Mom’s 4 Loaf Wheat Bread Recipe
on Mar 19, 2018, Updated May 06, 2024
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A simple and fool-proof Wheat Bread Recipe that makes four loaves of bread in one batch. This recipe comes from my mom, and it’s certainly a keeper!
Mom’s 4 Loaf Wheat Bread Recipe
I have so many recipes that I make often that I haven’t shared on the blog. This year, I’ve made the goal to get more of my favorite go-to recipes out of my family cookbook and onto the blog so that you can enjoy them as much as I do. This recipe is one of those tried-and-true recipes that I’ve been making twice a month since my daughter was a baby. Now here we are, 10 years later, and I’m just now telling you about it.
This is my mom’s wheat bread recipe. It’s not a whole wheat bread, but a mix of white and wheat, which makes for a light and fluffy loaf of bread that is still brown and hearty. It’s a great middle for anyone who doesn’t eat whole wheat all the time! My mom has been making this recipe for as long as I can remember. It’s made with simple ingredients that I always have on hand and it just turns out well each time.
What’s unique about this wheat bread recipe is that it makes four loaves of bread in one batch instead of the traditional two loaves. I know that might sound like a whole lot of bread, but that’s my favorite part of this recipe. When I make it, I always think of the saying, “one for you, one for me.” I make this recipe with the intention of making warm comforting food for my family and also sharing that gift with others. This wheat bread recipes is meant to be shared with your friends and neighbors.
Tips and Tricks for making Homemade Wheat Bread
- This recipe is meant to be made with a mix of white and whole wheat flour (it’s not a 100% whole wheat flour recipe; I do have a great one of those coming soon). The ratio of white to wheat flour is up to you, but 50/50 is always a good place to start.
- Don’t skip the buttering of the top, this helps to make the crust soft and it also creates a bit of a “seal” on the crust that helps prevent the inside of the bread from drying out. That being said, out of butter, you can totally skip it 🙂
- I feel like you have some flexibility when it comes the loaf pans that you use (these enamel ones are fun). I have a few sizes, and though the shape of the loaf might be slightly different dependent on the size, the rising and cook time remain the same. Loaf pans that are 8-9 inches long generally work the best.
- This bread is great by itself with butter or jam on it, it makes great french toast, and it can go on the side of your favorite soup (like Instant Pot Broccoli and Cheese). There’s no wrong way to eat this. Plus, it makes a great gift! Who doesn’t love fresh baked bread?
Now all you need is a thick warm slice with a layer of good salted butter on top. That’s the stuff after school memories are made of.
Need help getting excited about making this recipe? I taught it in a free cooking class! You can find the video here:
Mom’s 4 Loaf Wheat Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup honey or 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 11 cups flour, a mix of 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose is best
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast and honey in the warm water. Add the oil and salt and stir to combine.
- Add 5 cups of the whole wheat flour to the bowl and stir to combine. Stir for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the white flour, a cup at a time, until a smooth dough starts to form. You can use a stand mixer or your hands.
- Knead the dough on a well-floured surface until the dough becomes soft and elastic and doesn’t stick to your hands. I like to knead this for 6-8 minutes by hand, it helps the end texture a lot to work the dough well!
- Let the dough rise in the bowl until doubled, covered with a heavy towel or plastic wrap.
- Once the dough has risen, divide it into four pieces. Shape the dough into loaves and place them in 4 greased loaf pans.
- Let the dough rise in the pans until it is an inch above the rim.
- Bake the bread at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. The crust will be golden brown and you’ll hear a hollow sound when you tap the bread with your fingernail.
- Remove the bread from the oven, then remove the bread from the pans and place the hot loaves on wire racks to cool. Rub a stick of butter on the top of the hot loaves.
- Allow the loaves to cool slightly or to room temperature before slicing and serving. Store cooled loaves in an air-tight container and use within 5 days.
Notes
- So flexible! You can use all whole wheat flour (thought it won’t rise as much), half all-purpose and half whole wheat, all all-purpose, and even bread flour! I like to use 1/3 whole wheat and 2/3 all-purpose flour, but really, you can play with the ratios and use what you have on hand.
- You can use just about any oil or even melted butter or shortening for this recipe.
- Feel free to half this recipe to make 2 loaves instead of 4, it’ll work great.
- To freeze extra loaves simply let the bread cool completely. Store it in an old bread bag or wrapped well in plastic wrap and freeze. Let it thaw a few hours at room temperature when you’d like to use it. You can also slice it before you put it in the freezer to make thawing a little faster.
- No need to proof the yeast, it doesn’t need it.
Nutrition
Other great simple recipes you might love:
- Mom’s Jumbo Dinner Rolls
- Super Simple No-Knead Bread
- Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe
- The Best Homemade Cornbread Recipe
And there you have it. One of my all-time favorite recipes from childhood comes the blog!
Do you think I could use this recipe for hamburger buns or rolls?
Definitely!
I love to bake bread, but after being out of grocery stores for a few weeks I went through my recipes and realized none of them were a classic sandwich loaf, and we need peanut butter foldovers and grilled cheese!! Of the 5 or 6 recipe thumbnails I looked at, this looked most like what I was hoping for. My family and I were not disappointed. I quartered the recipe to make 1 loaf, as I wasnt sure I’d be successful on my first try, but really, follow the easy directions, and you’ll have no problems. This will definitely be my go to recipe, and I am about to share the link with some friends.
Thanks!!!
Yay! Wondering, did you watch the video or was the post enough on it’s own? So great to hear your success!
This is now my “go to” bread recipe as I am baking bread every few days during self-isolation in the UK. I love the technique, not fussy, easy and the most delicious bread, no matter what ratios of wholewheat to white or all white. I’m so glad i found you and your Mom’s recipe online.
Welcome! I’m so glad you are here. Thank you for leaving a comment and review, it’s always helpful!
So I am going make this recipe, all the comments are a confirmation!
If I wanted to freeze the dough, at what point would that be done?
Have you ever tried making cinnamon rolls with the dough from one of the loaves? I plan to try this recipe soon and don’t want to waste the dough… Thanks!
I think that sounds like a fabulous idea and I do think it would work. If you try it will you let us know how they turned out? Such a fun way to use some of the dough if you don’t need it all for bread!
Made this recipe this morning. I did just half the recipe, but still got 4 full size loafs. Thank you.
I made this yesterday and OH MY GOSH! My 4 loaves turned out perfect! I have a love-hate relationship with yeast and even did a little dance in my kitchen just seeing that the dough was rising, lol. My whole family loves this bread! Excited to try baking more loaves today using all white flour for my slightlier pickier daughter. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Woohoo!! That’s the kind of thing that totally makes my day, thank you for coming back to comment!
Can I let it rise overnight?
No the yeast won’t stay active that long, when you bake your loaves they’ll fall flat…
Just trying this recipe with all purpose flour as I didn’t have whole wheat. Bread appears to be done after 15 minutes at 350. sounds hollow when I tap on it and bread is brown on the top.
15 minutes is really fast, I bet you’ll still need at least 30 minutes in the oven or the middle will be under cooked.
Loved how easy this recipe is and the bread turns out amazing! Thanks for sharing your recipe!