Homemade artisan style bread baked with freshly milled flour is achievable with this no-knead whole grain bread recipe! Crispy, crunchy and satisfying, this simple loaf of bread is made with only a handful of ingredients. Get baking this wholesome recipe today!

The rise and fall of a kingdom …

… or in this case, a loaf of bread.

That is what it feels like when you’re just learning to make bread. Or when you’re experienced baker and you are testing out new recipes.

Some succeed.

Some fail.

For years I have made bread at home. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten bread from the store. Perhaps when I was a child. Well, I digress. My mother has always been a baker. Growing up she would make us homemade pretzels for snacks, fresh baked bread for dinner and plenty of sugar free desserts. Even now, she is often whipping up some delicious concoction in the kitchen. I believe that is where I discovered my love for cooking and baking. 

Most of my life my mom and I have baked with commercial made flour. Organic all-purpose flour and organic whole wheat were used frequently in our home. That is until we discovered the truth about store bought flour. Upon enlightenment, we quickly jumped on board the whole grain train and began milling our own flour at home. Learning to use fresh ground flour in recipes took a wee bit of practice. But once we got the hang of it, the possibilities of what we could bake are endless.

In my recipe box, I’ve got directions for making homemade bread, pita chips, whole grain rolls, tortillas, pumpkin bread and hamburger buns. But what I wanted was a delicious no-knead artisan style bread with fresh ground flour. After flipping through my cookbooks and searching online, I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Sure, there were plenty of recipes using all-purpose flour. And a wealth of sourdough artisan breads. But that wasn’t what I had in mind.

I wanted an easy bread recipe. One that didn’t require a lot of hands on time. A loaf that had a crisp outer crust. Was made with fresh, flavorful wheat. And, of course looked like it was purchased from the local bakery. In order to fulfill the dream, I had to head into the kitchen. After some experimentation … a bit of rising and falling … and a lot of flour covered countertops, today I am pleased to share with you my treasured no-knead whole grain bread recipe.

This overnight bread recipe is practically effortless to make. With just a few moments of time and a good dutch oven, you will have a large, golden brown loaf of bread with a crisp outer crust and soft, moist crumb inside. It is an excellent recipe for beginner bakers and is absolutely delicious to serve with soup! My husband is particularly fond of cutting a couple of slices to make a grilled cheese sandwich. The crusty loaf also is perfect for French toast and stuffing!

What is Freshly Milled Flour?

Freshly milled flour is created when you take a grain, such as hard white wheat berries and run it through a flour mill transforming it into fresh ground flour that can be use to make breads and various other baked goods. The reason people choose to grind flour at home is largely due to the fact that fresh ground flour retains essential nutrients unlike processed commercial flour.

How to Mill Flour at Home

The thought of grinding flour at home may seem like a tedious, time consuming task. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Transforming wheat berries into flour takes just a few moments longer then it does to scoop out store bought flour from a bag. Grinding flour at home is easy when you have the right tools for the job! There are a variety of mill styles to choose from but most modern flour mills make it easy to grind flour at home. I have an electric flour mill from Mockmill. The Mockmill 100 Stone Grain Mill uses two stones to grind the grains. I simply turn the mill on, pour my desired grain into the hopper and within minutes I have fresh ground flour! No fuss or putting forth the effort of grinding flour by hand.

Is Freshly Milled Flour Better for You?

Yes! Today a bag of flour from the grocery store does not provide the vital fiber and nutrients that your body needs. When grain is kept whole, it retains all of its nutrients and oils. As soon as the bran (the outer hard shell) is broken, the nutrients deteriorate quickly. Commercially sold flour can turn rancid if the oil-rich germ and other nutrients are left. In order to avoid this, commercial flour must remove these components so that the flour is shelf stable. Even if the flour is organic or labeled as enriched, there is absolutely no comparison to the health benefits of milling your own flour at home. Milling your own flour ensures you get the most nutrients, vitamins and fiber.

