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Bread

No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

A no-knead whole wheat loaf made with yeast, honey, shortening, salt, whole wheat and all-purpose flour, finished with a margarine glaze.

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Why it works: Honey and wheat work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 346 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓

No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread

Oven375 °F
Time45 to 50 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Mix the batter

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl.

  2. Add honey, shortening, salt, all-purpose flour and ½ cup of whole wheat flour.

  3. Beat on low speed, scraping the bowl constantly, for 30 seconds.

  4. Beat on medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally, for 2 minutes (or beat 300 vigorous strokes by hand).

  5. Stir in the remaining whole wheat flour until smooth.

  6. Scrape the batter from the side of the bowl.

Rise and shape

  1. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost double, 40 to 45 minutes.

  2. Stir down the batter by beating about 25 strokes.

  3. Smooth and pat the batter into a greased loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 or 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ inches) with a floured hand.

  4. Cover and let rise until double, about 40 minutes.

Bake and cool

  1. Heat the oven to 375 °F.

  2. Bake until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped, 45 to 50 minutes.

  3. Brush the top with margarine.

  4. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

621Calories
13 gProtein
13 gFat
112 gCarbs

Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 4 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Honey + wheattop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together346 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).

  2. Wheat + flourtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,373 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Honey + flourtop 25% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together2,637 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Whole wheat flour
Provides the hearty texture and nutty flavor, and its bran absorbs more water than white flour.
All-purpose flour
Adds gluten strength so the loaf holds its rise and has a lighter crumb.
Active dry yeast
Ferments sugars to produce carbon dioxide gas, which makes the dough rise.
Honey
Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and moisture that helps browning.
Shortening
Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and keeps the loaf soft.

The step that matters

Beating the batter to develop gluten. Beating for the full time without knead builds gluten strands that trap yeast gas. Too little beating leaves a dense loaf, while the stated rises let the structure set.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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