100% Whole Wheat Artisan Loaf – Easy, No-Knead, No Prep

Bread doesn’t need to be difficult. Start here.

When baking bread, it essentially comes down to 4 ingredients – water, salt, yeast, and flour. Being that flour is the most important ingredient in bread, why don’t we dedicate more interest in knowing where our flours come from and what exactly they are made up of? I began searching for a company that supplied and milled 100% whole grains. That’s when I came across Community Grains. They have an impressively transparent lineup of whole grains.

For this artisan loaf I used Community Grains’ Identity Preserved “Organic Summit Hard Red Winter Whole Wheat Flour” grown by Fritz Durst in Capay Valley. A modern hard red wheat spring wheat introduced in 2011, Summit has good baking qualities and gluten strength typical of red wheat. The phenols from the bran give this wheat a reddish color and rich flavor for rustic bread, or more complex sweets. Community Grains is a pioneer in the flour industry – they are committed to 100% whole grain, transparent supply chains, and sustainable agriculture. Community Grains, speaking on their goal – “Our approach to grain is grounded firmly in the belief that grain can and should reflect its provenance. With care, thoughtful seed selection, and healthy soil teeming with life, our wheat, corn, and rye can express the special characteristics of the land from which it grew – they can be that much more nutritious, flavorful, and beneficial for the environment.” I am grateful and excited to begin working and exploring more of what Community Grains and their 100% whole grains have to offer.

100% Whole Wheat Artisan Loaf – Easy, No-Knead, No Prep

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: carmeninthegarden
• Prep Time: 12 hours
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 15 hours
• Yield: 6 generous slices 1x
• Category: bread
• Method: baking

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Description

Bread doesn’t need to be difficult. I stand by that. Bread is one of the most consumed staple items and I feel that cooking bread for yourself gets a bad rap. If you feel that bread is too difficult, start here. You’ll never look back. 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Materials you need:

• large mixing bowl
• medium mixing bowl
• spatula
• Dutch oven
• parchment paper
• 2 dish towels

Ingredients:

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 2 cups luke warm water
• 2 tsp table salt
• 4 cups whole wheat flour

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Instructions

1. Combine yeast and luke-warm water in medium mixing bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. After the 20 minutes are up. combine in water to the flour using a spatula. Combine until a dough forms. 
4. Wet one dish towel, wring it out. Cover the dough with the wet towel and then put a dry towel on top. 
5. Let the dough rise, undisturbed in a warm (but not too warm) spot for 12 hours. 
6. Flour a clean work surface. Gently remove dough on to surface and gently work in to a ball by taking the edges and folding towards the center. Pinch at the center and flip over, seam side down on a piece of parchment paper. Let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 with Dutch oven inside. 
8. Using a knife, cut a steam vent across the loaf’s top layer. Carefully place in Dutch oven with lid on. Bake for 20 minutes with lid on, remove lid and bake for 20 more minutes, remove loaf from Dutch oven and bake directly on oven rack for 10 minutes.
9. Let cool before cutting. 

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Notes

• I find that it is easiest to cut a loaf of bread by putting it on its side. 
• The secret to crunchy bread is steam.  The Dutch oven traps steam within it.  If  you don’t have a Dutch oven, bake on a baking sheet and put a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven while preheating. Fill the cast iron skillet with water right after you place the bread in the oven. Don’t open the oven!

Keywords: bread, vegetarian, vegan, easy