With step-by-step pictures and plenty of helpful tips, learn how to make soft whole wheat bread with this easy-to-follow recipe. You can make this bread 100% whole wheat, or you can use a combination of whole wheat and bread flour for a slightly taller, fluffier loaf. It’s wonderfully soft and flavorful either way! If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
I know there’s major convenience with store-bought bread, but I encourage you to try making it from scratch at least once. (You might be hooked after that!) This whole wheat bread takes a few hours, but most of the work is hands-off while the dough rises. Fresh-baked bread smells incredible and tastes even better—store-bought sandwich bread just can’t compare! Wait until you smell a slice popping up in the toaster.
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Whole Wheat Bread
- Chewy crust with soft texture inside
- Flavorful & hearty
- Lightly sweetened with honey
- Makes delicious toast and sandwiches, and can be used in recipes like French toast, breakfast casserole, & sausage and herb stuffing
- Easy to make ahead or freeze
- 8 simple ingredients
Behind the Recipe/Recipe Testing
There are usually 2 key problems when it comes to using 100% whole wheat flour in a bread recipe:
- Because of the bran layer of the wheat grain, bread using 100% whole wheat flour can taste bitter or sour. (Still, always make sure your whole wheat flour is fresh; it can become rancid if stored for too long.)
- Whole wheat flour doesn’t contain the same level of gluten as white flours. This missing gluten can produce a dense and/or flat loaf. Many whole wheat bread recipes call for the addition of vital wheat gluten to make up for it, but I don’t usually keep that in my kitchen… and you may not either.
I experienced both issues in my initial attempts at this recipe. I found that adding a little acid to the dough helped offset the bitterness, and introducing a preferment “sponge” helped give the loaves better flavor, as well as more height. Obviously whole wheat bread will never be as soft, tender, and chewy as white sandwich bread, but this one comes pretty close with my careful recipe & solutions.
Best Ingredients to Use in Whole Wheat Bread & Why:
- Water: Warm liquid activates yeast. I use mostly water in this dough because we need a bread that has structure. Using all milk, like I do for my whole wheat dinner rolls, would yield a flimsy bread without much texture, which isn’t ideal for slicing as sandwich bread.
- Whole Milk: To yield a soft bread, you need fat in the dough, so make sure some of the liquid is milk. Low-fat or nondairy milk works too, but whole milk produces phenomenal texture and I highly recommend it.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry, the rise times will be a bit longer. I tested it with both.
- Honey: Honey feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and lightly sweetens the bread. In our testing, my team & I unanimously agreed honey was the tastier option over regular granulated and brown sugar. I also use a little honey when making whole wheat pizza dough.
- Butter: Butter promises a flavorful loaf.
- Lemon Juice: This ingredient may seem strange, but it’s essential for preventing the bread from tasting too bitter. If you don’t have lemon juice, apple cider vinegar is a great substitute.
- Salt: You can’t make flavorful bread without salt!
- Flour: You can use all whole wheat flour, or swap 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of bread flour. The bread is soft either way, but a little bread flour yields a slightly taller, fluffier, and lighter loaf. We enjoy it both ways.
Start With Making the Sponge (It’s Easy)
For the sponge, you’ll use all of the liquid (both the water and milk) and yeast in the dough, plus some of the flour. Mix this all together with a spatula, cover it lightly, and let it double in size for about 60 to 90 minutes.
While this step does extend the total time of the recipe, the sponge is crucial for producing a more complex flavor, and gives the bread a lighter texture. By skipping this step, your bread will be a little flat. (In taste and appearance!)
Once the sponge doubles in size, add the remaining ingredients and begin mixing, which will deflate the air and make way for the final dough.
This is the sponge before rising:
This is the sponge after rising:
At this point, the process follows my sandwich bread pretty closely. You’ll knead the dough, and if you’re new to bread baking, my how to knead dough post and video can help. After kneading, let the dough rise twice. Lesson you’ll learn today: making a delicious whole wheat bread is not a race. We must have some patience here! (A hard ask when homemade bread is the reward…)
Step Photos to Help You
Make the dough: I recommend using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment (most stand mixers are sold with it). If you don’t have a stand mixer, mix the dough together with a spatula or wooden spoon (and a little arm muscle!).
Knead the dough: You can continue beating the dough with the dough hook, or you can knead the dough by hand.
1st rise (about 2 hours): After you knead the dough, cover it and let it rise in a relatively warm spot. Whole wheat dough requires a slightly longer rise time than white sandwich bread because it’s weighed down with wheat germ and bran.
Once it has doubled in size, punch it down to release the air.
