
    34. Heidi - Apples Under My Bed says

      March 12, 2012 at 6:43 am

      fabulous!!! Yep, my perfect loaf is crusty on the outside, soft in the middle.but not too soft! mmm.
      Heidi xo

      Reply
    35. Daisy@Nevertoosweet says

      March 12, 2012 at 3:36 am

      5 stars
      It's one of my new years resolution to make bread at home too 🙂 I never thought it was possible to make whole wheat bread at home without kneading it! I'm definitely going to give this a go! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 4:26 pm

        You're welcome Daisy. Let me know what you think of it 😀

        Reply
    36. JJ @ 84thand3rd says

      March 11, 2012 at 9:06 pm

      I'm always looking for a good bread recipe - will definitely be trying this! Think it may be high time for me to finally get that book. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    37. Rosa says

      March 11, 2012 at 8:10 pm

      A lovely loaf of bread! Nice texture. I'd love some of it now for breakfast.

      Cheers,

      Rosa

      Reply
    38. Sanjeeta kk says

      March 11, 2012 at 6:42 pm

      Just the look of that healthy loaf there makes me dirty my hands with flour again! What is that brown rice for, Ledeliieux..any substitute?

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 2:53 pm

        Hi Sanjeeta,

        You could substitute honey, sugar or agave for the brown rice syrup. 🙂

        Reply
    39. Amanda says

      March 11, 2012 at 6:13 pm

      Looking forward to trying this! Haven't tried sourcing fresh yeast though, any suggestions?

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        March 12, 2012 at 4:25 pm

        Hi Amanda,

        If you can't get your hands on fresh yeast instant dried yeast is perfectly fine. In that case you need 4g of yeast. As for the fresh yeast, I suggest trying your local gourmet grocer, or even asking at your local bakery.

        Reply
    40. Kulsum at JourneyKitchen says

      March 11, 2012 at 4:53 pm

      J, I can't wait to try this recipe. I'm certainly making it this week. I made a loaf ages ago and was not impressed. Need to change that.

      Reply
    41. Sneh | Cook Republic says

      March 11, 2012 at 4:51 pm

      This looks beautiful. I love baking from Peter's cookbook. Love the shape of your loaf 🙂

      Reply

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    Nicole - Vegetarian Food Blogger

    Nicole is a 25+ year vegetarian, and author of a vegan cookbook. She shares her recipes on Delicious Everyday, an award-winning vegetarian and vegan food blog.  About Nicole

    the one pot vegan cookbook, by nicole malik
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