This 100% Whole Wheat Bread will have you guessing if it’s actually ALL wheat. It’s soft, satiny and has a slight sweetness. It slices up nicely for sandwiches or toast. It’s the only wheat bread recipe you’ll ever need!
This recipe is near and dear to my heart. This is the first bread I started selling when I began my baking business in 2010. Whole Wheat bread was my specialty and as my business picked up, I’d spend all night long baking hundreds of these super fluffy, yummy loaves of bread!
Every baker needs a good wheat bread recipe as their go-to. This is THAT recipe! Because of the ingredients we’re using, this bread won’t have a heavy, bitter wheat flavor like some whole wheat recipes can have. We’re using 100% wheat flour, but you’ll see that anyone you share it with, won’t believe that it’s ALL wheat!
Are you new to bread making?
If you are new to bread making and are looking for some help getting started, my Whole Wheat Bread Class would be really beneficial for you! You can go HERE to find out more about how to take this virtual class. My classes are pre-recorded and show you the process from start to finish – which you can do on your own schedule! I explain lots of the why’s and how’s behind this recipe. I also provide links to find my favorite ingredients to get the best results when making this recipe!
If you’re a visual learner, this class will help you so much in successfully making homemade bread! I will show you how the dough should be looking at every stage and how to shape beautiful loaves!
If you’d like to take more than one class, get the biggest bang for your buck and join my Baking Academy! You’ll have access to ALL of my classes! Go HERE to find out how!
My number one tip for this recipe…
- Using freshly ground wheat makes this bread extra delicious! It really does make a difference! Whenever you can mill your own flour, you’re getting ALL of the nutrients from the entire grain – mega health benefits! Freshly ground wheat flour also makes your baked goods taste so much better!!
Bread making is definitely a labor of love, but it’s worth the time! To make your baking experience the best it can be, there are a couple of pieces of equipment that will make your life much easier AND will help you to get better results!
Click HERE to get my most favorite flour mill!
If you want a reliable, quality flour mill, I recommend this Nutrimill Classic Mill. I’ve have mine for years and love it! It’s the only one I’ve used or needed. This electric flour mill has a 20-cup capacity and can grind large amounts of wheat flour in just minutes – saving you time!
Find my short video about HOW TO mill your own flour HERE.
This recipe is designed for a larger mixer. If you have an Ankarsrum or Bosch Universal Plus, this recipe will work perfectly! If you have a smaller mixer like a KitchenAid, be sure to half this recipe. Don’t overload your mixer!
Homemade Bread is worth it!
- I grew up with my Mom making homemade bread for our family. There’s just something so warm and comforting about it! Making bread from scratch can be such an enjoyable experience. I learned through lots of practice and trial and error. But one thing is for certain, when you keep at it, the hard work pays off! As you practice more and more, you’ll get a feel for the process and it will become a ritual you love. Your family will be especially thankful for your hard work!
More Recipes to try
- The Best Homemade White Sandwich Bread
- Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Easy Overnight Focaccia
- French Bread
Links for ingredients
Here are a few links for ingredients I use in the recipe. Again, my WHOLE WHEAT CLASS provides lots of helpful links for ingredients and equipment, including a step by step video. If you’re needing extra help, it’s a great resource!
Click on the words in bold for the link.
- Wheat Berries – Any of these options would be great! Wheat Montana Prairie Gold Hard White Wheat. Central Milling Hard White Wheat. Central Milling Hard Red Wheat. Azure Standard. White Wheat will have a lighter flavor and appearance than Red Wheat. Some find red wheat to have a more bitter wheat flavor, but it’s a personal preference. I prefer the lighter, slightly sweet flavor of white wheat.
- Wheat Flour – Central Milling Organic Hard White Whole Wheat. King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour.
- Dry Lecithin Granules. Find them HERE on Amazon.
- Vital Wheat Gluten – I’ve been able to find it at my local Winco. I also like the Honeyville brand HERE. Another source for vital wheat gluten is Amazon. You can find some HERE.
- Nonfat powdered milk is readily available in most grocery stores. For a reference, you can find the brand I have used HERE. I have also used the Walmart brand HERE.
Find more bread making help through my virtual baking classes
- Want helpful links for ingredients and a step by step video tutorial on how to make bread from start to finish? Get my WHOLE WHEAT CLASS to get my personal help in making the best bread ever – my pre recorded video will take you through the entire recipe from start to finish!!
