Here’s a fantastic, simple recipe for your collection: easy homemade whole wheat bread. If you’ve never made bread before, no fear: this recipe is called “easy” for good reason!

This recipe, believe it or not, is just a slight adaptation of my Easy French Bread recipe. I had originally posted this recipe (back before I knew that blogging should be actually helpful, haha) with just the link to my other one and the notes on what small changes to make, since the process of making it is exactly the same (with a few added instructions/ingredients).

For your convenience, however, I’ve decided to share the recipe here with its pictures; and one day, when I have time, I’d love to photograph the steps of this specific variation for you to follow even more easily. 

I’ve found this to be a great bread to have on hand for full days when finding time to make food is difficult. Having bread in the kitchen is just helpful for quick breakfasts, easy lunches, and dinner extras; so, making large batches of this has been a good move on my part! (Especially since apple butter has been known to come pouring out of my kitchen in extra large quantities at certain times of year, and there’s nothing like homemade bread to make apple butter shine.)

In this post:

1. Making bread from scratch
2. How to know if your yeast is alive
3. Making your own whole wheat bread
4. What is the purpose of letting bread rise?
5. Recipe variations and substitutions
6. Ways to serve this bread
7. ​Some great toppings
8. Can you freeze whole wheat bread?
9. How long does this bread last?
10. You will need
11. If you like this recipe, you may also like

Making bread from scratch

If you’ve never made bread from scratch, this is a perfect beginner recipe. Make sure to check out my Easy French Bread recipe for pictures of the step-by-step process if you’ve never seen it done before. Being a visual learner, I know how important those can be!

Making bread can seem intimidating, but I promise: it’s really not. It’s the kind of thing that just takes a bit off determination and experience, and before long, you’ll be making it as a part of your regular routine.

How to know if your yeast is alive

To make bread with dry active yeast, it’s a really good idea to proof the yeast before adding it to your bread mixture. The reason for this is that yeast can die if it gets too old, and assuming that your yeast is still good is how many batches of bread have been made that won’t rise (ie, they end up being super dense and not great to eat). 

Here’s how to test-proof your yeast to make sure it’s still alive: Put the yeast in a separate cup or container from your bread ingredients with a little bit of warm water and about a teaspoon of sugar (1/2 cup water per 2 Tbsp yeast), and stir it to dissolve. Allow this to sit for 10 minutes. 

Sugar will “feed” the yeast, and warm water provides the perfect environment for yeast to proof more quickly. That said, after about 10 minutes, your yeast should have bubbled up in the glass (doubled) if it is healthy and ready to use for bread. Now you can add it to the rest of your bread ingredients and proceed with the recipe!

Making your own whole wheat bread

Again, the best way to get a visual for making bread (if you have never made it before) is to check out my Easy French Bread recipe (a basic white bread recipe) to see the step-by-step pictures of the whole process (including proofing the yeast, as I just described above). 

The rest of the process works, pretty much, as follows. (Make sure to check out the recipe card below for specific ingredients and instructions!)

​Proof the yeast

Mix the active dry yeast with warm water and a bit of sugar and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. This will test if your yeast is still living or not. 

If the yeast is dead, you will need to get a new batch of yeast and start again. Make sure your yeast is rising well before adding it to your bread recipe.

Mix up the dough

Combine all of the bread ingredients in a large bowl or in a stand mixer. Mix or knead by hand until the mixture forms a smooth, soft, elastic dough (about 10 minutes).

I make this recipe with a few cups of whole wheat flour and the rest all purpose flour; this allows the bread to have a nutty, whole wheat flavor from the wheat flour with the airy texture that comes from using white flour.

Tip: If your dough seems too sticky to knead by hand, rub it all over with some oil, turn a bowl upside down over it, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Uncover the dough, and resume kneading; it should be much smoother and easier to work with after a little rest! This will help prevent adding too much flour. 

