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.
My mouth is watering as I think of it.
Truly, it’s a gift to yourself and those you live with.
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.
Especially when you pair it with an easy, small-batch Refrigerated Strawberry Jam.
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.
What to Love About 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Honestly, there is very little NOT to love about homemade bread. Especially warm from the oven. But here are some more favorites.
- Incredibly soft and delicious sandwich bread
- Healthy and satisfying
- Easy to make with few ingredients
- The aroma of home-baked bread
- Perfect for sandwiches, toast, and snacks!
What Kind of Whole Wheat Flour Should You Use?
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.
100% Whole Wheat Bread Ingredients
Gather these ingredients to make this superb, utterly delicious homemade bread.
- whole wheat flour
- instant yeast (although active dry yeast works too)
- honey
- cooking oil
- salt
How to Make 100% Whole Wheat Bread
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.
Mixing the Dough:
Begin by adding 3 cups of flour, water, and instant yeast to a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, which is my preference. Stir together, cover, and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb some of the moisture, making it soft and easy to knead.
Then stir in honey, oil, and salt until incorporated. Finally, add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Adjust water and flour as necessary.
Kneading the Dough:
If kneading the dough by hand, transfer to a very lightly floured surface. With oiled hands, knead for 6 to 7 minutes.
To knead the dough using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes on low speed.
First Rise:
Transfer the dough to an oil-coated bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 to 2 hours.
Shaping the Loaves:
Gently deflate the dough, divide in half, and form 2 loaves.
I like to make a log and pinch the seam and the ends together tightly.
Transfer to well-greased loaf pans and place seem side down. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the center has crowned; about 1-inch above the loaf rim.
Baking the Loaves:
While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Once risen, place the loaves in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Or until a digital thermometer read at least 190°.
Immediately remove the loaves from the oven and also from the loaf pans. Let cool on a rack completely before slicing.
For an extra delicious, soft crust, brush melted butter over the loaves as they are cooling.
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.
Ingredients
- 6 to 6½ cups whole wheat flour*
- 2½ cups warm water
- 1½ tablespoons instant yeast (or 2 packages active dry yeast)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, add 3 cups flour, water, and instant yeast. Mix until the flour is incorporated. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb some of the moisture, making it soft and easy to knead.
- Uncover and mix in the honey, oil, and salt until incorporated. Then add the remaining flour, 1 cup a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- 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 about 5 minutes at low speed until the dough is smooth. Adjust the dough as needed with additional flour or water if necessary.
- Transfer the dough to an oil-coated bowl and let rise in a warm place 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled.
- Gently deflate the dough, divide in half, and form into 2 loaves. I like to make a log and then pinch the seam and the ends together tightly. Place seam side down in 2 greased 9" x 5" loaf pans. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the center of the loaf has crowned; about 1-inch above the loaf rim.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Uncover the loaves and place in the oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a digital thermometer reaches 190° or more. Tent a sheet of foil over the loaves after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning if desired.
- 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.
Notes
Whole Wheat Flour
- Regular whole wheat, whole wheat bread flour, white whole wheat flour all work great. I always use Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour.
Yeast
- Use 2 1/2 teaspoons Instant Yeast -- or 1 packet active dry yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of the water in the recipe
Storage
- Wrap bread and store at room temperature for several days or freeze for longer storage.
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