This Whole Wheat Bread recipe is the perfect simple whole wheat bread that’s delicious and hearty, and perfect for school lunches, toast for breakfast, or to serve with your favourite soups or stews!
If there’s one thing we have made more of than almost anything else in the last 20 years it’s homemade bread. We grew up taking sandwiches to school every day that our mom made with her homemade whole wheat bread recipe, and we are so glad to finally be sharing our take on our mom’s tried-and-true whole wheat sandwich bread! White bread is great for sandwiches, but when you want something a little hearty with a deeper, nuttier flavour, whole wheat bread is the way to go. We love using this Whole Wheat Bread recipe for turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce, and also for BLTs. And let’s be honest, it’s also great slathered in butter and dipped into a delicious soup or stew!
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These are the ingredients needed to make this recipe:
- all purpose flour
- whole wheat flour
- vital wheat gluten
- honey
- milk
- instant yeast
- salt
- egg
Time needed: 2 hours
Follow these tips and tricks to make and shape this whole wheat loaf.
- Use part all purpose flour and part whole wheat flour.
Whole wheat flour has a lower gluten density than white flour which means bread made with all whole wheat flour doesn’t rise as quickly or as high, and it can tend to be more dense. Using part all purpose flour helps the bread rise well and gives it a great texture.
- Add some vital wheat gluten (a concentrated gluten flour).
Adding 1 tablespoon for about every 3 cups of whole wheat flour in the recipe will help the bread rise beautifully and make it nice and fluffy.
- Use honey instead of sugar.
Mixing in a few tablespoons of honey with the yeast and water can also help keep your whole wheat bread nice and soft.
- Replace the water with milk.
Using milk instead of water makes the dough more tender and the crumb softer.
- Let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes or so before kneading.
This will give the gluten time to develop a bit and help with the rise.
- To shape the loaf perfectly for sandwiches:
After letting it rest, shape the dough into a rectangle (with the short end about the same length as the long side of your loaf pan).
- Fold and seal the ends.
Fold one short end into the middle and press with your fingers to seal. Fold the other short end into the middle and press with your fingers to seal.
- Pinch and Tuck the ends.
Pinch the sides and pull them in slightly. Flip the whole thing over and tuck the ends under again.
- Let the shaped loaves rise again.
Place the loaf into the greased loaf pan and let rise a second time.
Is there a simple trick to make the dough look just like bread from a bakery?
Yes, after the first rise, flour your work surface and let the dough rest on the work surface in a ball for about 5-10 minutes. This will allow the gluten in the dough to relax and it makes the dough so much softer and easier to shape.
How best to store these loaves?
This bread will keep best in a plastic bag or airtight container. It can be frozen for up to a month in a plastic bag.
What are the whole wheat bread calories?
One slice is 140 calories.
Is whole wheat bread healthy?
Is whole wheat bread healthy? Yes it is. It doesn’t have sugar and whole wheat flour has fibre which contributes to feeling full.
Is whole wheat bread good for you?
Yes, it is a healthier bread option. It uses honey as a natural sweetener instead of sugar. Honey adds flavour and moisture to the bread.
We hope you love this Whole Wheat Bread recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite sandwich to make with homemade bread? We’d love to know!
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Easy Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Recipe: Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast (or use active dry yeast)
- 2 tablespoons honey or other vegan honey substitute
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
Egg Wash (optional):
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Recipe: Instructions
- Add the water, yeast and honey to the bowl of your stand mixer and mix with a fork just until the yeast is moistened and the honey is dissolved. If making by hand, use a large mixing bowl.
- Let sit for about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the all purpose flour and the whole wheat flour to the bowl of the stand mixer on top of the water and yeast mixture and then add the salt.
- Turn the mixer on low speed and mix until a soft dough forms. If mixing by hand, use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients until a rough dough forms.
- If you're using a stand mixer, let the dough rest for about 15 minutes before you set the mixer to knead the dough. If making by hand, form the dough until the flour almost disappears and let the dough rest in the bowl for about 20 minutes before kneading.
- Let the mixer knead the dough for about 4 minutes. The dough should have formed a soft ball and the sides of the bow should be clean. Only if the dough is too wet and sticking to the side of the bowl, add a tablespoon or two more flour as it kneads. If kneading by hand, knead the dough for about 8 to 10 minutes, adding as little flour as possible to prevent the dough from sticking (a few tablespoons of flour is ok).
- Shape the dough with your hands into a ball and place it back into the bowl (oil the bowl, if you wish). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.
- Grease 2 loaf pans with butter or a high-quality non-stick baking spray.
- After the dough rises, punch it down and turn it out onto a floured work surface and divide it in half.
- Roll each piece of dough into a ball with your hands, eventually shaping it into an oblong round shape following the steps below:1. Shape the dough into a rectangle (with the short end about the same length as the long side of your loaf pan).2. Fold one short end into the middle and press with your fingers to seal. Fold the other short end into middle and press with your fingers to seal.3. Pinch the sides and pull them in slightly.4. Flip the whole thing over and tuck the ends under again.
- Place each shaped loaf into one of the greased loaf pans and cover the pans with a clean kitchen towel.
- Let them rise again in a warm, draft-free place for about 25 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together the egg and water to make the egg wash (if using).
- Brush the egg wash over the tops of the loaves and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25-30 minutes until the tops of the loaves are a deep golden brown colour.
- After baking, remove the loaves from the pans and place the loaves on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Slice after the loaves have cooled completely to room temperature and use to make your favourite sandwiches or serve alongside soups or stews.
Recipe: Notes
To shape the loaf perfectly for sandwiches, follow these steps:
- After letting it rest, shape the dough into a rectangle (with the short end about the same length as the long side of your loaf pan).
- Fold one short end into the middle and press with your fingers to seal.
- Fold the other short end into middle and press with your fingers to seal.
- Pinch the sides and pull them in slightly.
- Flip the whole thing over and tuck the ends under again.
- Place the loaf into the greased loaf pan and let rise a second time.
Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Would it change anything to swap sugar for the honey, same ratio?
Nope, feel free to make that change! Let us know how it turns out for you!