Easy Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe
05/21/2008
Amazing recipe. I bake a lot of bread and this is by far one of the best Wheat breads I've come by. Surprisingly, this recipe is pretty much perfect. I've made it about 4 times now and it's fail-safe everytime. I've also sub sugar for honey and it works fine (use the same amount). This is a very moist, tender, slightly chewy bread. It makes the quintessential sandwich bread and stays moist for at least a few days. To make sandwich size bread, you will only need TWO 9x5" loaf pans. Exactly 25 min. was perfect for me. This will be my master Wheat bread recipe. **For variation, I've added 1/2 cup of 10-Grain mix (Bob's Red Mill brand) and 2 tablespoon of whole flax seed for added nutrition and texture. You can also add sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or flaxseed meal for other options. I used a Kitchen-Aid mixer and always end up adding about 3.5 cups whole wheat flour. I knead on level 1 & 2 for about 10 min. then take out and knead by hand for about 1 min. to form a large dough ball before letting it rise. **TIP** For a more chewy bread and higher rise, similar to the store bought ones, add 3-4 tablespoons of powdered gluten.General rule is usually 1 tablespoon gluten for every 1 cup of flour. But for this recipe, I found 4 tbl. was fine. I've also halved the recipe with success - 2 cups bread flour, 2 cups wheat flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1/3 cup honey, 3 tbl. gluten.
04/14/2003
This is one great recipe. I kept making it and kept adding more fresh ground golden whole wheat flour until I made it the other day with 100% fresh ground whole wheat flour and no white flour and it was so yummy and good. This recipe is very forgiving and turns out well even if you add a little more or a little less flour to it. It's good for toasting, slicing for sandwiches, and best of all, right out of the oven with butter melted on it. Everyone should try this recipe. I wish I could give it more stars even!!! UPDATE: I am still making and selling this bread made with 100% fresh ground Montana Gold wheat berries. I make it vegan for customers and sub sugar and canola oil and it still comes out perfect every time. You just HAVE to try this recipe !!!
07/17/2007
This is an awesome recipe! I have a little trick to cut the rising time in half~ if I've just folded clothes and the dryer's still hot, I'll place the covered dough in the dryer & close the dryer door. Of course you don't turn the dryer on, but the heat from it causes it to rise faster.
01/29/2005
I love this recipe, it's easy and it's always a hit! I usually make one or two of the loaves into cinnamon raisin bread. I roll it out, sprinkle a little water on it and then sprinkle about a half cup cinnamon / sugar mixture and lots of raisins on top. I roll it back up tightly and pinch the ends together. I also have put a little more whole wheat flour and less bread flour to make it healthier. It's great to have three loaves, I can give one away and still have two for my family. It freezes nicely too. To help the dough rise even faster, I turn my oven on for about 1 minute and then turn it off and let the dough rise in the oven.
09/25/2005
This bread is absolutely delicious! I scaled the recipe down to one loaf, and it came out perfectly! This was the VERY FIRST time I made bread, so I made a few mistakes: used water that was too hot, so it killed the yeast; overbaked it, so it came out too dry. But when I finally got it right, it was great! I used a little more honey and yeast than called for. One loaf calls for 2/3 package of yeast, and I just used a whole packet. The rising, however, took longer than the 3 hours indicated in the recipe (even when I only used 2/3 packet of yeast). It took me about 5 hours, so don't start this bread too late in the day! Hubby and I usually eat this bread with breakfast: I wrap it in foil to reheat it (it stays soft and moist!), and I spread butter on it. YUMMY! This one's a keeper!
04/06/2005
Superb! This ends my search for the Holy Grail of whole wheat honey breads. Thanks, Nita! I added .25 cup sunflower seeds per loaf, and omitted the butter during baking, though did butter brush the crust. Lovely. (Kitchen Aid speed 2, dough hook, 10 minutes)
05/23/2002
This is a no-fail bread! It has a great texture every time! And it tastes great. I make all three loaves, then once they are cool, I wrap up two of them with aluminum foil, then a ziploc, and throw them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them. This is a delicious bread!
01/19/2011
I've been making my own version of this bread weekly for 3+ years now. I must admit I am always annoyed by "whole wheat" recipes that call for all-purpose or bread flour. I make it 100% whole grain, with 7+ cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour (hard white wheat), 1 cup of old fashioned oats, and 1/4 - 1/3 cup ground flax meal. I add 3-4 Tbsp of vital wheat gluten to help it raise. I use olive oil instead of butter (and don't bother buttering the tops). It's awesome, soft, and delicious. Wonderful whole grain bread for daily eating, sandwiches, etc. Wait til it's cool (or next day) to slice. We use 1 loaf and put the other 2 in the freezer to pull out a few days later. - EDIT - I now add an egg to this. It makes it much less crumbly when cutting and using for sandwiches. I also replace half the honey with plain applesauce.
07/26/2008
One of the nicest wheat breads I've ever made. Soft textured in the middle due to the white bread flour. I used molasses instead of honey and substituted one cup extra whole wheat for one cup white - good thing because I didn't need to use all the wheat flour in the end. I used my KitchenAid to do the entire loaf and luckily, I have the big, beefy model - a lesser model might have a tough time kneading all that dough. I made the full recipe shaping two loaves of bread and the rest I formed a dozen rolls for our dinner tonight. I just snuck one and Yummo! Great recipe, even though I did forget the salt! Oh well, the melted butter had enough in it, I'm guessing. I didn't overmix it in the KitchenAid BTW - one reviewer let it knead in the KA mixer for 15 minutes. That's way too long!! Oh, and don't try speeding up the process for rising by sticking your bread in a hot dryer or oven like I've read. A towel in the oven with the light bulb on is plenty of heat. The long rise lends itself to a lighter texture. Dough is enhanced in a slow rise - don't speed it up as your loaf never turns out quite as nice!
