No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

An easy to prepare no knead whole wheat bread! Perfect for both experts and beginners.

Baking with yeast. Does it make you nervous? Are you worried that it won’t rise properly? Are you scared off by the kneading process? 

Many confident cooks are a little uncertain when it comes to baking with yeast. But have no fear! You won’t be “kneading” any help with this easy bread recipe. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that little pun!)

About this bread recipe

“Batterway” bread is another name for no-knead bread. The dough is sticky and soft, more like a batter than dough. It’s incredibly simple to make (only seven ingredients, and one ingredient is water!). You’ll love the flavor of this yeasty no-knead whole wheat bread.

You guys — I really believe this is a no-fail recipe. You can mix it by hand, or with a mixer. A stand mixer makes it super easy.

This bread recipe uses a mixture of bread flour and whole wheat flour, subtly sweetened with honey. The result is a light and fluffy bread that is sturdy enough for a sandwich. Try it with egg salad, dill chicken salad, or make a pepperoni pizza grilled cheese. 

It tastes great toasted (next to eating it warm, right out of the oven, toasting is my favorite thing to do with homemade bread). Butter, cream cheese, jam, avocados, whatever you like to top a slice of bread with, this bread is ready for it. Try strawberry basil freezer jam, gingerbread butter, or orange honey butter. So good!

This no-knead whole wheat bread makes two nice sized loaves. Plenty for a hungry family!

What you need to make this bread

• Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour is more nutritious and adds a nutty grain flavor.
• Bread Flour: Bread flour is ground from a different type of wheat that has more protein which adds strength to the dough. For more about bread flour and how it differs from all-purpose flour, check out King Arthur’s website. They do a great side by side comparison.
• Salt: Needed for flavor, of course, but also as a yeast inhibitor.
• Water: The water needs to be warm, between 110-115°F.
• Yeast: You’ll need two packets of active yeast, or 5 1/2 teaspoons. Refer to the note in the recipe card for more about the yeast.
• Honey: Adds flavor and sweetness.
• Shortening

If you’re still feeling uneasy about baking bread, Red Star Yeast has great instructions online including a step-by-step baking guide.  You can also find Red Star Yeast on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

More yeast bread recipes

Give these delicious bread recipes a try! I’m sure you’ll love them. 

• Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Dutch Oven Bread (no knead!)
• No-Knead Cheesy Bread
• Italian Herb and Cheese Pull-Apart Bread
• Cranberry Walnut Bread with Oats
• Flatbread (so easy!)
• Easy Pizza Dough Recipe {and Cheesy Flatbread}

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: No Knead Whole Wheat Bread

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 50 mins

Additional Time: 1 hr

Total Time: 2 hrs

20 servings

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This no knead whole wheat bread recipe could not be easier! Great for the beginner baker.

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups whole wheat flour
• ▢ 4 cups bread flour
• ▢ 3 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 2 ½ cups warm water (110°-115°F)
• ▢ 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packets)
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick), softened

Instructions

• Have water at 110°-115°F and all other ingredients at room temperature.
• Measure bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt into a bowl; whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl; add the yeast. Let stand 3 to 5 minutes; stir. Add the honey, butter, and half of the flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes with electric mixer on medium speed, or by hand until smooth.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and beat again with stand mixer or spoon until smooth and dough comes together. Cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease two 5 x 9- or 4½ x 8½ – inch loaf pans.
• Punch down dough, and divide in half.
• Place in prepared pans. Let rise again until edge of dough comes to within 1-inch of tops of large pans or reaches tops of smaller pans, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack positioned in lower third of oven.
• Bake loaves 35 minutes, or until well browned on sides and tops (internal temperature should be 190°F at the center of the loaf when measured with an instant read thermometer). Remove loaves from oven and brush tops with butter for soft crusts.
• Let bread cool 5-10 minutes in pan; remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

• Makes 2 loaves, 10 slices each. Nutrition information is based on 1 slice.
• Recipe card revised 4/28/2022.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 173kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 6mg, Sodium: 351mg, Potassium: 97mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 72IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

Disclaimer: I am in a paid partnership with Red Star Yeast to recreate and photograph recipes from their website. Red Star Yeast is the only kind of yeast I use. All opinions are my own, as always.

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