Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread
If you search for baking bread in a dutch oven you’ll probably find a hundred no-knead bread recipes and all of those will be white breads. The no-kneads are great and I love the artisan loafs but sometimes you need to go back to our whole grain roots. Besides the obvious heart-healthy benefits of baking with whole grains there’s something more natural about steering clear of the processed, bleached, refined flours. Because of this long yearning to get back to our roots I’ve been wanting to make a whole wheat dutch oven bread recipe, and today I finally had the chance. This simple whole grain bread recipe will give you the great chewy crust and light fluffy bread you love from a dutch oven in a heart-healthy whole grain bread.
If you’d like to learn more about making bread in a dutch oven please click here.
Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread
Whole Wheat Dutch Oven Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup Luke warm water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Active-Dry Yeast Or one packet
- 3 cups Whole wheat flour
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
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Mix water, salt, sugar, and yeast. Proof the yeast until foam bubbles appear on top.
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Combine 2 cups of whole wheat flour and liquid in large bowl. Continue mixing and adding flour until dough forms into a ball and pulls from sides of bowl.
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Pour dough onto cleaned and floured counter top or dough board. Knead until dough is firm and stretchy, about 15 minutes. Add flour only when needed. You want a wet, sticky dough. Only add flour when it is too sticky to knead.
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Pour olive oil into a medium bowl. Form dough into a ball and coat completely with olive oil in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise for 60 minutes or until doubled in volume.
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Place dutch oven inside oven and preheat to 400 degrees, or light coals if cooking outside.
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When dough has doubled in volume remove from bowl and punch down with finger tips.
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Fold dough several times and reform into a ball. If dough becomes to stiff let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes to soften. Coat ball in flour and place on a sheet of parchment paper. Make several small slices across the top and cover with plastic wrap or towel. Let rise 60 minutes or until doubled in volume again.
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When dough is done rising remove plastic wrap or towel. Make another slice across the top of the loaf diagonal to the other slices.
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Use the parchment paper to lift the dough and place inside the dutch oven. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 minutes.
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Tap the top of the loaf and listen for a hollow sound indicating it is done.
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Set on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
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Enjoy!
I’m sure you’ll love this bread as much as I do and I hope you tell me all about it in the comments below.
