Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

This 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe makes healthy loaves of soft, incredibly flavorful homemade bread. Sweetened with honey, it’s absolutely perfect for toast, sandwiches, or snacking. It also happens to be my favorite homemade bread.

If you bake bread, you know that the aroma coming from homemade bread baking in the oven is almost indescribable. It lifts the mood in the whole house and builds expectations for delicious things to come.

Think sandwiches and morning toast. Think soup, like our Ribolitta, served with slices of homemade bread, drizzled in honey.

I try to make homemade bread every week, often this 100% Whole Wheat Bread. I don’t always get to it, but it’s a worthy and delicious goal.

This recipe makes two loaves, which is perfect for freezing one ahead. But in my house… it never seems to last into the next week.

Honestly, there is very little NOT to love about homemade bread. Especially warm from the oven. But here are some more favorites.

You can use standard whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread flour, white whole wheat flour, or stone-ground whole wheat flour.

I prefer and always use stone-ground whole wheat flour unless I’m fortunate enough to have some of my sister’s home-milled flour.

The difference between stone-ground whole wheat flour and whole wheat flour is in the processing, and it may contain more fiber and healthy fats.

This bread dough is incredibly easy to make. With few ingredients, it comes together quickly. The time involved is mostly inactive as it will rise two times.

Whole Wheat Bread

This easy Whole Wheat Bread is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or just enjoying with some softened butter. This bread is soft, with a touch of honey. See the recipe notes for how to use all-purpose flour or bread flour in this bread recipe.

Prep: 30min

Total: 160min

Yield: 12

Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 loaf)

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 slice (1/12 loaf), calories 153 kcal, Carbohydrate 27 g, Protein 5 g, Fat 4 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 8 mg, Sodium 296 mg, Fiber 4 g, Sugar 5 g

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup milk*
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (or instant yeast (1 packet))
• 3 cups whole wheat flour* (plus more as needed)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into 6 pieces and softened)

Instruction:

1. Combine the water and milk in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup or bowl. Warm the milk and water to 105-115° F. (If you do not have a microwave, you can warm them in a pan on the stove.)
2. Pour the milk and water into the bowl of a stand mixer.* Add the honey and yeast and stir to combine. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam or bubble. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, your yeast may be dead and you should start over with new yeast.
3. Add the flour, salt and butter to the bowl. Mix using the paddle attachment until everything is combined.
4. Switch to the dough hook. Knead the dough on low speed for about 8 minutes. The dough should feel slightly sticky when you touch it, but a lot of dough shouldn’t stick to your finger. If the dough is very sticky, add more flour, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. As the dough kneads, stop the mixer every few minutes, as needed, and use a spatula to scrape the dough away from the sides of the bowl. After kneading, the dough will be a little sticky and very soft. It won’t hold its shape tightly in a ball, but should hold together when you transfer it to an oiled bowl using your hands or a spatula.
5. Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and turn it once to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.
6. Grease a 9 x 5-inch or 8 ½ x 4 ½-inch metal or glass bread pan. Use your hands to gently punch down the dough, deflating it and popping any air bubbles. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a ball. Then use your hands to gently pat the ball into a loaf shape. Put the dough in your greased bread pan.
7. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in the bread pan until the top of the loaf is just above the top of the pan. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° F.
8. Bake the bread for 35 to 45 minutes, until the inside registers 190° F on an instant-read thermometer. If using a glass baking pan, the bread will take 35 to 40 minutes. It will take 40 to 45 minutes in a metal pan. If desired, rub the top crust with butter as soon as the bread comes out of the oven.
9. Let the bread cool for 20 minutes in the pan and then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. The bread will slice easiest when it is cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Who says whole wheat bread has to be dense, dry, and tasteless? This 100% whole wheat recipe features the delightfully nutty taste of wheat in a fine-grained, moist, faintly sweet loaf.

Prep: 12min

Total: 3h17min

Yield: 16

Serving Size: 1 slice

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 slice, calories 150 cal calories, Carbohydrate 24g, Cholesterol 0mg, Fiber 3g, Protein 5g, Sodium 200mg, Sugar 5g, Fat 3.5g

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/8 cups (227g to 255g) lukewarm water*
• 1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup (85g) honey molasses or maple syrup
• 3 1/2 cups (397g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of the water in the recipe
• 1/4 cup (28g) King Arthur Baker’s Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons (8g) salt

Instruction:

Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. , In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine all of the ingredients and stir just until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes; this gives the flour a chance to absorb some of the liquid and the bran to soften, making the dough easier to knead. , If kneading by hand, transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it’s smooth and supple. If kneading in a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead for 5 to 7 minutes at low speed, until the dough is soft and smooth. Adjust its consistency with additional flour or water, if necessary. , Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise until puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours., Gently deflate the dough, transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface, and shape it into an 8″ log. Place the log in a lightly greased 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan and cover the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap or a reusable cover. , Let the bread rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until the center has crowned about 1″ above the rim of the pan. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. , Uncover the bread, place it in the oven, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. A digital thermometer inserted into the loaf’s center should register at least 190°F., Remove the bread from the oven and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. For a soft, flavorful crust, rub the top of the warm bread with a stick of butter. Cool completely before slicing. , Store the bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

This 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe makes easy, healthy loaves of soft, incredibly flavorful homemade bread. Perfect for toast, sandwiches, or snacking.

Prep: 25min

Total: 2h55min

Serving Size: 1

Nutrition Facts: calories 120 calories, Carbohydrate 23.9 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 0 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 1.9 grams fat, Fiber 3 grams fiber, Protein 4 grams protein, servingSize 1, Sodium 269 milligrams sodium, Sugar 3 grams sugar, Trans Fat 0 grams trans fat

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 to 6 cups whole wheat flour*
• 2½ cups warm water
• 1½ tablespoons instant yeast (or 2 packages active dry yeast)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instruction:

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add warm water and honey. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups of flour, oil, and salt to the yeast mixture; stir until incorporated. Then add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Knead the Dough: If kneading by hand, transfer the bread dough to a very lightly floured surface, oil your hands, and knead for 6 to 7 minutes or until the dough is smooth. If kneading in a stand mixer, using the dough hook, knead for 4 minutes at medium speed until the dough is smooth. Adjust the dough as needed with additional flour or water if necessary.
4. Transfer the dough to an oil-coated bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled. Punch the dough down, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
5. Coat two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans and set them aside. Divide the dough in half and form it into 2 loaves. I like to make a log and then pinch the seam and the ends together tightly. Place seam side down in prepared pans, cover loosely and let rise in a warm place until the center of the loaf has crowned; about 1-inch above the loaf rim. About 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Uncover the loaves and place them in the oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a digital thermometer reaches between 180° – 200°F. Tent a sheet of foil over the loaves after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning if desired.
8. Remove the bread from the oven and from the loaf pans. Transfer to a rack to cool completely before slicing. Brush melted butter over the warm bread for a delicious crust as it cools.

Easy Simple Whole Wheat Bread – Ready in 90 Minutes

FAQ

Is whole wheat homemade bread healthy?

What is the healthiest bread to eat?

1. Sprouted whole grain. Sprouted bread is made from whole grains that have started to sprout from exposure to heat and moisture. …
2. Sourdough. …
3. 100% whole wheat. …
4. Oat bread. …
5. Flax bread. …
6. 100% sprouted rye bread. …
7. Healthy gluten-free bread.

Does whole wheat flour need more yeast?

What is the best wheat flour for bread?