Learn how to make soft homemade whole wheat bread with only 6 basic ingredients. This post is packed with tips and a troubleshooting guide to help you achieve the loaf of your dreams.
Jump to:
Hi there, Merissa here. I started making whole wheat bread for our family when I was 9 years old, I was very intrigued with the process. Our mother had started using whole wheat flour as a way to live a healthier lifestyle. There was a lady in our community who made the most delicious homemade whole wheat bread and she was kind enough to share her tips with us and that’s what got us started.
Now after 19+ years of making our own whole wheat bread, several states, houses and life events later, we are going to share all the tips we’ve gathered over the years with you. So you can make you own homemade whole wheat bread, hopefully perfect the first time 🤞.
We like to make our own whole wheat bread products whenever we can, like tortillas, hamburger buns, dinner rolls, biscuits and cornbread because they are much more wholesome and delicious than store-bought bread.
What's Cool About This Recipe
- 100% whole grain: Like all the other recipes on this site this bread is made with all whole wheat flour.
- Soft and holds together: When kneaded correctly this bread is soft and will hold together, making it a fantastic whole wheat sandwich bread.
- Basic ingredients: You only need 6 ingredients to make this basic whole wheat bread. If you want to make bread with only 4 ingredients try our whole wheat dutch oven bread.
Why Use Freshly Milled Flour
Freshly milled flour has a far superior taste and texture compared to store bought whole wheat flours. You also get more nutrients from freshly milled flour. We have a post all about the benefits of whole wheat flour.
If you do all, or most of your baking with whole wheat flour we would highly suggest investing in a mill. Finding a local mill would be your next best option, or buying from a small online store that mills on demand.
Fun Fact 🌾
We actually worked in a bakery for a few years, and helped make whole wheat bread from freshly milled flour. We would make, slice and bag several hundred loaves per day.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flour: We usually use fresh milled hard white wheat flour but, sometimes we will blend different types of whole wheat flours together. Flour that works in the recipe
- Fresh milled hard white wheat
- Fresh milled hard red wheat
- High quality store bought white whole wheat flour
- Water: We just use filtered or tap water, nothing fancy.
- Honey: We haven’t tried any other sweeteners in this recipe yet, we will update when we do.
- Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast. Using instant will shave 5-10 minutes off the time it takes to make the bread.
- Oil: We use avocado oil or olive oil but any oil should work.
- Salt: We use sea salt or real salt. Any fine textured salt will work.
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
- Stand mixer: we use the kitchenaid Artisan model or the Kitchenaid Professional 5 plus (works best with a double batch). The bosch mixer is also a great mixer for making bread.
Variations
- When you roll the dough out for shaping you can sprinkle it with cinnamon or cinnamon and sugar before rolling it up for whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread.
Instruction Photos
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer add the water, honey and yeast. Stir until the honey is melted, cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture is foamy (skip if using instant yeast).
Step 2: Add the salt and 2¼ cups (300 grams) flour. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until no dry flour remains. Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes (this step is optional, it helps make a softer bread).
Step 3: Attach the dough hook and mix on medium/high speed for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is very stretchy.
Step 4: Add the oil and about half the remaining 1½ cups flour (192 grams) flour, mix on low speed until the flour is mostly mixed in.
Step 5: Add the rest of the flour a spoonful at a time while the mixer is running on low speed (you may need more or less flour depending on the humidity and other factors).
How to tell when the dough has enough flour: If you can’t tell what the dough needs, let it mix for a minute, then stop the mixer and feel the dough, you should be able to pick the dough up and handle it with only a little sticking to your hands.
Step 6: After you add all your flour, turn the mixer on medium/low speed (speed 2 on Kitchenaid) and knead for anywhere from 10-25 minutes. After the first 10 minutes of kneading, check the dough. If it's been kneaded enough it should be very smooth, supple and stretchy.
Check for the window pane, take a small chunk of dough (about ping pong ball size), roll it around a bit to make a round shape, then flatten it between your hands, and carefully stretch it out (like you would stretch a pizza crust). You should be able to stretch it thin enough that you can see light through the dough without it breaking. If you can’t, knead another 3-5 minutes and check again. Keep kneading until it passes the test.