Roll it out into an 8×15-inch rectangle:
Roll it up tightly starting with the 8-inch side, so you have an 8-inch roll to fit into your greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. (Unlike cinnamon rolls, where you roll up the dough starting with the larger side.)
2nd rise (about 1 hour): Let it rise until it’s about an inch above the rim of the pan. Don’t rush this second rise, unless you want a flat loaf.
And bake! This whole wheat sandwich bread takes about 36–40 minutes in the oven.
Before baking, feel free to top the bread with oats. You’ll need to brush beaten egg white on top of the dough before adding the oats, so they stick. The oat topping is optional.
Success Tips to Keep in Mind
- You can make this loaf of bread 100% whole wheat, or replace 1 cup (about 125–130g) of the whole wheat flour with bread flour for a lighter, taller, fluffier loaf. The directions remain the same.
- Knead the dough for a long time, at least 8 minutes. If you have a stand mixer, use it for this recipe. This is a heavy whole grain dough, so it requires a good amount of kneading to help produce a more elastic structure.
- When kneading, avoid adding too much flour; a slightly tacky and soft dough is OK.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the baked bread. This guarantees you won’t under-bake or over-bake the bread. It’s an incredibly helpful baking tool! The bread is done when the center of the loaf is 195–200°F (90–93°C).
- If you’re new to working with yeast, please review my Baking with Yeast Guide where I include practical and easy-to-understand answers to many yeast FAQs.
This whole wheat bread is phenomenal when sliced and served warm. The exterior is crisp and crusty, and the interior is hearty, yet soft.
Become a Bread Baker with My Approachable Recipes:
Whole Wheat Bread
- Prep Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes (includes sponge and rises)
- Cook Time: 38 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You need just 8 simple ingredients to make this whole wheat sandwich bread. It’s soft yet hearty and oh-so-flavorful, and store-bought sandwich bread just doesn’t compare! You can use 100% whole wheat flour, or you can swap in some bread flour for a taller, fluffier loaf. See recipe Notes for freezing and overnight instructions. You can also reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
Sponge
- 1 cup (240ml) water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) active dry or instant yeast (1 standard packet)
- 2 cups (260g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)
Dough
- 3 Tablespoons (63g) honey
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 and 1/3 cups (173g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- optional oat topping: 1 beaten egg white + 1 Tablespoon whole oats
Instructions
- Prepare the sponge: In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the water, whole milk, and yeast together. Add the 2 cups (260g) flour and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until a thick batter forms. Cover lightly and allow to double in size at room temperature, about 60–90 minutes. Sometimes this can take up to 2 hours. *I do not recommend a hand mixer for this dough because the dough is too thick and heavy.*
- Add the remaining dough ingredients including the honey, butter, lemon juice, remaining flour, and the salt. With a dough hook attachment, or using a spatula or wooden spoon (and some arm muscle!), beat on medium speed/mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough, similar to the photos above. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 8–10 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, add 1 more Tablespoon of flour at a time to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need; you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1.5–2 hours or until about double in size. (For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking With Yeast Guide.)
- Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Lightly flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8×15 inches. It does not have to be perfect—in fact, it will probably be rounded on the edges. That’s ok! Roll it up into an 8-inch log and place in the prepared loaf pan.
- 2nd rise: Cover shaped loaf. Allow to rise until it’s about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan, about 45–60 minutes.
- Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). It’s best to bake the bread towards the bottom of the oven so the top doesn’t burn.
- Optional oat topping: If you want to add the optional oat topping, add it right before baking the bread. With a pastry brush, brush the risen loaf with egg white, then sprinkle the oats on top.
- Bake the bread: Bake for 36–40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I usually add it around the 20-minute mark.) To test for doneness, if you gently tap on the loaf, it should sound hollow. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195–200°F (90–93°C). Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for a few minutes in the pan on a cooling rack before removing the bread from the pan and slicing. Feel free to let it cool completely before slicing, too.
- Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 6. Place shaped loaf in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan or disposable loaf pan, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. On the day you serve it, let the loaf thaw and rise for about 4–5 hours at room temperature. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked bread loaf. Allow the bread to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the recipe through step 6. Cover the shaped loaf tightly and refrigerate for up to about 15 hours. At least 3 hours before you need the bread the next day, remove from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 1–2 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can let the dough have its 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight. Prepare the dough through step 3, then cover the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 2 more hours. Continue with step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush for optional topping | Instant-Read Thermometer | Wire Cooling Rack
- Milk: Low-fat or nondairy milk work here, but whole milk produces phenomenal texture and I highly recommend it.
- Yeast: I usually use instant yeast. You can use active dry yeast instead, with no changes to the preparation. Rise times will be slightly longer. Reference my Baking With Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: Make sure your whole wheat flour is fresh. Check the date on the package, and don’t store it uncovered. Whole wheat flour can become rancid if stored for too long, and your bread will taste bitter. You can use all whole wheat flour in this recipe, or substitute 1 cup (130g) of bread flour for a slightly taller, fluffier loaf. You can use 1 cup of bread flour in the sponge in step 1 OR save it for the remaining dough in step 2. If using 1 cup (130g) of bread flour in step 2, you’ll also need the 1/3 cup (43g) of whole wheat flour.
- Honey: Honey produced the best tasting bread. In a pinch, you can use regular granulated sugar or brown sugar. But you will miss out on that honey flavor. I have not tested other sweeteners.
- Can I shape this into a round boule? No, this dough needs the structure of a loaf pan. Instead, you may like this no-knead seeded oat bread.
- Doubling this recipe: For best results, I recommend making two separate batches of dough. This is a big, heavy dough and the sponge will take a very long time to rise, and so will the kneading step. It’s best to make 2 separate doughs.
- Whole Wheat Rolls: I recommend my soft whole wheat rolls recipe, or you can try my multigrain bread/rolls recipe instead.
- Adapted from Sandwich Bread and Whole Wheat Rolls
I have made this a few times now-with all whole wheat flour (locally milled), subbing 1 cup bread flour and with the bread flour as well as a cinnamon sugar swirl. It’s a day long process but SO worth it. I prefer the bread flour addition because it is just a bit lighter and softer but all are delicious. Thank you for this recipe that has helped my family eat better for us and better tasting bread!
Just made this and YUM! Have found my go to whole wheat bread recipe!
This is my first successful recipie I’ve tried with yeast! This bread turned out wonderful, I was so happy! I have a bag of rye flour though and I’m wondering if I could swap some of the whole wheat flour for rye? Or do you have another bread recipie that could work with rye? Or any general tips on baking with rye?
Hi Stacey, we’re glad you enjoyed this one! We haven’t tried a rye version of this bread, and it would definitely need some recipe testing to ensure good results. Let us know if you do any experimenting, or if you find another rye bread recipe you love!
Perfect instructions, fantastic bread. I’ll be making a lot more of this
Sally, I finally had a chance to try your whole wheat loaf recipe and it turned out perfectly on the first try. My husband loves it. I made another loaf last Friday and now we’re both hooked on fresh bread. I love this whole wheat loaf but plan to try other recipes as well. Thanks for the clear instructions that made it so easy.
So happy to hear this, Elizabeth!
Great recipe! I ran out of bread today, and told my husband I’d make some. Suffice it to say, I won’t be buying bread anymore!!
I made this recipe this weekend and It was super easy! I usually make the white sandwich bread from here, but I didn’t have enough flour. The bread came out super fluffy, which has never happened with wheat bread for me. My only wish is that the taste was a little more. Can more honey be added to give it a little more sweetness? Again, the read turned out wonderful texture wise, but taste just wasn’t there for me. Your site is my go to for baking, especially croissants!!
Hi Casey, thanks for giving this bread a try! You could increase the honey by a Tablespoon or so without making any other changes. You may need a little more flour as you’re kneading it though. Let us know if you give it a try!
I followed your directions exactly and I produced a perfectly fluffy loaf of whole wheat bread. I didn’t substitute any white flour for the whole wheat flour in the interest of making a more nutritional loaf, and the bread was still incredibly light and fluffy. I used Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat flour as I’ve found that bread to be superior.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Judy!
What a fantastic recipe! I made this yesterday and turned out just like your photos. I had a couple of hipccups. 1. Sponge-forgot to change from ml. to g. Started over with that one. I also didn’t have whole milk so I used skim and half & half. All in all, it’s a fantastic wheat bread. I used 1c. bread flour. The crumb is so soft and tender. It doesn’t have any bitterness. I used fresh lemon juice. For the first rise it took 90 min. Second rise 1 hr. to get 1 inch pass the rim. Baking time for my oven was 36 min. I did check at the 20 min. mark and it was barely starting to brown. So no need to foil. I put it back on for 16 min. and it was the perfect brown crust. I removed from oven and the internal temp was 210. I thought it was going to be over done, but it wasn’t. Husband, daughter and dog approved. Thankyou Sally for the detailed directions.
I forgot to give you stars. I would like to give 10. 5 is not enough.
