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
I don’t have milk and I want to make this today, can I use heavy whipping cream? Or should I just wait until I can run to the store?
Hi Gene! Whipping cream would be a little too thick here.
I love this recipe, the flavour is wonderful!
Trying to eat more healthy this year and found your recipe – oh my, SO good! Will be trying the whole wheat pizza dough tomorrow. Your excellent detailed instructions (thank you for including metric measurements) helped so much. My bread looked exactly like your pictures showed – I followed your instructions to a “t”. I did find that the sponge doubled up way faster than your recipe mentioned (took about 20 minutes). I have a fairly cool kitchen so I always put the bowl in the microwave with the light on underneath it and it makes a perfect environment.
Can you recommend making cinnamon rolls with this dough? I’d like to keep them whole wheat – any suggestions? Thank you so much for all you are doing to help us make delicious anda healthy food!
I made this 2 weeks in a row and it’s great! I am not experienced at all in bread, either. SO much better than grocery store bread!
I am so happy with your 100%whole wheat bread recipe!
I have made bread my whole life since I was 12 years old and I am now 73.
When I made “whole “ wheat bread I always used some white flour to get a better rise. my daughter wanted me to use 100% percent whole wheat flour and the first loaf I made was dense. I began looking for a different method and checked your site. As soon as I saw sponge it clicked. When I make bran muffins I always soak the whole wheat bran in the milk to soften it. I have been using your recipe ever since.Thank you for sharing it . As you see you can teach an old dog new tricks!
Hello- can I make this in a bread maker machine? How so?
Hi Brandi, we haven’t personally tested it, but many readers have reported success using a bread machine with this recipe. Let us know if you try it!
I will be trying this recipe this weekend. I have baked whole wheat bread before (it’s been a while), but I’ve never rolled the loaf like that and was just curious about the advantage of shaping loaves this way?
Hi Christy, I find it makes a nicer looking loaf, with a slight swirl on the inside from rolling.
This is the softest loaf of whole wheat bread I have ever baked! And the loaf was shaped perfectly in the 9×5 loaf pan. Best bread recipe I have ever found and I will be making it again, soon. Thank you Sally and crew.
I don’t usually leave comments on recipes that are already popular, but I had to because this was the first 100% whole wheat bread that I made that actually turned out perfectly. I’ve tried King Arthur’s recipe and others, and something was always wrong. This made a perfect sandwich loaf. The dough is a little sticky at first, but just a few folds and kneads firmed it right up. I think the key difference in this recipe is the initial sponge, and rolling out the dough to shape it for proofing helped make a beautiful loaf shape.
OMG, perfect results on the very first try! Credit to Sally’s clear and detailed instructions with very useful tips. I’ve made bread before but this was my first attempt at whole wheat. Takes a bit more time than white bread but the results are worth every second. This recipe is a keeper!
Just made my second loaf of this whole wheat bread. Looking to reduce ultraprocessed foods in my diet, and baking bread was a good place to start. The first loaf was amazing – soft, delicious and soooo much better than commercially made. This second time was the same. The very long knead time felt excessive, but was worth it in the end. Put half in the freezer, pre-sliced, to ensure it stayed fresh. Put some butter on a piece of this bread toasted, and it’s delish! Thank you Sally!
Hi I’m a first time bread maker but really looking forward to trying this recipe. What type of salt do I use in this whole wheat bread recipe? I have course kosher salt or fine sea salt. Thanks!
Hi Jessica, we use table sale in all our recipes unless otherwise noted. We would use the fine sea salt. If you use kosher salt you’ll need to use more.
How can I view this recipe? Nearly the entire directions area is covered with ads that never close?
Hi Jimmy, we don’t allow pop ups on this website. Thank you for letting us know. Try refreshing the page and see if that helps clears it! Sorry for any trouble.
I am able to view the recipe with a different browser. Making the recipe today and will post a review on the bread soon!
This was perfect! Am I able to sub any part of the whole wheat flour with oat flour?
Hi Tammy, we haven’t tried oat flour here. Let us know if you do. You may also enjoy our multigrain bread, using whole oats.
Is it possible to add seeds in the dough (like flax, chia, sunflower) ?
Hi Valérie, you should be able to knead in some nuts/seeds or other mix ins when bringing the dough together. You may also enjoy our multigrain bread recipe.
I just started to make whole wheat bread. And this is the best recipe after trying many.. I forgot to create the sponge but it still turned out nice fluffy and tall. Thank you so much!
This recipe was absolutely stunning. I did use fresh ground wheat berries. This recipe will be used over and over.
Have not made whole wheat bread in years but my husband wanted some. Surprised us both with how well it turned out!
First timer and crushed it! Thank you so much for such a great explanation.
I was amazed by how soft and tasty this bread was! As a new baker, I am hooked on Sally’s recipes for ease and perfection.
Literally the best whole wheat bread I’ve ever had in my life! So spongy, soft; the texture, taste, it’s just awesome!
I’ve made this bread twice now and the texture and taste is great!! Both times, however, it stayed flat while baking (even though it rose perfectly during both rises). Was there something that I could have done wrong?
Hi Kat, if the bread seems to collapse after baking and cooling, it could be that it was over proofed. Our Baking with Yeast Guide will be a helpful resource to review. Thanks for giving this bread a try!
I followed the recipes weights and it turned out very sticky after the first proof. I was able to add flour like stated in the notes and it turned out great! Not sure if I over proofed bc it struggled to double or what but either way it turned out tasting great and will definitely be making this again!
I didn’t have honey and substituted with molasses and brown sugar. Sally you have to try it. I make this bread weekly. Love it.
FANTASTIC flavor and texture! My husband was all over this, and he’s usually pretty meh about whole wheat bread. This came out fine although I messed up in the process: first I forgot to do the first rise but caught myself in time and corrected; then the dough apparently overproofed, so I punched it down and reshaped it (badly — the baked loaf had a “swayback”) and let it rise in the pan for another 25 minutes. I love it when things turn out well in spite of my errors. That’s the sign of a truly great recipe.
Best whole wheat bread I’ve had. Very easy to make. I used part bread flour.
This recipe is amazing! I switched out a couple of ingredients following your recommendations, and I must admit I’m baffled by the result. The loaf came out soft, buttery, and perfectly balanced. Your recipes never disappoint!
Absolutely delicious! The best I’ve ever tasted! It came out perfect! Soft and tender, yet hearty.
I also make your key lime pie and everyone goes crazy over it. Very silky texture
Amazing! Absolutely love this recipe. Quick question: if I was to need to substitute sugar for the honey would it be a 1:1 substitution ratio?
Yes! Same amount of sugar.
Thanks for the recipe, can I substitute the butter with avocado oil? Hubby is now on a strict diet and this is the only ingredient that he may not be able to have. I can’t wait to make it! I’ve never had good luck with bread but I hope this one turn out good
Hi Amy, that would be fine. You’ll likely need a little extra flour when mixing and kneading.