Whole Wheat Bread

The best Whole Wheat Bread recipe is made with whole grains, sweetened with honey, and extra moist from the addition of Greek yogurt. It’s healthy, soft, and absolutely delicious!!

I’m not shy about my love for homemade breads, and some of my other favorites include perfect White Bread, Artisan No Knead Bread, and Oatmeal Bread.

The smell of freshly baked bread will always bring me back to my mom’s kitchen as a kid. I don’t know if there’s anything more delicious than a slice right from the oven, with Homemade Raspberry or Strawberry Jam.

This recipe makes two loaves, perfect for giving one away or freezing for another day. Enjoy it plain, with butter or jam, in sandwiches, or toast. You can use leftover, stale bread in lots of ways; more about this, below.

Whole Wheat Bread, is some of the healthiest bread to choose because it’s made from whole grains. When a grain of flour is “milled” it is put through a refining process where the grain is striped apart, removing nutrients and resulting in “white” flour. When the grain is left whole, it still contains the bran, germ, and endosperm, and is rich in vitamins and minerals; particularly FIBER!

The biggest struggle people have when making whole wheat bread is that it’s dense. Not here my friends! This recipe makes the BEST soft and fluffy whole wheat bread!

About the Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Flour: I recommend White Whole Wheat Flour (it has the same nutrients of hard/red whole wheat, with lighter taste and texture). I prefer Bob’s Red Mill or Gold Medal brands. You could also use all-purpose flour, or bread flour with this recipe, but you may need a little less or more than is called for. Just pay attention to the texture of the dough; make sure it pulls away from the sides of the bowl, is smooth and elastic, and soft, but not overly sticky.
• Vital Wheat Gluten: can be found in the baking aisle at the grocery store. Since whole wheat flour is a low-protein flour, the gluten helps to enhance the elasticity and give structure and softness to the bread. I think it’s essential in making really good whole wheat bread. If you use other types of flour for this recipe (non-wheat flour), then you can leave out the added gluten.
• Yeast: Make sure you are using fresh yeast, or the bread will not rise properly. Instant yeast or active dry yeast will work.
• Honey: To feed the yeast, tenderize the bread, and I love the flavor the honey adds to whole wheat bread. You could substitute agave or granulated sugar.
• Salt: add flavor.
• Butter: Unsalted or salted butter will work. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt added to the recipe, by a pinch.
• Plain Greek Yogurt: I add just a little, to give even more moisture to the bread. You could substitute sour cream.

How to Make Whole Wheat Bread:

In a Stand Mixer of Mixing bowl: Add 4.5 cups wheat flour and yeast to the bowl and stir to combine. Add warm water and mix. Cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Add: 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, but still slightly sticky when touched.

Shape: Spray bread pans* with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pans with parchment or wax paper. Spray your clean counter and hands with cooking spray. Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it into two equal pieces. Press each portion into a rectangle about 9 inches on the long side. Roll them into logs and place in prepared pans.

Rise: Spray plastic wrap with non-stick cook spray and gently cover the pans. Allow the bread to 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 your 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. Remove bread onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Storage and Freezing Instructions:

Store leftover bread in a bread bag on the countertop for up to 3 days, or in the fridge.

To Freeze: Place cooled bread in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, allow to come to room temperature on the countertop (about 3 hours).

Pro Tips:

Stand Mixer vs Kneading by Hand: A stand mixer takes the muscle work out of kneading bread (I always use my Bosch mixer for making bread) but you can make this bread by hand! Mix the ingredients in a mixing bowl, then once the dough begins to come together, scoop it onto a greased or floured countertop and knead it with your hands for 10 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic.

Best Loaf Pans for Baking Bread: My favorite are these 8.5×4.5 inch bread loaf pans to make a taller, fuller loaf, but a 9×5 inch loaf pan will also work great.

Bread Machine: You can cut this recipe in half, and bake the bread in a bread machine.

Uses for Leftover Bread:

Homemade bread will dry out after 2-3 days, but I have many recipes to use stale bread including:

• Baked French Toast Casserole
• Bread Pudding
• Classic French Toast
• Bread Crumbs – Allow the bread to dry out completely, then pulse it into crumbs using a food processor or blender.
• Dried Bread Cubes for Stuffing
• Overnight Egg Breakfast Casserole

*I originally shared this recipe February 2015. Updated February 2019 and January 2022.

*Recipe adapted from Bosch.

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