100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
on Jul 23, 2024
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Soft, fluffy, and full of flavor, this Whole Wheat Bread turns out amazing every time! This recipe requires minimal effort, so you can spend less time baking and more time enjoying this delicious loaf of bread.
There is nothing quite like homemade bread! It can sometimes be a hassle, but this recipe is so easy and does not take much time at all. Just mix everything together, knead the dough, let it rise, and pop it in the oven! The result is a beautifully crafted loaf of homemade whole wheat bread that can be used however you’d like.
I love that you only need to allow this dough to rise one time, because it makes the recipe that much easier. Even though this recipe doesn’t require as much work as other breads, it is still soft, tender, and full of flavor! This bread is absolutely delicious, and once it’s made, it’ll be gone as soon as you set it on the counter.
Whole wheat bread pairs well with many foods. Enjoy it for healthy toast recipes, alongside soups, or in sandwiches with turkey, ham, or veggies. Spread hummus or nut butter on it for a snack, make it for egg in a hole for breakfast, or pair it with a salad or a cheese plate with fruits.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This bread is so versatile! You can enjoy it on its own or use it for sandwiches.
- The gluten and molasses help make this bread soft and chewy.
- You can freeze this bread for months at a time, so you can always have homemade bread on hand.
Recipe Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Flour—The base of your dough, to give the bread structure.
- Water—Warm.
- Eggs—To act as a leavening agent and create a light crumb.
- Wheat Gluten—Will keep the loaf airy and help it rise nicely.
- Molasses—Slightly sweetens the bread and gives it a chewy texture.
- Olive Oil—Helps lock in the moisture of your bread.
- Honey—For some extra sweetness.
- Dry Milk—Gives the loaf a higher rise and soft texture.
- Instant Yeast—To cut down on rising time for your dough.
- Salt—Helps balance all of the flavors in your dough.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Whole Wheat Bread
Step #1. Mix the wet ingredients together in the bowl of your stand mixer.
Step #2. Add the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Mix in additional flour as needed to make a moderately stiff dough. Knead the dough.
Step #3. Divide the dough in half, shape into loaves, and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until it is doubled in size.
Step #4. Bake until the top is golden brown. Remove from pans quickly and allow the bread to cool completely. Cut, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Wheat gluten is made by hydrating wheat flour to activate the gluten, and then processed to remove everything else except the gluten. It is not technically flour, but it does have a similar powder-like texture. Because whole wheat flour can be heavy and tends to make bread more dense than using white flour, it is a good idea to add wheat gluten to your dough. It helps combat the heaviness by adding a light, airy texture. Using it will keep your bread from being dense and create a soft crumb!
No it does not! That is what makes this recipe so much easier and faster than your typically homemade bread. By using instant yeast, you will only need to allow the dough to rise once rather than twice. Unlike active dry yeast, instant yeast can be added directly to your dough instead of needing to dissolve in water first.
Your bread dough will be sticky if there is too much water compared to the amount of flour. This is why you will want to make sure you have additional whole wheat flour when you are making this bread! Simply add about ¼ cup of extra flour to your dough until you notice that it is no longer sticky. Your dough should have structure and be moderately stiff.
How to Store Your Whole Wheat Bread
Store this bread in an airtight container or bag to ensure that it stays fresh and does not get stale. Keep it on the counter at room temperature and away from any appliances. Try to use it within 3-4 days of making it for maximum freshness.
In addition to storing your bread on the counter, you can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to allow my bread to cool before putting it in a large ziploc bag to reduce the development of condensation. When you are ready to enjoy your bread, simply throw it in the fridge and allow it to thaw. I like to store my thawed bread in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Expert Tips
- There are different types of whole wheat flour that can influence your end product. I like to grind my own wheat at home but if you can’t do that, try to get wheat flour that is made from hard white wheat berries for the best results!
- Kneading the bread is an important step to getting a good loaf but it doesn’t take too long! Try to knead for about 5-6 minutes.
- If you don’t have molasses, you can replace it with more honey in the same measurement!
- When making this bread in the summer, the dough should double in size in about 45 minutes. Plan on a little longer in the winter when the house is a bit colder!
More Bread Recipes To Consider
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100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- ½ cup honey or ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup wheat gluten
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- ½ cup potato flakes
- 5 to 5 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- butter to rub on the top of the loaf
Instructions
- Add water, yeast, sugar, wheat gluten, salt, dry milk, oil, vinegar, potato flakes, and 4 cups of flour to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
- Mix on low for 10-12 minutes (this is machine kneading).
- After the mixing time, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough is ready when it isn’t too sticky and can be handled. Give the dough time to work the flour in before adding more.
- If it is gooey, add flour and mix after each addition, until the dough can be worked with your hands without sticking to them. I generally add 5 cups total flour for this recipe. It will depend some on your kitchen conditions and flour (it’ll depend a lot on how your flour is milled, whole wheat flours vary more than other kinds in my experience).
- Form the dough into a smooth bowl and add it back to your mixing bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Let dough rise for 1 hour or until about doubled in size.
- Remove it from the bowl.
- Divide the dough into two even pieces and form each piece into a loaf.
- Place the dough in 2 greased loaf pan and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough is about 1 inch above the rim of the bread pan.
- Bake at 375℉ for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped.
- Remove from the oven and grease the tops of the loaf with a little bit of butter.
- Remove the bread from the pans and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing (you can slice warm but the texture is best once it has cooled and the bread has set).
- Once the bread has completely cooled, store leftovers in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Non-fat dry milk can be found near the canned evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. You can also find it near specialty flours (sometimes it’s called baking milk blend). It’s a dry milk product and it has a great shelf life. This is the only recipe I use it for and it keeps great.
- I just use normal old potato flakes, like the kind you would make instant mashed potatoes with, for this recipe. Nothing special there and again, they are very shelf stable.
- Vital wheat gluten will be near the specialty flours or just in the baking isle. Again, you might need to collect up these “specialty” ingredients but they won’t spoil quickly and you’ll make this bread often enough to use them up!
- This recipe is from my friend Jolyn. You can find her white bread recipe here.
That was truley the best whole wheat bread!!!! It was easy and so moist, never dried out!! I would like to try a bread machine version, what would you recommend, besides cutting the recipe in half?
I made this bread but it is a little heavy and dense – I thought I followed directions correctly. However, I may have added too much flour but needed it to not be sticking to my hands. Recipe does not indicate what size pan to use and I used9x5 (too large I think) so my loafs are very short.
What size loaf pans are you using?
My bread pans are all 9×5, it works fine in slightly smaller too.
Made this and the other companion recipe, the while flour version. Both are amazing!! My question is, can either of these recipes do good with half-n-half white/wheat? I love a mix, but don’t wanna mess up the recipe…any thoughts?
I love all your recipes…thanks so much for all you’re putting out, l love your posts!
It totally works! No issues there, I do it often!
I made the white version today, and am looking to do the whole wheat next weekend – if it’s anything like the white – just wow!
Question for you, under ingredients you have vinegar but under instructions you don’t mention it,‘does it go in step one with all the other ingredients?
Thank you for pointing that out, I did fix it! It just goes in with the other ingredients and I missed it. So thank you! You are going to be SO impressed with the wheat bread, it’s amazing!