100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Updated Oct 23, 2024
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This 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe is quite literally perfect. Thanks to a few special ingredients, this bread is pillowy soft and delicious.
Making homemade bread is such a great skill to have. It is satisfying, tastes better than store-bought bread, and it’s something you can teach others. I have created many memories while teaching my children and friends the art of bread making.
I’ve come across some whole wheat bread recipes that turn out dense, heavy, and dry—not super appealing. Whole wheat flour doesn’t contain as much gluten as white flour, which can make bread turn out like a brick. Nobody likes eating bricks! The magic of incredibly soft whole wheat bread is adding gluten.
This wheat bread includes vinegar, powdered milk, and potato flakes. These ingredients contribute to the light and fluffiness of the bread, along with adding gluten. You won’t believe it’s 100% whole wheat!
I love making this bread because it works great with dinner; you can make amazing sandwiches with it or gift a loaf to a friend. Is there anything better than a neighbor showing up with a warm loaf of bread!?
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- So Soft: It’s SUPER soft and still made with 100% whole wheat, while most soft wheat recipes still include some amount of all-purpose or bread flour.
- Great for Sandwiches: It holds together SO well. It doesn’t get crumbly like other homemade bread recipes, making it perfect for sandwiches and toast.
- Reliable Recipe: It turns out every time. I’ve made this recipe over and over again, and it just doesn’t flop.
- Alternative Recipe: Want the white bread version of this amazing bread? Here’s the white flour bread recipe.
100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe Ingredients
- Active dry yeast
- Honey or sugar
- Wheat gluten
- Nonfat dry milk
- Butter or oil
- Vinegar
- Potato flakes
- Whole wheat flour
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make 100% Whole Wheat Bread
- Place 4 cups of flour and the other dough ingredients in a stand mixer bowl with a dough hook attachment. Mix on low for 10-12 minutes.
- Add additional flour, one 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.
- Place dough in a bowl, cover, and let rise one hour or until about doubled.
- Divide into two pieces and form each into a loaf, placing in greased pans. Let rise for one 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.
Recipe FAQs
Incorporating vital wheat gluten into your whole wheat bread will help with the texture and density of the loaf. The gluten helps the dough to rise and hold structure instead of collapsing.
This is debatable and depends on who you ask. The Kitchen Aid stand mixer is popular, as well as the Bosch stand mixer. However, you can knead the dough by hand if you don’t have either. It’ll take some elbow grease on your part, but it can be done!
I like to serve a fresh loaf right out of the oven to accompany dinner. Whole wheat bread also makes delicious sandwiches. One of my favorite ways to use whole wheat bread is to make toast. There is really never a wrong time to enjoy homemade bread!
Expert Tips
- Flour Choices: 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!
- Needs Kneading: Kneading the bread is an important step to getting a good loaf! Try to knead for about 10-12 minutes if using a mixer.
- Butter Topping: I love topping these loaves with butter as soon as they come out of the oven. It adds just the right amount of yumminess to the crust!
How to Store Whole Wheat Bread
Store this bread in an airtight container or bag to stay fresh. Keep it on the counter at room temperature and away from any appliances. 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 ready to enjoy your bread, throw it in the fridge and let it thaw. I like to store my thawed bread in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Bread Recipes To Consider
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Cozy Gingerbread Scones: Perfect for Holiday Mornings
Simple Gingerbread Recipes
Easy Gingerbread Loaf – Better Than Starbucks!
Waffle Iron Recipes
High Protein Waffles With Cottage Cheese | Easy Blender Recipe
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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.
- For this recipe, I use normal old potato flakes, like the kind you would use to make instant mashed potatoes. There is nothing special about them, and again, they are very shelf-stable.
- Vital wheat gluten will be near the specialty flour or in the baking aisle. 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.
Best whole wheat bread recipe I’ve ever made. I won’t make anything else.
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.
This recipe looks awesome and I plan to make it tomorrow but you mention adding Molasses but I do not see it in the ingredient list so I was wondering how much to use Thanks for letting me know.
I’m not sure what happened but the post for this recipe got switched with another. I have corrected things but the recipe that goes with the post about molasses is this one: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/king-arthur-classic-100-whole-wheat/
Sorry for the confusion but your comment helped me sort it out so thank you!
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!