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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!
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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 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 we also love it for french toast.
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
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup warm water, 90-100 degrees F, see recipe notes
- 1 Tablespoon instant yeast, see recipe notes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 ½ 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 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. 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 350ºF. Bake loaves in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Brush tops of warm bread with butter. Let the bread cool completely before enjoying.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Amy. Do you grease the pan?
Thanks! Robyn
If using a high quality nonstick pan, you don’t have to. I like to use a parchment paper sling. You definitely can grease the pan if you are worried about it sticking.
One of the best wheat bread recipe recipes I’ve ever made. Hands-down it’s a family favorite and the new staple in our home.
I’m glad you’ve got a new favorite recipe! Enjoy!
Is there a way to make the spread without honey or a different sweetener? Trying to find a whole wheat bread I can make for my Eight month old that doesn’t have honey in it.
I love all your recipes, so I’d be excited to find something that I can use for her
You can substitute sugar or even maple syrup for the honey in this recipe. You may need a little bit less flour in the recipe. If you make sourdough, I would check out my half whole wheat sourdough: https://amybakesbread.com/half-whole-wheat-sourdough-artisan-bread/ or my whole wheat sourdough bread: https://amybakesbread.com/whole-wheat-sourdough-artisan-bread/ – they don’t have honey.
We love this honey whole wheat bread. Definitely a family favorite recipe.
I can attest the the deliciousness of this bread! One thing I LOVE about visiting you and your family are the amazing and delicious meals, breads and desserts I benefit from while there! And this bread is always a fave!! 🍞😋❤️🙏🏻
It’s a family favorite for sure 🙂