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Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe is easy to make, turns out well each time, and is nice, soft and fluffy.
Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
There’s nothing quite like homemade bread. Try your hand at these breads too: Homemade Italian Bread, Mom’s 4 Loaf Wheat Bread Recipe and Whole Wheat Spinach Bread.
I published a really exciting post that includes a new 2 week meal plan for eating clean plus some of my thoughts on healthy eating with a family and a budget on Friday. It’s taken me around 2 months to get the post ready and polished and I’ve been excited to share it with you all. Well I’m super pleased to say that it is being received with open arms. You all are pinning and sharing that thing like crazy and I just have to say THANK YOU! It is so rewarding to feel like something I love and was so excited to blog about it something you all are wanting to share and leave feedback on. Weeks like this are what keep me blogging. You all make it so very rewarding.
This is a recipe that goes with my eating clean menu and one that I love. I like to make a few loaves of bread and a big batch of easy honey granola the day I start eating super clean again (you know we all fall off the wagon and then have to jump back on now and again). This helps me to have some options for quick breakfast and easy snack and that just seems to help get me off on the right foot. I love this bread with a little butter and honey or I’ll toast a thinner slice and put natural peanut butter on it. My kids love it too!
When it comes to whole wheat flour not all bags are the same. There are different kinds of wheat and those different types are what majorly influence the type of wheat flour it is and how the end product turns out. I grind my own wheat at home from hard white wheat berries on a very fine setting and bread made from it comes out amazing and soft.
Recipe Ingredients
- Water
- Eggs
- Molasses — or substitute honey
- Honey
- Olive oil
- Whole wheat flour
- Wheat gluten
- Dry milk
- Salt
- Instant yeast
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon molasses, or substitute honey
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup dry milk
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups additional whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Mix wet ingredients together in the bowl of your stand mixer (or by hand if you are really in the mood to stir!). Add dry ingredients and stir well to combine (just the first 5 cups of flour at this point). Mix in enough additional flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Knead 5-6 minutes.
- Divide dough in half, shape into loaves and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. I made this in the summer and it doubled in size in about 45 minutes. Plan on a little longer in the winter when the house is colder.
- Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely before cutting. Store bread in an air-tight container.
Notes
- This recipe is nice because you don’t have to let it rise in the bowl the first time. The original recipe didn’t have you do it, I tried it as written and loved it. I sure didn’t mind cutting out that step and the bread was great!
- No molasses? Just replace it with more honey.
Nutrition
How To Make Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Step 1: Mix wet ingredients together in the bowl of your stand mixer (or by hand if you are really in the mood to stir!)
Step 2: Add dry ingredients and stir well to combine (just the first 5 cups of flour at this point). Mix in enough additional flour to make a moderately stiff dough. Knead 5-6 minutes.
Step 3: Divide dough in half, shape into loaves and place in 2 greased loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled in size.
Step 4: Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely before cutting.
Recipe FAQs
If you can’t grind your own I’d get King Arthur’s 100% White Whole Wheat flour. This flour is made from the same type of wheat berry that I grind. Most other commercial whole wheat flour is made from hard red wheat which still works but will lend to a slightly more dense bread that tastes more “wheaty”. If you are after a soft and fluffy 100% whole wheat bread then searching out those hard white wheat flour is worth the time.
No molasses? Just replace it with more honey.
Nope! Instant yeast can be added directly in, whereas active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in warm water first.
My Favorite Bread Recipes
- Homemade Italian Bread
- Homemade Subway Bread Recipe
- Easy Bread Sticks Recipe
- Homemade Pretzel Rolls
- One Hour Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Grandma Lucy’s Famous Clover Rolls
- Jumbo Dinner Rolls
More Bread Recipes to Try!
Yeast Bread Recipes
Instant Yeast vs Active Dry Yeast — Quick Baker’s Lesson
Yeast Bread Recipes
Garlic & Parmesan Italian Breadsticks {Twisted Breadsticks}
Snacks
Big Soft Pretzels
Homemade Bread
100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
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I am looking for a 100% whole wheat bread recipe without the molasses and or honey. Or will it taste very bland. The GI diet book I have says no honey or molasses. Any suggestions?
https://www.blessthismessplease.com/super-simple-no-knead-bread/
I’d make this bread! It’s great with whole wheat flour, just increase the water by 1/4 to 1/2 cup and let it sit on your counter for the full 24 hours if you have the time. It’s excellent bread!
I made this bread today and it tastes divine!! Thank you!!
i would love to find a healthier bread and this does look good. however i am a little concerned about the wheat and gluten. can you educate me a little on this bread being a healthy choice. i’m still undecided on the wheat and gluten issues. i know whole wheat is obviously the better choice from white bread…but is there an even better option?
You should check out the book “Nourishing Traditions” from the library. It talks a ton about soaking and/or sprouting your grains before eating them or turning them into bread which breaks down the things that makes them hard to digest. It’s a TON of work and I just can’t keep it up with my current phase of life (so I stick with the homemade whole wheat because that’s the best that I can do right now), but I do think that it is a healthier way of eating grains and bread. I’m out to avoid added chemicals and ingredients so I’m happy with my homemade stuff but if you really want to get into gut healthy then that book is super interesting and something you might want to look into.
WhAt if you don’t use eggs? How do you think it will turn out?
Baked it today and it came out beautiful, finally I have a bread recipe, aah!! But I do feel it was dense(very slightly) in places, I guess I kneaded less. Also I used rapid rise yeast, is it same as instant? IAlso is there a way to skip the egg in this recipe?
Thanks!
This looks like something I would love to try as this does not need butter, but I am confused about the quantity of wheat flour. Am I supposed to use all of it..7 cups? when do I add the additional 2 cups?
Holy cow – 1/2 cup of wheat gluten? That seems like a lot, but if it works… (usually, they say to add 1T per cup of flour, which would amount to just over 1/4 C). I’ll have to try making whole wheat bread with more gluten. Maybe it’ll turn out fluffier.
I’ve been trying my hand at making bread and so far I haven’t found one we like. This one looks yummy so I want to try it next. Would you mind sharing the size of your bread pans please? Most of the breads I’ve made have been in the bread machine so I wasn’t sure what size pan to get. Thank you!!
I have 2 that are 9 inches by 5 inches and just one that is 4.5 by 8. I generally like that small one better because it makes the loaves rise higher, but either works fine. Good luck, you will love making bread. It’s a pretty tasty hobby 🙂
You say mix then knead do you use the paddle then the dough hook for kneading or just the paddle. Looks yummy can’t wait to try it
I just use the dough hook and turn the machine on faster when I want to mix it together. Good luck friend!
I have been searching for an easy ww bread recipe that is soft! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing.