This Whole Wheat Bread is made with 100% whole wheat flour and your favorite natural sweetener. A soft and fluffy sandwich bread that stays fresh for days!
After many readers asked me for a whole wheat version of my White Bread recipe I did some testing and I’m happy to share with you my recipe for a homemade bread made with 100% whole wheat flour!
Why this recipe is the best
- My recipe uses basic ingredients that you have in your pantry and most of the ingredients can be substituted depending on what you have at home
- It is done within a few hours! I tried to make this recipe as fast and easy as possible even if you are new to baking or have never made bread before
- Adding my secret ingredients cuts through the bitterness of the whole wheat flour, no need to add all-purpose flour or to soak the whole wheat flour in order to get a great tasting bread
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Orange Juice: This is my secret ingredient! Adding orange juice tones down the bitterness of the whole wheat flour.
- Water: The water should be lukewarm. That means about 100 degrees F, slightly warmer than your body temperature. Depending on the season, humidity, and altitude you’ll need more or less water. In the summer when it’s humid you need less, in the winter when it is dry you need more. It also depends on how you measure flour. I always recommend scooping the flour with a spoon into the measuring cup and leveling it off or measuring flour by weight. But if you’re measuring flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then you will need more water.
- Milk: Adding milk makes the bread taste richer but you can also use more water instead.
- Vegetable oil: From my experience, salted butter, unsalted butter, cultured butter, margarine, or even avocado oil, will work in this recipe.
- Natural Sweetener: You can use honey, molasses, or maple syrup in this recipe. Molasses makes the bread darker and gives it an old-fashioned flavor. You can also use a mixture!
- Whole Wheat Flour: This recipe uses 100% whole wheat flour. Depending on what brand of flour you use, it might
- Instant Yeast: This recipe uses instant yeast, which is also known as rapid rise yeast. It is finer than active dry yeast and can be mixed into the other ingredients. If you want to use active dry yeast, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and let it sit for about 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients.
How to make Whole Wheat Bread
- Make the dough: The dough should be smooth and elastic, it will be slightly sticky (Image 1). If kneading by hand oil your hands and working surface slightly.
- First Rise: Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until it is puffy and nearly doubled in size.
- Shaping: Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Use your fingers to gently pat it into an 8×12 inch rectangle while pressing it all over to remove any air pockets (Image 2). Starting at the short end, roll up the rectangle into a tight roll and pinch the seams to seal (Image 3). Tuck the ends of the roll slightly under the roll to create some tension on the surface and place loaf into a greased 8×4 inch loaf pan tucked ends and seam side down (Image 4).
- Second Rise in the pan
- Baking
Frequently Asked Questions
- What if I don’t have a loaf pan? You could make rolls from this recipe. Divide dough into eight portions after the first rise and shape them into balls. Put in a greased 8×8-inch baking pan and let rise. Baking time will be shorter, they will be done after about 20 minutes.
- I’m not sure my yeast is still good, what should I do? If you’re not sure if your Instant yeast is still active, start with dissolving the yeast in lukewarm water before adding the other ingredients. It should smell yeasty and be foamy after about 10-15 minutes.
- What to do if the dough is too sticky? The dough will be slightly sticky after kneading but if it is too sticky you can add a little bit more flour.
- Why did my bread collapse after the second rise? This can happen because of over-proving or because the dough was not kneaded long enough. If the dough was not kneaded long enough there is insufficient gluten and the dough develops larger air bubbles which can burst when the dough is disturbed. As a general rule, kneading for at least 9 minutes with a stand mixer or about 15 minutes by hand is a good idea, but the longer the better.
- I don’t have a stand mixer, what else can I use? You can use a hand-held mixer if it comes with dough hooks, or knead the dough by hand.
- Can I freeze the dough before baking it? I haven’t tried freezing this dough but I recommend letting the dough go through its first rise, then shape it and put it in a baking pan that has been lined with greased plastic wrap. Put the pan in the freezer, let it freeze for about 10 hours then transfer to a ziplock bag. To thaw, remove the loaf from the freezer the night before you want to bake it and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Remove plastic wrap, place thawed dough in a greased baking pan, cover, and let it rise. Then bake according to the recipe.
- What alterations should be made when taking high altitudes into consideration? I don’t have any experience with high altitude baking but this post from King Arthur Flour is a great resource.
How to store it
Store the bread in a plastic bag or in a bread box at room temperature. It will keep fresh for about 3 days. After that, it will be a bit drier but will taste great toasted.
Looking for more bread recipes?
Servings: 1 loaf
Whole Wheat Bread
This Whole Wheat Bread is made with 100% whole wheat flour and your favorite natural sweetener. A soft and fluffy sandwich bread that stays fresh for days!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup milk, or more water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup honey, or molasses or maple syrup
- 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 1/2 tsp instant yeast, see notes if using active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients, mix until a dough forms (see notes, if using active dry yeast or if you are a yeast newbie). Let sit for 20 minutes, this makes kneading more effective. Then knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, it will be slightly sticky. If kneading by hand oil your hands and working surface slightly.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until it is puffy and nearly doubled in size.
- Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Use your fingers to gently pat it into an 8×12 inch rectangle while pressing it all over to remove any air pockets. Starting at the short end, roll up the rectangle into a tight roll and pinch the seams to seal. Tuck the ends of the roll slightly under the roll to create some tension on the surface and place loaf into a greased 8×4 inch loaf pan tucked ends and seam side down. Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes in a warm and draft-free place till the center has crowned about 1″ above the rim of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.
- Bake bread for 35-40 minutes until golden brown (and the loaf registers 180 degrees F inside).
- Invert bread onto a cooling rack. Reinvert loaf and rub with butter if desired for a soft, flavorful crust. Let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Important: If you’re not sure if your Instant yeast is still active or if you are using active dry yeast, start with dissolving the yeast in the lukewarm water combined with 1 tsp sugar before adding the other ingredients. It should smell yeasty and be bubbly after about 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 2253kcal | Carbohydrates: 386g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 47g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 2375mg | Potassium: 1869mg | Fiber: 48g | Sugar: 80g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 212mg | Iron: 16mg
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Alaina says
Made this and was so happily surprised! It tasted just like the soft whole wheat bread I grew up eating (but of course better). I used 2 fresh squeezed oranges since that’s what I had on me. Was so delish topped with butter, honey, vegemite, nutella, scrambled eggs, all of the above. I’ll be making it again soon :)
Shareen says
Been baking bread but this is the best result I have ever achieved. The bread has a soft texture, it doesn’t crumpled.
The 2nd rise I only proof for 20 mins because I have an Dinner appointment. But still turn out well.
Thank for sharing your recipe.
Clarissa W. says
We finally received our Wonder Mill. So hubby and the three girls helped me grind some red wheat into flour. And my awesome mom sent me this recipe.
I followed the directions, except for using 1c of water and ithink a teaspoon of sugar with my active yeast.
The dough consistency was perfect. I decided to use avocado oil and molasses.
My family prefers to eat the fresh bread warm with butter!
Everyone loved it! My two year old especially. She climbed up a little stool and kept asking for more. LOL.
I will totally use this recipe again!! Maybe next time I’ll try honey instead of molasses.
The bread
The crust was perfect. Crisp and then leads into the soft middle. Was more dense then a typical 50/50, but more healthy (since we used the whole grain).
The molasses gave it a darker crust but the middle was a perfect wheat center.
I wish I could share my pictures. I definitely would recommend this recipe.
Scott says
Well ingredients added as described, it was at least a cup short of liquid. It was nothing but crumbly flour. I added another half cup water and milk. That at least made it into a dough. Baking at this moment but I expect it to be a brick.
Julia Foerster says
The dough should definitely not be crumbly. Sounds to me like the flour you used soaked up a lot more liquid than usual. This can happen with whole wheat flour. Did you measure the flour correctly using a spoon to fill the measuring cup and leveling it with a knife?
Sharon says
Can I use this recipe in the bread machine??
Ang says
This bread just didn’t work great for me. It was very thick- my kitchen aid couldn’t even turn it. I ended up added tablespoons of water until it could turn to knead it, but it still was like a big play doh ball. I was really excited to try this one because of the orange juice. The bread flavor was pretty good minus the crust- it was just really dry. I checked all my measurements and did it correctly so I’m not sure why it came out so thick. 🤷🏻♀️ But the Inside flavor of the bread was good, so I wish I could figure out why the crust was so thick and dry. I might try again and up my liquid quite a bit..
Julia Foerster says
Sounds like you used too much flour. The dough should definitely not be very thick and the crust should not be really dry. This is a common problem with measuring flour. I recommend spooning the flour into a measuring cup and then leveling it with a knife or using a scale to make it easier. So instead of upping the liquid next time, measure the flour with the spoon and level method and then hold back about 1/2 cup in the beginning and add just as much as you need.
Abahani Chakrabarty says
Julia, the bread was awesome!!! I added my touch to be by adding some seeds, turned out great!!! Thanks You!!!
Alisha says
Can this be doubled to make two loaves? Or do I need to make any changes.
Julia Foerster says
As long as your mixer can handle 7 cups of flour it would be ok to double it and make two loaves.
Antoine says
Great bread and easy to make!
Tara says
Could you swap the oil for applesauce?
Julia Foerster says
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure.
Nicole says
So let’s start with the good: my bread eventually turned out good! Almost perfect actually! I am hoping it’s because I’m an inexperienced bread maker, I used quick rising yeast. It’s not bad and I actually used it to make your famous white bread last week (which was my first loaf of bread and turned out EXCELLENT). I mixed everything together in my kitchen aid stand mixer with the dough hook. The only thing I subbed was pineapple juice for OJ because it’s all I had (dole whips, I know who has pineapple juice). It would not get sticky i mixed for like 7 minutes and it just wouldn’t combine! I slowly added more warm water and ended up adding another 1/2 cup. Still didn’t look right so I added an additional 1/2 cup of milk (standard 2% cows milk). Finally looked like last weeks bread. Set it to rise and it was maybe 20% bigger. So I warmed my oven to 300° and shut it off right away (I read that in another bread makers blog post and I won’t be doing that again) it did rise better but it also started to cook. So I let it rest at room temperature another 40 min and it did look like it rose finally! But it was tough on the outside not “fluffy” it was similar to the consistency of play dough. I have no flour or bread left and didn’t want to start over but it turned out looking and tasting great! I know I did something wrong! Lol thanks again, I’ll be trying it again for sure!
Deb S says
Can this be made in a bread machine? Thank you.
Deb says
Can this be made in a bread machine?
Simer says
Do we have to let the yeast sit for 10-15 mins, similar procedure to white bread. Then add the rest of the ingredients in the stand mixer
Julia Foerster says
If you are using active dry yeast or are a yeast newbie I would recommend doing the extra step of combining the yeast with the lukewarm water and 1 tsp of sugar, like in the white bread recipe.
Shirley says
Hi there, I don’t have orange juice. Can I increase the milk instead?
Julia Foerster says
Yes, if you don’t have orange juice I recommend using more milk. So 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup milk. More water would also work.
Dayna says
Can I use Anything other than oj? I don’t have any.
Tammy Burgeson says
I have not made this yet. I have a question. I bough White whole wheat flour, would i still use this recipe or the regular white bread recipe?
Julia Foerster says
The difference between white whole wheat flour and whole wheat flour is that the white whole wheat flour tastes milder and is made from a different variety of wheat, but it is 100% whole wheat flour. If you want to only use the white whole wheat flour I would give this recipe a try, it’s a bit more hearty than the white bread. But you could also make the white bread and use half all-purpose, half whole wheat flour, as some readers did. Hope this helps, Tammy!