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
Has anyone tried making this with almond milk? I am hoping to make this today and that is all I have. I saw the ingredients section says you can use any type of milk, it just wont be as good, just wondering if anyone has tried this?
Hi,
I’ve tried a few other recipes and found I like this one the best so far. I use a thermometer to check doneness , and take it out of the oven at a hundred and ninety five degrees. It has stayed moist and it’s not crumbly. It toasts up well. The bread lasted 5 days without becoming dry.
I know you have instructions for overnight and it says to prepare up to step 6. I would like to just prepare the sponge in the evening, (step 1) and then finish in the morning. Has anyone tried this and if i experiment, do you suggest putting it in the fridge overnight or just leaving it out?
Thanks
Hi Debbie! We include two options for overnight instructions – you can also prepare through step 3. Details are in the Notes! Those are our recommendations.
Hi! When preparing overnight, the instructions state to cover the dough tightly. Does that mean I should cling wrap the dough or simply ensure the dough is in a container that has a well-fitting lid?
Either should be fine as long as it’s air-tight, Ashley!
I’ve been baking 100% whole wheat bead for years. Decided to try your recipe and it turned out the best I’ve ever baked. It did however have a slight yeast flavour. Is it possible that it needed a bit more oven time?
I like a light crust so my baking time was a bit shorter than recipe
Hi Bob, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. Is it possible that the dough was over proofed in the first rise? When that happens, it can cause the dough to collapse when baking and come out a bit more dense and less light/fluffy. It can also cause a yeasty taste. An easy fix for next time!
Love this wonderful recipe! Family and friends say on the first bite: “Ang sarap!” Meaning “delicious!” in Filipino 🙂 thank you for sharing. Btw, a store here has fine and coarse whole wheat flour. I’ve only used the fine whole wheat flour this whole time to great results. I’m wondering if what kind of whole wheat flour do you use, and if you’ve tried combining or using one over the other? Salamat (thank you!) for your reply 🙂
Hi Roce, we’re so glad this recipe is a hit! We haven’t tested this recipe with coarse whole wheat flour, so we’re unsure what modifications may be necessary. Let us know if you do give it a try.
Love this recipe and have made it multiple times. I’m wondering if I can do a fridge rise with the dough or loaf after shaping. Is this possible?
Hi Gayle, 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.
Thank you I will try that this weekend. I have family dinner on Saturday and church function Sunday!
My first time ever commenting on a recipe and my first time ever making bread. This is absolutely amazing! I want to eat the whole loaf in one sitting. So do my kids. I subbed one cup of bread flour for wheat flour! I’m hooked!
This bread is amazing. I made it with my 4 year old so we took some liberties with the shaping and rolling out at the end so she could do it all but oh my gosh it looks JUST like the photo and it’s so delicious, she keeps eating it plain! Thank you. I have no need to buy sandwich bread again!
Wonderful recipe! Came out perfect!
Hi Sally, my great gram had a wheat bread recipe with molasses that we love, but it’s very dense. I was thinking of trying this recipe with molasses rather than honey – what do you think?
Hi Cary, you can substitute molasses for the honey in this recipe. Let us know how you like it!
Absolutely terrible!!!!
Wow, this bread is sensational. The texture, the taste, and it smells so good baking in the oven. This is now my go to recipe for our normal everyday bread. I don’t buy bread anymore. I use all whole wheat strong bread flour in the recipe (am in the UK), and it comes out fabulous (I didn’t do a mix of normal wheat flour and white bread flour) – so soft and hearty. This is 10 out of 10!
I tried this recipe as my first attempt at baking wheat bread and the results are great. I did notice that the dough was not as sticky as shown in the accompanying video. We also had some trouble in slicing the bread into thin slices. The bread crumbled a bit and we hade to make thicker slices. Could the stickiness of the dough be related to this? The only other step that we did not follow 100% was related to the butter. We added 1 tbsp instead of 3 tbsp.
Hi Pankaj! How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over-measured, which can cause the bread to dry out. We’re glad you still enjoy this bread!
Yeah, definitely changing the butter amount affects the stickiness level. I’ve now made three loaves of this bread as the instructions say and I haven’t had any issues with thin slicing or crumbling. I do find it to taste a little more yeasty than I’d like, but otherwise it’s a great recipe imo
Hi Sally… have loved your blog for years! This looks amazing. Any chance if I was lazy and threw the ingredients into a bread maker it would turn out just as yummy?
Hi Nicky, we haven’t tested this recipe in a bread machine, but several readers have reported success doing so. Let us know if you try it!
How do adjust the recipe to bake in a Pullman covered loaf pan 16×4
Hi Pops, we’re not completely sure if this recipe would work in a pullman loaf pan because we haven’t tested it ourselves. It *shouldn’t* be a problem to use it as is, but again—we haven’t tested it. Let us know if you do give it a try!
I am wondering why the honey is added after the yeast sits with the liquid for an hour or two. Isnt the honey meant to feed the yeast?
Hi Elizabeth, happy to help clarify. You’re right that sweeteners can help feed yeast, but in this recipe the yeast is totally fine without the honey at first. During the sponge step, the yeast gets what it needs from the flour, and that time helps build flavor and structure. Adding the honey later keeps that first rise (the preferment) from going too fast, and it also makes sure the honey ends up flavoring and softening the dough, rather than being eaten up early by the yeast. I hope this helps!
