No Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread






My son wants a tortoise as a pet. Ever since he saw one at a farmhouse, he is intrigued by the humble creature lugging leisurely with a huge shell on its back. 



We were mesmerised by the avian fauna at the farm 




We spotted some Grey Tits pecking the grains from the fields and from the granary by stealth till they were spotted and shooed away by the owner.
By the time we reached home, it was almost late afternoon. A bread had to be baked for dinner. With less time at hand, I baked a whole wheat bread. 


A simple no-knead bread that rises very well and has a soft spongy crumb. 


It can be veganised easily. Replace honey with maple syrup or agave nectar.

Enjoy with peanut butter, or, homemade jam or toasted and slathered with butter.


No Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients 



  • 3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons honey / maple syrup / agave nectar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (1 tablespoon  for dough, 1 tablespoon for greasing the pan and hands)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons cornmeal

 Instructions


  1. Grease one 8 ½ inch x 4 ½ inch bread pan. Sprinkle cornmeal.
  2. Take water in a deep bowl. Add honey / maple syrup / agave nectar. Add yeast.
  3. In another bowl whisk together whole wheat flour and salt.
  4. Add flour mix and oil to the first bowl. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes till a shaggy dough forms. Cover the bowl with a cling film and leave in daft free place for 1 ½ hours or until doubled.
  5. Stir the dough vigorously again with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes. Cover and leave to rise for another 1 ½ hours or until doubled.
  6. Stir the dough for about 1 minute and empty the dough into the prepared pan. Apply some oil in your palm and level the dough.  Keep the pan in plastic bag ensuring that there is enough room for the dough to rise. Keep for 40 to 45 minutes or till it crests above the lip of the pan. The dough has high water content. It may spill over the sides of the pan. If it does, take the edges of the dough and stretch it over the loaf on the other side. It will keep the loaf in proper shape as it bakes.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees C for 40 to 45 minutes or till the top of the bread turns golden brown. Tent the loaf with a foil if it browns early. Remove from the oven after 5 minutes and remove from the pan after another 5 minutes. Cool in the rack. Slice when cold.







 

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24 comments:

  1. I have never seen a tortoise in person before. Your bird photos are amazing Namita and finding a loaf of bread that can be cobbled together in no time and that you don't have to fuss over is an amazing thing. We are just about to hit our summer running and as we spend a lot of time in the garden, coming in at night and facing a big baking spree after all of that hard work isn't my idea of rest and relaxation so something like this will be a great addition to our summer meals. Thank you for sharing this simple, quick, obviously delicious bread :)

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  2. look at the texture of bread looking so great

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  3. Namita - Love the pics and the recipe seems so easy. so, mixed the ingredients and set it to rise. I forgot that temperatures are dropping. The dough took so long to rise in the bowl. Now it is the loaf tin and it hasn't risen as yet. Waiting for it to rise, so that I can have my first whole wheat loaf. The only change I made to this recipe was that I added wheat bran to it. Hope it comes out well and will update you about it. Thanks for a lovely and simple recipe once again. Just one request. Next time, if possible, could you take step by step pix to help understand how the dough looks like when mixed?

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    Replies
    1. Sure Anandi, I will try to click pics of every step next time. Thanks for trying my recipe. Hope you are happy with the resullts.

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  4. Hi Namita,
    Thank you for sharing the wholewheat bread recipe... a query: are you using atta flour for your Wholewheat breads? Don't you find the bread very heavy? However it looks very light in your picture. Could the atta flour be lighter in India?

    I tried another recipe once and it was like a Brick!! Difficult to eat, and not wanting to waste it, I turned it into breadcrumbs.

    Thanks for any feedback
    Mrs Singh, Malaysia

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  5. Hello Mrs Singh, I would suggest that you try out no knead bread recipe. This one is a simple, fool proof recipe. I am sure that you will be happy with the results. I use brands like Pillsbury and Aashirvad for my breads. The breads are dense and crumbly. They are not very spongy but definitely not hard. I guess the magic lies in kneading for a very long time with the right quantity of water. You may also add vital gluten to the dough. I don't not add it to my breads though. No knead bread recipe gives a very soft and spongy bread. Let me know the results with pictures if possible. Love and Regards!

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  6. Hi Namita,
    Okay I did try out your recipe and it came out well. I used imported whole meal flour, and I was very happy with the results. Yes it was dense but not as hard as I thought it might be.
    However it was very very filling, could only eat 1 slice! Only problem was removing loaf even though I oiled tin well, but it did not stick, so I was very happy with that.

    Sorry about not taking any photos but I finished baking after 12 midnight and I was too tired and next day it was already sliced by the time I came down for breakfast!
    But I def intend baking it again and hope not to forget this time.

    Even my daughter-in-law who's from New Zealand enjoyed it.

    Thanks again Namita for feedback and tips,

    P.S.I really enjoy reading about the lovely place you stay
    in and your photos are amazing too.
    God willing I might be able to visit
    your "Heaven On Earth" one day!

    Warmest regards and love, Mrs Singh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank You Mrs. Singh. I am happy that you enjoyed the loaf. Yes, please drop in whenever you visit this part of the world. Love and regards!

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  7. Replies
    1. Hello Heer, Cornmeal is yellow coarse flour. It is called makki ka atta.

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  8. U mentioned dat just stir the dough wid spatula...can u plz tell me what consistantcy of dough is required?and wheat flour used for bread must be fine almost like all purpose flour.i used to grind flour at home and its nt fine like branded flours.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Jyoti, dough consistency will be like cake batter. You will have to scoop and trasfer batter to your baking pan. If your flour is coarse, you may require more water. In fact i too use coarse flour. Hope this helps!

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  9. Thank you for the recipe. I tried it. It turned out fine.

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  10. Replies
    1. Hello Zella, Yes, you may double the recipe. Mixing might be a little laborious. And yes, you'll require two pans for baking. Happy Baking!

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  11. Hi Namita.... this prathyusha here...I have 19 ltrs otg... just wanted to know where I should place the tin... in the middle rack or at the bottom rack...

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    Replies
    1. Hello Pratyusha, use middle rack for baking breads. Hope you come out with results that make you happy. Keep me updated about your results ☺

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  12. Hi Namita
    This looks like a fairly simple recipe.However,what is the role of cornmeal in this recipe? Is there any other option?

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    Replies
    1. Hello, Cornmeal prevents the dough from sticking to the pan. The bread comes out easily. You may use plain atta for the purpose.

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  13. Hello Binu, I suggest that you bake this bread the same day. It is a batter bread. Keeping it in the fridge after one rise will make the top skin hard.It might not come out well. I have baked this several times and I am always happy with the results.

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  14. Hello Binu,
    The dough is very sticky. I use a ladle or a wooden spoon to stir. I empty it into the prepared pan. Your procedure was correct. How was the bread? I hope it rose well.

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  15. I baked the bread yesterday night. However,the upper crust tore open and a deep valley was formed. Can you please tell me where I went wrong?

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    Replies
    1. Hello Nsg, was the batter too stiff? Another reason could be temperature. A sudden high temperature also makes the upper crust crack. Can you send me a picture of the bread please? My email is [email protected]

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