Step 7: Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place into a large oiled bowl (you can use the mixer bowl).
Step 8: Cover and let rise for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size. Note: The time will vary depending on how warm your house is. The dough will rise faster in a warm environment, and slower in a cold environment. If your house is colder than 70° F it might take longer than 1 hour.
Step 9: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface. Shape into a loose ball and press into a rectangle shape.
Step 10: Using a rolling pin or your hands make a rectangle about ⅜ inch thick (Don’t let the dough get wider than your bread pan). Wet your hands and rub all over the surface of the dough.
Step 11: Starting at the short end, roll the dough up into a log, pinch the seam together.
Step 12: Place seam side down in a well greased 9x5 inch loaf tin.
Step 13: Cover and let rise another 45-60 minutes or until the ends of the loaf are about ½ inch above the tin. Preheat the oven to 350° F half way through the rise time.
Step 14: Place into a preheated 350° F oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the bread reads 190°F. Remove from the oven, let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a wire rack to cool.
Troubleshooting
The bread has a weak center
This can be from over proofing (rising too long) the loaf, or not kneading the dough long enough. Kneading the dough creates gluten and gluten gives the bread strength.
The bottom of the loaf is dense
This is generally from under proofing the loaf, let it rise a few more minutes before baking.
Top of the loaf falls in
This can be from over proofing, or not enough tension being created on top of the loaf when shaping the dough.
The bread won’t rise
There are a few reasons this could be happening.
- Your yeast is bad or weak. Sometimes weak/old yeast will give you a good first rise, but not a second rise.
- Your water was too hot and killed the yeast. Keep the water temp under 115° F
- The dough has too much flour. If your dough is extremely stiff it can make it hard for it to rise properly.
- The dough is sitting in a draft and the top has dried out forming a crust that won’t let the dough expand. You can mist the top of the dough with water if this is the case.
The bread is dry and crumbly
Reasons your bread could be dry and crumbly
- Under kneaded, The dough didn’t have enough gluten development to hold the bread together. You will need to knead it longer.
- Too much flour was added to the dough. Flour absorbs moisture, especially whole wheat flour. If too much is added to the dough then there won’t be enough moisture in the bread causing it to be dry.
- Old bread, homemade bread is the very best the day it is baked. It will become drier everyday, so by the 3-4th day it can be pretty dry. If you can’t eat the whole loaf before then, you can slice it up and freeze half the loaf.
- Overbaked, this is less likely but it can happen. If you want really soft bread then take it out of the oven when it hits 190° F
Large muffin tops on the loaf
This can be from too much dough in the pan or some people say it can be from letting the first rise go too long, we haven’t had this be an issue in our experience though.
Another reason it can happen is from not enough flour in the dough. It’s not strong enough to hold itself up, so it falls over the pan.
Dense bread
Dense bread can be from under proofing (not letting the dough rise long enough before baking), or too much flour being added to the dough.
Gummy inside
If the inside of your bread is gummy it is likely underbaked.
Holes inside the bread:
Holes inside the bread are usually caused from air bubbles that get trapped in the dough during shaping. Shaping the dough tight and pushing out any air bubbles should help.
The dough goes runny
If your dough is looking great, but then starts to get sticky and thinner, it could be a sign that the dough is over kneaded.
Doesn’t rise good the second time
When you get a good first rise but the second rise just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, then you might be letting the first rise go too long. Let the first rise go just until doubled. Using a container with straight sides and markers on the side is a great way to know for sure when it has doubled.
Serving Suggestions
This bread is great used any way you would use regular sliced bread. A few ways we like to enjoy it are:
- Warm from the oven with honey butter or butter and jam (if you do this expect the whole loaf to disappear really fast 😋)
- For sandwiches
- Toast and eggs
- Making cinnamon toast (mix together softened butter, cinnamon and sugar. Spread onto the bread and place under a broiler until the sugar is caramelized)
- French toast
- As a side dish for soup or stew
Storage
Store your homemade bread in a tightly closed bread bag or an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.
