Simple Whole Wheat Bread
PLEASE SEE MY METRIC CHART ABOUT THE FLOUR. Make sure the egg and oil are at room temperature and be sure to aerate your flour before measuring. No mixer? Just mix it in a bowl by hand but knead longer, about 150 turns. (This recipe also works with all white flour) - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Makes: One loaf
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (240-260 g) whole wheat flour (Aerate Flour Before Measuring - See How)
- 1/2 cup (60-65 g) bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (1 packet / 7g) instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (or honey but add honey after the milk)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 mL) milk (reduced fat or whole milk), heated to 120-130° F for instant yeast (or 110-120°F for active dry)
- 2 Tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
- 1 egg
- about 1/4 cup additional bread flour
Instructions:
- Place flours, yeast, sugar & salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir in milk, followed by oil and egg.
- Beat on high for 2 minutes.
- On low speed add about 1/4 cup bread flour until dough forms a mass.
- Place dough on floured surface and knead 50 turns.
- Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
- Shape dough into a loaf and place in a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pan.
- Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until it’s one inch taller than the pan, about 35 minutes.
- Meantime, preheat oven to 375° F.
- Bake for 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, I cover the top of the loaf with a foil tent to prevent over-browning.
- Remove immediately from pan onto a cooling rack. Let it cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Problems with this recipe? Click here.
Want to Eliminate the Egg? Try my easy honey wheat bread.
Prefer Rolls? Click here for the recipe.
Want Sandwich Buns? Click here.
I love your baking tips, and sense of humor!
I baked the whole wheat bread, looked great smelled great when it came out of the oven, but it stuck to the pan and didn’t want to come out. Had to cut the bottom out.
What did I do wrong?
We have made this bread weekly for the past month and it never fails. I’ve tried it with almond milk and honey and it was just as perfect as the original recipe. Even my 10 year old who has always hated bread gobbles it up! Thank you! And also, thanks for the laugh at the end. Hahahahaha. Cracked me up!
Fabulous recipe! I used active yeast and proofed. Bread is light and fluffy and delicious! Perfect used for sandwiches and makes beautiful toast. The oven spring was crazy! This recipe a keeper for sure!
I have tried a good number of bread recipes over the past few months that use the KitchenAid exclusively and they never turned out quite right and I almost gave up on baking my own bread as a result. I followed your recipe to a T and my loaf came out PERFECT- was so exciting and gratifying. You really can’t beat hand-kneading, it seems! Thank you so much for posting the video as well, that helped me to visualize things better than the plain written out ones.
Just made this, and it looked perfect going into oven but began falling right away and was totally flat and sunken halfway through baking. Is this what happens when it rises too long? (I got a little distracted before baking it.) Tastes good but probably a little more dense than it should be.
Linda H, it sounds like your bread was over-risen. It has happened to me, too, and I know how disappointing it is! I find it’s best to put the loaf in the oven right before it has completely risen, because it will continue to rise while baking. Over-risen bread does make wonderful croutons, however!! Just cube, then toss with a little salt, Italian herbs, drizzle with olive oil and bake until crispy. If you have a dehydrator, that’s my favorite way to make croutons.
Hi Jenny,
Can this recipe be used with the no knead method?
I am confused on the size of the pan. The written recipe says to use a smaller size loaf pan and grease it. The video says to use 9 x 5 with a 4 inch base and no greasing. Not sure which to use.
Do what the receipe states not the video. In the video she says not to grease the pan and this is incorrect. Your bread will stick if you do not grease your pan.
This has got to be one of THE BEST bread recipes I have ever come across. Beautiful liaf of bread, and it tasted soo good!
Love your videos,
Thanks Jenny!
Made it and loved it
You are the cutest chef I’ve ever seen!! 😃 Thank you for making cooking fun and NOT intimidating. I’ll be cooking more of your recipes.
I had never made bread before, so this recipe was my first try. We liked it so much that now I double the recipe, but don’t double the yeast. I let the two loaves rise with two pots of hot water below them in the oven for about 40 minutes. They turn out perfect every time! Thanks Jenny for introducing me to bread baking !
My comment is that we let the whole wheat loaf rise in the pan before baking. It reached the suggested one inch above the rim of the pan. However, when we baked it, the loaf did NOT rise any higher. Should we have let it rise higher than the one inch before baking. I am thinking that would make the baked loaf higher. Would appreciate your suggestions.