- Get access to my entire class library for one low price! Join my BAKING ACADEMY!!
(This post contains affiliate links – I make a small commission from links you purchase from.)
Follow & Share
- Follow me on Instagram @thatbreadlady and tag me whenever you make one of my favorite recipes! I love sharing what you’re making for your family!
- Follow me on Pinterest! @ThatBreadLadyHT . I love sharing with other creators!
Whole Wheat Bread
This 100% Whole Wheat Bread will have you seriously guessing if it’s actually all wheat. It’s soft, satiny and has a slight sweetness. It slices up nicely for sandwiches or toast. It’s the only wheat bread recipe you’ll ever need!
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: six 8” loaves 1x
Ingredients
- 6 cups (1416 g/ml or 50 ounces) lukewarm water (110°F)
- 1/2 cup (56g) nonfat powdered milk
- 1/2 cup (72g) vital wheat gluten
- 1/3 cup (39g) dry lecithin granules
- 4 Tablespoons instant yeast
- 3/4 cup (160g) olive oil
- 1 cup (340g) honey
- 3 (54g) Tablespoons salt
- 14–16 cups wheat flour* (one cup weighs 113g)
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (for brushing on tops of baked loaves)
Instructions
*If you are milling your own wheat flour, grind it at least 2 hours before using. It needs time to cool down and settle a bit. I prefer to use Hard White Wheat – it has a sweeter and softer texture than red wheats.
- In a large measuring cup, measure the lukewarm water. To this bowl, add the powdered milk, vital wheat gluten, lecithin granules and yeast. Whisk them together with the water to help them get dissolved. Pour into the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Add the honey, oil and 8 cups (904g) of wheat flour. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds until incorporated. It should resemble pancake batter. Allow it to sit and sponge up until doubled in size. This will take about 15-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it – it can easily spill over the sides of the bowl.
- After the mixture has doubled in size, add the salt and mix on low as you start adding an additional 6 cups (678g) of the remaining flour, one cup at a time. As you near the end of the remaining flour, look for the dough to clean the sides of the bowl. Once it is cleaning the sides of the bowl, stop the mixer and touch the dough with your finger. It should feel soft and tacky, but not overly wet or sticky. If it is excessively wet and sticky, add more flour, one half a cup at a time. Each batch is different…sometimes you’ll use all the flour and other times you’ll have some leftover. Just go by how the dough looks and feels.
- Once you have enough flour in your dough, knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
- Turn dough onto floured surface and let rest for 10 minutes, allowing the gluten to relax. Divide the dough and shape into loaves. Places loaves in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. A bread pan that is 4×8″ will hold a loaf that is about 21-23 ounces. This recipe will make about 6, 23-ounce loaves.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake loaves for 30-35 minutes. Tops should be golden brown.
- After removing from oven, brush the tops of the loaves with vegetable shortening. This will give the crust a pretty sheen and it make it softer.
- Allow the loaves to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack. Allow the loaves to cool completely before slicing – they are still baking internally right after they come out of the oven.
- Store in heavy bread bags – they will stay fresh for 5-7 days. This bread freezes well!
Notes
(Recipe updated January 2022: the grams for the vital wheat gluten were previously incorrect and are now the correct weight)
- This is a large batch of dough. It is perfect to use in a Bosch Universal Plus mixer. If you have a smaller mixer, be sure to half this recipe so that you don’t overload your mixer.
- Avoid keeping your bread in the refrigerator. It will dry it out.
- Since it has fresher ingredients, homemade bread has a shorter shelf life – this is a good thing! I like to freeze loaves that I have pre-sliced and pull them out as needed.
- Using freshly ground wheat flour gives this bread the best flavor and nutrients!
[…] Whole Wheat Bread […]
[…] Whole Wheat Bread […]
Hello, I recently found your whole wheat bread recipe and have made it several times. I love it. One question: the vital wheat gluten measurement seems off compared to the gram weight you have in parentheses. I always weigh all the ingredients and have noticed that the vital wheat gluten weighed at 144g is more like 1 cup rather than the 1/2 cup. So I’m wondering which is correct for this recipe? Do you use 1/2 cup or is it closer to 1 cup?
