This is a very altered version of a Cook’s recipe for whole wheat bread. Theirs has wheat germ and rye in it because they were going for a very nutty, wheaty flavor. I prefer a milder bread, so I leave those ingredients out.
Whole wheat bread can sometimes be heavy because whole wheat flour doesn’t have as much gluten as white flour does(gluten helps yeast doughs to rise well). Because of this, I like to use a combination of white and whole wheat flours which helps the end product to be softer and lighter. You can use more whole wheat flour or less according to your preference.
I usually make three loaves of this at a time because three loaf pans can fit comfortably in my oven with plenty of room for air circulation. However, I’m going to post the ingredient amounts for two loaves and you can multiply the recipe according to the number of loaves you wish to make.
I use a stand mixer to make the dough, but you can mix it up by hand if you wish…you just may need to knead the dough a bit longer.
Printable Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
2 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter , melted
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
1. Combine 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, the yeast, and the salt in the bowl of a mixer.
2. Add warm water, honey, and melted butter. Mix on low speed until ingredients are combined, then beat on medium speed for 3 minutes.
3. Mix in the remaining whole wheat flour, and add enough of the white flour to make a kneadable dough(it should still be fairly soft, though).
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic(if you mixed the dough by hand, you may need to knead it a bit longer).
5. Put the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover with a wet tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes(an hour if your house is cold).
6. Punch the dough down, divide it in half, and roll each half out into a rectangular shape. Starting from the short end, roll each loaf up, and place into a greased 9×5 inch bread pan. The rolling may seem like a fussy step, but it produces a loaf with a better crumb and structure, and it also will make your loaves look better.
7. Cover the loaf with a wet tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until doubled. Here’s mine before rising(sans the tea towel, obviously):
And here it is after rising.
8. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Alternatively, you can insert an instant read thermometer into the long side of the loaf…when it reads 205 degrees, the bread is done. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool before slicing. I highly recommend slathering a warm slice with butter. 
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Hello! Love your blog! My husband and I spent a day backreading all your posts! Is there a way to do this recipe with just unbleached all purpose white flour? Thanks!
Yep, you certainly can. Just substitute white flour for the whole wheat flour and you’ll be good to go.
And thanks…I’m glad you’re enjoying my whole blog so much! lol
Kristen,
Do you have any good recipes or uses for old bread, heels and such? I keep leftovers in my freezer, but I don’t know what to do with them. Any ideas?
you can also use them to make bread pudding
That looks really yummy.
Amy-croutons are a good thing to make. I posted a recipe a while ago…just put “crouton” into the search box on the upper right hand side of my blog, and it should come up.
Thanks!
Have you ever tried adding oatmeal to your white/wheat bread?
This looks fantastic. I haven’t quite made the leap to making our own bread yet…I’m worried that with only two people, we won’t eat it quickly enough, even storing it in the fridge. Maybe I’ll just have to try this recipe sometime and see how it turns out!
That looks great. They say wheat bread is more healthy than white bread. More fiber.
Cate – It’s just me and my husband. I make two loaves of bread each week. We put one in the freezer, then take it out to thaw overnight when we get close to the end of the first loaf. Even with both of us only using it for toast in the morning and sometimes to go with dinner (one slice each for both), we go through two loaves in 7-10 days.
A fresh loaf will keep on the counter in a plastic bag for up to 7 days. Putting bread in the freezer in a ziploc bag, then taking it out to thaw (will keep 5-7 days once thawed) is better than keeping it in the fridge – it doesn’t get as dried out.
A few years ago I developed carpal tunnel syndrome and couldn’t knead bread dough anymore. I was pretty sad at first, until I bought a bread machine. Bread machines are AWESOME. I don’t bake the bread in mine, I just use it to mix and knead the dough, but it still not only saves me time, but the bread turns out better, because I don’t have to add as much flour to the dough. I make all kinds of breads I avoided before due to sticky dough, like pita bread and bagels and sweet breads. My bread machine cost me $70 at Target and has lasted for 5 years so far.
Hi Kristen
Been reading your blog for ages now (think I found it through myzerowaste.com) but just had to de-lurk to say THANKS for this recipe – it’s the best bread I’ve ever baked!!
