As a member of Stonyfield’s Clean Plate Club, I received product from Stonyfield and Nature’s Path in order create this recipe.

When it comes to baking, I’m all about instant gratification. I have little patience for yeast breads. I used to have a bread machine that did all the work for me: mixing, first rise, kneading, and baking. Then I received a stand mixer so I gave my bread machine the boot. A sad but true reality of apartment living.

I have discovered the lazy baker’s solution: no knead bread. It’s 100% whole wheat AND it tastes good. Seriously.

When I received my bag of Nature’s Path Q’ia super seed cereal, I knew it was perfect for my bread. Q’ia contains chia, hemp, and buckwheat. I know it sounds totally hippie, but the cranberry vanilla Q’ia was very good. You can add it to your yogurt or smoothies, but I wanted something heartier. (If you can’t find Q’ia in your store, I’ve given substitution.) The super seeds pack a punch of plant-based protein, fiber and  ALA omegas. Q’ia is also certified organic and non-gmo verified.

Truth moment here: I made 5 versions of this bread. The first three attempts looked beautiful but was too dense and dry. The fourth one my family ate half of it before I could take photos.  I got smart and made the last version while the kids were at school. Which also meant that I used my entire bag of Q’ia before I remembered to take a photo. Apologies for the stock photo.

If you’re not big on whole wheat flour, give white whole wheat a try. I use it almost exclusively in my baking. It’s a bit lighter than regular whole wheat and just has nutritious. The recipe also calls for Stonyfield Greek yogurt. I’m on a mission to put yogurt in everything that I back. Yogurt is a great way to cut back on butter or oil and still keep your breads moist. Don’t believe me? Try my chocolate banana whole wheat muffins.

The no knead chia whole wheat bread is hearty with lots of texture throughout. It’s a dense bread that will cut beautifully for sandwiches. My husband prefers it slathered with peanut butter, but it’s also good with just regular ole butter. Trust me on that one.

Make sure you use an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. Some loaf pans a little big bigger which means your dough will spread out more and will be flatter than mine.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour’s No Knead 100% Whole Wheat recipe.

No Knead Chia Whole Wheat Bread

No-Knead Chia Seed Whole Wheat Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Inactive Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes

That's right, no kneading is needed for this moist, dense bread. Slather with butter or peanut butter if you like. Also great for sandwiches.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (like Stonyfield)
• 2 tsp of instant yeast
• 3 T of molasses or maple syrup
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of Nature's Path Q'ia Cranberry Vanilla cereal (or substitute with 3 T chia seeds, 2 T sliced almonds, 2 T dried cranberries, & 2 T hemp seeds)
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• Extra butter to brush bread (optional)

Instructions

Generously grease a 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan with cooking spray.

In bowl or stand mixer, combine all ingredients (except for extra butter). Beat the mixture for 3 minutes using stand mixer or handheld electric mixer. If the dough is too stiff, switch to a dough hook. Dough will be thick and sticky.

Using rubber spatula, transfer dough into greased loaf pan. Cover pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or disposable shower cap). Place in warm place until dough rises just to the top lip of the pan, about 60-90 minutes. Rising time may be different depending on how warm your kitchen is.

During last 15 minutes of rising, preheat oven to 350F.

Remove plastic wrap and bake bread for 20 minutes. Tent bread with foil and bake for another 25 minutes until the internal temperature is between 191F to 195F.

Turn onto a cooling rack. Brush with butter for a softer crust. Allow to cool completely before slicing.