Thanks,
Sharon
Hi Sharon! Thank you so much for catching that! Yes, you are correct! The grams for the vital wheat gluten should be 72g, which is 1/2 cup. I apologize and have updated the recipe card. Thank you for being here! I hope you are enjoying yummy wheat bread!
Can the lecithin granules be left out? (Only because I don’t have any and couldn’t find them at my grocery store). I’ll keep looking I am impatient and want to make this bread. 😁
Hi Stacy. I get my lecithin granules from Amazon. If you’re unable to find lecithin granules, yes you can go ahead without them. You may have a slightly less fluffy and soft texture. The taste will be a little bit different but not dramatically.
I found liquid lecithin. Can that be substituted? If not I’ll order from Amazon. Thank you!
Hi Stacy, liquid lecithin doesn’t quite work the same here. It would be better to either leave it out or grab the granules from Amazon. I’m excited for you to enjoy this bread!
I can’t find a Preparation Tab on this page to get to the Amazon link for the granules. I am wondering what brand lecithin granules you use. Could you let me know?
Hi Sharon. So sorry! I didn’t see this comment sooner! I use the Fern brand. Click HERE for the Amazon link. Hope this helps for your next bake!
[…] favorite thing to give our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week is delicious homemade bread and fresh fruit jam. I always dress it up with a cute ribbon and […]
Hi! which wheat do ou prefer to use? hard white, hard red or soft wheat??
I prefer hard white wheat for this recipe. It has a milder, slightly sweet flavor.
Soft wheat is not best for bread. Good for pastries cakes and some cookies. Some people use it for pasta too.
Hi what brand of lecithin granules do you use? I can’t find a reference or link on you page.
Hi Sharon,
I just updated the post to include sources for some of these ingredients. I hope this helps. I know some ingredients are difficult to find, so I tried to include options. My Whole Wheat Class also has a more extensive list of resources for ingredients and equipment. Let me know how it turns out!
Thank you so much!
Where do you get your wheat from to grind your wheat flour – in the Mesa or Phoenix valley specifically??
Hi Jana,
I ordered my wheat grinder from Nutrimill. I have a link on my homepage under “Shop my kitchen”. I get my wheat berries from the Honeyville Grains warehouse in Chandler. They are a wholesale only location but sometimes sell to the public if you call ahead. I buy the hard white spring berries. You can also purchase from them online.
Jana I have an Etsy shop that caters to those not wanting to buy bulk at very competitive prices. Desert Moon Grains. I can’t wait to try the Bread Lady French Bread recipe. Just received the French bread baking sheets from the link she posted with that recipe using good ole bread flour.
Hi! I made your whole wheat recipe today for the first time. After I pulled my bread out of the oven and while they were cooling in the pan, all the loaves sunk. What did I do wrong?
Hi Heidi!
Ahhh that can be so frustrating. A couple things may be the cause. Sometimes when bread over proofs (rises too long), it can lose structure – causing it to sink or collapse after baking. Another possible issue might be the loaf formation. Try shaping the loaf a little tighter and guide it with the heals of your hands along the counter to allow it to seal and come together really well. I hope this helps! Keep on baking – you’ll get better and better!
Can I use Active dry yeast instead of instant?
Yes! Just proof it first to make sure it’s good (add it to the water and wait a few minutes for it to bubble up – then you know it’s good).
[…] Whole Wheat Bread […]
Egg yolk contains a lot of lecithin. Which I would prefer to use since it is unprocessed. I understand I would decrease the water a little but unsure how many eggs to use instead of the lecithin. Any suggestions. I guess I could do the math and figure out how many grams of lecithin is in the recipe (not the weight but rather the amount and then figure how much is in one egg). Might just use dough enhancer instead. Thanks!!
Hi Robin. I’ve never replaced lecithin granules with egg yolk, but it’s worth a try. You’re on the right track with decreasing the water…but you’d need to do some testing to know how much. Let me know how it turns out. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks. I went with dough enhancer I have on hand. It would take more egg yolk than I have for this size batch. Lol. Maybe next time I will do a smaller batch and try it. I watched a baker on YouTube who did a test using lecithin in one loaf none in the other and egg yolk in the third. The egg has better rise and spring and a better crumb. Interesting test with surprising different outcomes than expected by the baker. All other ingredients were the same.
