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.
One reader, Vicki, commented: “This recipe can make anyone love 100% whole wheat bread! I made it exactly as directed with 100% whole wheat and it was the softest and loveliest whole wheat bread I have ever eaten! I will be making this regularly in my house—so much better and healthier than store bought bread. Even people who think they don’t like whole wheat will like this. Thank you for sharing your recipe! ★★★★★“
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. If you want, grab a little extra so you can make some homemade honey butter to enjoy on the warm slices of bread.
- 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.
- 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 dinner rolls recipe, or you can try my multigrain bread/rolls recipe instead.
- Adapted from Sandwich Bread and Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls
Reader Comments and Reviews
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
I love this recipe! It’s the softest 100% whole wheat recipe I’ve found. My loaf split on the side. Is this from over proofing? Should I have scored the top? Not sure what caused it, but I’m looking forward to trying it again!
Hi Lynette! Yes, a split is likely from over-proofing. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I loved making bread using starter but I just don’t have the mental energy to keep tabs on it these days so I’ve been in search of a recipe that I like when using ADY instead. Your sponge method is basically the same as the “wet dough” method, maybe they are the same. I’d say this was the first time I added all the other ingredients after the resting period for the sponge and it was definitely easier to combine the honey. Only change I made to the beginning was I put my ADY in the warm water to foam for a few minutes and then poured it in with the milk into a well in the middle of the flour to make the sponge. I also added flax and oats. I had to add about 1 cup of additional flower at the 1st rise step. I thought the liquid to flour ratio to start was a bit light so that didn’t surprise me. Again, very similar to the wet dough recipe style. All of my rises came out nicely.
I like to used cast iron bread pans for how they bake. To create the steam environment, I do the first 25-30 minutes with an aluminum bread pan upside down on top and remove it for the remainder of the baking. I made a double batch and both loaves came out perfectly.
As far as the recipe and instructions go, they were very easy to follow and worked well. I look forward to seeing how it tastes once it fully cools down.
Some random tips if people read this:
1. You can slow the rising/proofing process by putting it in the fridge for an extended period of time if you want a more full/tangy flavor.
2. Place your dough in a warm place to rise. I made mine after breakfast so I just left it by the stove and then put it on top the stove for the 2nd rise and final proofing as it warmed up while I made lunch. When it’s especially chilling and humid I have put it in the oven with only the light on to help it rise.
3. I’ve tried several different methods of greasing my pans and found vegetable shortening to work the best with a light application since it sticks.
Anyway, thank you for the recipe. Putting the honey in after letting the sponge rest definitely made things easier, and I appreciate you putting this simple recipe out there.
making bread at this very moment. Hopefully maple syrup will be an okay substitute for the honey as I only have brown sugar and maple syrup.
Hi Beverly, regular granulated sugar or brown sugar would be the better option in place of the honey. Same amount.
Thank you… did not know you would respond so quickly. I will try with brown sugar next time (rarely buy honey), but the bread turned out perfectly with maple syrup. I submitted post a few minutes ago… it should be coming through soon.
Fantastic! Great rise, flavor, and crumb. I used I cup regular flour when adding to the sponge. I will try 100% whole wheat flour next time. I’m curious about the lemon which I used. Does that add flavor or work with the yeast somehow?
Hi Yvonne, we’re so glad you enjoyed the bread! This lemon juice may seem strange, but it’s essential for preventing the bread from tasting too bitter.
You say bake for 36-40 minutes but didnt mention the temperature.. i see for many recipes like for strawberry cake too you havent mention oven temperature for baking please provide that too!! Thank you! Lovely process and learnings from your page keep it up!
Hi Dhanvi, see step 8—”Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).“
Hi.
Can I use oil to replace butter in this whole wheat bread recipes?
thanks
We recommend butter for the best taste and texture, but you can substitute oil or a plant-based butter substitute if needed.
I have never had a wholewheat loaf over rise,ever! This one did as I proofed a little too long, as I got distracted by a squirrel will definitely make this again. It was fastand easy as far as breads go and if it tastes as good as it smells I’ll be making this recipe all the time!
Mine sunk. Maybe because I proofed it in the oven and it was too warm? Tastes good, though, and great texture!
Hi Jeanne! Yes, breads that sink after rising are usually over-proofed. An easy fix for next time!
Loaf rose fine both times. However, when I brushed egg whites on top for the oat topping just before baking, even the lightest touch of the pastry brush deflated the top. What could have caused that? The loaf smells divine but is a bit flat now.
Hi Courtney, was the dough over proofed by chance? That can often cause the dough to deflate when touched or while baking. An easy fix for next time!
I find this also may happen when the egg is too cold.
My first time baking a loaf of whole wheat bread. My family loved it.
Hi Sally, could you use flax seeds in the batter and/or in lieu of the oats?
Hi Jennie, to use flax seeds in the batter, we’d recommend this multigrain recipe instead. Let us know if you try it!
This was the first loaf of (non-flavored) bread I have ever baked and it came out absolutely amazing and smells delicious.
Best bread recipe ever! Can’t believe how much more flavor when using sponge method. Have to admit I was scared to try and even looked for a recipe that skipped the sponge, but so glad I came back to this one. It was easy just takes time and so worth it. Never had any whole grain dough rise up so beautifully.
This recipe looks delicious! I’m hoping to try it next time I bake bread. Would it work to double the recipe so I can make two loaves?
Hi Sheri, For best results, and to prevent over or under mixing, we recommend making 2 separate batches/loaves rather than doubling.
High altitude adjustment. Great recipe! I made one small adjustment. I’m over 7000 feet. My breads tend to rise really fast. Iv played around to fix this issue over the last year to maximize flavor and texture. My best fix has been an additional rise. I prefer it over reducing yeast or doing a fridge rise. Fridge rise works it just takes to long. For this recipe I let rise for about 1 hour, punch out air, quick kneed and rise again for another hour. My 3rd rise after shaping the dough took 30ish mins. Hope this helps someone else! I did have one question. I’m experimenting with mix ins, have you tried putting oats or seeds like flax,hemp ect in the dough for this recipe? Any tips?
Hi Bobbie! We would recommend using our multigrain bread recipe instead to use those add ins, but let us know what you try!