01/16/2009
If your preference is the fluffy balloon bread typical of the mega market this is not the recipe for you. I've tried this recipe twice, both times different, and the resulting bread was tender, moist, chewy with a good closed crumb but not heavy or overly dense. With my first attempt I followed the recipe exactly as written and the bread was delicious. The second time I made a few personal changes. I used only whole wheat flour to which I added vital wheat gluten, 1 Tbl per cup of flour, and 1/4 cup of dry milk. I let the sponge sit for about an hour and reduced the honey to about 1/3 cup total. I used my kitchen aide mixer and after the initial mixing I let the dough knead for 7-8 minutes on 2. All-in-all both ways produced an excellent bread which stands up to sandwiches and toasting very well. A few suggestions; bread has three main ingredients, first is flour-so a good quality flour is imperative, second is water-if you do not drink the water from your tap do not put it in your bread, third is yeast-it must be fresh. Also, yeast can be inactivated by heat and salt so I always test the temperature of my water and temper my sponge with flour before adding salt. Never force the dough to rise as a low slow rise imparts flavor. Lastly, always measure/weigh all ingredients. These are a few tips given to me by a dear friends mother who was a professional baker, in her Chicago bakery, for over 50 years.
12/29/2009
Oh my!!! I've found the mother of all bread recipes. I follow the recipe exactly except that I use 100% fresh ground whole wheat. Mine always takes MUCH LONGER TO RISE. If you only want one loaf: After the first rise, wrap two of the loaves individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag, and freeze. To bake: Take one loaf out of the freezer 24 hours before baking, unwrap, place in greased pan, cover, and place in fridge until next day. Take out and put in a warm place to allow it to rise and then bake!
03/21/2008
This is only the second bread I've ever made. The first one that I made was in a cook book and it turned out horribal, it was extremly dense and hard as a rock! This one turned out great, it was nice and soft but hard enough to cut easily through it. And to help people who bought the yeast in bulk (like me)two .25 ounces of yeast is 1 Tablespoon.
02/27/2010
I followed the recommendation someone else gave for use with the kitchen aid. The first time, my kitchen aid started smoking during the kneading. 10 minutes is probably too long to knead if you have a mixer. Most kitchen-aid recipes only recommend 5-6 minutes. When I kneaded it for only a few minutes in the mixer (until it was a nice ball) and then set it onto the counter for just a few minutes and kneaded until it was elastic, my bread turned out much better. Also- if you are a novice bread maker like me, you'll have to be sure you know how to shape the loafs right. Just plopping it in the pan after dividing in half makes air holes within the loaf. You have to roll out your dough flat (about 10-11 inches long to fit your pan), and then roll it up like you do when making cinnamon rolls. Tuck the ends under a bit, and set into the pan. When I did this the second time, my bread turned out perfectly! This recipe also makes great rolls and artisan-style bread.
06/02/2011
Excellent! Everyone is right on the money, this is a no fail recipe. A few things I want to note however: Whatever you do, do NOT freeze the dough after you punch it down. You'll kill the yeast and it will not rise again (which it should do in the loaf pan before you place it in the oven). It will bake fine, but it will never rise. It will be just as small as it was when you put it in the freezer and will be very dense. Trust me, I know because I did it. When it refused to rise, I then slapped my forehead thinking about killing the yeast. :--: 2. Be sure your loaf pan is well greased. I tore off the bottoms of my first loaves accidentally because my pans were not liberally greased. The next time I did it with plenty and the loaf fell right out. :--: 3. For newbs like me who are doing this by hand... the recipe says to "stir in" flour. Do not panic when you find that very quickly you cannot "stir" any longer. I finally had to resort to sort of kneading the flour in (especially the whole wheat) and to my delight, it still turned out perfect and light. :--: 4. I do not need the extra whole wheat flour for kneading. I knead mine in a bowl (as someone suggested) and doing it that way only requires a small amount of extra flour. I add the 2 c. of whole wheat and then I probably use less than 1/4 c. for kneading and I'm a newb! :--: I'm just so proud of this. I'm done with store bought bread from now on! :) Thanks so much Nita!!!
12/17/2009
Wonderful dough to work with, even cutting it in half. I did it all with my Kitchen Aid mixer, proofing the yeast with the honey and warm water in the mixer bowl and then adding the rest of the wet and then the dry. I didn't need any extra flour to get it to jump on the hook and knead for five minutes. It came together really nicely. And rising? This dough was a champ. Really rose nicely. 30 minutes at 350* was perfect. Good, chewy whole wheat bread. VERY nice.
03/24/2013
This bread is absolutely delicious with a wonderful, slightly sweet flavor! My only change to the ingredients was using Brummel and Brown spread in place of butter. I made it the way I make all my breads -proofed the yeast with 1/2 c warm/hot water & honey & let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy. I combined the salt and most of the flour in my KA mixer & after the 10 minutes, poured in the yeast, remaining water, honey & melted butter. I used my kneading hook & added 1/4 c of flour at a time to the mixing bowl as it mixed, just until the dough cleanly pulled away from the bowl. I kneaded it for 8 minutes, then put it in a large Pam sprayed bowl & covered it with saran wrap. I placed the bowl in the oven which had been preheated to 170 (the lowest my oven goes) and turned off. I left it in the oven until doubled, punched it down, formed 3 loaves & placed it back into the warm oven, uncovered. When the loaves had doubled, I removed them from the oven, preheated it, then placed them back in to bake. I've had issues in the past, with my bread rising, then falling when I uncover it. I never cover it anymore for the 2nd rise. It works great every time and I've never noticed any negative results. Thanks for a great recipe!