Also forgot to ask why you recommend leaving in the loaf pan for 10 minutes after bake is complete prior to removing from the pan. Just curious what the purpose. Thanks again for great recipes and ideas.
I made this recipe today and it turned out great. I have been using the Bosch for several years and have not bought store bread since. Also grind my own wheat. The only changes I made was I added one cup 6 grain mix and ended up using a few more cups flour was way too hydrated but with the addition came out perfect. Also Heather you may want to double check your weights. I believe the water in grams is off (light). 6 cups of water is 1400 grams. Also I think Olive oil might be best using ounces. Everyone uses different olive oil and weight may vary. Olive oil is 5.7 oz. Which is approx 162 grams. I also used dough enhancer in place of the lecithin since I have it on hand. I used convection bake and the crumb and crust are perfect. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it Robin!
Please review your measurements you have posted in grams. You can look up how many grams does .75 cup olive oil weighs is 160 grams. This also what I come up with on my gram scale. When measuring liquids or viscous substances the difference is significant. Just a suggestion not a complaint. Thank you.
Thank you for letting me know, I did make an adjustment. Thanks!
Hello! I have to use sourdough to make bread friendly for my son who has allergies. Is there a way to convert this recipe to a sourdough recipe vs. instant yeast? Thank you!
Hi Mckenna,
I completely understand. I haven’t tried this recipe yet with sourdough starter, but if I did I would experiment with a half recipe. Try swapping out the instant yeast for 240 grams of active starter (100% hyrdation). Reduce the amount of water by 120ml and reduce the flour by 120g. See how that works. Keep in mind, your rise time will be longer with sourdough. I do also have a Whole Wheat Sourdough class in my Baking Academy. I will be offering that soon! Let me know if you try this recipe with the sourdough option.
Hi! Is there a dairy free alternative to powdered milk? We have dairy and milk allergies in the house.
Hi,
You could either leave the powdered milk out or swap out part of the water for a dairy free milk. Be sure it’s a lukewarm temperature (around 100°F).
I don’t have wheat gluten or lecithin granules. Can I make the recipe without those? Could I substitute something for the lecithin? Looks like an excellent recipe!
The wheat gluten helps to create a better bread structure…when baking with whole grains like 100% whole wheat, the bread can be dense…so that is why we add the vital wheat gluten – it helps to develop a better structure and rise. You can definitely make this bread without either the gluten and the lecithin – it will be slightly different…more dense.
I have followed you for quite awhile and love your recipes! Haven’t tried this bread yet but I will. A few questions though. I have a Bosch and also the same grinder. I use the old “Magic Mill” recipe cause I’ve made bread for 40 years now! My Bosch is that old and has held up forever. That recipe calls for HOT water from the tap. Also no pwd milk. It uses veg. oil and dough enhancer. I do have lecithin. What do you think about dough enhancer. Would it be comparable to the lecithin and pwd milk? Thanks!!!
Hi Jodi,
I actually used to use dough enhancer in this recipe too, in addition to the lecithin and powdered milk. But I eventually took it out…I discovered it really didn’t make a marked difference. The lecithin adds nutrients and a good flavor and fluffy texture. The milk helps encourage a golden crust. I don’t think you’ll get the same results by swapping out the lecithin and powdered milk for dough enhancer. Of course, you can always give it a try with a small batch and see what you think. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out for you!
I have had my nutrimill for about 8 years. I really love it. I would like to know if you use different settings for cookies, cake or bread flour. I am never sure how I should grind my berries. Thank you
For whole wheat flour for breads, I typically do a medium high setting for fineness. I don’t want it powder fine, but also don’t want it super granular either. For things like cookies and cakes where you want a more delicate texture, I’d mill your flour on its highest setting to make it super fine. Remember, you can also sift out some of the bran and larger pieces in your whole grain flour if you’re wanting to make it lighter or more gentle…depending on your needs. Hope this helps!
Is the bread only to rise once in the pans ? My bread recipes call for one rise in the bowl and then shape and let rise in pans. I’ve never made whole wheat bread so I really don’t know. Help!
There are two rises…the sponge can be considered the first rise. Then they rise in the pan before baking.
I finally figured that out:) the bread turned out great! Looked terrific and tasted wonderful. I plan on making a lot more of this recipe. You’re right there’s no way anyone would guess it is all whole wheat bread. I’m planning on impressing some people:) thank you for the best whole wheat bread ever!!!