I have made this bread about every 5 days since early January. We love it! But I have a general questions about all your recipes…is the salt measurement kosher salt or table salt? Some chefs say salt is always kosher and others don’t. So which one are you? Thanks!
Hi Sue! All of our recipes use table salt unless otherwise noted.
Hi Sally, you are my go to person for any kind of baking. Made this bread today and it really is delicious. I did substitute with one cup of bread flour. But… when I sliced it the bread has a void under the top crust. It’s still very good and of course we’re going to eat it, but what did I do wrong? Love your site and your recipes!
Thank you so much for recipe. One question:would I be able to use buttermilk instead of milk? If so, do I still use lemon juice? Thanks
Hi Eddy, buttermilk should be fine, since it’s such a small amount compared to the water.
Loved it. Texture was great.
Can I make a smaller bread with half of ingredients or would you suggest any changes in ingredients and baking time.
Hi Imran, we haven’t tested halving this recipe. Let us know if you do!
I am going to try this today!!!! Can I add chia seeds to this dough?
Hi Clifford! We haven’t tested adding chia seeds to this dough. Let us know if you do!
I haves tried making several different whole wheat breads, nit non as good as this! I added 1T of vital wheat gluten, along with dubbing 100g of whole wheat flour bread flour. The only “negative” is that the loaf raised almost 3 inches above the 9” loaf pan. Not a deal breaker. Loaf was tender and delicious. Definitely a keeper.
First whole wheat bread I ever made that baked light and fluffy. My husband will eat it!! I used vital wheat gluten which probably helped with the lift.
Excited to try! Can I possibly double or tripple recipe. Our family goes through bread fast!
Hi Leah! We recommend making separate batches of dough for best results.
Fantastic Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread, this recipe and the White Sandwich Bread are baked weekly in my house. I easily switch out the butter for canola oil in both recipes if I’m out of butter, still a great tasting bread, soooo much better than store bought!
Hello,
Can I use olive oil instead of butter. If yes how much? Thank you.
Hi Hemisha, we recommend butter for the best taste and texture, but you can substitute the same amount of oil or a plant-based butter substitute if needed.
Hi Sally absolutely obsessed with your recipes!
Wondering if I could make the sponge part and leave it overnight? Then make it in the morning?
Hi Simone, we don’t recommend leaving the sponge overnight, but see recipe Notes for our recommended overnight instructions. Hope you enjoy the bread!
Easy to follow and as described. A soft interior and a thin crispy crust. I used white bread flour for the dough and white whole wheat flour for the sponge.
It’s in the oven now! It is amazing looking!
This bread is wonderful! I live in Canada and the bread here vs. the US is not as sweet. I reduced the honey to 20 grams . The dough rose beautifully and produced a light and fluffy delicious bread. Thank you Sally for all of your efforts. This sight is my go to for all things baking. What an invaluable resource!!!
I’ve made this recipe as well as the white bread and grain. It comes out great everything but I’d like it to be a bit more “airy” more structure I guess. Sorry I’m probably not talking the same lingo, but it’s a bit more dense than I’d like. Is there an adjustment that I could make to achieve what I’m trying to explain?
Hi George, was the dough over kneaded by chance? That’s usually the culprit for overly dense breads. An easy fix for next time!
Love this recipe. Is it possible to fold in rolled oats with the flour before the first rise?
That would require some testing. You may enjoy my multigrain bread instead. For that, you can use oats as the multigrain mix.
The best recipe I’ve found! This bread is worth the extra time and effort. It’s the closest to store bought that I’ve found out of dozens tried. It’s soft and flakey but has good integrity. Highly recommend trying it!
I made this exactly as instructed. It still came out a little bitter tasting and more dense than appears in the photos. Any thoughts on how I could improve?
Hi Sam! Did the dough double in size then rising? Here’s more tips for baking with yeast.
Mine came out butter too! Can’t tell if it’s the lemon juice or the yeast
I used King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour for the sponge and white bread flour for the body of the dough. Unfortunately I misread the amount of milk and water ( I put in 1/2 cup of each) but I added 1/3 cup water to correct my error for a total of 1 and 1/3 cup liquid as the sponge requires. The dough is easy to work with and every step is easy to follow… the bread is soft on the inside with a thin crispy crust. With the average price of $4.50 for a loaf of supermarket bread, I think I will be baking more at home!
Delicious whole wheat bread recipe!
I used whole wheat bread flour and it turned out great. After finding Sally’s website I don’t think I will ever buy store bought bread again!
Fantastic bread. Super easy to make too!
Just made this and it is super DE-LISH. 100% worth every second of kneading by hand