Have you ever had Great Harvest bread? I remember going as a kid to their bread counter and enjoying a giant slice of bread slathered with butter. My favorite slice was always their honey whole wheat bread. I’ve loved it since first bite. This honey whole wheat bread is even better than what I used to buy there. The hint of honey, subtle nutty flavor of the whole wheat and the tender crumb. So delicious!
The Benefits of 100% Whole Wheat Bread
When I started making my own bread I wanted to find a recipe that was 100% whole wheat. Bread that had all the nutrition and health benefits from the bran, endosperm and germ combined. Through trial and error I landed on this recipe. I love it for the simpleness of the ingredients (only SIX). It makes delicious toast, sandwiches, breadcrumbs and an even healthier alternative to french toast.
When I make one loaf of this recipe, I often make it in a KitchenAid mixer. Most of the time though I’ll make a 4 times batch and use my Bosch mixer, which can handle big batches. Making extra loaves gives me the flexibility to share a loaf, snack on a loaf and freeze a few loaves for later consumption. I don’t buy bread at any local grocery stores. This recipe has become my routine and is so quick to make once you get in the habit.
Looking for More Bread Recipes?
Use Good Quality Whole Wheat Flour
Honey whole wheat bread relies heavily on the taste of your whole wheat flour. Choose a whole wheat flour you love the taste of and your bread will be incredible. I use hard white wheat flour from our local mill. If you can find a hard red wheat, you may like mixing that with a white wheat for best flavor/results.
I often make this while my kids are at school. When they walk through the door in the afternoon and the smell of bread hits them, I love watching the smiles that light up their faces. We usually eat an entire loaf the same day I bake it. It makes for a perfect after school snack, grilled cheese for dinner or toasted with a bit of butter or jam. Give this recipe a try. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup warm water 90-100 degrees F, see recipe notes
- 1 Tablespoon instant yeast see recipe notes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten see recipe notes
- 2 1/2-3 cups whole wheat flour see recipe notes
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, instant yeast, honey and salt. Mix together.
- Turn on the stand mixer and with the dough hook running, add half of the flour, then the vital wheat gluten and then the rest of the flour as needed. You are looking for your dough to be tacky, not sticky. Find out more about readiness of the dough here. Add more flour a Tablespoon at a time if needed. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. Turn it out onto a countertop.
- To shape the dough: Pat the dough into a small rectangle about the size of your bread pan (use your bread pan as a guide). Starting closest to you, roll the dough up tightly, pressing in at the seam with every roll. After it forms a cylinder, pinch the seam closed. Place dough into bread pan and let rise again, for about an hour until just about doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves in preheated oven for 38-40 minutes. Brush tops of warm bread with butter. Let the bread cool completely before slicing the bread with a bread knife.
Notes
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Amy
Hi! I’m Amy. Sourdough lover and Kentucky based mama, sharing my best recipes and tips, one bake at a time. So glad you’re here!
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