Homemade Whole wheat Bread

Slices sliced off the end of a loaf of whole wheat bread.

5 from 1 vote

This simple homemade whole wheat bread is made with just 6 basic ingredients. It is great for sandwiches and toasting. And for making your house smell amazing!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Rising + Kneading Time2 40

Total Time3 35

Course: Breads

Cuisine: American

Servings: loaf

Calories: 106kcal

Author: Jessica and Merissa

Equipment

Ingredients

1¼ cups (300 g) warm water around 100-110° F
2 tablespoons (42 g) honey
1 tablespoon (11 g) active dry yeast or instant yeast
1½ teaspoons (9 g) sea salt
3 tablespoons (36 g) oil
3½ - 3⅔ cups (448-469 g) hard 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 warm water, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
Add the salt and 300 grams (about 2¼ cups) 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 sea 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 169 grams (about 1⅓ cups) flour, mix on low speed until the flour is mostly mixed in.
3 tablespoons oil
While the mixer is running on low speed, add more flour a spoonful at a time until the dough begins to hold its shape but is still sticky (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 30-45 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

We highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients.

For a longer shelf life, let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition