Bread is probably the number one reason I started this blog. Besides seeing my family every time I went back to Norway, one of the most thrilling reunions was with the seeded, whole-grain breads that are so common and beloved all over the country.
There’s a distinctiveness to Nordic bread that’s hard to find elsewhere, especially in the United States. Even the whole grain breads I find here are too light and fine in texture and flavorless compared to the robust, hearty Nordic breads.
So I devoted myself to exploring and researching different breads I had grown up with and created my own ‘portfolio’ of bread recipes I could share with my American audience.
You are probably reading this because you too, have tried Norwegian or Nordic bread and wish there was an equivalent stateside.
A lot of my readers are also students of my online Norwegian bread course, and a couple of months ago, I released the follow-up to this best-selling course all about Norwegian flatbreads.
If you’re as enamored with Norwegian bread as I am, I invite you to delve deeper into its world with my unique courses. They’re available for instant download, offering you lifetime access to the secrets of Nordic bread baking.
People often deter themselves from baking their own bread because they perceive it as time-consuming and complex. But fear not; this recipe is a game-changer. It employs a no-knead method, meaning it requires minimal effort and no special skills or prep time.
Don’t have a stand mixer?
No problem at all, none is needed.
In fact, as long as you have a bowl, a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together, and a Dutch oven, you’re good to go. Baking the bread in a preheated Dutch oven creates a steamy environment, which helps develop a crisp and crackly crust, a hallmark of artisan-style bread.
Dreading the time it takes to knead the dough by hand?
No kneading, as the recipe implies, is needed.
It will take you a maximum of 5-10 minutes to combine all the ingredients in a bowl, place the bowl on your kitchen counter, and leave the dough overnight to ferment. The extended fermentation allows the yeast to work its magic, developing complex flavors in the bread. This results in a more flavorful loaf than other quick-rise breads.
Despite no kneading, the dough undergoes a slow fermentation process, which develops gluten naturally and creates a beautifully textured loaf with air pockets and a chewy crumb. So heavenly!
I also love this method’s versatility. You can experiment with different ingredients, such as flour and seeds, and create a wide range of flavors and breads.
Today’s bread combines rye, whole wheat, rolled oats, and white flour with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and golden and brown flaxseeds. This combination is common in many Norwegian breads and produces such a satisfying flavor and texture. You can also feel good about eating this bread as it contains a variety of nutritious ingredients, providing vitamins and minerals—and lots of fiber!
Join me in my journey of baking no-knead bread – you’ll get as addicted as I am! 🙂
Seeded Whole-Grain No-Knead Norwegian Bread
For the bread:
1 cup (130 grams) whole wheat flour
1 cup (100 grams) dark rye flour
3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (50 grams) rolled oats
¼ cup (30 grams) sunflower seeds
¼ cup (30 grams) pumpkin seeds
¼ cup (30 grams) brown flaxseeds
½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 ½ cups (6 dl) water, room temperature
For the topping:
A drizzle of olive oil
Extra sunflower, pumpkin and brown flaxseeds
Sprinkle of large flakey sea salt
To make the bread:
Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. The mixture should be quite sticky/wet but not soupy. Adjust with a little bit more flour if it seems too wet or a little more water if it seems too dry/firm. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it sit on your counter for 12-20 hours (overnight).
After the initial resting period, wet your hands to prevent sticking. Place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently reach under one side of the dough, lift it, and stretch it upwards, then fold it over towards the center of the dough. Repeat this process from all four sides, essentially folding the dough into a rough square or rectangle. (You can also do this process in the bowl instead of on the counter, if you prefer) Place the dough seam side down and let it rest covered by the bowl for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Second Fold (Optional): If you feel the dough needs more structure, you can repeat the folding process after another 30 minutes to an hour of resting.
30 minutes before baking, place a Dutch oven with the lid on the lowest rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°Fahrenheit (225°C).
When ready to bake, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven, remove the lid and pour a touch of vegetable or olive oil on the bottom of the pan and place the bread inside. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a combination of seeds and a pinch of flakey sea salt. Cover with the lid and place back in the oven.
Let the bread bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered until golden and crisp on top.
Remove the bread and let sit in the Dutch oven for about 5-10 minutes before gently removing the bread and placing it on a rack to cool completely before slicing.
