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–+ servings
Whole Wheat Bread

Whole Wheat Bread

This Whole Wheat Bread is soft yet hearty and full of flavor, easily topped with your favorite spreads.
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Prep Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 38 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Servings 1 loaf
Calories 150 kcal

Equipment

  • stand mixer
  • Large Glass Mixing Bowl
  • Wooden spoon
  • silicone spatula
  • 9×5-inch Loaf Pan
  • Rolling pin
  • Pastry brush
  • instant read thermometer
  • wire cooling rack

Ingredients
  

Sponge

  • 1 cup water warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
  • ⅓ cup whole milk warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
  • 2 and ¼ teaspoons active dry or instant yeast (1 standard packet)
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)

Dough

  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 and ⅓ cups whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
  • 1 and ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 1 beaten egg white optional oat topping
  • 1 Tablespoon whole oats optional topping

Instructions
 

Prepare the Sponge

  • In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the water, whole milk, and yeast together. Add the flour and stir until a thick batter forms. Cover and allow to double in size at room temperature for 60–90 minutes.

Make the Dough

  • Add the remaining dough ingredients including honey, butter, lemon juice, remaining flour, and salt. Mix until dough comes together and pulls away from sides.
  • If dough is too wet, beat in more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until workable.

Knead the Dough

  • Knead the dough for 8–10 minutes until soft and slightly tacky.

First Rise

  • Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it, turning to coat. Cover and allow to rise for 1.5–2 hours or until double in size.

Shape the Dough

  • Punch down the dough and roll it into a rectangle. Roll it into an 8-inch log and place in a greased loaf pan.

Second Rise

  • Cover the shaped loaf and allow to rise until about 1 inch above the pan, about 45–60 minutes.

Bake

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Bake for 36–40 minutes until golden brown.
  • Tent with foil if top browns too quickly. Check with an instant-read thermometer to ensure center reads 195–200°F.

Cool

  • Allow to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Store

  • Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

For freezing and overnight instructions, refer to the recipe notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1loafCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 220mgPotassium: 230mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
Keyword baking, healthy recipes, homemade bread, sandwich bread, whole wheat bread, yeast bread
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