01/08/2011
Amazing!! This bread is fabulous! I followed the recipe exactly and it made 3 generous loaves. The rise time was about an hour for each rise session and I put it in the oven with the light on to rise in a warm environment. When kneading, it took about an extra cup of whole wheat flour to make it not real sticky. 20 minutes in my oven was just perfect. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
03/24/2012
PERFECT bread!! I would give this recipe 10 stars if I could!! The taste is amazing, and usually I'm very picky about bread. The texture is perfect, it's very light and fluffy! I followed the amounts in the recipe exactly as the recipe called for, but I had to make one change because my grocery store was sold out of white bread flour - I purchased whole wheat bread flour and used that in place of the 5 cups of white bread flour the recipe called for. So then I substituted normal, white all purpose flour in place of the 3½ cups of whole wheat flour the recipe calls for. Essentially, I just reversed to ratio of whole wheat to white flour, so it worked out to be 70% whole wheat bread. THANK YOU for sharing this recipe; it's so good that it's almost beyond perfect and amazing. Tips to new bread bakers: Knead the dough for close to 10 minutes (until the texture is completely smooth and elastic) and make sure you let it rise completely! To test if the dough has risen enough, take your finger and make an indentation in the dough that's about a half inch deep; if the dough springs back, it's NOT risen enough yet. If you poke your finger in and the indentation stays there, or very slowly comes back out, then your dough is risen enough and will bake beautifully without being dense. If you live in a colder climate like I do, put the dough in your oven (NOT turned on) and turn on your oven light; it creates enough warmth to speed up the rising process without being too hot.
02/09/2011
Very good bread. I changed the ratio down to 24 b/c I didn't want my first try to make 3 loaves (and I don't think my kitchen aid could handle that amount of ingredients). I forgot to change the honey measure as I read the directions but it still came out great and made 2 loaves. I used applesauce instead of butter and my picky husband said it was great. We had toast this morning and used for tuna sandwiches this afternoon. It held up perfectly for the sandwich!
09/18/2008
Excellent recipe, my picky family LOVES it. I did change the honey for 1/3 c of white sugar and 1/3 c of brown. It also freezes well, I quite often make the recipe and shape the loaves, before it rises again I take the dough and pop them into lightly greased freezer bags. When you want a loaf take it out, put it in your pan, let thaw, rise than bake.
06/09/2010
A suggestion for baking a perfect loaf. Bake for one hour at 350 in an oven that has not been pre-heated. The loaf comes out soft and airy in the middle and with a hard thin crust on the outside. Don't add butter to the loaf afterwards and keep the hard crust. Delicious! I first tried to bake it for 30 min at 350 and then took it out but it had a doughy inside (not yet baked). I put it back in but it was too late. Still doughy in the middle after another 10 min of baking. So for the next loaf I tried my old trick of baking it for an hour in an oven that has not been pre-heated and it was perfect!
04/18/2006
This is absolutly the best whole wheat recipe I have made. I did add vital wheat gluten to make a better crumb and make it last longer. 1 T per 1 cup flour. I also used all whole wheat flour. This would be great with sunflower seeds, oatmeal and flax seed in it. I have made this 3 times in 2 weeks, my family loves it. Great recipe.
02/08/2011
made this to the recipe but it just didnt work.
12/16/2009
This is a wonderful Wheat bread. It has become our favorite sandwich bread. This recipe makes 2 really big 9 x 5 loaves. You can add cracked wheat or flax in step 2. Easily halved to make 1 loaf. I often make the full batch then make one loaf and a bunch of sandwich rolls. Thanks for a great recipe. Update: I have started making this using more WW flour and less white flour. Add the WW flour first so it totally hydrates and then mix in the white flour - you might not need all the white flour as the WW flour absorbs more water than white flour does.
02/29/2012
When I make this I make one loaf that is plain wheat, one that is cinnamon raisin, and one that is cherry white chocolate. After dividing the dough for the three loves, I roll out the dough for two of the loaves into rectangles about 7 inches wide and 11 or 12 inches long. I sprinkle one with cinnamon sugar and raisins and the other with shaved white chocolate and dried cherries. I roll each of them, tuck the ends and bake.
02/10/2004
I've made this bread 2-3 times per week for the past 4 weeks and it'just keeps gettin better! I've subbed molasses for half the honey and it's a nice rich flavor. So far, I''ve also added sesame, sunflower, & flax seeds as well as quinoa to total approx 1/2 cup add-ins. My husband can't get enough. I do it in the bread machine and do the last rising in the pans in the microwave, sitting with a pot of steaming water then bake. It's so much I usually make a 1/2 batch to make two loaves. Thank you so much! I'm finally getting my hubby to eat healthy!
04/16/2009
Watch out: if you make this bread and leave it out, entire loaves will disappear because your family or roommates will eat them in less than a day. Fortunately, this is a simple and yummy recipe, so it is easy to make more, and it turns out great every time. I often knead in 1/2 cup each ground flax, cracked wheat kernels, and steel-cut oatmeal (substitute for 1.5 cups of the whole wheat flour) to make a healthy high-protein multigrain loaf.
04/30/2004
I took your method and used whole wheat flour only and it's the best recipe for whole wheat I've found yet. For the person who finds it difficult to knead in whole wheat flour, I think you just need to hang in there - it takes longer to get the gluten up and working. Spectacular bread and makes marvelous rolls: brush with beaten egg white, sprinkle on oatmeal. Both bread and rolls keep well in the freezer, fantastic toast!
04/25/2010
I scaled this down to one loaf (12 servings) and used my bread machine, adding all the wet ingredients first and then the dry. Results were absolutely fantastic. So fantastic in fact, that I may not ever NOT make this bread in the bread machine (my apologies those of us with more sincere artisan bends) - at least not until my young children are older. :) This bread is light and airy with the most wonderfully crunchy crust. Bread machine or by hand - if you want a superb whole wheat recipe, you've found it right here!
04/10/2008
So easy, SO GOOD. Added 3 T. gluten before the sponge, and made two med. size loaves and rolls. Used a mixer and kneaded for eight minutes on 2.
10/11/2009
I wish I could give this recipe more than 5 stars. I have been making it for over a year now and it has never failed me. Anyone who tries it tells me it's the best bread they've ever had and asks for the recipe. I did change the recipe a little...I add ALL wheat flour except one cup white, and I don't add the butter. I forgot the butter once, and neither my husband or I could tell a difference so I've been leaving it out ever since. Good luck and enjoy!
07/01/2014
To start off with, I live at 7000 feet elevation, so baking has been quite difficult for me to master. However, I have refused to give up. This is probably the tenth bread recipe that I have tried, and the first loaf of bread that's come out PERFECT! Usually, my bread comes out too hard, too crumbly, the crust is an ugly bubbly looking thing, and it never browns. But with a couple high altitude tweaks, not a single problem occurred. What I changed: - I preheated my oven at the end of step 2, so the oven was completely hot when I put the loaf in. - I preheated it to 375 instead. - I filled a pie pan half full with water and put in on the bottom rack of my oven during preheating and baking. This was so the bread wouldn't dry out too fast. - In step 2, I started with only using half the whole wheat flour while kneading, and added more to the dough as it got stickier. Once I could turn it 2-3 times without it sticking I stopped. - I cut the baking time down to 20 minutes. - I only baked one loaf at a time (but this is because I only have one bread pan). I really hope my tips will help anyone who is having difficulties baking at high altitude. And needless to say, I will most definitely be baking this again in the near future!
01/03/2006
This is indeed the most delicious bread made! I scaled down to 1 loaf and followed all the same ingredients except that I used vegetable oil instead of butter. I used the whole package (0.25 ounce) of yeast too. However, having experience in baking bread often, I mixed the ingredients as how I am used to. I mixed all the dry ingredients together, then the honey, vegetable oil (substitute for butter)and lastly the warm water (bit by bit). I mixed them well, then knead them on a floured space. It worked just as well, with less the hassle, I feel. The bread turned out perfect. The texture was soft and chewy. Now, I regret that I made only one loaf. I will definitely make this again. Marvelous for sandwiches!!
01/09/2011
Wonderful bread- comes out perfect and delicious. I will make it again for sure!
09/02/2004
This recipe was a really good starting point. I changed the amounts of flours to make it a little healthier. I used 5 cups of whole wheat and added that first. I find it's much easier to knead in bread flour than whole wheat flour. I also added 4 TBSP vital wheat gluten with the whole wheat flour. (You can buy this where the bread machine mixes are sold) It made the crumb much finer than just plain whole wheat would have been. Even with tose "healthier" changes, this bread got definite thumbs ups from my family. I just started my second batch, since the first 3 loaves are gone already! I will try freezing one loaf's worth of dough this time, to thaw and cook at a later date, as suggested by another reviewer. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
10/13/2010
Excellent bread recipe. I grind my own grain and make this with 100% freshly ground whole wheat flour. I add one tablespoon of vital wheat gluten for each cup of flour that I use to help it rise since using all whole wheat flour makes a heavier loaf of bread. Very, very good!!!
10/24/2002
Great bread, and even better AFTER it is frozen! Straight out of the oven, this bread is so moist, it is downright wet. So freeze the other two loaves. Take frozen loaf out of the freezer, thaw, and it is perfectly heavenly. Just right. Enough moisture to be chewy, but not gooey. The advice about mixing in a large tupperware container was great. It is messy to mix, and this made it much easier to clean up.
02/22/2003
this recipe is fantastic. i now make this bread once a week. i also increase the ratio of whole wheat to white flour and it still comes out great. even when i use 100% whole wheat flour it is very good. the initial 30 minute rising also makes it a very easy dough to knead.
12/24/2003
Okay, I'm convinced! It really is a very simple, wonderful bread recipe. I thought it was going to be disastrous, but since I'm stuck inside here on Christmas Eve due to incredible, torrential rain, I thought I'd give it a go....how wonderful it was! Tasty, sweet (but not TOO sweet) and has a fabulous aroma....give it a try, you'll be glad you did. I swapped one of the bread flour cups for another cup of whole wheat.....added fiber and very tasty. Merry Christmas!
12/29/2010
I have been baking bread for over 40 years, and this recipe is by far the best I have ever made. I got a stand mixer for Christmas and this recipe was so easy. Thank you for sharing.
03/10/2010
I've made this bread 4-5 times now, love it. Agree that you should only make two loaves out of it if you want good sandwich-sized bread. Also left off the butter brush on the top this last time, since it kept turning my crusts into this unpleasant pruned-finger skin texture. I don't know what the concern is about the crust hardening, mine is still a beautiful soft golden-brown after three days in saran wrap on the counter (and let's face it, it won't be around much longer).
06/22/2007
Wow! I read all the reviews before trying this. I used only wheat flour and added 5T gluten, no butter in the bread and 1/3 of the salt. Awesome!!! My husband said it rivaled the bliss of eating ice cream, and that is saying a lot for him! Will make SO many more times, love it.
03/20/2004
This is the only whole wheat bread you will ever need. I used 5 cups of wheat flour and 3 cups of white flour. A hint to new bread makers, add the flour one cup at a time, don't just dump the flour in all at once. I made this bread in my Kitchen Aide mixer so there is no need to knead the dough on a flat surface by hand. This bread is really good........
01/23/2008
I scaled this recipe to "12" servings and baked it in my bread machine. It made exactly 12 good sized slices [we use an electric slicer], an equivalent of 1.5 pound bread. It is delicious. Thank you.
04/06/2009
This recipe bakes off for a fine wheat bread but it is titled Whole Wheat Bread. It is not a whole wheat bread! Whole wheat bread is made from 100% whole wheat flour. This should be titled Wheat Bread.
12/05/2003
Great bread recipe. I changed it a bit... instead of three cups of water, I added 2 cups of water and 1 cup of scalded milk that had been cooled. I just really like the taste of milk and honey. I also added a bit more salt and used rapid rise yeast and added some wheat germ to the top for some crunch. Very delicious!
11/24/2014
I've been making this bread for about 3 months now. I have experimented with a lot of different ways. The biggest thing I think could make the recipe not turn out well is the first step. I did it that way the first time, but my dough never got fluffy. Now I mix the yeast, water, and 1/3 cup honey and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then stir in the 5 cups flour. Then follow the rest of the recipe.
08/09/2000
this was the simplest wheat bread i've ever made. only one thing wrong with it. the ingredients should have said 2/3 cup of honey. that was a little miss leading if you'd only had enough for a 1/3 cup
11/25/2009
This is an amazing recipe. As followed, you get fluffy, wonderful loaves. This bread rises quite a bit in the oven, so don't fret if it rises to just barely above the pan in the 2nd rise. I usually make two loaves and a batch of dinner rolls (which I freeze before the last rise). We've experimented with this recipe quite a bit and it is super resilient. I just made rye bread with it by subbing rye flour for the whole wheat and molasses for the honey. Turned out great! I've also varied the ratio of bread flour to whole grain flour, and it rises perfectly every time!
02/07/2012
I make bread by large batches (6-8 loaves at a time) regularly and have experimented unsuccessfully to make good ww bread, not just good white bread. I added a little more honey than the recipe said (eyeballed it), used ww bread flour and used 5 cups of that and about 3 of white bread flour, and added 2 heaping TBSP of vital wheat gluten, but otherwise didn't change anything else. My bread came out very soft and moist. It's a more dense bread, but not heavy or crumbly and makes for excellent sandwiches. Use good and as fresh of flour as possible and let it rise! Let it rise until doubled, punch it down, let it rise again, then degas, let it rest 10 mins or so, then shape, rise again, and finally bake. The more time you take the better it will taste. Also, make sure to do the window pane test to make sure the gluten is well developed to ensure the right texture (while kneading, stretch a section thin; if it can get very transparently thin without ripping, it's ready. Also the dough will get nice and smooth looking). This will be my go-to recipe to base off of for ww bread. It would probably even make nice white bread or rolls.
09/14/2014
Very good starter recipe. But I ended up using less whole wheat flour then called for. If you leave the dough more sticky it will produce a softer, fluffier bread. Also it will be more moist. Thanks from Brazil
07/30/2012
A wonderful bread; however, another reviewer says that she froze the dough after the first rise, then thawed, let it rise for the final time and baked. This did NOT work for me. The thawed dough never did rise, so I had to discard it. A better option is to go ahead and bake all three loaves and then freeze the bread. The bread freezes and thaws nicely.
12/12/2003
I had never made "real" bread before, but was attracted to this recipe because it's been called a very forgiving recipe. I followed it exactly and it was the most delicious bread I've ever had in my life. I am definitely hooked. Thanks Nita for giving us this recipe!
07/28/2009
I am a first time bread maker. I made two large loaves instead of the three smaller ones. I followed the recipe but did do what one other person did and replace one of the 1/3 Cup honey with molasses and put in about 1/3 cup ground flaxseed. I used the 5 cups of bread flour and all in all, probably added about 3 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour. My loaves are beautiful looking but the bread seems dense to me. When you are kneading the bread, which I did by hand, (I have no machine) it pulled away from the board and did not stick to it and when I divided the dough after the first rise it was very "elastic-ie." I had to twist the two pieces apart to make into loaves. Maybe the bread isn't too dense - I have never made bread before so I am not sure. The taste is wonderful, however, my main concern is the density/texture. OK tried this again and this time loaves came out like bricks. Followed exact recipe. To me, this is NOT a fool proof recipe and I am moving on to another.
04/18/2011
Great bread recipe! I have made it twice now, and I think it is a keeper! The only thing I have changed, is I use 100% hard white wheat that I grind myself. Since it is a lighter wheat, I have been able to use 100% and it is not too heavy. I also used 4 tablespoons of gluten as recommended by one of the review on here if you are using all wheat. The only negative thing I have to say is, it is a little too much dough for my kitchen aid mixer, but I like the fact that it make 3 loves at a time, that is enough bread to last us all week. We have even eaten this bread a week later and it was not dry and still good, this really surprised me.
10/28/2012
Best, softest bread recipe I've ever tried. I only made two loaves because my pans are bigger than hers, but it is still amazing. The whole family adored it. Perfect for sandwiches, toast, anything. Note that she says *bread* flour; if you don't have bread flour, sift your all-purpose flour before using.
05/20/2006
I was looking for a fast and easy recipe for whole wheat bread. I came across this one and gave it a try. I added some flax seeds, sunflower seeds and some oatmeal and just baked two loaves and they turned out really nice. I used my KitchenAid too which helped.
04/22/2011
good bread, tasted kind of like something they would serve at a restaurant maybe? I will definately make this again. It didnt turn out perfect but I think that was just because it was my first time making bread. made one loaf into cinnamon raisin bread by after punching it back down rolling it out sprinkling with water enough to make a thin film of paste across it but not enough to run or drip and then rubbed on brown sugar I made a solid layer but I definitely will use more next time- too much will probably be just enough! You couldnt see the swirl or really taste it... just looked like random rasin bread!(just sprinkled a generous amount of raisins on top of sugar then folded longer side over just a little then tightly rolled from left to right tucking edges under positioned loaf) but still good just the same! Easy wonderful recipe! couldn't stop eating it!
04/24/2002
The greatest bread. Has anyone tried to use a bread maker to do this? I would love to see the process/results for that.
01/03/2011
This bread is fabulous! I did cut the recipe by one-third so I could make just one loaf. I accidentally goofed and added 2 tbsp of oil instead of the 1 tbsp melted butter (completely misread the recipe!), but it still turned out great. I also mixed and kneaded the dough in my bread machine, which worked really well. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
10/16/2010
Awesome!! Delicious & easy. Got great results. This is now my base recipe for my husband's lunch-box! I added sesame and sunflower seeds. I also ommited the butter & used 6 T. ground flax seeds with 2 T water added (basic oil repacement ratio with flax). It is wonderful. Also, followed the advice of another review and used only 2 bread pans. Perfect sandwich size loaves. Thank-you for sharing this great recipe! Now if only we could get more non bread machine recipes on this site!! ;)
01/02/2012
Not a simple recipe. I cooked my loaves for 40 minutes and they still weren't done, so I ended up feeding the birds outside with it. The second step was very confusing. My bread was not very sticky so I didn't add that much more flour, and then they didn't rise as much as they should have.
09/17/2011
GREAT sandwich bread! Don't make a full recipe if you don't have a HUGE mixing bowl. To really get that yeast doing its job, mix half the water, all of the yeast, and the first round of "sugar," pre-heat oven to WARM for 20 SECONDS (then turn oven off), pop the liquid in the oven for roughly 10 minutes...the mixture should have doubled at this point. Done this way, it shouldn't matter if your water isn't warm enough. Add the yeast mixture into the flour and then combine with the rest of the warm water. I use the pre-heat to WARM for 20 SECONDS technique every time I do a rise...this ensures a good rising environment every time, no matter what the weather is like. If you are freezing the dough at all, be sure to give it LOTS of rise time upon taking out of the freezer. It typically won't do much rising until it's room temp. Then, do the pre-heat trick. Patience tends to be the one ingredient that most people attempting to bake bread lack! Also, this is a very soft, sticky dough; you really don't need to add too much extra flour beyond what the recipe lists. I've done this using 100% whole wheat flour and it still turns out great...soft, fluffy, delicious bread, perfect for making samiches!
12/13/2003
I only made one loaf, and I doctored the recipe a bit. I added 3 T of flaxseed and about 2 t brown sugar (in addition to the honey). I also added about a T gluten. The loaf turned out great, with a not-too-dense crumb. I wish I had let it rise three times instead of two, because I think it could have been even less dense. I really like the taste though, and the recipe is indeed easy.
06/27/2010
Let me say first that I am a complete novice baker. No, beyond that, I'm a baking idiot. I have never made bread before, but I wanted to try in an effort to save some grocery money and reduce the amount of preservatives and other assorted one finds in store-bought bread in my diet. But I know nothing of the yeasty mysteries of bread making. Which is why I know that this bread's failure to rise was all my fault. I am giving this recipe 5 stars because even though mine came out flat and dense, it tastes like heaven. The first two rising times went just fine, but when I put it in the pan to let it rise the third time, it rose only so far and then sort of deflated. Are there any experienced bakers who might know where I went wrong? Again, the flavor of this bread is amazing, and we are certainly going to eat it. And I will try, try again!
03/28/2011
This is a great whole wheat recipe. I love my bread jam-packed full of nutty flavors so I do adjust it to have half of the honey, have never added butter, and I add any seeds/oats that I have around. I always find that it helps to add the first 4 ingredients and let them set covered with a damp towel for a half hour before continuing on because it allows the breads proteins to connect to form a strong elasticity before adding all of the seeds that will block those connections in the later rise. I make this bread at least once a week.
10/07/2004
This is the first recipe I ever felt the need to review. I used 4 cups of whole wheat and 1 cup white to start, then added the other white flour later. This was soooo moist and yummy. The three loaves were made into one braided loaf, a dozen little bread balls (that I covered with garlic salt before baking) and one loaf bread that I put basil, salt, pepper, minced onions and garlic on before baking to make an "everything" loaf. It all tastes great! Thanks.
10/10/2009
I have made this bread a few times now and It comes out great each time, the people that complain about it being two dense may have some of the following issues: your yeast is old, you dont use bread flour or you are over/underproofing your dough. I have figured out that bread is an art as well as a science and this bread, along with all the others takes patience. The part when you mix in the rest of the flour is where I have found most of my trouble, the perfect consistency comes and goes in an instant, for the beginnners add 1/4 cup of flour at a time, be sure to add less flour towards the end so you dont incorperate too much flour making the loaf too dry. even when my bread came out funny they still tasted great and went to good use for something else!
02/22/2011
This is THE best wheat bread ever! Not at all difficult and its very good for slicing for sandwiches, toast etc. The problem with many loaves is they dont slice well, but this does! My family loves it and I have made it many times!
02/17/2011
Fantastic baseline wheat recipe and now it's shared in my bread classes as a great whole wheat recipe. I even invert the flour amounts and add 4T wheat gluten for variety. Yes you can use less honey and it still comes out great. The honey helps with pliability and resistance to mold. This loaf can keep a full week on the shelf in a bag. If your loaves don't rise on the second time look at the temperature and the yeast. It can take a couple to 3 hours to rise a loaf if the bread and room are cold. If too hot it will kill the yeast before it develops the gas bubbles in the dough and you get a rock. Development of crust too early in the raise can have the same effect.
03/21/2011
My family loves this bread. I did substitute 1 cup of milk for 1 cup of the water. This made it like Milk and Honey bread, which my hubby loves! this is the recipe I'll be baking from now on.
04/23/2005
This bread is of the perfect moisture and taste! I cut the recipe to 2/3 to make two loaves, and instead of brushing top with butter, I sprinkled some oatmeals. The crust came out perfectly.
03/06/2004
Sooooo good! I love the texture and flavor of this bread. I only made a few changes. Instead of honey I use 1/2 cup of sugar (because I'm a poor college student) and I substitute applesauce for all of the butter. The applesauce mades the bread more moist and also healthier. Last, I use 5 cups of wheat flour and 3 cups of white because I like more wheat in my bread. Overall, a very, very good bread recipe.
04/20/2005
Prior to making this bread I had tried many other whole wheat breads from this site but always kept with the Whole Wheat Honey Bread recipe. This recipe has changed my mind! The Honey Wheat Bread is still a favorite, but this one is far more simple in ingredients and gives me 3 loaves!! I use all whole wheat flour and add 1T of wheat gluten per cup of flour.
06/15/2011
This recipe was easy and delicious. I used only about 1/2 the honey and skipped the butter topping, and we didn't miss it at all. Since this was a test run, I made exactly half the recipe. In order to test the versatility of the recipe, I used most of the dough for a loaf of bread, and the remainder I made into one dinner roll and 3 hamburger buns. All were great. Be sure to grease the pans liberally. I sprayed one pan liberally and one lightly. The rolls baked on the lightly sprayed surface were difficult to remove and were damaged in the process. But the loaf, in the liberally-sprayed pan, came out neatly after I ran a knife around the end of the loaf. This worked well as a sandwich bread. Suprisingly, it did not toast well, possibly due to the moisture that makes it a good sandwich bread. It will be interesting to see if the drier leftovers will toast better and/or make good croutons, although there are plenty of other breads for that.
02/17/2010
YES!!! Finally a honey wheat bread recipe I love! Remember to knock on the top to check for doneness: it's done when the knock sounds hollow. Also, you can just rub the butter stick on the top of warm bread instead of melting it ahead of time.
04/12/2011
I have never written a review before nor have I ever made bread. This is why I felt compelled to write a review. This bread is fool-proof! I wasn't sure how long to knead or wait for it to rise and it all just worked out. I ended up kneading for about 7-8 minutes and I let it rise the first time for about an hour and a half and then after separating into pans (I froze one) I let it rise for another two hours. It probably could've been done much faster but we had a busy afternoon. I also added 1 cup of oats. Fantastic bread- my kids (5 and 6) loved it! I will make this again and again and probably never buy sandwich bread again.
02/26/2011
How can you call this 'whole wheat' when more than half of the flour is white flour??? We tried the recipe with all wheat flour, and it turned out great! My mom loved it because the gluten developed quickly, which required less kneading. It wasn't QUITE as yummy as I was hoping, so I may try some more bread recipes on this site to find my favorite. This bread makes great sandwich bread - the loaf stays together well when cutting. It also makes great toast! :)
04/20/2009
I divided the recipe in half (18 servings) and made a 2 lb loaf in my bread machine. The bread turned out delicious! My husband and my 3 yr old twins loved it! I will definitely make again!
01/29/2008
WOW! this bread is AWESOME! I've made it twice before, but didn't try any until now...I don't like wheat bread but this is GREAT! I used two pans instead of 3 for sandwich-sized bread, hubby's request, and baked for 35-40 minutes...came out perfect...I also discovered that when kneading the 2-4 cups of wheat flour into the dough, 2.5 works best for me...hope that helps someone...I will be making this again...probably in a few days the way I'm eating it!
02/24/2004
This is an easy recipe. I make two big loaves out of this. Just be sure to put the first part in a really big bowl!
12/13/2012
Absolutely wonderful! Thanks for such a great recipe!!
09/17/2010
This bread is amazing! It was my first attempt at homemade bread and it turned out wonderfully! It's also very forgiving, as I had a sick toddler and had to leave the dough at several points. I will definitely be making this again!
10/06/2010
oh my another fave bread...i couldn't believe how much it rose...it is very soft and airy and just perfect for sandwiches...i will forsure make this again and recommend it as well...the only different thing i did was 1/2 the recipe and make it in my bread machine...the results were great...(see photo)...thanks for sharing the recipe...
07/25/2002
Really delicious bread - great texture and not too heavy. Thank you!
01/04/2011
Just delicious! I halved the recipe and used my Wilton long loaf pan. I made the dough in my bread machine with no special directions like the recipe listed. Just put it all in there and let 'er rip. Made a perfect loaf in the long pan. Will make again!
09/10/2010
Great bread. I've never made bread before, but this turned out perfect. I added about a 1/2 cup of oats with the wheat flour, and it is very hearty.
03/15/2006
I was really excited to make this based on all the glowing reviews. I had to slightly tweak things as I only had enough yeast, etc. for one loaf. Maybe my measurements were a little off, but I can't think it would have mattered THIS much. The bread was REALLY dense and left a strange aftertaste. Husband, who's been begging me to make bread for weeks, only ate a slice. Said it tasted like there was something missing . . . ended up throwing half the loaf away. We'll keep looking, but appreciate the attempt (and my apartment smelled delightful, which makes it worth trying in itself ;)).
09/11/2011
Wish I could add to the 5-star rating, but I can't. While the flavor was fine the second rising wasn't. It wouldn't rise any higher after the punch-down than 1/2 an inch and certainly didn't rise any higher in the oven. I tried twice. Moving on.
07/29/2010
our YFriends will ALL ask for this recipe...NOTE for freezing/thawing. Freeze after the first rise and punch down. I freeze in separate containers/bags in 3 equal "ball" forms. Thaw in fridge for 24 hours. When ready, allow the dough time to come to room temp. and actually start rising a bit. Gently press out air, shape into rectangle, roll up, pinch sides and seam and then place into greased pan. I have found this the be the best way to use the frozen dough. MAKE SURE TO ALOT THE EXTRA TIME to come to room temp...dont make the mistake I did by taking out at 9pm thinking to have fresh am bread...I was up till after 1:00am!!! Ha..was excellent though. I also have added the brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins before rolling up. Magnificent!!
06/18/2002
Best whole wheat bread I've had. Nice sweet taste to it. If you've made bread from scratch before this is about the same technique, gets easier everytime.
02/16/2010
Wonderful tasty bread- when making it I thought it was a bit too much honey because I don't like sweet bread, but it tasted great. It also had just the right amount of salt. I even used all purpose flour instead of the bread flour and it still turned out perfect.
06/20/2008
I made this bread for the first time today, and I am pretty pleased with the results. I followed the recipe almost completely; the only changes I made were adding 4 T. powdered gluten like one reviewer suggested, and I also brushed the tops of each loaf with some egg wash and then sprinkled them with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seed. This recipe was easy to follow and makes an excellent textured sandwich bread. I may play around with the ingredients a bit next time, adding molasses in place of some of the honey, and maybe a bit more wheat flour and less bread flour, simply because I like a heartier wheat bread. Overall, I am very impressed with the tuexture of this bread, because unlike some homemade ones I've made, it is light and chewy. Great recipe!
01/18/2003
I was out of honey so I subbed brown sugar and it worked fine. I only got two big loaves and a few rolls out of the recipe. But I found my family's new sandwich bread! This bread stays fresh and fluffy on the countertop and has a really good flavor. It's also deceptively filling for its overall lightness. Thank you!
12/07/2003
I am definitely an amateur but this recipe turned out great! I altered the recipe a little--I added a little dough enhancer and some gluten and I only used 2 cups of white flour (the rest was wheat). The bread was light yet solid and oh so delicious.
08/30/2003
This is a great recipe! I used it with whole wheat flour and also with a 6-grain flour - both came out GREAT! Thanks, Nita, for sharing an excellent recipe!
01/02/2011
Just finished baking and WOW, oh my! Perfect texture, flavor - just plain PERFECT loaves. Only had about 1/4 c. of honey on hand, so added about 3 Tbsp. brown sugar at step 2 instead of the additional honey. Otherwise followed recipe exactly, except realized afterward that I added only 3 c. whole wheat flour to the mixing bowl. I worked in at least 1/2 cup w/w flour during kneading though, so the end result was right regardless. Note: This made two loaves in 9x5 pans, not three (followed other reviewers' advice). Thank you for sharing this 5++ star bread recipe!! Already looking forward to making it again. :)
01/25/2009
I'm giving this bread 5 stars because I can tell it has the potential to be wonderful. The texture was awesome, I've just never made bread before so I had 1 problem with it. Could use some advice if anyone has any....The bread had an INCREDIBLY harsh alcoholic scent and flavor. Since I'm new at making bread, I was wondering if anyone has a simple answer to what causes this. Here's what I did...I cut the recipe in half so I used only 1 packet of yeast. I ran out of honey so I used only half honey and then a little bit of molasses. The water may have been a little too cool when I dissolved the yeast in it. I let it rise, punched it down, then let it do the rest of the rising over night in the fridge (as a dough ball). I pulled it out, let it warm up so it could rise again in the loaf pans. It took a couple of hours to warm up and rise. Then I cooked it for 25 min each, I put one loaf in the oven at a time. When it was finished I brushed butter over the top and immediately removed it from the pan to cool. My husband still liked and ate it, but the aftertaste was a little too harsh for me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to the site so if there's a way to email me, feel free! Thanks :)
09/09/2010
Wow! So delicious! I added 6 Tbl. of vital wheat gluten and substituted 2 cups of white flour with 2 cups of dry 6 grain cereal. It turned out perfectly, and my family ate 1 1/2 loaves during dinner tonight. Yum!
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6773/simple-whole-wheat-bread/
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