Seeded Whole-Grain No-Knead Norwegian Bread
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 cup (130 grams) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (100 grams) dark rye flour
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50 grams) rolled oats
- ¼ cup (30 grams) sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup (30 grams) pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup (30 grams) brown flaxseeds
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 ½ cups (6 dl) water, room temperature
For the topping:
- A drizzle of olive oil
- Extra sunflower, pumpkin and brown flaxseeds
- Sprinkle of large flaky sea salt
Instructions
To make the bread:
- Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. The mixture should be quite sticky/wet but not soupy. Adjust with a little bit more flour if it seems too wet or a little more water if it seems too dry/firm. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it sit on your counter for 12-20 hours (overnight).
- After the initial resting period, wet your hands to prevent sticking. Place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently reach under one side of the dough, lift it, and stretch it upwards, then fold it over towards the center of the dough. Repeat this process from all four sides, essentially folding the dough into a rough square or rectangle. (You can also do this process in the bowl instead of on the counter, if you prefer) Place the dough seam side down and let it rest covered by the bowl for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Second Fold (optional):
- If you feel the dough needs more structure, you can repeat the folding process after another 30 minutes to an hour of resting.
- 30 minutes before baking, place a Dutch oven with the lid on the lowest rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450°Fahrenheit (225°C).
- When ready to bake, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven, remove the lid and pour a touch of vegetable or olive oil on the bottom of the pan and place the bread inside. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a combination of seeds and a pinch of flakey sea salt. Cover with the lid and place back in the oven. Let the bread bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes uncovered until golden and crisp on top.
- Remove the bread and let sit in the Dutch oven for about 5-10 minutes before gently removing the bread and placing it on a rack to cool completely before slicing.
Sunny,
I was looking for a bread to make that was hearty and reminded me of the loaves that my friends reminisced about from their youth in their homeland of the Netherlands, Scandinavia and Norway and this sounded like it! So, I gave it a try over the weekend and it was a hit! I started it on Saturday and let it sit for 15 hours before baking very early on Sunday morning and the house smelled absolutely heavenly! I even had a neighbor come over who was out weeding and asked what I was baking so early! Anyway, I followed your recipe exactly as you instructed with the exception of the dark rye flour, I only had light rye flour and it came out just as your photo! I cannot believe the flavors! They are dynamic and entice your palate in a delightful way. I shared the bread with my family and friends with some choices of nut butters, a rosemary butter, some Jarlsberg & Cheddar. They devoured the loaf~I have 2 more proofing as I send this off to you! Thanks so much for sharing this righteous bread~
Hi Susan- How wonderful to read your comment,thanks so much for sharing with me! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed my recipe. It is my husband’s favorite too, and he will have no other bread than this after I started making it, lol! Enjoy and thanks again for your kind note!
Hi, I have no rye flour, can I use more whole wheat flour to replace it?
Thanks
Hi Chavez- yes you may! 🙂
Love this recipe. Is the long ferment period absolutely needed? I feel I got a good rise and proof with only about 6 hours but adding a little bit of sourdough starter in addition to the yeast. The dough doubled and responded well to three stretch and folds. Despite being October it is warm in the kitchen.
Is it possible to use this recipe to make rolls? If so, how much dough would you use for each roll? How long would I let them rise and bake?
I was in Oslo a few years ago for a conference. Every morning I would stop at a little bakery stand and get two rolls. They were wondefully heavy and filled with different seeds. I am trying to find a recipe for those. 🙂
Hi Karen- you might want to try my recipes for seeded rolls with carrots (which add extra juiciness) https://arcticgrub.com/whole-grain-breakfast-rolls-with-carrots/
Otherwise yes, you could probably turn this dough into rolls too. I’m not sure how much dough for each roll based on this particular recipe as I haven’t tried, but you could eye ball a decent “roll size’ and I would bake them for 10-12 minutes 🙂
Hi Sunny, I’m also in the midst of summery Australia right now, so should I wait 12 hours for the dough to rise, per your instructions? Or should I pop it into the fridge after it doubles in size?
Hi Jon – apologies for my delay in replying, I just saw these comments now! Yes, you can put it in a cooler spot if you’d like, or reduce the proofing time to 6 hours… either way should work! Although I’m sure you’re approaching fall now by the time you read this. I hope the bread turned out well for you! Sunny
After putting the dough in the Dutch oven, for baking now, whether to use lowest rack or mid?
Nice recipe.
Hi Sanjevanee- I recommend putting the Dutch oven on the lowest rack.- Sunny
I’m making this but wonder if I can use toasted seeds?
Hi Dana, Toasted seeds in the dough will not work unfortunately, because they won’t absorb the liquid the way raw seeds do and make the dough expand and become juicy as it is intended. Sunny
Is it really only 1/2 tsp of yeast but 1 tbsp salt?? Mine was soupy with only 5dl of water – not sure why. Fingers crossed it comes out ok.
Hi Anita- yes it’s only 1/2 teaspoon of yeast because it’s going to be left leaven for much longer (12-20 hours) so you want a slow rise /not too fast to develop those nice flavors. And yes, the dough can be a bit loose (maybe not soupy) as you leave it but if it’s still too loose the day after you can always add more flour. Hope it came out well for you!
Hi Sunny, what would be the best way to store the bread after slicing to keep it as fresh as possible? Thanks!
Hi Patrick! I wouldn’t recommend pre-slicing it, but rather slice as you go. I just use plastic wrap (or an environmentally friendly wrap alternative) and then cover in a ziplock or a silicone bag and put it in the fridge. I would not leave it out on the kitchen counter because it’s really fresh and will start to mold after 3-4 days. So depends how quick you’ll go through it I guess! 🙂
If you let it sit beyond 20 hours like 22 hours, is that going to negatively effect the bread.
Hi Mary – it depends on the temperature of your kitchen/where you store your bread. Too long of a wait can overproof the bread. If you’re goign to wait 22 hours, I suggest just putting it in the fridge and then pulling it out a couple of hours before you shape/bake it. Hope that helps! Sunny
This looks promising…..I am so tired of trying to find a really great EASY wholegrain bread with a real depth in taste. There’s a local bread I love but it’s so expensive. I am trying one like this with sourdough starter but dry yeast is so much easier.
Does this bread have a really good depth of flavour?
Hi Nessa, yes, I believe this bread has a great depth of flavor, of course we are all different so only you can decide that once you try it for yourself 🙂 I hope you’ll give it a shot! Thanks and look forward to your review, Sunny 🙂
Please help! This was the mooooost delicious bread- can’t wait for it to become a staple in my house but I unfortunately had a major consistency issue:( I added a lot of extra flour when initially mixed in the bowl and it still looked a lot like a thicker cake batter. In the morning, it seemed even more soupy so I added a tonne more flour til it reached a very sticky focaccia dough-like consistency. I therefore baked it longer than instructed and it has still came out a little gummy/wet. Any idea what I could be doing wrong? As I said, the taste was still phenomenal regardless but since there isn’t reference photos of how the dough should look, I’m hoping you can help🤞
Hi Katie – you should not add any more flour than the recipe calls for, the thing with no-knead breads is that they ARE indeed a bit “soupy” but the moisture dries up in the oven. Resist adding too much flour when you shape it before adding it to the pan, of course it shouldn’t be soupy but sticky and a bit ‘unshapely is ok…. You can also try to fold it a couple more times, i.e. fold it 2 more times, then let it rest another 1/2 hour, then repeat, fold again (adding just a touch of flour each time), that way the dough should start to shape up and firm a bit. Hope you’ll try again! 🙂
After putting the dough in the Dutch oven, for baking now, whether to use lowest rack or mid????????
Cover with the lid and place back in the oven. Let the bread bake for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes ???????
Hello, should the seeds going into the bread dough be toasted first? Also, I live in a high humidity environment and curious if that will impact the results?
Thank you!
Hi there – the seeds should not be toasted, they go in raw – that’s how they absorb liquid so they can expand and make the dough juicy 🙂 With high humidity you may need a bit more flour than what the recipe calls for but I would add that after it has risen overnight instead of in the beginning so you can see what the dough looks like. It shouldn’t be super soupy but not firm either, as the recipe indicates. Typically being conservative with flour gives the best results. Happy baking!
Thank you, Sunny! Curious how to make the seeds on the outside stick and not fall off easily? I have made the bread 2 times with great results but for the seeds falling off very easily. The olive oil sprinkled on the outside of the bread before baking doesn’t seem to do the trick for me.
Hi Care- I would try maybe a starch slurry- mix a little potato starch or corn starch and brush that on and then sprinkle the seeds on and lightly press them in. Some of them are bound to fall off but hopefully most of them will stay that way! Sunny
I tried it with a mixture of ap, whole wheat,oats and corn mealto shape.added sesame and chia seeds.
Cold fermentation and baked ,looks exactly like yours and tasted amazing 👏
Thank you.
Hi Neelam, so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to write in! Sunny 🙂
What size dutch oven pot should be used? I am trying it with my Memory care residents
Hi Jackie! great question! I used a 4.5 Le Creuset Dutch oven for this- I think a 4 or 5 quart oven would work just fine! How wonderful that you are trying it for your residents!
