No one will believe that this rustic no-knead whole-wheat bread was so easy to make. It takes just minutes to put together and while the rising time is longer than regular bread, the results are amazing!

I always used to serve the same thing to my family to break a fast: bagels and eggs. It’s the only thing my husband wanted to eat after fasting. I was happy not to have to cook up a feast, even though we all know that the afternoon of a fast is the best time to bake and cook.

One year, I made a small loaf of bread in addition to my usual bagels. The bagels weren’t touched and my bread was devoured. Hence, a new tradition was born.

I’ve seen multiple methods for baking this kind of no-knead whole-wheat bread:

Preheat a real (not disposable) cookie sheet in your oven. Place the raw loaf on the hot cookie sheet and bake.
Do the same thing with a Dutch oven that’s been preheated.
Put the bread into a Dutch oven that’s cold and allow it to heat up as it’s baked.
Use a water bath when you bake the bread. To be honest, I have never noticed a big enough difference in the bread to bother with it, but many people swear it is a necessity.

Although this recipe is easy and quick, I find it can take a few tries until you get it right. Bread can be quite moody, so don’t give up if your bread doesn’t come out great on the first try!

You can watch a YouTube video of me making this bread here.

If you hop on the bread bandwagon, try these recipes for easy homemade bread and quick dinner rolls as well!

No-Knead Whole-Wheat Bread

No one will believe that this no-knead whole-wheat bread was so easy to make. It takes just minutes to put together and while the rising time is longer than regular bread, the results are amazing!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp honey
1½ cups very lukewarm water
Sesame seeds, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients besides sesame seeds in a bowl or a big container with a cover until combined. Do not overmix. Note that this will be look nothing like challah dough!
Cover the bowl with its cover or plastic wrap and let rise at least 6 hours or up to overnight. If you are using a container with a cover, leave it slightly open to let some air escape. You don’t want it completely airtight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450°F. Flour your hands and the top of the dough well. Gently take the dough out of the bowl and roll it into a ball with your hands. Do not knead — this will kill all the air bubbles and ruin the bread! Gently pull the top edges of the dough and fold them under the ball, going around the whole ball, to create a smooth top.
Place on a lined real cookie sheet or a Dutch oven and slit the top with a very sharp knife. Sprinkle top with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is brown.