The best Whole Wheat Bread recipe is light, soft, and fluffy! Made with 100% whole wheat flour and sweetened with honey, this bread vanishes instantly, it’s so good!
Making Whole Wheat Bread is easier thank you think.
Making Whole Wheat Bread is easier thank you think.This is my mom’s wheat bread recipe we’ve been making for decades and anyone can make it; it’s that easy!
I love that it only requires 1 rise (not 2, like our white bread recipe). Also, whole grain wheat bread is healthier because whole wheat flour has more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
What really sets our wheat bread recipe apart is it’s extra soft and moist from the vital wheat gluten and Greek yogurt, which can be hard to achieve with wheat bread! I also love that this recipe makes 2 loaves so you can freeze the second, or gift it to a friend. Food gifts are the best gifts, after all :-).
For true greatness, serve each slice with a little butter and strawberry jam or raspberry jam. It also makes great wheat bread for sandwiches!
Check out all of my bread recipes like White Bread, Artisan Bread, Oatmeal Bread, Protein Banana Bread, or these easy English Muffins!
How to make Whole Wheat Bread:
Spray bread loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.
Make Dough: In a mixing bowl or a stand mixer, stir 4.5 cups wheat flour and yeast, then add warm water and mix. Cover bowl and rest for 15 minutes. Stir in vital wheat gluten, salt, melted butter, honey, and greek yogurt and mix well. Add 1 ½ cups of flour and mix well. Add a little more flour at a time as needed, until the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
Knead: Use a stand mixer and knead dough for 5 minutes (or by hand for 10 minutes). The dough should be smooth and elastic and not overly sticky.
Shape: Divide dough into two equal pieces and form into oval loaves and place in prepared loaf pans. (I like to press each dough ball flat into a rectangle and roll it into a tight log).
Rise: Cover dough with a lightweight kitchen towel and allow to rise for about an hour, or until it has risen above the tops of the pans. *See recipe card notes for quick rise trick.
Bake: Place both bread pans on the middle rack of your cold oven. Turn oven to 350°F and let the bread bake in there for 30-38 minutes, until the tops are golden.
Serve: Remove bread from oven and run the end of a stick of cold butter over the top of the hot bread. Invert from pan and cool on wire rack. Slice homemade whole wheat bread and enjoy with chia seed jam, or in a sandwich.
Store leftover bread in a bread bag on the countertop for up to 3 days, or in the fridge. The bread also freezes well for up to 3 months, in an air-tight freezer safe bag.
Uses for Stale leftover Bread:
Whole wheat bread may start to dry out after 2-3 days, but don’t toss it! Use it for:
- Breadcrumbs: Let the bread dry out completely then pulse into crumbs using a food processor or blender.
- French Toast or French Toast Casserole
- Bread Pudding
- Thanksgiving Stuffing
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Recipe
Whole Wheat Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (Optional)
Ingredients
- 6-7 cups white whole wheat flour*
- 2 3/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons warm water
- 1 1/4 Tablespoons instant yeast* , or active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten*
- 1 Tablespoon salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt , or sour cream
Instructions
- To a Mixing Bowl or Stand Mixer: Add 4.5 cups wheat flour and yeast and stir to combine. Add warm water and mix.
- Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Add vital wheat gluten, salt, melted butter, honey, Greek yogurt and mix well.
- Knead: Add 1 ½ cups of flour and mix. Mix well and watch the dough; it should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If needed, add more flour, a little at a time, until it does. Knead the dough with your stand mixer for 5 minutes (or by hand for 10 minutes). The dough should be smooth and elastic.
- Prepare Pans: Spray bread pans with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pans with parchment.
- Shape: Turn dough out onto a lightly greased or floured countertop and divide it into two equal pieces. Press each portion into a rectangle about 9 inches long and then roll tightly into a log. Place in prepared pans.
- Rise: Cover with a lightweight kitchen towel and rise for about an hour, or until the dough is rounded over the tops of the pans. *See notes for quick rise trick.
- Bake: Place both bread pans on the middle rack of a cold oven. Turn the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 30-38 minutes, until the tops are golden.
- Remove from oven and smooth a stick of cold butter over the tops of the hot bread. Invert bread onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store leftover bread in a bread bag on the countertop for up to 3 days, or in the fridge. See notes, for freezing instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe February 2015. Updated February 2019 and January 2022 and January 2025.
Recipe adapted from Bosch.
This post contains affiliate links.
I’ve tried a number of whole wheat bread recipes lately and this one is definitely one of the best! The dough was easy to work with and the bread was very tasty. I added dates and dried cherries as my husband likes fruit in his bread. I am planning on keeping this as a “go to” recipe. Thank you!
I only have one bread pan right now. Can I freeze the other half before final rising for later use? Or does it have to be made immediately? I’m somewhat new to baking bread and I’m still learning all the rules and tricks.
Yes, that would be fine.
From what I’ve read, the recipe for the bread making seems like I would try it. Also, it’s not complicated, and I will definitely try it.
Thanks a bunch.
Nice recipe resource, I just signed up. I’ve been baking bread for over 35 years and am always on the lookout for new ideas. In perusing your Honey Whole Wheat recipe I noticed you appear to be using a Bosch Concept 7 for kneading your dough. If so, congratulations you own the best kneading device EVER for home use. I’ve been using mine for about 20 years and it’s still going strong. Too bad Bosch discontinued it.
My daughter tried making this and it turned out poorly. We had to add a huge amount of extra flour so that it wasn’t incredibly sticky. I decided to give it one more try. I thought maybe she didn’t add hot enough water to the flour and yeast. So I was careful about this. I still found that to get the dough to kneeding consistency we had to add a total of 8 cups rather than the 6-7 suggested. Otherwise I followed the directions exactly. It was much better but still not as light as I would have wished. A little heavy – had to drink water when eating. Can anyone tell me why you don’t need to proof the yeast in this recipe but you do in the white bread?
Kristen,
“Instant” active dry yeast has been produced with small enough granule size that it doesn’t need to be proofed. With “Active” dry yeast it’s a toss up. The granule size is larger and I personally would proof it. If the label says “Rapid Rise”, run the other way. Please understand that the longer the rise time the more the flavor your dough will develop due to the enzymes developing natural sugars in your dough. Rapid rise defeats that purpose.
As to adding extra flour, there are many factors that effect the hydration level of your dough. The predominant one being the moisture level or dryness of your flour. In short, whenever trying a new recipe plan on correcting the hydration by either adding flour if adding water as necessary. Keep careful track of your corrections so you can edit your recipe accordingly.
i searched the internet for a while in hopes for a good honey wheat bread recipe. This recipe really out did my expectations
i didn’t t have yogurt so i used buttermilk and it still turned out absolutely amazing !!!! We (my husband and I) have eaten
almost half the first loaf already. Thank very much!!! I will keep this as my go to honey wheat bread recipe .
P.S.
Looking for a pumpernickel bread recipe to hint hint lol
Can I substitute anything for the honey to reduce calories?
I have never made whole wheat bread before and my first time it turned out great!! It was delicious and perfect for sandwiches too.
Can’t see recipe for whole wheat
Simply Amazing!!! I have tried SO many whole wheat bread recipes trying to find one where it wasn’t dry the next day and wasn’t so dense. This was it! My whole family was really impressed with the bread and said it was the best they have every had! I feel like I can give them something healthy without it tasting like cardboard. This recipe went into my keeper book. Thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