Delicious whole wheat bread, sweetened with honey. A great everyday bread, that's great for sandwiches and toasts well, too.
I bake some sandwich bread pretty much every week. I like to change it up, but some loaves I come back to over and over. This is one of them.
I love this loaf because it is a nice blend of whole wheat and all-purpose. It doesn't have so much whole wheat that it is heavy or the kids won't eat it but it does have enough to make me feel a little better about eating it. The touch of honey makes for a slightly sweet bread (but not overly so) with a subtle honey flavour. This is a great sandwich bread and makes perfect toast.
Ingredient Notes
Active dry or instant yeast - You can use either active dry yeast or regular Instant yeast, such as SAF Brand. Quick or rapid rising instant yeast is not recommended for this classic two-rise bread.
Honey - You can adjust the amount of honey up or down, to your taste. If you don't have honey, you can substitute maple syrup in the same amount. If you don't have either, use 1/4 cup of white sugar, instead.
Whole Wheat Flour - It is best to stick to the specified amount of whole wheat flour and resist the temptation to "add more". Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all purpose flour, so adding more will throw off the proportions for this recipe unless you know how to adapt it. Adding more whole wheat flour will also rise more slowly and produce a heavier, more dense loaf.
You will also need - salt, vegetable or canola oil, all purpose flour, water.
Step-by-Step Photos
Cook's Notes
Like all bread recipes, only add as much flour as needed to make a smooth, moist dough. You may not need all of the flour specified. Or you may need a bit more.
Likewise, rising times are estimates only, and will vary depending on the time of year and temperature in your kitchen. Let the dough rise until doubled, however long that takes.
Recipe
Honey Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. active dry or instant yeast, not rapid or quick-rising instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 3 Tbsp honey, or adjust to taste
- 3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil, or other neutral tasting oil
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached recommended, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Add lukewarm water and honey to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle with yeast, stir and let stand 5 minutes. (Mixture should be bubbling a bit after 5 minutes)
- Add the whole wheat flour and the salt and mix lightly. Mix in vegetable oil. Work in all-purpose flour gradually, adding just a 1/2 cup at a time and mixing until dough comes together into a smooth, moist but not sticky dough.
- If using a stand mixer, knead on low for about 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Add in only enough additional flour to stop the dough from sticking.
- When dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a well oiled bowl. Turn it several times in the bowl to coat the surface of the dough, and cover with a plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 - 60 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the bowl to a lightly floured surface. (If making more than one loaf, divide the dough into equal sized pieces at this point). For each piece, press dough down while moving it into a rectangle shape, with the short side roughly as long as your loaf pan. Roll up the dough from the short side, pinching it together with each roll. Pinch together the seam when finished and place seam side down into greased loaf pans.
- Allow to rise until dough doubles and crests about an inch above the edge of the baking pan in the middle (it will rise more in the oven). If desired, just before baking, brush the top of loaf with water and sprinkle with wheat bran.
- Preheat oven to 375F (not fan assisted) when dough is almost risen.
- Bake at 375° F for 30 – 40 minutes or until thermometer inserted in the bottom of the bread reads 195-200° F. (Mine generally needs about 35 minutes). Immediately remove bread from pans and cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
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Faye says
This is a wonderful recipe! I am looking forward to toasting some in the morning. Many thanks!
Jennifer says
Glad you are enjoying it! It's one of my favourite breads :) Thanks so much.
Erin Ferris says
This bread has become a staple in our house! It's great with a quarter cup each of pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds mixed into the dough. I have also found that doing an egg white wash and sprinkling rolled oats over the top before spritzing it with water makes for a great crust. Also doing one more water spritz halfway through baking helps that golden brown color. Yum!!
Jennifer says
Great tips and so glad you are enjoying this bred. It's one of my favourites, too :)
aneta says
This bread is wonderful, thank you!
Jennifer says
Thanks Aneta. Glad you enjoyed it :)
Ruosi says
Just made these tonight and they were great! My first loaf didn't rise as well as the second, but they are so good and I'm so excited to make sandwiches tomorrow :)
Jennifer says
Enjoy Ruosi. Makes great sandwiches :)
Krystal says
Just made two loaves of this today! It was Fantastic! Thank you Jennifer for sharing this great recipe!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Krystal. So glad you enjoyed it!