Proof that looks aren’t everything, this crazy looking Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Bread made in your Instant Pot will stop you in your tracks with it’s warm crusty goodness!
Bread made in the Instant Pot? If you’ve been following my blog for long you know that it’s totally a thing, a very awesome thing, and that actually, no, the bread is not baked in the Instant Pot. However, this amazing appliance does make the proofing of bread quicker and takes the classic No Knead Bread making process from being a 24 hour experience to 5 hours. I’ve yet to use this phrase on the blog, but this is a true “Shut the Front Door” kind of moment. Meet my new favorite version of crusty bread – Instant Pot Whole Wheat Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke No Knead Crusty Bread. OH YEAH!
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. This bread looks a bit like a sea monster. I burst out laughing when I pulled this baby out of the oven and anticipated what I could possibly write about it. At first glance of the picture above I saw 2 eyes, a mouth, and fins (which are actually crispy cheese and I ate those fins before my kids even got to the table. Ooopsie). Are you seeing the fish?
Then I thought to myself how many times I’ve told my kids that sometimes even when something looks or smells funny, it just might be your new favorite food. So since the majority of you reading this right now are adults or at least teenagers, I’m telling you: This Green Cheesy Fish Monster Bread is flippin’ insane! As in insanely yummy! And maybe insane as in how this next picture makes you feel 👁👁
So what does it taste like? Do you like cheesy spinach artichoke dip? Then you will love this! It’s like a cheesy spinach artichoke dip turned into a crispy, warm, soft, ooey gooey loaf of green bread!
Also, it is the most perfect bread in the entire world for St Patrick’s Day, Halloween, part of a take in meal for someone who could use a laugh, or every night of the week for that matter.
If you need a refresher course on how I make no knead crusty bread in the Instant Pot, check out this Basic Whole Wheat Crusty Bread for a visual tutorial.
PS: If you don’t like artichokes, you can leave them out. I loved the briny bite mixed in with the cheesy bites, but 1 of my children was very angry about them intruding on her cheese. Too bad, not sad, cuz I ate them for her.
For the best dinner ever, serve this with my favorite ever Veggie Lovers Tomato Basil Soup. Match made in heaven!
Enjoy this delicious fish monster! Tag me on Instagram @marcitidbits if you make it! I’m dying to see what creature you create out of this bread!
Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Whole Wheat Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke No Knead Crusty Bread
6-8 quart Enameled Cast Iron Pot
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Check out these other Crusty Bread Recipes
Whole Wheat Cranberry Pecan No Knead Crusty Bread
Sun-dried Tomato, Spinach, and Feta No Knead Crusty Bread
Whole Wheat Jalapeno Cheddar No Knead Crusty Bread
Instant Pot Whole Wheat Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke No Knead Crusty Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4.5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (or 9 oz) white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (or 4.25 ounces) white flour
- 2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 cups room temperature water
- 3 ounces fresh spinach (about 3 cups)
- 4 ounces mozzarella cut into cubes (about the size of a dice, will be about 3/4 cup)
- 3/4 cup artichokes, coarsely chopped (use the ones that are in water or a brine, not the ones packed in oil)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, divided
Instructions
- In a high speed blender add the spinach and 1 cup water and blend until very smooth. Pour spinach water into a liquid measuring cup and add more water to equal 1 1/2 cups total.
- In a medium bowl, mix together wheat flour, white flour, wheat gluten, salt, and yeast. Add the spinach water and with your hands, mix until the majority of the flour is incorporated, but the dough is still a slightly shaggy looking ball. If the dough is still quite wet and sticky, sprinkle an extra tablespoon or 2 of flour on top and gently fold it in. You want the dough to be tacky, but not so wet and sticky that it coats your hands when your working the flour in.
- Place on top of a piece of parchment paper and put inside the Instant Pot liner.
- Secure the lid. Press yogurt, then adjust until the screen reads 24:00 low. Adjust time to 4:30 and wait for the beep to indicate the cycle has started.
- After 4 hours the dough will have puffed up a bit and have small bubbles on top. Grab the sides of the parchment to lift the dough out of the pot.
- Pat the dough into a square/rectangular shape. Wrap chopped artichokes in a lint free towel or several paper towels and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Sprinkle the artichokes over the bread dough. Scatter mozzarella cubes and 2 tablespoons parmesan all over the surface of the dough. Pull the edges of the dough over the artichokes and cheese, tucking and folding until the ad-ins are mostly incorporated into the dough. It won’t look perfect, and it doesn’t need to. If there is cheese and artichokes sticking out through holes in the dough, that is just fine! Note: The dough will be quite sticky. Just scrape it from the parchment with your finger tips and fold it towards the center of the dough until you form a ball. Place back in the center of the parchment paper and again put inside the pressure cooker pot for another 30 minutes. Secure the lid.
- Place a 6 – 8 quart cast iron pot inside the oven with the lid on. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- After 30 minutes, the oven should be preheated and the dough will be slightly risen. Remove the pot from the oven and place the lid to the side.
- Holding on to the sides of the parchment, carefully lift dough from the pressure cooker pot and place inside the cast iron pot (parchment paper and all). Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of parmesan over the top of the bread dough. Place lid on top and put inside the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid of the ceramic pot and allow the bread to cook 10 -15 minutes longer until the bread is nicely browned.
- Remove from the oven, hold the corners of the parchment paper and place bread on top of a cooling rack. If you can handle the heat, pull the parchment paper away from the bread before placing it on a cooling rack. This helps to keep the bottom of the bread nice and crisp.
- Technically it’s best to let it cool slightly so it doesn’t smash while its hot, but if you lack self control like myself, grab a sharp knife and start cutting uneven chunks of bread. Slather with butter and go to your happy place 🙂
Notes
- For an even lighter loaf you can increase the amount of white flour to wheat flour. If you want 100% whole wheat, replace the white flour with more whole wheat flour. It will be a bit denser, but is still amazing hot out of the oven.
- Caution! There have been reports of bread rising so high that it pushed the pin up in the lid making it impossible to remove the lid. If you follow the directions in this recipe, that won’t be a problem with this bread, but it’s something to keep in mind with proofing in general. If there is a chance your dough could rise that high, use a glass lid instead of the pressure cooker lid.
Hi. Looks delish. Any idea how you would adjust this to make it (not so healthy) using regular white flour and yeast?
I’m very interested in making this! Since you’re pureeing the spinach, though, I’m not clear why fresh is specified. Do you see a problem with substituting 3 oz of defrosted, drained and dried spinach (or some other amount?
Patricia, I think any kind would work. It’s mostly for the color and nutrition of the bread. It doesn’t really add a spinach taste. In fact that reminds me I have some freeze dried spinach I’ve been wanting to use up! This would be perfect!