This Wholemeal Bread Recipe is easy, no knead and perfect for beginners. Ready to bake in two hours and absolutely foolproof. Nothing beats freshly baked homemade bread!
4 ½cups(570g) whole wheat flour plus extra for dusting and worktop
2tsprapid rise yeastsee notes if using dry active yeast
2cups(500ml) lukewarm water or beer
2tbspsugar, or maple syrup
½tbspsalt
Instructions
Measure the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add yeast, sugar and salt. Stir to combine dry ingredients.
Pour the water into the bowl and mix it in with a spoon or a dough hook until thoroughly combined. You should have a sticky, shaggy dough.
Cover your mixing bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place to prove for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. On a cold day it can take up to 90 minutes for the dough to rise.
Sprinkle the worktop with plenty of flour. Tip the dough on it and sprinkle with a little flour – it will be sticky (that's how it should be). Line a bowl or banneton basket with baking paper and dust with flour.
Use a pastry scraper to fold the edges over towards the centre to create a round loaf.
Carefully cup the loaf in your hands and transfer into the prepared bowl seam side down or the banneton seam side up. Loosely cover with a plastic bag.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (420°F) and place a cast iron pot on a lower shelf to preheat for 30 minutes while the bread is having its second rise.
Slice the bread using a sharp knife or lame. Carefully remove the pot from the oven (it will be very hot so use oven mitts or pot holders).
Lift the bread out of the bowl using the baking paper and drop into the pot. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pot – it should sound hollow if tapped on the underside. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing
Video
Notes
USING DRY ACTIVE YEAST
Combine 1/4 cup (60g) of the water specified in the ingredients and the honey in a measuring jug. Add the yeast, stir together and leave for 5-10 minutes until bubbly (if the yeast doesn't bubble up it might not be active any more!).
Stir the flour, salt and rosemary in a large mixing bowl, add the remaining water and then the activated yeast. Mix well until a sticky dough forms and proceed with method.
NO KNEAD SKILLET BREADYou can use a cast iron skillet to bake the bread instead of a Dutch oven. The bread will have a slightly different shape, a bit more spread out, but will still taste just as delicious!Prepare the dough as per instructions up to the first rise. Oil your cast iron skillet and sprinkle with a little semolina. Shape the loaf and transfer into the skillet for the second rise (30 minutes) while you preheat the oven.Slice the loaf. Place a roasting tray on the lowest oven shelf and the skillet on a shelf above it. Throw a handful of ice cubes into the roasting tin you placed on bottom shelf. Place the skillet on shelf above. The steam created by the melting ice cubes will help your bread to rise. I found that the bread baked quicker in a skillet, needing 30-40 minutes overall.