No Knead Whole Wheat Bread Healthy Bread Recipe

No Knead Whole Wheat Bread

Making this No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread is easy and fun—especially since it’s virtually fool-proof. The kids can help you mix up the batter, you can let it sit all day long, and when you bake it up, the house will smell so darn amazing! This is a great bread to make if you want to try homemade bread, but don’t want to worry about a complicated recipe or method. The magic of no-knead bread is that the dough sits for a long period of time to develop flavor and texture, instead of relying on kneading. I’d never tell you that you absolutely have to make your bread at home, but if you’re looking for a recipe to give it a try, this is a great one to start with. The ingredient list is short so you know exactly what you’re serving the kids, and it packs in a lot of whole grains into each serving. (You may also like my Cheesy Rice, Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough and my Lower Sugar Banana Bread.)

Ingredients You Need

To make this bread you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go. Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox.

Whole wheat flour: This adds fiber and whole grains to the loaf. All-purpose or bread flour: Some of either of these flours in the mix helps prevent the bread from becoming too dense. Ground flaxseed: This adds some healthy fats, but you can skip it if you don’t have it. Yeast: This ensures that the bread dough rises as it sits. You can use active or instant yeast here. Honey or sugar: To help activate the yeast, which feeds off of sugars. Salt: Adding a little salt to the dough ensures that it tastes good. Water and/or milk: This liquid helps the dough come together into bread dough.

TIP: Use maple syrup instead of honey if you plan to serve this bread to a baby under 1.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s a look at the process involved in making this easy homemade bread recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe. TIP: I like to mix the ingredients together in the morning and plan to bake the bread in the afternoon or early evening.

Flax Bread

I love adding ground flaxseed to this no-knead bread recipe to add in some extra fiber and healthy fats. It’s also a nice way to serve up flaxseed if it’s an ingredient you’ve been wanting to try, but haven’t found a kid-friendly recipe for.

How to Store

You can store this bread in a zip top bag at room temperature for up to 3 days, or you can do my preferred method of storing it in the freezer. Put the cooled and sliced bread into a zip top freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Then toast the bread to serve.

Best Tips for Success

Use more or less all-purpose flour if desired. Just keep the total flour mixture to 6 cups. Add a little water if the dough seems too dry to incorporate all of the flour. Add a little more flour if the dough seems way too sticky. Grease the bread loaf pans well to prevent sticking. Read through the directions to see how much time you’ll need to allow for rising—there is a long rise of 5-6 hours, then another 1-2 hours once the dough is in the loaf pans. Plan accordingly! Remove from the pans right after taking out of the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool fully before slicing for the best texture and slices. Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 cup raisins for a cinnamon raisin flavor. Serve topped with apple butter, nut butter, seed butter, cottage cheese, jam, or another favorite topping.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please leave a comment below!