Whole Wheat Brown Bread – No Kneading

Last updated on May 12th, 2024 at 11:22 pm

I found this handwritten recipe for whole wheat bread tucked inside a copy of Complete Home Cookery published in Britain in the 1920’s or 1930’s. Years before my Irish grandmother died, she gave this book to my father so he could make recipes from his childhood, although I don’t recall him making bread. But Nan did!

She served warm-from-the-oven, delicious, brown bread spread with butter and jam, or toasted then topped with Marmite or marmalade, depending on the occasion. And her sandwiches! Oh my.

I had no idea the homemade yeast bread she made was this easy to do. NO KNEADING! Preparation takes about five minutes, proofing the yeast another five minutes, then adding the foaming yeast to whole wheat flour and salt. Let rise for about 15 minutes, then bake for an hour or so.

All told, you can fill your house with the enticing aroma of baking bread and get that first warm crust to eat in about 90 minutes. I learned a few things trying this recipe and updated some of the instructions to suit more modern kitchens (and bakers). So let’s get started.

Whole Wheat Brown Bread – No-Knead Recipe

Preparation and Baking No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

Add 4 cups of whole wheat flour to a large bowl and stir in one teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside.

Stir one tablespoon of honey into a bowl filled with 5 ounces (150 ml) of tepid water (tepid being 1/3 boiling water to 2/3 cold water according to the Complete Home Cookery book). Stir in 2-1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast, cover with a cloth, and leave in a warm place for 5 minutes or until yeast is actively frothy and foamy on top.

Grease one regular loaf pan, or two smaller pans, with oil or vegetable oil spray. Line the pan(s) with parchment paper, if desired, to help remove the bread when done. I found a regular loaf pan of 5″x 9″ takes a little longer to bake and is a bit too big for easy slicing of this crusty bread. In contrast, two smaller loaf pans baked ten minutes faster, sliced well, and are perfect for smaller portions.

Make a well in the center of the bowl of flour and add the frothy yeast mixture. Next, add another 1-1/2 cups of tepid water. Use a warm wooden spoon or flexible spatula to mix the dough. If the dough is too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together in a slightly sticky, but not overly wet, consistency. Do not knead, but use the spoon or spatula to thoroughly combine the flour, salt, yeast and water.

Scrape the dough into your prepared pan(s). Sprinkle with your choice of seeds; I used sesame, poppy and hulled hemp hearts. Press these into the top of the dough with a flexible spatula as you’ll be turning the bread upside down soon to complete the baking.

Place your pan in warm spot and cover with a clean dish cloth. Let the bread rise for 15 to 20 minutes or until it reaches near the top of the pan. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 450F.

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Place the bread pan on the center rack of your oven. Bake at 450F for 15 minutes. Open the oven door to let out some heat and reduce oven temperature to 400F degrees. Continue baking the bread for another 20 to 30 minutes (your kitchen will smell heavenly by now) or until the bread is lovely and brown on the top. Remove from oven.

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Remove the loaf from the pan, flip it over, shake off any excess seeds, then return it to the oven, placing the bread upside down directly on the center rack. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

You can cut the first slice after 5 minutes cooling time. You have now made your first loaf of nutritious, no-knead, whole wheat brown bread from a tried-and-true recipe of generations.

Resources:

The World’s First Cookbooks is a fascinating 4-minute read by author Bhaskar Dasgupta.

For St. Patrick’s Day, an alternative to bread is scrumptious Potato Cheese Scones. If you’re hosting a St. Patrick’s Day Party check out the recipes for Shepherd’s Pie, Irish Stew as well as delicious cocktails to make from Bushmills Irish Cream.