I have 3.5 quart and 6.75 quart Dutch ovens. Would the 3.5 quart one be sufficient? The other seems it would be way too big to get the crispy outside without it being like flatbread.
Hi Laura- apologies for the delay in replying. The 3.5 quart would be your best bet and should work. Happy baking!
Hi Sunny,
I made the bread and everybody LOVED it!
I placed it in the fridge with only cling wrap, but it’s going pretty fast so it won’t go bad.
Can I diminish the proofing period?
Hi Nicole – apologies for my tardy reply, I just happened to see your comment! I’m so happy you and everyone loved the bread! I wouldn’t recommend reducing the proofing period any less than 6-8 hours, but if you do, I would add some warm water (not too hot to kill the yeast) and add another 1/2 tsp of yeast to speed up the proofing. Remember that the longer it proofs, and the slower it takes, the more flavor the bread gains, so you’ll in a way trade flavor for speed 🙂
Hi Sunny, in case anyone asks you in the future again – I went ahead with the 12 hour leaven you suggested though I had doubts it would over-proof being in the tail end of summer here. I’m glad I trusted your instructions, everyone loved your bread! Thank you for letting us bring a taste of Norway into Australia.
I am very interested in this bread but love sourdough. I wonder if anyone has tried to substitute active sourdough for the yeast and if so how much they used and how it worked for them. This bread sounds delicious and I will definitely have to try it as written as well as with sourdough. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Melissa – thanks for your note. Although I have not tried this specific bread with active sourdough I see no reason why it won’t work but will impart a different flavor profile in the dough. I am currently in the process of testing out a bunch of breads with sourdough and will release my findings later in the year… stay tuned and hope you’ll try this recipe! Sunny 🙂
Want to know the answer about active sourdough instead of yeast please- how much?
Hi Victoria, I already responded I thought so apologies for that. I’d try about 125 grams of sourdough starter in place of the yeast for this recipe, mixed with 500 -500ml of water. You will have to then go through the stretch and fold methods as per sourdough recipes instead of my instructions to make sure you get the right consistency. Let me know how it comes out for you! – Sunny
Hi Sunny,
Your recipe looks delicious and I would love to try it but don’t have a Dutch oven. Can I use a conventional bread loaf pan and, if so, how should I adjust the baking process once I have put the dough in the pan? Should I leave it to rise again (i.e. to double in size) before baking?
Hi Smurfy, nice to hear from you and happy to hear that you’d like to try my recipe! I would follow the directions up until the transfer info the Dutch oven. You can free-form it on a baking sheet, and place on the lower or second lower rack and just bake it at 450 degrees for 30 minutes (Check, it may depend on your oven) or you can also use a loaf pan using the same directions. Happy baking! 🙂
Hi- I’ve read that active dry yeast needs to be “activated” first by blooming it in water. Is this necessary? can I substitute this with fast action yeast?
No it doesn’t need to be activated when it’s a no-knead recipe. I would not personally substitute with fast action yeast, because the whole point of this recipe is that you leave it for a long time (12-20 hours) to rise with very little yeast, so that it develops deep flavors. That said, if you are going to use it, I’d just leave the dough for 6 hours (less time). Hope that helps!
I have a large oval Dutch Oven and my bread, although very delicious, came out thin.
If I were to make a double recipe in order to make it like the one in the photo, how should I change to baking time?
Hi Aleksandra, how large is your Dutch oven? If you think you can fit a double recipe I would bake it for 35-40 minutes with the lid on, then 15 minutes without a lid and then check the bottom. I would watch after 10 minutes to make sure the top doesn’t burn and if you think it looks a bit dark, then loosely cover it with a parchment paper (not lid) for the last 10 minutes. Happy baking!
This is the first loaf of bread I’ve ever baked. Turned out amazing and was so simple. Can’t wait to share a piece with my sister later today!
Hi Emily, wow, I’m so happy to hear this and honored that my recipe was your first bread! Please feel free to share your results next time you bake on social media and tag me #arcticgrub – I would love to share with my community! Make sure to get on my email list right here on arcticgrub.com where I sometimes offer specials on my online bread courses if you want to dive deeper. Thanks again for taking the time to write in and enjoy the bread! Sunny 🙂
Love the recipe. when using dry yeast, do you add warm water separately first? Or do you put the dry yeast powder directly into the mix?
Hi Stephen, thanks so much for your commment, so happy you like my recipe! No need to add warm water separately first- add everything in the bowl as stated in the recipe. The beauty of no-knead bread is that it requires very little work – the time does the work for you to work that yeast 🙂
Absolutely loved this bread/recipe. I added some chia seeds and a bit of rye seeds. DELISH! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kelly! So happy you enjoyed the bread! Thank you for taking time to post your review, much appreciated! Sunny 🙂
And here it is almost a year later and I’m still baking this incredible bread!
Awesome!! Thanks so much for the amazing review!! – Sunny
The bread is lovely but I ruined any presentation features because I had to hack all around the sides of my Dutch oven to get the bread out and finally had to yank it out leaving indentations on the side of the sides of the loaf. Next time I will use a parchment liner.
This is really excellent bread. It has so many rich, satisfying flavors.
I found that the seeds did not stick to the outside/top of the bread and they really just made a mess when cutting the bread, so now, I just incorporate those extra seeds into the dough.
So happy you enjoyed the bread, BakerMike! Some of the seeds will naturally fall off the bread, but I often find that if i put seeds in a bowl large enough to fit the bread and roll it around in it and do a couple of stretch and folds, incorporating some of the seeds into the actual loaf (as it sounds like you might have done), it helps the process a little bit better. Enjoy the loaf and thanks for your comment! 🙂
I presume the seeds are raw and will toast up when baked?
Hi Eric, yes, that is correct!
I’ve been making this bread recipe almost weekly since I found in 2 months ago – it’s wonderful, hearty and great to share, I added some dried cranberries for a little sweetness, the bread stays fresh out at least 3 days and keeps fresh in the refrigerator and toasted for at least a week.
Shared the recipe with my son
I love this recipe and have made it weekly since I found it. It is so simple yet hearty and very tasty. Thank you for sharing! I am Finnish descent and love your website.
Hi Sara! I’m so happy you enjoyed my bread recipe, I love it when fellow Norse people like my recipes! Thanks for your kind comment, it made my day! Sunny 🙂
Hi, We made this bread and it is amazingly delicious!
Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Tom and Kelly, your message has made me so happy – glad you enjoyed the bread and my pleasure!! Sunny 🙂
Hi, Can I substitute almonds , hazelnuts
or other nuts for pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds?
Hi Tami, yes, you can – the seeds do have an advantage in that they expand and soak up the liquid which helps makes the bread juicier but it will still have a good consistency. I’d chop the nuts up a bit though:)
I’ve given this 5 stars because the ingredients look so good and the long proving time means it will have delicious developed flavor but I haven’t actually made it yet. I have all my ingredients lined up except the rye flour. My question is can I use theOrganic Fine Rye flour from Sunrise Flour Mill in the recipe? https://sunriseflourmill.com/products/organic-fine-rye-flour?_pos=1&_sid=3561e8974&_ss=r. Thank you.
Hi Ellen! Thanks so much for your comment and nice review, I really appreciate it! and yesm you can use that flour in the recipe, no problem! Happy baking and please let me know how it comes out for you! Sunny 🙂
Thank you. I’ll update once I’ve made the recipe. I don’t have a dutch oven so am planning on using my large tall stainless steel soup pot. Either that or a baking stone with a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven.
Hello
The all purpose flour, is that the same you use for cakes?
Many thanks Hardeep
Hi there- yes you can use the same flour 🙂
Thank you for sharing this great recipe! I’ve made this bread twice now and have shared it with others. Can I replace the all-purpose flour with bread flour or will the swap impact the bread in a negative way?
Thank you again.
Hi Andrea! So glad to hear you enjoyed my bread recipe! And yes, you can absolutely use bread flour in place of AP flour – I do it all the time with the same great results! Thanks again for the positive review and keep baking! Sunny 🙂
Absolutely love this recipe and it’s sustaining our family with two young boys on healthy bread. It might have been mentioned but I do a slight variation making it 2 cups all purpose, 2 cups whole wheat, and 1 cup rye. Just add more water which is up to 3 cups. If you’ve done the original just match the moisture level to that when you change it. But thank you, this recipe fantastic!