How to Freeze
Slice your loaf of bread and wrap it in plastic wrap or put it in a bread bag and suck all the air out with a straw, don’t do it too hard or you’ll smash the loaf. Freeze just like that for up to 1 month or place into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw: To thaw remove as many slices as you need and lay them on a plate or tray until thawed.
Tips From Our Kitchen
Use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients for the most consistent results.
You can scale the recipe up to however many loaves of bread you want.
Be patient and keep trying if it doesn’t always work out. Making whole wheat bread can take a bit of a learning curve, but it is so worth it.
Use the freshest flour you can find, grinding/milling your own is ideal.
Don’t be afraid to adjust the flour up or down if you need to. Some days the dough will need more flour, like if it's really humid. Some flour may be drier and you’ll need less. Add flour until the dough forms a tacky ball. The more you do it, the more familiar you’ll become with it.
FAQ
Yes, whole wheat bread does contain gluten. It is made from wheat. Many people with gluten sensitivities say they can eat whole wheat bread made from freshly milled wheat with no problems.
Yes, whole wheat bread contains a good amount of fiber. 1 slice of our whole wheat bread contains about 3.5 grams of fiber, compare that to a slice of white bread that has less than 1 gram of fiber.
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
Homemade Whole wheat Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (300 grams) Warm water around 100-110° F
- 2 tablespoons (42 grams) Honey
- 1 tablespoon (11 grams) Active dry or instant yeast
- 1½ teaspoons(9 grams) Salt
- 3 tablespoons (36 grams) Oil
- 3⅔ - 3¾ cups (469 - 481 grams) Whole white wheat flour
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the water, honey and yeast. Stir until the honey is melted, cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly (skip if using instant yeast).1¼ cups (300 grams) Warm water, 2 tablespoons (42 grams) Honey, 1 tablespoon (11 grams) Active dry or instant yeast
- Add the salt and 2¼ cups (300 grams) flour. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until no dry flour remains. Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes (this step is optional).1½ teaspoons(9 grams) Salt
- Attach the dough hook and mix on medium/high speed for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is very stretchy.
- Add the oil and about half the remaining 1½ cups flour (192 grams) flour, mix on low speed until the flour is mostly mixed in.3 tablespoons (36 grams) Oil
- Add the rest of the flour a spoonful at a time while the mixer is running on low speed (you may need more or less flour depending on the humidity and other factors). How to tell when the dough has enough flour: stop the mixer and feel the dough, you should be able to pick the dough up and handle it with only a little sticking to your hands (see photos in the post above).
- After you add all your flour, turn the mixer on medium/low speed (speed 2 on Kitchenaid) and knead for anywhere from 10-25 minutes. After the first 10 minutes of kneading, check the dough, it should be very smooth, supple and stretchy. Check for the window pane, take a small chunk of dough (about golf ball size), roll it around a bit to make a round shape, then flatten it between your hands, then carefully stretch it out (like you would stretch a pizza crust). You should be able to stretch it thin enough that you can see light through the dough without it breaking. If you can’t, knead another 3-5 minutes and check again. Keep kneading until it passes the test.
- Place the dough ball into a large greased bowl (you can use the mixer bowl). Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and shape into a loose ball. Put the dough onto a lightly oiled surface and roll or press out into a rectangle about ⅜ inch thick (Don’t let the dough get wider than your bread pan).
- Wet your hands and rub all over the surface of the dough. Starting at the short end, roll the dough up into a log. Pinch the seam together and place seam side down in a well greased 9x5 inch loaf tin.
- Cover loosely with a tea towel and let rise another 45-60 minutes or until the ends of the loaf are about ½ inch above the tin. Preheat the oven to 350° F half way through the rise time.
- Place into a preheated 350° F oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on top and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the bread reads 190° F or above. Remove from the oven, let cool for 3-5 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
We calculate these nutritional facts using an estimate and they can vary drastically between ingredients used and measuring technique. So, they are not intended for medical use.
Did you make this recipe? We would love to hear from you!