Cathy
I love your blog…I buy 3 loaves of whole wheat bread a week…this looks so yummy but I am not a baker. I can cook like noone’s business but baking seems to be beyond me. I am inspired by your blog to give it a try though. Wish me luck. By the way I love the food spoilage photos. I hate hate to throw out food. Good luck and thanks for all the great advice.
For the first time ever, I’ve successfully baked a loaf of bread incapable of being used as a blunt weapon or plausible building material. Thanks.
I did swap out the honey, butter, and whole wheat flour for sugar, olive oil, and all purpose but it came out just as good.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunarbipolarity/tags/frugalgirlbread/
Hi-Just wondering why you are kneading by hand at all if you own a kitchenaid mixer? My 6 quart series loves to do all the work of kneading for me!! In fact “it” just made your homemade hamburg buns and they are now rising and getting ready to go in the oven. Can’t wait to try them tonight for dinner!
Do you proof the yeast before adding it in step 1? Or just add the dry yeast?
Hey, I like to bake whole wheat bread but I never know what to store it in for freezing and how long to keep it out of the refridgerator. What do you do about that?
I have one loaf rising and the other half of the dough is in the freezer. I had less wheat flour on hand than I thought–about 3/4 cup, so I used that and substituted white flour for the rest of the wheat flour. After mixing in my stand mixer, my dough was much more wet than the dough in your picture looks. I added at least 1 1/2 cups more white flour, plus more when I kneaded it by hand–it was very sticky when I first started kneading by hand. Does the wheat flour absorb a lot more liquid than white?
Hmmm…I usually feel like the opposite is true! However, I RARELY measure the flour that I use…I just add it until the dough looks and feels right.
The amount of flour dough needs will vary based on humidity and atmosphere and all of that, so if you feel like the dough needs a little more, then go ahead and add some. Bread dough should be slightly soft and sticky, though. As you knead it, the idea is just to keep the outside of the dough floured so it doesn’t stick to the counter.
Boy, that was a disjointed answer. Did it make any sense? Feel free to ask for clarification!
I actually skipped the knead-by-hand-on-the-counter part, and transfered the dough to a greased bowl to rise. I added the additional 1 1/2+ cups of flour while it was still in the mixer. After rising, when I went to punch the dough down, I had a gooey, sticky mess on my hands, so I kneaded in apx. 1 more cup of flour.
Now the loaf is done and out of the oven and looks great (haven’t tasted it yet). I put an egg wash on it just before putting it in the oven, as some of your other bread recipes have that (I brought two beautiful braided loaves to my in-laws’ house for Christmas dinner).
I add extra wheat gluten and some dough enhancer to my recipe. This allows me to use only wheat flour. I grind red wheat so it is a bit thicker. If I want a lighter bread then I will add some white flour. I am still experimenting but the vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer helps.
I notice in your bread recipes that they seem to call for butter. .does it make a difference if you use margarine instead?
Thanks for posting many photos – so helpful in assessing what the dough is supposed to look like!
This is exactly my wheat bread recipe! I feel like I’ve finally (kinda) perfected it and I’m very happy with the result! I’m also relieved that your loaves are slightly lopsided, like mine, haha!
I am currently on my first rise for your bread recipe. I have had ZERO luck baking bread. They always turn into bread bricks. I hope your recipe and techniques will be what i need to succeed. On the other hand, the bread bricks are great for french toast! I will let you know how it turns out.
update…. Yay! The bread turned out well. OK, one loaf turned out well and the other didn’t turn out as well, but that’s because I got too gung ho on the rolling for that loaf. It didn’t rise as high. Lesson learned. Thanks for the easy to follow recipe!
Thank you for this bread recipe. I finally made my first loaf of whole wheat bread that my husband and children absolutely loved. Thank you, thank thank you, I have saved my bread budget, now onto the next thing.
Thanks so much for this great recipe, i just did it this morning and i love the fluffyness
this will be my favorite go-to when in need of whole-wheat sandwich bread, it´s so soft and tasty.
thanks again!
claudia