Hi Brendon! So happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe and thanks for your tip on the variation- what I love about this recipe is you can indeed experiment with different flour types and seeds… like getting a “new” bread each time but using this recipe as template 🙂 Wishing you continuous enjoyment of the bread and happy baking! 🙂 – Sunny
Wow! A perfect, well-written recipe that worked! I’m thrilled! I followed it to the letter, but, having no Dutch oven, put it in a heavy pan, usually reserved for lasagna, and covered it with foil. Baked at the temperature given, and voila! A brilliant, tasty, seedy, healthy bread! Many thanks! (I’m hooked . . . )
Hi Roberta – so happy to read your comment and review – thank you so much and glad you enjoyed my recipe!! 🙏
hello, one silly question. I have a 28 cm diameter dutch oven (I think). Will that be too big for baking bread?
Thank you!
Hi Maja – thanks for your question, it’s not a silly one at all! I think that might be a slightly too large of a pan, so I would increase the recipe by about 1/4 (just times the recipe except the yeast which should stay the same) and it should be OK. Hope that makes sense!
This was as wonderful as I hoped it would be! Ate it for supper with cheese and beer. Yum! I didn’t put salt on the top, but I felt it needed a bit more ,so I’ll add an extra half teaspoon next time. I would like to divide the dough in half and make two loaves in regular loaf pans.Would that work?
Hi Chris- so glad you enjoyed my bread recipe yes, you can absolutely divide the recipe in half to make two loaves. Happy baking! – Sunny
Hi, I rated this recipe high because it came together well and did exactly as described. The flavor is good, but I have a question about the amount of salt. 1 tablespoon of salt seemed high to me and I cut that measure in 1/2. The bread was delicious but still quite salty. even with 1/2 of a tablespoon. Is Norwegian bread typically salty? I edited my recipe to use only 1 teaspoon next time I make it. Thank you.
Hi Cheryl, thanks for the five star rating, much appreciated! Happy you enjoyed the flavor. Regarding salt, that is a personal preference and salt levels vary in Norwegian breads. This is also a large recipe so the salt amount is a bit higher (on the opposite end, I had someone complain it wasn’t salty ENOUGH, lol… hence personal preference). The salt also has a functional role in strengthening gluten structure and controlling yeast activity rather than just for seasoning. That said, feel free to adjust accordingly. Hope that helps and thanks again for taking the time to try and rate my recipe! – Sunny
I just made this – substituting the rye flour for buckwheat because I couldn’t find rye at our local spots. It smelled and looked so good we dug in while still warm. It is so tasty and made a delicious ham and cheese sandwich. I will be making it again!
Hi Niki – thanks so much for taking the time to post your amazing review! Happy to hear you enjoyed the bread! – Sunny ☀️
Isn’t it amazing that just 1/2 tsp of yeast does such heavy lifting!!. So little effort but such great taste and texture. It freezes beautifully and slices evenly thick or thin. Many thanks.
Hi Maggie, so happy to hear you enjoyed the bread recipe! Yes, if we are patient, very little yeast is needed, just time 🙂
Love this healthy bread. So easy. This is my 4th time making since Thanksgiving! I have shared this, also with great reviews.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write in with this awesome review, Gusland! Much appreciated and continued happy baking!
Hi,
I am looking for a high fiber bread. Do you know how many grams of fiber might be in a single slice?
Hi Mina, this recipe has approximately 55-60 grams of fiber in the whole loaf (not counting the additional seeds you put on top). Hope that helps! – Sunny
I have made many breads over the years and I have to say…. This may be my favorite! I followed the recipe exactly except added a few folds in the first few hours and even though it was sticky this morning it shaped up beautifully. I left it outside to ferment all night (South Florida perk) and I had a tub full of happy dough this morning! Great recipe, thanks for sharing!!
Hi Stephanie, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed my bread recipe, your message made me smile! More bread recipes to come, currently diving into the world of whole grain sourdough which has been fun too! Sunny 🙂
Update – I shared this bread with my neighbors and took a few boules to the office. Everyone loves this bread. A coworker from Ireland said it reminds him of some fancy Irish whiskey (can’t remember the name) and literally tastes like the sea and the earth. Thanks for making me cool. 😃.
Hi Stephanie – that is so wonderful!! Happy to make you cool anytime! hahaha Thanks for your note! Sunny 🙂
This bread is so good and so Norwegian in its heft, graininess and texture. I made it and refridgerated dough overnight as I was outside of the 12-20 hour rise time. Let it sit at room temp for about 2 1/2 – 3 hours, then baked.
Ended up scorching the bottom, so will probably try a higher shelf next time. Will definitely make again!!
Hi Rebecca, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed my bread recipe, thanks for taking the time to send me a message! Each oven varies of course in strength and whether it’s electric, gas, convection, etc. so you can always play around with which position is best for your oven. In my current oven, I’ve had best result with the second to lowest rack, again — trial and error works best! Happy continuous baking and thanks again for your kind review! -Sunny
Moved up from the bottom to the 2nd shelf up and it baked perfectly!
Love the salt sprinkled on top!
Hi Rebecca- that is wonderful! Thanks so much for the feedback and great rating! Sunny 🙂
Hi! I haven’t made this yet but I’m planning on it. Can the white flour be substituted with wheat? I don’t have any intolerances, but I’m not crazy about white flour.
Thanks!
Hi Kendra, I thought I had responded to this but yes, you can use whole wheat flour instead of the white flour, but the texture will be different.
The reason I include some white flour is mainly for texture and structure. Since the recipe already has whole wheat, rye, oats, and seeds, the white flour helps lighten the loaf a bit, gives it a better rise, and keeps it from becoming too heavy or dense. This is pretty common in Norwegian-style whole grain breads, where the goal is often a hearty but still sliceable, soft-ish bread.
Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid and contains bran and germ, which can interfere a bit with gluten development. So if you replace all the white flour with whole wheat, the bread will be more nutritious, but also likely denser, heartier, and a little more crumbly.
A good compromise would be to replace half of the white flour with whole wheat flour first and see how you like the result. You may also need to add a splash more water, since whole wheat flour tends to drink up more liquid.
So yes, it absolutely works, but I use the white flour to balance all those beautiful whole grains and give the bread that lovely Norwegian everyday-bread texture. Hope that helps! – Sunny
Hello, I could not be more grateful to you for this wonderful recipe, I printed it out and made this bread over 10 times by now..I should have sent my gratitude much earlier. Last few batches I did experiment a bit by using different ingredients- like spelt flour instead of whole wheat. And every time it does not disappoint. Delicious and very filling. Thank you so very much for sharing your knowledge.
Hi K- thank you so much for that wonderful note and review, I really appreciate and so happy you are enjoying the recipe! -Sunny 🙂
I have just made this bread and it is absolutely delicious!! I followed your receipe exactly- except I had no rye flour so used extra wholemeal instead. I have been experimenting making lots of different breads lately- e.g various lentil breads, chickpea bread, flaxseed bread (all using psyllium husk instead of yeast) and also seeded soda bread..All with various levels of success! None of which I would repeat! So I am really delighted your recipe turned out so great! Its now going to be my new staple bread! Thank you so much! 😊
My definite go to recipe! I love the wholesome heartyness if this bread. I’ve made it several times, we love it! Didn’t have any flax seed, only ground flax. Worked extremely well! Wish I could post pics, because im so proud of how beautiful it always comes out! Hehehe….
Thank you!
Hi Zin, how wonderful to read your message- thanks so much for the fantastic review and taking the time to write in! Much appreciate and I hope you continue to enjoy the bread recipe! Sunny 🙂
So easy, so delicious! Tusen Takk!
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Mary! Many thanks!
I baked this bread yesterday, let it cool and wrapped it in plastic to keep it from drying out too much. Sliced it this morning. I love the flavor but the loaf is only about 3.25″ high at it’s center and the crumb feels just hair damp. Should it have risen more? Should I not have wrapped it? I was unsure when I folded the dough; the dough was fairly wet and I didn’t feel comfortable folding it with wet hands as then drips got on the floured board, so I used a scraper and probably folded it 6 times and then let it rise another 30-minutes before folding it again. Baked as directed in a 4.5 or 5 quart Le Crueset. The color of the bread is beautiful and it tastes great; I’m just unsure if I needed to do one more set of folds before baking.
Hi Julia! Thanks for writing in and for baking my bread recipe! From what you describe, I don’t think you needed another set of folds. Six folds followed by a second set should have been more than enough, and using a bench scraper was perfectly fine. The dough is intentionally quite wet and sticky, so next time you can also fold it directly in the bowl using either a damp hand or your scraper.
A height of about 3¼ inches is not necessarily alarming for this type of hearty bread. The rye, whole wheat, oats and seeds make it heavier than a white-flour artisan loaf, so it will naturally have a more substantial, compact crumb. The size and width of the Dutch oven can also affect how tall the loaf appears.
One thing that may have made a difference is the timing after your second fold. After the final set of folds, I would let the dough rest, covered, for another 30 to 60 minutes before baking, until it looks slightly puffed. If it went into the oven soon after that second fold, it may not have had enough time to regain some of the air displaced during folding.