First rise

Once the dough ingredients have been properly combined and kneaded into the right texture, it is time for the dough to rise. Set the dough into a large mixing bowl lightly greased with oil, cover it with plastic wrap, a plastic bag, or a damp tea towel, and allow it to rest for 1 hour in a warm place (or at an average room temperature). The dough should double or triple it’s volume during this time. 

​Shape the bread

To shape the bread, you first need to punch the dough down to remove excess air. Scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl onto a clean work surface, divide the dough into loaves, and shape them into smooth loaves. At this point, if you want the look of it, you can dust your loaves in white flour, and then set your shaped loaves into a greased bread pan (loaf pan) –or pans, as the case may be– or onto a cookie sheet to let the dough rise a second time.

Second rise

Cover the bread with a clean tea towel, and allow the bread dough to rise a second time (about 45 minutes). I like to let my bread rise for about 35 minutes, then heat the oven to allow it to pre-heat while the bread finishes rising for another 10 minutes.

Finishing the crust

Once the bread has risen and is ready to bake, you can finish the crust. If you have decided to roll or dust the loaves in white flour, you’ve already finished your crust (for more of an artisan bread finish); however, there are several other ways you can finish your crust for different results as well.

#1 – Glossy finish

To get that golden brown, shiny crust: brush the risen bread loaves with egg wash (or beaten egg). 

​#2 – Dull/shiny finish

For a dull, shiny finish and soft crust, brush the loaves with melted butter before baking.

#3 – Crusty bread

To get more of a crusty loaf, you can consider baking your bread in a dutch oven (heated in the oven for 10 minutes) or brushing it with water before baking.

#4 – Seeded bread

For a gorgeous seeded bread, brush your loaves with egg wash or water and then sprinkle them generously with your favorite seeds, oats, or seed mixture.

Bake

Bake your whole-wheat bread loaves in a hot oven for about 45 minutes or until they are golden brown and “sound” hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

What is the purpose of letting bread rise?

The process of allowing bread to rise is necessary to develop flavor and to introduce air bubbles into the dough so that it becomes soft and fluffy. The old-world style of letting bread rise would be through the process of making sourdough bread (which is by far my favorite way to make bread). 

In the modern western world, most bread recipes are made with commercial or instant yeast (as in this recipe), which speeds up the process and makes the whole thing a little less fussy.

(Sourdough bread has its own personality, that’s for sure! This bread is a little more dependable.)

Recipe variations and substitutions 

This is a perfect bread recipe to use as a base for just anything you want to make. You can make it sweeter, make it softer, add raisins, or just about anything else. Here are a few easy ways to adjust this recipe:

Water

If you want, you can add up to 1 cup (to the water in this recipe) of pumpkin puree, cooked oatmeal, or leftover mashed potatoes! Just make sure to add a little extra white flour at the end, kneading the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.

To give your bread a much softer texture, try using 1/2 milk for the water in this recipe.

Flour

Try adding 1-2 cups of flour (1 cup per loaf) of an additional type of flour to make this bread multigrain. Just make sure to add less white flour to make up the difference! You can also add oats, spelt, or seeds for some extra texture and flavor (again, just making sure to reduce the white flour as necessary).

To make your bread softer, try using a little less flour. It’s ok if the dough is more sticky!

Sugar

Sugar can easily be omitted entirely from this recipe, or if you want, you can substitute it for honey or maple syrup easily.

If you want to make a sweeter loaf, try doubling the amount of sugar recommended in this recipe, or using honey in that amount, to make the dough sweet.

Fat

Any type of fat can be used to make this recipe. Butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, lard, vegetable oil– you name it! These loaves of bread come together well with just about any type of fat that you have.

Ways to serve this bread

This bread, like all homemade breads, is best fresh from the oven, slathered in butter! You can serve it as a side to any meal or use it for french toast, bread pudding, toast, garlic bread, or you-name-it. Any way that you like to serve and eat your bread, this recipe should do the trick.

This is also a great recipe to gift for a friend! There’s nothing like homemade bread, am I right?

Side note, during the holidays, this bread diced into cubes make the BEST stuffing!