Two suggestions: Make sure your yeast is fresh. Once opened, it’s best to keep it in the freezer. You can test is by “proofing” it. Also, it’s possible your oven was not preheated long enough.
Fantastic! I’m elated to finally have success with a recipe. Easy to follow and tasted great. I love that you also have video. Thank you, thank you. A keeper for sure!
Jenny, I followed your recipe to a tee, including carefully spooning aerated flour into a measuring cup and double-
checking gram weight of flour on a digital scale as well as using an instant read thermometer to ensure warm milk was just the right temperature… My bread did not rise to 1 inch above the (correct size) bread pan in 45 minutes, and is not rising in the oven set to 375 degrees.
I would check your yeast and make sure that it’s still good.
I had the same result! Very frustrating. This bread recipe doesn’t give time for your yeast to proof, so I don’t know how anyone’s bread would rise.
Use self rising yeast. I’ve made this many times. Never had a problem with yeast.
I use fleischmann’s.
Hi Dan,
My bread did not rise in the 35 minutes on the recipe, I kept it in the oven with the light on for one hour and it rose beautifully then I was able to cook it, I also did one cup WW flour and the rest AP flour, dry yeast instead of instant so IDK if all that changes the rise time, also the temperature in your house might take longer, just look for the 1 inch above the pan instead of the time. Don’t give up on this recipe, I’ve made it many times and it’s always a different variation on time but the results are great.
I tried 3 times baking this bread and every time failed to get the rise as shown in the video. I changed the yeast, proofing time, measured all my ingredients and even tried one of the recommendations to keep the dough on electric heat (on low) to get decent rise. Each of these times, my dough did not rise 1 inch above the pan rim (didn’t even go above the rim) and comes out as dense. My Pan is 9inch long, 4 inch wide and 3 inch deep.
Taste of this bread is good, so I really wanted this recipe to work. I tried two types of yeast, and both times got very little rise. How can I fix this?
I suggest starting with the FAQs: https://www.jennycancook.com/problems-with-yeast-baking/
I am a bread novice and sometimes wonder about doing something a little different.
1. If I don’t have quick rise yeast, do I need to proof the other yeast before I add it to the recipe
2. Can I use a kitchenaid dough mixer as oppose to hand kneading it?
I have made this recipe 4 times now and it has been perfect each time. I use active dry yeast (not instant) and do proof it by adding yeast to warm milk, dissolving and letting it sit for 10 minutes. This bread makes the best grilled cheese!
Forgot to mention, I mix in my kitchen aid with the dough hook on stir till flour is incorporated, then mix on speed 2 for five minutes. Afterward I kneed on the counter until is forms a smooth ball, flouring counter as needed (1 minute or less).
Great! Good thing you didn’t forget to mention.
Thank you for the option of using the kitchen aid and dough hook. I am usually quite successful with that method. I will try that with my first loaf as I see others seems to have had problems with the rising.
I use my kitchenaid and my bread is amazingly awesome.
why did front side of loaf look smooth and the back side rough/ragged.
Otherwise everything as per recipe. Rise time and everything on point. Thanks Jenny. Loving your tips and recipes.
I made the Simple Whole Wheat Bread for the first time and it turned out very good. How can I adjust the recipe so I can use a 9 X 5 inch pan instead of the 8 x 4 inch pan? I want to make a larger loaf.
Great job with making the bread and have a great rest of your day!
Tried this recipe for the first time last week. Four loaves and a few pounds later…this is the best recipe I’ve found for ww bread loaf. Always perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your videos and recipes!!
This is wonderful bread! Thank you for a well detailed recipe. I don’t have a mixer so I REALLY appreciated the detailed directions (an actual number) for kneading. The crumb was perfect for sandwiches and toast. I don’t think the rest of this loaf will make it till dinner time.
Just a note for others trying to get a good proof… I had a very hard time getting the proper rise on bread in my cool house. Sometimes it would take double the recommended time to get it. My answer: my heating pad. I set my heating pad to the lowest setting, lay it out on the counter, and set the bowl (or pan) on top. I got a perfect consistent rise.
Are the flours used same as Canadian flours, my bun dough never seems to rise as much as yours, same when I use the recipe for the wholewheat loaf,,,,the yeast is newly bought as is the flour,I follow the directions explicitly, no joy
Are you blooming your yeast or using instant?
You may just have a dead batch of yeast.
