Whole Wheat No Knead Bucket Bread

And now here’s yet another method for preparing bread dough.  Maybe it’s even a little gimmicky, like I’m just grasping at straws to come up with blog topics.  But you know what?  I think there is some merit to the idea.  This idea assumes that there is refrigeration and abundant energy for baking the bread, such that baking on a daily basis is viable. 

Here’s why this technique is great:

·       Beginners often struggle to produce a loaf of bread that people actually want to eat, especially after it has cooled.  Using bucket dough to bake a fresh loaf every day ensures the loaf gets eaten.  Even the worst loaves of bread taste great fresh from the oven.

·       You bake only as much bread as you need—a small loaf for two people or a large loaf for a family of eight. 

·       You make the kind of bread you want—a crusty loaf for dinner, sandwich buns, soup bowls, etc.

·       Some days you just don’t have time to make bread.  This way, you don’t have more than 2-3 minutes of hands-on time to produce a loaf of bread.  You can even teach children to do it.

Whole Wheat No Knead Bucket Dough

3 cups warm water 

½ teaspoon sugar 

1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast 

1 ½ tablespoons salt 

3 cups whole wheat flour 

3 cups all-purpose flour 

In a 2 gallon bucket (or other container with lid), combine the water, sugar, and yeast and let proof for 10-15 minutes.  Then stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well. 

Cover container loosely with plastic, or let the bucket lid rest on top of the bucket. 

Now let the dough rise and collapse, or fall, completely.  This should take about three hours, depending on the temperature.

Once it has fallen, you can use it immediately, or place it in the refrigerator to use later.

To make some bread:

Remove the amount of dough you wish.  About ¼ of this recipe will make a loaf for dinner for a family of four.  Adjust the amount of dough to remove accordingly.

I find the dough is often sticky, so I dust the counter with about 1/4 cup of flour and then fold the dough over on itself 6-8 times.  

Quickly form the dough into a loaf—a round dinner loaf, oblong sandwich buns, soup bowls, etc.  Dust parchment paper, if available, or just the counter with flour or cornmeal and set the formed loaves on the prepared surface.  Let dough rise for about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven and a baking pan or stone (I use a small cast iron skillet) to 450°F so that it will be ready when the dough has risen.  Place another pan on the bottom rack of the oven to preheat as well.

When the dough is ready to bake, slash the loaves once or twice and then carefully place them on the preheated pan and return the pan to the oven.  Add about one cup of very hot water to the pan on the bottom rack of the oven and close the door.  The water will steam to produce a wonderfully crunchy crust.

Bake for about 35 minutes, depending on the size of the loaf.  The loaf will develop a dark crust.  When it is thoroughly baked, it will sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.

Let cool on a cooling rack.

This recipe can easily be scaled up or down, depending on your needs that particular week.  If you double the recipe, it will still fit in a 2-gallon bucket.  But if you make a larger batch, you'll need a bigger bucket.

Notes:  As with any bread dough, the exact amount of flour required can vary depending on the humidity, whether you live in the desert or a rain forest, or whether it's rainy or very dry that day.  You can also play with the ratio of wheat to white flour.  Keep in mind that wheat flour takes longer to absorb water than white flour.

Links to related posts:

Flour

Whole Wheat

Yeast

8.11.23