Cracked Wheat No-Knead Bread
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Is it wrong to wax eloquent about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (as I do on my sister blog, Dough, Dirt & Dye)? Well, if it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. This whole grain, soft, chewy and crunchy bread makes a killer PB & J and it’s a snap to make. Without a lot of effort, you’ll get two big round loaves of bread from this batch – or make a whole bunch of small rolls with which to make sandwiches or as a wholesome side with soups, stews and salads.
Cracked Wheat No-Knead Bread
Makes 2 large boules
4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cracked whole wheat
1 1/2 tbsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
4 1/4 cups lukewarm water
In a 6-quart food grade bucket, whisk together the flours, cracked wheat, yeast, salt and vital wheat gluten. Add the water and mix until there is no dry flour left. You may need to get your (wet) hands in there to make sure everything is mixed together. The dough will be heavy and wet.
Loosely cover the bucket and let sit out on the counter for two hours. The dough will puff up quite a bit. After two hours, transfer the bucket (securing the lid) to the refrigerator and let it ferment for at least eight hours. This dough needs this time so that the cracked wheat can absorb the liquid and become soft. You don’t want hard little wheat bullets in your otherwise tender bread.
When you’re ready to bake, take a large baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Sprinkle a little bit of flour over the surface of the dough in the container, then remove as much dough as you’d like (depending on the size loaf you want to make). Quickly shape the dough into a boule using more flour as needed, and place on the prepared baking sheet. (If using a baking stone, instead of lining the inside of a baking sheet with parchment paper as described above, turn it over and line the outside bottom – this way you can easily slide the dough/parchment onto the baking stone.) Cover loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 90 minutes.
An hour or so into the rise, preheat the oven to 450F. (If you’re baking on a stone, place it in the oven at this time.) If not using a baking stone, just bake the bread on the prepared baking sheet. Just before you’re ready to put the dough in the oven, spritz the loaf with water then quickly and firmly slash the loaf about 1/4″ deep using a serrated knife. I usually do a simple cross or parallel lines.
Bake for 35-45 minutes. The time will depend on how big the loaf is. The bread should be a deep brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Allow the boule to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into it.
(Thanks to Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day for this recipe.)

Mmm, I’ve been craving peanut butter and jelly
This bread looks really yummy!
I’m forwarding this to the resident baker…:-)
My boules are rising now. In the oven in about an hour. Fingers crossed!
Excellent, Debb!