The FAQs might be helpful.
I usually cook dinner every evening and on week-ends dinner parties for friends.
Being 75 and having a number of preconditions I’ve been locked up so to speak.
I now bake every day and give what I make away, bagels to pizza dough. (I’ve gone through 60 pounds of flour.
But this loaf is a keeper!
Stayed tight on recipe and it was fun and delicious.
Thank You.
Not to mention healthy.
Great recipe! I do have a question however. If I want to make multiple loaves can I just double or triple the recipe? My Bosch mixer can handle up to 14 – 1 lb loaves so I would like to bake a large amount once a month.
Thanks,
Rod
Hi Rod,
I make double batches and find I need a bit more flour after mixing to keep it less wet.
Other than that I do everything exactly but doubled.
Hope this helps.
Hi Rod! I also am a mega-bread maker and use the Bosch Mixer. You can easily multiply this recipe for the Bosch Universal with a “x 4” ratio, i.e., 8 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups all purpose, 4 cups milk, 4 eggs….etc. Just be careful to not overknead, which is easy to do with the powerful Bosch. 🙂
Thank you, Jenny! I searched a lot of whole wheat bread recipes and decided to make this one. I used my food processor with the dough blade and the bread turned out perfect! Thank you for the recipe and informative video.
Would this recipe do well with an additional rise?
I wondered the same thing.
Can this recipe be made in a bread machine?
😱 This is AWESOME! I made the best loaf! I Am very proud of myself right now. I thank you profusely for your video!!! I followed you to a tee and my bread actually looked like yours! Taaaa daaaaah! Very proud, 🙂
I am excited to try more of your recipes.
Thank you.
Have a wonderful night !
Thank you so much for the recipe. I just took my whole wheat loaf out of the oven but realized I didn’t put any foil on top for the last 15 minutes. It still turned out beautifully, just a little browner on top.
I made the Simple White loaf a few weeks ago and it came out great. I did use kosher salt instead and honey for this whole wheat loaf. Thank you again Jenny!
Great recipe! I followed all the instructions, using honey instead of sugar, but doubled it, and it turned out perfectly! I think this will be our everyday, go-to sandwich and bun recipe from now on. Thanks, Jenny!
I really love your recipe, I’ll be baking this bread for my family for a long time!!!😁👍🏽
First time making this bread and it turned out perfect .
Thank you for the recipe, it turned out great! Hubby is requesting more LOL.
I used 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat and 1 cup of King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour and it turned out great.
thank you so much!!! i have zero experience baking but i love bread. This pandemic period was making it hard to get the particular bread brand i loved.
I decided to try baking mine and it came out perfect. i watched your video closely to ensure each time the dough looked like what yours looked like in the Video and it worked.
i am never buying store bread again !
Love love love this bread recipe. It has transformed my phobia of baking bread to a genuine zeal for it. Thank you, Jenny. Your channel rocks!
Well I hate to be a stick in the mud, but mine did not turn out and I was disappointed. All of my ingredients were fresh, I even watched the video while I was doing it Followed it to a tee. I thought that only 2 tsp. of yeast was a typo at first as I though perhaps a tablespoon, but it was only 2 tsp. Mine did not rise..I let it rise a bit longer as it did not look like yours before you put it in the oven. I don’t know what I could have done wrong as I was so looking forward to this. Any thoughts on where I could have gone wrong?
Please start with the FAQs and see if you find the answer there. https://www.jennycancook.com/problems-with-yeast-baking/
Tried this today – followed all the instructions/ingredients to a ‘T’. By far my best whole wheat effort to date. Many thanks !
Note: one deviation – I forgot. Lined the loaf pan with parchment paper and trimmed it before going into the oven. Slick.
Hi Jenny..I have been making your whole wheat bread for about 2 months as my husband was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and cannot have a lot of sodium We love the bread ..I decided to double the recipe but forgot to use the same amount of yeast. I doubled it. I only have the dry ingrediencies’ mixed Can you help me out with this, I hate the though of wasting it.
Love watching your videos and have a lot of friends now watching as well
Thanks Bella Dittburner
If you’re doubling the recipe and you doubled the yeast it will probably still turn out. I suggest you keep going with the rest of the ingredients.