Was super easy to make! I followed the directions to a T, but my loaf deflated as soon as I lightly brushed the egg white on top pior to baking. Is there a trick to this part? My loaf went from a well-rounded top that looked beautiful to caved-in and sad….
Hi Rebecca, Was the dough overproofed by chance? That can often cause the dough to deflate when touched or while baking. An easy fix for next time!
Regarding your recipe for whole wheat bread: Your recipe calls for 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of dry active yeast or 1 standard packet or 7g. 2-1/4 teaspoons of dry active yeast weighs 10g. No big deal for a seasoned baker but a rookie might wonder why their loaf is crazy big!
All the best
Richard
I love this recipe, and had been getting good results but lately I’m getting a crumbly bread, especially towards the top of the loaf. I am getting this result whether I use 100% whole wheat or if I add in 100 grams of bread flour. I also use 1% milk instead of whole. I follow the recipe instructions exactly and I’m getting a good rise both times etc. What could be causing this problem?
Thanks!
Hi Joel, This is a soft bread, so a little crumbliness is normal. If the bread seems overly crumbly, is it overbaked by chance? Even just an extra minute or two can dry out the bread, so for next time, we’d try reducing the bake time by a minute or so to see if that helps. And how did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the flour isn’t over-measured, which can cause the bread to dry out and fall apart. We’re so glad this is a favorite for you!
I baked the bread and it came out great. I substituted olive oil for butter, and coconut milk for milk. It took a long time to rise (I used active dry yeast), but eventually it happened. I didn’t see anywhere what temperature to set the oven to.
See step 8, Veronica! Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) Glad you enjoyed this bread.
Turned out great! I made a double batch without noting the advice to split, and had no issues at all with the timing of the rise; the only issue was that the dough crept up into the spinny part of my Kitchenaid after several minutes of kneading.
The result is quite soft; next time I’ll try subbing in a bit of bread flour for a bit more firmness while slicing.
I made this recipe today and swapped maple syrup in place of honey (baking for a baby). This is my first whole wheat loaf and it is amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this last week. I followed the recipe to a T. I did start it around 12-1pm, so maybe it wasn’t cool enough when it finished – more on that later.
Anyway – it was very simple to make! But my bread was a bit bitter, do you think an extra teaspoon of lemon juice would fix that? Also, it is VERY dense. Feels a bit like a brick now, haha. As I said above, I started it late, and didn’t seal the plastic bag I put it in because I was heading to bed, more like folded it around the loaf and tucked it in a bit, because I didn’t want the loaf to sweat from what warmth it had and get soggy.
I really want to start making my own bread, so any tips you can provide would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Barbara! We’re happy to help troubleshoot. Was the dough over-kneaded by chance? That’s usually the culprit for overly dense breads. You can certainly add just a bit more lemon juice if the bread still seemed bitter. Or could your flour be getting old by chance? A fresh bag could help, too. Hope this helps for your next loaf!
Could have been the flour. It smelled fine and isn’t past expiry date, but it’s been open (but sealed) for awhile I think. Also – I used the kitchenaid – I tried to go 8 mins but it seemed ready early, I still kept it going until I hit about 7mins. I’m bad with knowing when the dough is ready and not OVER kneaded – any idiot proof ways to know? KitchenAid is a beast – maybe I’d only need 3-5 mins?
I’ll definitely try again and keep tweaking it until I get it down! Thanks again.
Hi Barbara, this How to Knead Dough guide and video will be a helpful resource to review!
This is a great recipe-rise times were pretty accurate and the bread is beautiful. Will be using this recipe going forward-excellent!
Just made this, my goodness it’s wonderful and was so easy!
I had been looking everywhere for a whole wheat recipe, this is perfect!
My bread looked like the moon ontop busted but it did rise nicely. Just very sad about the top. Maybe too much surface tension…
We love this recipe.Instructions are well written and easy to follow.I feel sad I only made one loaf ;the next time I will triple the recipe.Delicious and flavorful.Thank you for this recipe.!
Just the tips I needed for perfectly slicable wheat bread. First time was as written. Second subbed 1/3 soy yogurt for milk, and no butter or oil–still had the good texture, taste wasn’t quite as good, but no complaints. Third time was all water, and olive oil for butter, which is most convenient, and tasty, for me. Letting the batter culture first seems key, as well as the tips for getting the right hydration. I did add a Tbls of vital wheat gluten to final flour addition, and weighed everything.
I used instant yeast so proof times were reduced by almost half.
Your site has been our go to for breads and desserts
The dough came out very dry at first, so much that my mixer couldn’t really work with it and I had to knead it by hand. But boy was it worth it! Both rises were super fast, and the final texture is amazing. I think I accidentally kneaded it for closer to 10 or 12 minutes than 8, and it certainly didn’t hurt.
Unfortunately this didn’t turn out nice. I bake bread each week and tries this one along with the other wholewheat loaf recipe. That one came out nice. This one not sure why but the top of the bread was really hard and it did not rise in the oven. I followed the instructions accurately
Hi Rosemary, was the dough over-kneaded or over-proofed (rose too long) by chance? That can often cause yeasted breads to come out with a tough/hard exterior. This should produce a nice, soft crust. Our How to Knead Dough tutorial may be a helpful reference, should you wish to try the bread again. Thank you for giving it a try!