Some great toppings for this whole wheat bread:

• Apple Butter (Sweet, Tart, Cranberry, or Pumpkin)
• Strawberry Marmalade
• Peach Raspberry Jam
• Butter
• Peanut butter
• Honey butter
• Avocado with olive oil and salt

Can you freeze whole wheat bread?

Yes! In fact, I almost always make large batches of bread and then freeze all but one loaf at a time.

Store your bread in a freezer safe bag, and thaw it in the unopened bag until it is soft again. In a pinch, you can defrost your bread in the microwave, but beware: it never takes as long as they say, so you’ll want to pull it out before the microwave tells you to do so.

How long does this bread last?

This bread will last for a couple of days at room temperature before it begins to get stale. To prevent your bread from going bad (if you don’t eat it quickly), you can slice the bread and freeze it (after you’ve enjoyed some fresh, of course), and then pull it out of the freezer bit by bit as you need it.

You will need: 

• Ingredients (see recipe card)
• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Glass measuring pitcher
• Large stirring spoon
• Sharp knife
• Pastry brush
• Baking trays or bread pans
• Cooking spray or parchment paper

Print

Easy Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

This is a spin off of my Easy French Bread recipe, for Easy Whole Wheat Loaves! Perfectly fluffy and delicious.

Course Breakfast, Dinner, lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Canadian

Keyword bread, homemade bread, whole wheat bread

Prep Time 3 hours

Servings 2 loaves

Author Naomi

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. lukewarm water
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. dry active yeast (or 1 pkg.)
• 2 c. lukewarm water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 2+ cups all-purpose flour* approx. *see recipe notes
• 1 egg mixed with 1 tsp. cold water to glaze

Instructions

1. In a large drinking glass or measuring pitcher, combine the 1/2 c. lukewarm water with 1/2 tsp. sugar and dry active yeast. Stir to combine and let this rest about 10 minutes, till risen and bubbly.
2. Note: Careful not to use hot water! If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and you’ll have to start again. Allowing the yeast to rise in the cup, separate from the rest of the ingredients, is to test the yeast and make sure it’s rising well. This prevents wasting your other ingredients, should you have to start again.

3. While the yeast is rising, combine the rest of the water, salt, sugar, and oil in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixture. Add the risen yeast mixture and the 3 cups of whole wheat flour. Stir to combine. If you’re mixing the bread by hand, continue adding flour in small amounts until the mixture is difficult to combine by stirring.

4. Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a work surface generously dusted with flour and knead, adding flour, until the mixture forms a smooth soft dough. If using an electric mixer, add flour in small amounts, and scrape the dough off of the sides of the bowl often. When the dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl on its own, it should be ready– The consistency should be stiff, spongy, and slightly sticky. If you’ve never made bread before, I recommend kneading it by hand until you learn, by experience, what the consistency should feel like.
5. Turn the dough into a greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic. Let this rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

6. Grease your hands with a little oil, punch the dough down, and divide into 2 sections. Roll the dough into loaf shapes, folding the dough and pinching it underneath to make it smooth, and then rolling it in a bit of extra flour just to lightly cover the surface. Using a sharp knife (I like to use a serrated knife), score the dough with a sharp knife (however you like it – in this recipe I did one long slit down the middle) about 1/4″ deep. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for 35 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Let the loaves rise 10 minutes more.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool on wire racks.

Recipe Notes

1. For a crusty loaf, brush the loaves with water before baking.
2. For a shiny surface, brush the loaves with egg glaze instead of rolling them in flour.

   The Perfect Amount of Flour: If you have a kitchen scale, this recipe is perfect with 900-920g of flour.

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

• Easy French Bread
• Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze
• Montreal Style Bagels
• Easy No-Knead White Sourdough Bread

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Let me know what you think in the comments; I’d love to hear how you made yours, how it turned out, and what toppings you opted to use! You can also tag me in your photos on Instagram @naomicakesofficial; I always love to see your beautiful work!

Back soon,

–Naomi

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