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It is no secret that I’ve been working to perfect a whole-wheat sandwich bread recipe for months now. I was not only looking for a recipe that was reliable and tasted good of course, but that also didn’t contain any “unusual” ingredients like dried milk powder or wheat gluten. We absolutely LOVE the honey whole-wheat loaf from Great Harvest, and if they can make it with only five simple ingredients (freshly ground whole-wheat flour, water, honey, salt & yeast) then I should be able to do it too!
So after months of experimenting I am thrilled to finally have something to share. And while this recipe comes out just right 9 times out of 10 I’ve learned that things can’t always be “perfect” when it comes to making bread in your bread machine. If you aren’t weighing your ingredients and instead just measuring them out like me, and if you live in a place where the humidity might change from time to time…well then, expect some occasional surprises with the outcome of your bread. I have learned one valuable trick though (from a blog reader!), and that is to check on the bread once or twice during the kneading process to make sure the dough looks “right.” I’ve caught mine looking too wet and sticky a couple times so I’ve added a few sprinkles of flour to get things back on track before the baking started. That’s exactly why the picture loaf looks a little “floury.”
I also want to share that this particular recipe makes a loaf that is on the larger side, which I like because then I don’t have to replenish our bread supply every two days. This loaf also comes out with a lighter crust due to its big size and that is a plus in my book as well. If you have any good bread making tips or recipes that you’d like to share please do so in the comments below!
- 4 ¼ cups whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or melted butter)
- 1 packet or 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
- Follow your bread machine’s directions for making a whole-wheat sandwich loaf. For me that means putting in the dry ingredients first with the wet ingredients on top. I have the Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker and it takes the machine five hours to make this loaf.
In other news: Check out my syndicated newspaper column, which ran in papers across the country on Monday including the Miami Herald “Eating ‘real food’ in a processed food world.” If you like it please click “like” by the title. Thanks for your support!
I really love that this recipe has so few ingredients! My loaf came out really well – dense, but that’s pretty typical of whole wheat! I have to say, it tastes amazing with real butter. Yum!
Making it again today!
Can you make this without a bread machine? if so how long does it take?
Hi Heather. Many readers have made this loaf by hand and baked it at 350 but for varying times. Here is another recipe that you might want to try: http://deliciouslyorganic.net/everyday-whole-wheat-bread/. Good luck. ~Amy
I’m new to your site and LOVING it. Thanks so much for the effort you put into it.
I just got a bread machine for mother’s day and am super excited to try it out. The recipe book that came with my machine says, “because whole wheat flour is lower in gluten it is recommended you add 1 Tbsp of Vital Gluten (found in most health food stores) to every 3 cups of whole wheat flour.” Do you know if this is true / necessary?
thanks!
Shannon
Hi Shannon. Wheat gluten is typically added for fluffiness and elasticity for whole grain recipes that otherwise may make a more dense loaf. However, gluten is not something we add. Lisa typically uses a lighter 100% white whole wheat flour in her bread baking. White whole wheat is still 100% whole wheat but a lighter variety of the grain. Her is a link to King Arthur’s Flour: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-white-whole-wheat-flour-5-lb. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Does anyone know how to make without a bread machine? I would love to make homemade bread that is simple and healthy! Thanks
Hello Laura. As mentioned above, “Many readers have made this loaf by hand and baked it at 350 but for varying times. Here is another recipe that you might want to try: http://deliciouslyorganic.net/everyday-whole-wheat-bread/.” Give it a try. ~Amy
Hi, I was wondering about bread flour. I have started buying organic whole wheat bread flour at Earth Fare from the bulk bins. I was wondering what the difference is between bread flour and regular whole wheat flour and is it ok to use. It works a lot better when baking bread in my bread machine. Thanks for your help!!
What size loaf does this make? 1lb, 1.5lb, 2lb? B/c my bread machine settings are based on loaf size. Thanks!
Hi Stephanie. I’d say it is a 1.5 +. It makes a good size loaf. ~Amy
This bread came out fantastic! I adapted the recipe for vital wheat gluten as suggested by another reader, and used 3 cups ww and 1.5 cups white bread flour. The loaf is soft and sweet, and perfect texture! I made it in my 2.5 lb capacity bread machine, thinking I would get a much smaller loaf than I did. I completely filled the machine. The loaf was so big I had to cut in in 1/2 before slicing. Next time I’ll either cut the recipe in 1/2 or divide the dough into 2 bread pans for baking. Anyway, kudos on this winning recipe!
Absolutely, just mix by hand. It is more of a workout! The stand mixer just gets the dough to come together quicker.
How long to you let the bread rise and do you rise once or twice
Hi Mandy. You should let it rise twice and it’s generally about 30 minutes each time. Jill