It is no secret that I’ve been working to perfect a honey 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 a homemade bread recipe 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 baking bread machine recipes. 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!
Honey Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread (for bread machine)
Be sure to check your bread machine's instructions for how ingredients should be layered. This recipe goes by my machine's (the Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker) preference which is dry ingredients first, then wet ingredients on top.
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups whole-wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups water, warm (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or melted butter
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 packet, or bread machine yeast
Instructions
Layer the dry ingredients into the bread pan, according to manufacturer's instructions (check the user manual for this).
Make a well and place the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients. My particular bread machine has a separate area for yeast; please consult your bread machine's instruction manual for yeast placement as this is very important!
Select the whole wheat option on your bread machine and press start. My machine takes 5 hours to make a whole wheat sandwich loaf.
Recipe Notes
This recipe has been around for awhile, and I've read many comments about adapting it to bake in the oven. If you still want to use your bread machine, though, you can select the dough cycle to get the dough just right, then transfer to a bread pan and bake the bread in the oven.
Taco Salad
I hand make bread at least twice a week and it is the easiest recipe ever:
OVERNIGHT BREAD
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. active yeast
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Mix all the dry ingredients together and add the water. Stir well with a wooden spoon until all flour is Incorporated. Cover with a towel and leave overnight. DO NOT KNEAD!
Put a sprinkle of corn meal in the bottom of a loaf pan and dump all the dough in, using a rubber spatula. It will probaly look gloopy and wet…this is normal! Bake at 450 degrees for 40 minutes. I bake for 20 minutes, rotate and bake for another 20 minutes. I also put the oven on broil for an additional 5 minutes for a nice brown crust on top. Let cool completely on a rack once done and enjoy. Easy peasy.
Do you leave this in the fridge or on the counter overnight?
Hi Sherry – I leave it out on the kitchen counter overnight.
Do you grease the pan or use parchment or anything? I’m trying this. No way am I gonna buy a bread maker. If this doesn’t work I am going to try oat and wheat sandwich bread from smitten kitchen
Hi Sarah – I have a silicone loaf pan so I don’t grease it, just sprinkle some cornmeal at the bottom. It is a very sticky dough so I think if you are using a regular loaf pan, a light greasing would help it to pop out after cooking. Good luck and I hope the bread turns out good for you!
Is the cornmeal vital? This sounds like a great easy bread recipe…just wondering if I can make it now or if I need to make a trip to the market first. :)
Not at all vital…I just found it makes it easier to get it out at the end. Use a light coating of oil on your pan and you should be good to go!
What size loaf pan?
Mine is kind of small, the 4 cup one. I think the bread would also work well in the 6 cup loaf pan as well. Good luck!
Has anyone made this at high altitude? I made it in my bread machine yesterday and the flavor is great but it’s super dense. Any suggestions? Maybe less yeast?
Hi. I think this might help: https://www.thespruce.com/how-do-i-adjust-bread-machine-recipes-for-high-altitude-908823.
I live at 7200 feet.
I added a tablespoon of water and I also let the flour soak in the water for an additional half hour outside of the time my bread machine does for whole wheat bread. It’s much more moist than other whole wheat recipes I have tried.
I followed the directions exactly. Any idea why it sunk in at the top? It did rise, it was so pretty, then fell when cooking. The bottom two thirds of it is very dense, but tastes pretty good. What did I do wrong?
Hi. This might be helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/bread-machine-basics.html.
Hi
What size loaf is it for the bread machine? Maybe I missed it.
Thanks
Hi there. This makes a two pound loaf.
So a 9×5 loaf pan or larger?
This is Lisa’s machine: https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-SD-YD250-Automatic-Bread-Dispenser/dp/B00005QFL0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=100drf-recipe-20&ie=UTF8&qid=1486405724&sr=8-1&keywords=Panasonic+SD-YD250+Automatic+Bread+Maker&linkCode=sl1&linkId=9cbdffa211ede72307b3752e82e6f844
And it actually specifies a 2.5 lb loaf.
Let me start by saying I love the recipes! I tried this bread and it was great ! The only thing i did different put a put a cake pan of simmering water (that I warmed on the stove) and turned my oven into a proofing oven which helped it rise really well. Had to bake it in the oven because I don’t have a bread machine. ;)
Hi! Can anyone help me solve a bread problem? I bought this exact same bread maker specifically because of the rave reviews and because I wanted to make this recipe on a weekly basis. However, every time I make it it turns into a giant brick loaf. I put the yeast in the yeast dispenser, use fresh ground hard white wheat, and put the dry ingredients into the bread pan first. The water is also not too hot or too cold, I put the breadmaker on Whole Wheat XL loaf which runs for five hours. (The bread maker makes a perfect 100% white loaf, so I know it’s not broken but I’m trying to make a whole wheat loaf.) If anyone has any tips, or has had this problem, I would love some help!