This bread recipe produces soft bread that is great for sandwiches and toasted. It is also easy to make with only a few ingredients.
Homemade Whole Wheat Bread has become our go-to bread for breakfasts and lunches. We make two loaves every other day and sometimes it doesn’t even last one day!
Ingredients For Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread
Making this bread is easy and it only has seven ingredients.
- Dry active yeast.
- Water.
- Honey.
- Whole wheat flour.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Vegetable oil.
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Why Use Only Half Whole Wheat Flour?
Using a half-and-half mix of flour creates a lighter, softer bread. This recipe actually uses a little more whole wheat flour than it does all-purpose. The bread is still sturdy but it is not as dense as some breads that use all whole wheat flour.
This recipe is also made using unbleached all-purpose flour, which we have found to work best for this recipe.
If you prefer white bread, try our sandwich bread recipe.
Kneading The Dough
We use our Kitchen-Aid stand mixer to knead the dough because it is easier. All the mixing and kneading is done in the bowl of the stand mixer using only the dough hook.
The kneading process should take about 8-10 minutes in the stand mixer. We set the speed to 2 and let it do the work, checking on it every few minutes.
Proofing the Dough
This recipe has two proofing stages. The first is about 1-1½ hours in a covered bowl.
Then the dough gets punched down and divided in two. The dough is placed in greased pans and left to rise again for about 45 minutes to one hour before baking.
Tips And Tricks For Bread Making
There are tons of tips and tricks to making bread, but these are the ones we use every time we make bread.
- How you measure the flour is important. It is best to scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon. We also whisk the flour before scooping to loosen it up.
- A food scale works best for measuring flour if you have one. Weighing the flour is more accurate than scooping it into a measuring cup.
- Instead of covering the dough with plastic wrap while it rises, we use a pot lid. Just top the bowl with a lid that fits the bowl or is a little larger than the bowl. It saves on waste and it can be oiled so the risen dough doesn’t stick to it.
- Place a pan of hot water in the oven with the bread. The steam from the water will create a crispier crust and a light and airier crumb on the inside.
- Remove the bread from the pans immediately when it is taken out of the oven. This keeps the crust from getting soggy as it cools.
- Bread should cool at least 15-20 minutes before slicing. Cutting bread too soon will allow the steam to escape and the bread will become dense and could be gummy.
Serving and Storing Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread
Once cooled, slice homemade bread into slices for sandwiches or toast. We like to only slice the bread as we need it so it stays fresh longer.
Whole loaves can be stored in air-tight containers for up to two days. Since these loaves don’t have preservatives in them like store-bought bread, they will not stay fresh longer than 24-48 hours.
Bread can also be frozen. Tightly wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then place it in a container or freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature before slicing.
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Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with dough hook
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups warm water, about 115℉
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 270 grams whole wheat flour (2 cups)
- 180 grams all-purpose flour (1½ cups)
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, gently stir together water, yeast and honey.
- Let sit 5 minutes or until yeast has bloomed. Mixture should be foamy.
- Using dough hook and lowest speed on mixer, add half the whole wheat flour and half the all purpose flour, along with the oil and salt.
- Mix completely, adding the remaining flour slowly to the bowl.
- Knead for 8-10 minutes on speed number 2.
- Grease a large bowl and place kneaded dough in the bowl, turning to coat.
- Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and fold it over on itself three to four times.
- Divide dough evenly into two pieces.
- shape each half of the dough into a log and place in greased 9-inch bread pans.
- Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until dough has risen over edges of the pans.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Bake bread for 30-35 minutes or until golden on top and internally reaches 190℉.
- Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool on wire racks at least 15-20 minutes before slicing.
- Store in air-tight container.