The slightly damp crumb could also mean it needed another 5 to 10 minutes of uncovered baking. If you have an instant-read thermometer, aim for roughly 200–205°F in the center. Plastic wrap is fine once the loaf is completely cool, but if there is even a little warmth left, it can trap steam and soften the crumb. I would cool it uncovered on a rack for several hours, or loosely cover it with a clean towel overnight before wrapping.
Since the color was beautiful and you loved the flavor, it sounds as though you were very close! I would simply give it that final rest, bake it a few minutes longer if necessary, and make sure it is stone-cold before wrapping. Hope that helps! Happy continued baking! – Sunny
Thank you for sharing this recipe.I followed the recipe precisely and my loaf came out nice for my first try. However I did find that the bottom cross was a bit overcooked and tough. Meanwhile, the texture of the bread was just a bit on the undercooked side. I used a lidded cast-iron Dutch oven. Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Lee –
Thank you, and I’m so glad your first loaf turned out well overall! What you’re describing is actually a fairly common issue with Dutch oven breads.
A very dark or tough bottom crust usually means the base of the Dutch oven is receiving a little too much direct heat, while the slightly underdone interior suggests the loaf could use a bit more baking time.
A few things I’d try next time:
* Move the Dutch oven one rack higher in the oven, especially if you’re baking fairly close to the bottom heating element.
* Place a sheet pan on the rack below the Dutch oven. This acts as a heat shield and can make a surprisingly big difference in preventing the bottom crust from becoming too dark.
* After removing the lid, continue baking a little longer, perhaps another 5–10 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden brown.
* If you have an instant-read thermometer, the center of a fully baked loaf should generally reach about 205–210°F / 96–99°C.
* Be sure to let the loaf cool completely before slicing. The interior continues to set as it cools, and cutting it while it’s still warm can make the crumb seem damp or underbaked even when it technically isn’t.
You can also remove the loaf from the Dutch oven toward the end of baking and place it directly on the oven rack for the final 5–10 minutes. That helps the center finish baking without exposing the bottom to quite so much concentrated heat from the cast iron.
Every oven behaves a little differently, so I’d start with the sheet-pan-underneath trick plus a slightly longer bake. That should give you a more evenly baked loaf with a tender crumb and a crisp crust without the armor-plated bottom! 😊
Love this bread, so easy to make and delicious to eat. One question – when I first remove from the Dutch Oven the crust is wonderfully crispy but as it cools the crust becomes soft. I’d love this bread even more if the crust would stay crispy – is there a secret to keeping the crust crispy?
Hi Jaclyn, thanks for your comment and for making my recipe, so glad you’re enjoying the bread! And yes, there are a few tricks that can help keep that lovely crust crisp.
What you’re experiencing is completely normal, especially with a higher-hydration loaf. When the bread comes out of the Dutch oven, the crust is dry and crisp, but there’s still quite a bit of steam trapped inside the loaf.
As it cools, some of that moisture gradually migrates outward and gets absorbed by the crust, which can soften it.
A few things I recommend:
* Bake the loaf uncovered for a little longer. Once you remove the Dutch oven lid, give the bread enough time to develop a deeply browned, thoroughly dried crust. An extra 5–10 minutes can make a noticeable difference.
* For an especially crisp crust, finish the loaf directly on the oven rack. Remove it from the Dutch oven for the last 5–10 minutes of baking. This allows hot, dry air to circulate around the entire loaf.
* Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Air needs to circulate underneath the bread as it cools. Avoid leaving it in the Dutch oven or placing it on a solid surface, where steam can become trapped.
* Try the “drying oven” trick. When the bread is finished baking, turn off the oven, remove the loaf from the Dutch oven, place it directly on the rack, and leave the oven door cracked open for about 10 minutes. This helps drive a little more moisture from the crust without continuing to cook the interior significantly.
* Don’t cover or bag the bread while it is still warm. Even a small amount of residual warmth will create condensation and soften the crust.
Once the bread is completely cool, storing it in plastic will also soften the crust. I usually prefer keeping a rustic loaf cut-side down on a board or loosely wrapped in a clean kitchen towel or paper bag if I’m eating it within a day or so.
And if the crust does soften, there’s an easy rescue: pop the loaf into a 350°F / 175°C oven for about 5–10 minutes. It will crisp right back up.
For the crunchiest result, my favorite combination is a slightly longer uncovered bake + 5–10 minutes directly on the oven rack + cooling completely uncovered. That usually produces a much more persistent, crackly crust.
Hope that helps and gives you a few ideas! – Sunny