Thanks for your reply…I have another question for you Hear in Ontario we are having a difficult time getting 100% whole wheat floor…someone just told me I can purchase Hard whole wheat flour at the bulk barn…Can I use this in your whole wheat bread recipe…My husband only like your bread so I hope it will work out ..Please let me know
I cant help just laugh every time I see your video of you making this bread and you slap the bread and say WHO’s Your Daddy. Thanks for the chuckles
Thanks Jenny your the best
If hard whole wheat flour is the same as stone ground whole wheat flour, it will not give the same result.
Thanks Jenny
Back on the hunt for whole wheat floor
Hi Jenny,
I do the recipe with doubled yeast and all other ingredients and it comes out great.
Thank you so much for the recipe! Also the video is hilarious.
Hi Jenny, thanks for the recipe and video. This bread is great! Just wondering if I double the recipe do I need to double the amount of yeast I add? Not sure if it would be too mch or not. Thanks.
Thank you for your recipe, the bread is delicious, but I think my crumb was a bit shaggy, sticky.
I’ve searched the FAQs, comments and website, but I can’t find an answer to my question. I think my bread might have been a little underbaked at 195^F internal temperature with an extra 5 minutes of baking.
What internal temperature do you recommend for your Simple Whole Wheat bread?
Alternatively my whole wheat flour might have been a bit coarser than yours as I get it from a small local mill nearby.
Love the easiness of the recipe & bread tasted great! However, I used a corningware loaf pan & didn’t grease the pan. It stuck terribly, so I will grease the pan next time! Also, foil turned outward or inward?
Jenny you are so funny. I love your videos.
What if you don’t like the taste of wheat bread can you use allpurpse or just bread flour or a combination of them both?
Please see my other variations for white bread.
This is the best and easiest bread recipe I have ever made. The bread is very tender and delicious. Thanks Jenny!
Can you use buttermilk instead of regular milk?
Way to go Jenny! You are so talented. Thanks for sharing your recipes .
Just made your recipe: spectacular! Easy, easy and the results are beautiful! Added benefit: the house smelled fabulous while it was baking! I will be trying your other recipes as well. Wanted to add a picture but didn’t see how to do that. Thank you!
Here is the email link to send a photo: YourPhotos@JennyCanCook.com
Thanks, Jenny. I tried this recipe because I cannot find bread flour anywhere to make my usual recipe. I did use honey rather than sugar and I did the rise on the proof setting of my quick cooker, which means I made a round loaf. It turned out great.
I’ve been baking bread for years, but was unfamiliar with amount of instant yeast to use, so tried this recipe when I found it. Since the initial great results I’ve tweaked the recipe and used water in place of milk, molasses, added ground flax. It turned out great.
This bread is absolutely delicious. Thanks for an easy awesome bread!
Made the first loaf of this bread today and it turned out great. Since everything is so hard to find right now I really don’t want to use the flour and yeast that I have to experiment so I was wondering if anyone has tried substituting 1/2 cup of traditional rolled oats (not quick or instant) for 1/2 of the wheat flour and using 1/2 cup of the warm milk to soften the oats for about 15 minutes. I tried another recipe for whole wheat oatmeal honey bread (twice = once using instant yeast per the recipe and the next using active yeast) but it did not rise either time the flavor was fine just too dense for our liking. With this recipe (used same flour and same active yeast) it did rise and has a great texture. I did add 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the flour mixture but other than that followed the recipe to a tee. Would appreciate any remarks from anyone that may have tried adding oatmeal. If not I’ll wait until yeast and flour are easier to come by and try it.
Just made this bread today. Had never made bread before. This bread came out looking like your picture and the taste is perfect!, Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. Will be making this recipe for family and friends for a long time.
Followed the recipe but used half whole wheat flour and half AP flour by weight. Baked in convection oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Best loaf of bread I’ve ever made. Quickest and easiest too. Thanks Jenny
Another winner, Jenny! This, “no-egg white bread”, and your, “no-knead” breads are our, “go-to” recipes. We’ve searched thru a hundred bread recipes over the last 30 years but no need to search further!
This is the best whole wheat bread I have ever made. I did not have a mixer so I did it by hand until I started to see the dough get a little stringy. I think the key were the precise instructions you gave. For example, a lot of recipes will say “lukewarm “ milk or water. This recipe had precise temperatures, so my yeast activated and I didn’t kill it. Also I realized the importance of putting the dough in a warm place to rise. In my case I have a cold kitchen so I heated up the inside of my microwave with boiling water first and then put the dough in. I think I learned that trick from your website too. Thanks for posting this great recipe.
