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
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! 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
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.