Tips for Baking Bread With Fresh Ground Flour

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Baking with fresh ground flour is a little different than using store bought flour. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way.

• Hard wheat such as white or red wheat berries has the highest amount of protein which means it is ideal for baking bread!
• Bread recipes made with fresh ground flour are not as light as the loaves of bread you buy from the store. This is due to a high amount of starch and gluten in processed flour.
• Vital wheat gluten helps bread made with fresh ground flour to rise higher.
• A lame is an excellent tool for scoring bread.
• Having a sharp serrated bread knife is very handy when slicing an artisan bread, due to its crispy outside.
• When you mill your own flour there is no need to sift it. Simply grind, measure and get baking!
• A 5-quart dutch oven works best for making artisan style breads. 

Why Use a Dutch Oven to Bake Bread?

To make artisan style bread at home! The key to making a crisp, golden loaf is a dutch oven. When you place a loaf of dough into a very hot dutch oven, the moisture from the unbaked bread is transformed into steam. The steam is what creates the crispy outer layer of the bread. There is no alternative tool that can create the same amazing results.

How to Store Bread

Keep your bread fresher longer by storing it in an airtight container, plastic bag with as much air removed as possible or a bread box. I often place my bread into a twist tie plastic bag, then place it into a Tupperware container. If you don’t plan to eat the bread right away, stick the loaf into a ziplock bag and freeze it for later.

Watch Video Tutorial

Dutch Oven Bread Made With Freshly Milled Flour

Homemade bread couldn’t be easier with this no-knead overnight bread! Packed full of nutrients from the freshly milled flour, this delicious loaf is great to serve at breakfast, lunch or dinner time!

Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients

3 cups warm water
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten, optional
7 cups freshly milled hard white wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

How to Make No-Knead Bread

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, honey and yeast until slightly creamy looking. Stir in the oil. Add the vital wheat gluten, flour and salt and mix until combined. Initially the dough may look dry but as you mix it, it will become sticky. Use your hands instead of a spatula, if desired, to combine the ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 12-15 hours or until the dough has doubled.

Remove the dough from the bowl. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Carefully shape into a round loaf. Lightly dust the top of the loaf with flour. Line a colander with parchment paper then place the loaf seam side up. Cover with a tea or kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 475° F. Place the dutch oven with the lid on inside the oven for at least 30 minutes. 

When the loaf is ready to bake, place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the colander. Invert the loaf and place it seam side down onto the sheet of parchment paper. Remove dutch oven and carefully lower the parchment and loaf into the pot. Put the lid back on and bake the loaf for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the bread it golden brown and crisp.

Lift the loaf of bread out and place on a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container.

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Yield: 1 loaf

No-Knead Whole Grain Bread

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Homemade artisan style bread baked with freshly milled flour is achievable with this no-knead whole grain bread recipe! Crispy, crunchy and satisfying, this simple loaf of bread is made with only a handful of ingredients. Get baking this wholesome recipe today!

Ingredients

• 3 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten, optional
• 7 cups freshly milled hard white wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the warm water, honey and yeast until slightly creamy looking. Stir in the oil. Add the vital wheat gluten, flour and salt and mix until combined. Initially the dough may look dry but as you mix it, it will become sticky. Use your hands instead of a spatula, if desired, to combine the ingredients. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 12-15 hours or until the dough has doubled.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Carefully shape into a round loaf. Lightly dust the top of the loaf with flour. Line a colander with parchment paper then place the loaf seam side up. Cover with a tea or kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 475° F. Place the dutch oven with the lid on inside the oven for at least 30 minutes. 
4. When the loaf is ready to bake, place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the colander. Invert the loaf and place it seam side down onto the sheet of parchment paper. Remove dutch oven and carefully lower the parchment and loaf into the pot. Put the lid back on and bake the loaf for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the bread it golden brown and crisp.
5. Lift the loaf of bread out and place on a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container.

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