Made the wheat bread. We loved it.
I would love to add Raisins and cinnamon to the dough to make raisin cinnamon bread.
Any advice on best way to do?
I am almost certain there is a vlog on YouTube Jenny Can Cook it shows a video of Jenny making Cinnamon Raisin Rolls. I hope I am correct and you find this vlog.
My first time making this bread … turned out lovely. I followed the video and it wasn’t until later I saw to aerate the flour in the printed recipe. Oopps. Being a new bread maker … my first loaf … I didn’t know this. However, as I was mixing and the additional 1/4 cup of flour was to be added, I noticed that I didn’t need it. Glad I didn’t go ahead and add it. Just out of the oven and it looks beautiful. And, of course, I had to try it … delicious. Can’t wait for toast and coffee tomorrow morning. Thanks for a great, intimidation free, recipe for this new bread maker.
This recipe should not be classified as Whole Wheat bread since it has white flour in it.
Unless it is labeled “100% Whole Wheat”, whole wheat bread generally has white flour in it.
Exactly 😊
Unless you’re making a dense whole grain bread, all bread labeled whole wheat has white flour. If you don’t want white flour in your bread, use all whole wheat and then call it by it’s proper name…100% whole wheat bread.
I have done this recipe twice and love it. No longer buying bread at stores as this is delicious. Thank you for the video as looked at it several times to ensure I was doing it right. My cousin also made the recipe today but used almond milk. The bread was a success although she said it did not rise as she would have wanted.
Hello,
I am trying this recipe out for the first time and I would like to know if this recipe can be made without egg? or is there another substitute for it?
I accidentally made a double batch the other day without eggs and my daughters couldn’t tell the difference. If you do skip the egg, you will have less liquid and you may not need the full amount of flour. You could also use a “flax egg” substitute instead (google it).
Second time making it. By hand, no mixer. Both times I had to add about an additional cup if flour to get it to form a mass and then to knead it without sticking. Very happy with the taste. Doesn’t rise as high, but my loaf pan is a little bigger. This time I added whey protein isolate to see if it would reduce crumbling. Also added hemp seeds and oats. Very dense loaf but still I like it and appreciate your sharing it. Thank you.
I am making by hand as well and add at least a cup of additional regular white flour. Mine has not been very crumbly and I have been able to slice it 1/8 of an inch thin. It is so easy. Can’t wait to try with regular whole wheat. My store only had white milled whole wheat flour. And I only have two packages of yeast left. I have made with both active and with regular yeast. Such a quick loaf!
We love this recipe in our house! Instead if sugar or honey, I use pure maple syrup (I think that’s the Canadian in me). It’s delicious. I also add some ground flax seed for a bit of a fiber boost.
Will non dairy milk work?
How many grams of fresh yeast do you need to use for this recipe?
I bake bread from time to time, but usually with a bread maker, and never with instant yeast before. I only bought it now, because of scarcity. (I’m a creature of habit, my mom always used active dry yeast, so I did too). Now, I’m never going back. I love instant yeast!
This turns out a light, airy loaf of bread with minimal fuss in only 90 minutes. I followed your recipe exactly, using your suggestion of honey, instead of sugar. Seriously, this was easier than my bread machine, and turns out a better textured loaf.
When making the whole-wheat bread recipe, can I substitute the sugar for honey, and add it when mixing in the oils and egg? If so will this then become honey wheat bread? I tried your actual honey wheat bread and it didn’t turn out as light as this recipe.
Please look at the recipe – honey is indicated.
Thank you for responding so quickly. I did see the honey substitute.. I think what has thrown me off is that your honey wheat recipe is so different from this one. I didn’t know if using this recipe over your other one would still make it a true honey wheat loaf..
I have made this bread more times than I can count. Matter of fact, I am making it again today. My family loves it! Thanks, Jenny!
Can I use “Fast Rise Yeast”?
Can you double the recipe? Would like to make two loaves at a time. First try VERY tasty. My kitchen smelled like the hometown bakery we had growing up!
Yes you can double the recipe double all the ingredients except for the yeast and proceed with the recipe.
I’ve made this twice already and another one is in the oven. You rock Jenny!!!
Whos Your Daddy !!!
I followed the recipe exactly and the dough only raised about 1 inch before I put in the oven, Once again the yeast seems to be a useless step.
Yeast is vital to making bread. Please check these notes for a possible explanation: