Easy Whole Wheat Bread

Here’s the BEST whole wheat bread recipe! This homemade sandwich bread is quick and easy to make: no special equipment needed.

Want to make bread at home? Here’s our very best whole wheat bread! This one is perfect for sandwiches and toast, made with your own two hands and no store-bought preservatives! It’s so easy to make: with no special equipment needed. All you need is a loaf pan and a passion for homemade bread. Your kitchen will smell incredible…and you’ll never need to buy bread again! This one is Alex and my go-to for weekly toast and sandwiches (and our son Larson loves it). We hope it becomes a favorite in your house, too!

How to make whole wheat bread: an overview!

Here’s the basic outline of what you’re getting yourself into with whole wheat bread. The process takes 2 ½ to 3 hours total, then 1.5 hours to cool the bread. This is pretty short for bread (our sourdough bread takes 2.5 days!) Even so, it’s a project you’ll probably want to save for days off of work like weekends. Here are the basic steps:

Mix & knead the dough	15 minutes active time
Proof 1	40 to 60 minutes, hands off
Shape	10 minutes active time
Proof 2	40 to 50 minutes, hands off
Bake	30 minutes, hands off
Cool	90 minutes, hands off

Ingredients in whole wheat bread

This homemade whole wheat bread is full of flavor and hearty ingredients! Like most whole wheat bread recipes, it also has all purpose flour. Why? Using a little all purpose flour gives the texture and fluffy lift you expect. What’s the ratio in this recipe? This bread recipe uses about 2/3 whole wheat flour. It’s got 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour. It’s also got some oats and optional seeds on top for contrasting texture. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• Whole wheat flour and all purpose flour
• Oats
• Butter
• Milk
• Maple syrup
• Yeast
• Poppy seeds and sunflower seeds (optional)

Equipment list

This whole wheat bread is so easy to make: it requires no special equipment at all! You’ll probably have the pan you need. There are two optional ingredients that make the recipe easier, but aren’t required. Here’s what you’ll need:

1. 8 or 9-inch loaf pan
2. Kitchen scale (optional) for measuring the ingredients by weight*
3. Instant read thermometer (optional) for measuring the internal temperature**

*Weighing out ingredients is the most accurate way to measure flour. Its volume varies based on the environment! But for this homemade bread recipe, exact precision is not as important as something like sourdough. So you can get away with cup measures!

**Reading the bread’s internal temperature is the best way to determine whether the bread is fully baked. But you can get away with baking without it! Just judge whether the top is nicely golden brown.

How to proof bread

What is proofing? Proofing is letting the bread dough rest so that the yeast makes it rise. This creates the desired fluffy texture of the whole wheat bread (also called the crumb). To proof the bread, you’ll simply place the dough ball in a bowl and cover it with a towel. Then you can proof it using either of the following temperatures:

• Proofing setting in oven or warm place: For best results, the proofing temperature should be between 80°F and 90°F. Many ovens have a proofing setting you can use for this step.
• Room temperature: You can also proof this bread at room temperature! The proofing temperature for sourdough bread is more important since it’s a little more touchy. Luckily, this whole wheat bread bread can be proofed at either temperature.

Tips on storing homemade whole wheat bread

Homemade whole wheat bread doesn’t have preservatives like the store-bought variety, so storing the bread is a little different! There are a few different easy ways to store this bread:

• Room temperature: Store the bread at room temperature wrapped in plastic for 2 to 3 days.
• Refrigerator: Store refrigerated wrapped in plastic for up to 1 week (we don’t recommend this with artisan bread, but it works here!).
• Freeze: Slice the bread into pieces, wrap in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipes to use whole wheat bread!

This whole wheat bread is so delicious! You’ll love it straight from the oven, or stored to make sandwiches throughout the week. It’s especially good with:

• Toast: Spread with almond butter or cashew butter and a drizzle of honey, or make avocado toast.
• Sandwiches: Use it for PB&J (with homemade peanut butter!) or any of our Best Vegetarian Sandwiches.
• Grilled Cheese: Try it in our Grilled Cheese with Tomato or Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

This whole wheat bread recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan, go to Vegan Bread.

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More bread recipes

Here are some favorite homemade bread recipes:

• Easy Homemade Bread Here’s our classic sandwich loaf, with a little more white flour than whole wheat. Or, try the Whole Wheat Bread version!
• Artisan Bread This authentic artisan bread has just the right crispy crust, soft interior, and robust flavor: and it’s faster & easier than sourdough.
• Vegan Banana Bread This deliciously moist vegan banana bread will become a favorite in no time! It’s easy to make and has just the right banana flavor.
• Best Homemade Cornbread Meet your new go-to recipe. This tender, moist homemade cornbread is easy to make and tastes like box mix, but 100 times tastier.