Delicious whole wheat bread, sweetened with honey. A great everyday bread, that’s great for sandwiches and toasts well, too.

honey whole wheat seed bread sliced on cooling rack

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.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Active dry or instant yeast – You can use either active dry yeast or regular Instant yeast, such as SAF Brand.

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

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Recipe Tips

  • 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.

honey wheat bread sliced

Storage and Freezing

Store bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage. This bread will freeze well for 2-3 months.

honey whole wheat seed bread sliced on cooling rack

Get the Recipe: Honey Wheat Bread

This is a great every day bread that. It is about 40% whole wheat, which is a nice level for a lighter wheat bread. The added honey makes for a slightly sweet loaf with great flavour. Makes 1 loaf. Double or triple all ingredients to make 2 or 3 loaves.
4.75 stars from 8 ratings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Rising Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (250 ml) lukewarm water, about 105F
  • 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour, spooned and levelled
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3 Tablespoons honey, or adjust to taste
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, or other neutral tasting oil
  • 1 1/2 - 2 cups (180-250 g) all-purpose flour, unbleached recommended, spooned and levelled, 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. **You may not need to use all of the all purpose flour or you may need a little bit more. Trust what you see in the bowl and adjust accordingly.
  • 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.
  • Grease an 8x4-inch loaf pan and set aside.
  • 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

Nutritional information for one loaf, cut into 12 slices. You may get more of less slices from your loaf.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card,  for more tips on making this bread.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Bread
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 215kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 99mg, Potassium: 83mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 2mg
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