Simple Whole Wheat Bread
This easy one-rise bread is ready in 90 minutes! It’s soft and perfect for French toast and sandwiches. I also use it to make rolls. 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 (260 gms) whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup (65 gms) bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (1 packet / 7 grams) instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar (or honey but add honey after the milk)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 mL) 1% 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.
The best bread ever. So happy I found this recipe. Thanks Jenny.
This bread is just delicious. I was less than accurate in some respects but thought I’d go ahead and see if the recipe would forgive me anyway. And it most certainly did. Can’t wait to try the rolls version….at Thanksgiving? With turkey gravy? OMG! Thanks again, Chef Jen!
Hi, Jenny,
In your video for Simple Whole Wheat Bread, you’re working on a green board of some kind. Can you tell us more about the board; it’s size and composition, and where you purchased it? LOVE your recipes and videos, thank you so much for posting!
Hi Jenny….I love your videos and your recipes! I’ve tried some of them and they’re always winners with my family. Thank you for sharing with us! 🙂
I made this last night and it was the first time I made a loaf of bread that turned out! I followed the recipe except I didn’t use honey as I didn’t have, but I am so excited that I made my first loaf! It tasted amazing and I will be making more! Thank you!!!
BADA BOOM! I am now a bread making machine!! I love this bread, letting another loaf sit right now. But, what I love more, is that this lead me to find out I LOVE BAKING STUFF! I had no idea, so thanks for “waking” it up 😀
I made this bread recipe in the afternoon and it is so good thank you to share good recipes et tutorial too very interesting
Ive made bread since i was a youngster im now an oldster. Why an egg? Can I just leave that out? Ive never put an egg in any yeast bread before only quick breads like banana bread etc. ????
This is what my man wanted. A light wheat bread for sandwiches that wasn’t heavy. We’re not buying store bread anymore since theres other ingredients and preserves added to it. This is by far the best and easiest wheat bread I have made that got my mans thumbs up approval. Thank you for sharing.
LOVE LOVE LOVE! This bread turned out beautifully. Thank you! 🙂
Omg!! Just took the bread out of the oven…couldn’t wait for it to cool off, this is the easiest, most delicious homemade bread I’ve ever to made, instead of using sugar, I used molasses. Thank you Jenny!
ooo molasses that would be good too.
I’ve tried it with white sugar, brown sugar, honey, molasses and with maple syrup and all turned out great. The only addition I make to the basic recipe is that I alway add a capful of “realemon” to any and all yeast bread recipes, and have never had a failure.
I read that baking bread with a pan of water on the shelf beneath it keeps the bottom from burning. Seeing as you’re such an obvious pro with bread, what are your thoughts on this technique? Thanks!
I put my bread dough in my oven with the oven light on to raise and sometimes if its dry in the house ill put a cake pan of boiling water in with it for the steam. It works well. Also, when i bake my french bread in order to get that nice crispy crust ill throw in a few ice cubes onto the bottom of my oven for the steam. works for me anyway. if your bread is burning on the bottom you might have it too close to the bottom of the oven. middle is best
Hello Jenny, I finally gave your bread recipe a try yesterday and my oh my, was I pleased with the results!!!!! My family and I are in love with this bread so much so that today I’m planning on making 2 more loaves!! I did substitute milk with almond milk and added some more water to make a softer dough… I didn’t areate the dough so maybe that’s why it was a little tighter but it all came out awesome in the end! Just wondering if we could bake it without a loaf tin as I only have 1 bread tin. Also can we do without the egg (I’m trying to not consume eggs). Thanks again for such an awesome and hilarious video! 😊
Dear Jenny,
I absolutely love your recipe! I have a big family and have always wanted to make homemade bread but never thought I had the time. Your recipe is so easy and quick, I was skeptical it would actually turn out. I was literally in tears, the bread turned out so beautifully! My kids laughed but I was so happy to find a healthy recipe that is so fast. Since I made my first loaf of bread, two weeks ago, I have not bought any chemical filled bread from the store! I have been making one loaf every other day for my family of 6! I have even added 1/4 cup ground flax seed and it turned out perfect. My parents also loved the loaf of bread I baked for them! Thanks for the great recipes and funny videos!
I have been making this bread for so long now and every time I do, I think that I must leave a comment! It is SO easy and really delicious. I add in 1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds, 1/3 cup of sunflower seeds plus 1/4 cup of millet after the 2 minute mix but before adding in the extra flour. It is the tastiest recipe for bread that I know of and cannot believe how easy it is.
Thank you for taking time to share this variation – it sounds really good.
Just finished baking another loaf of this great bread, and once again it turned out perfect. The only thing that remotely could be considered as an alteration to Jenny’s recipe is that I also add one capful of RealLemon together with all of the other ingredients.
JENNY YOU ARE AMAZING!!! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU’RE DOING!
My question was so dull I had to reply, lol. Made your no knead bread and now the whole family is in on it!
Thank you again,
I would like to make rolls instead with this recipe. I know it will work because it’s amazing bread. Please tell me how many rolls per batch you would recommend as I like them to be uniform so I weigh each out. A medium sized roll slightly bigger than or nearly the size of a slider bun would be great.
Thank you,
Just saw the roll recipe, sorry, rotflol.
Thank you,
I bake one loaf a week. They only change I made was using 100% Whole Wheat flour. It rises nicely and tastes great. I found with or without 100% WW it is great bread.
Thank you for this recipe. Perfect result. Exactly what I wanted for sandwich bread.
Help!
I followed your recipe exactly, somehow though, the dough was very thick and tough…right after I added the milk pretty much. 🙁
You might find an explanation in the FAQs. If not, let me know and I will try to help further.
EASY AND PERFECT! My wife and I have a system. She bakes, I cook. She does the biscuits, I do the gravy. The only other time I baked, was no bake cookies. Obviously, this was my first time making bread. It was super easy and came out perfect! Thanks for making me feel like real baker.
This recipe is perfect. I’ve baked many loaves of whole wheat bread and this was by far the easiest, prettiest and best texture. My new go-to recipe, for sure. Also, it stayed soft for DAYS – crazy – and then made great toast when it was starting to get dry. Love it.
Well, I’ve just finished baking another loaf of this delicious recipe, and I must say that your recipes are totally foolproof. I’m 75 years old, and started using your recipes approx 3 years ago. Prior to that, I used my bread machine, which was fine, but not nearly as good. I must say that I still use the bread machine with your recipes, using it only for making the dough. I then take the raw dough from the machine and continue according to your directions, and I have NEVER had a disappointment with any of your breads or other recipes. Thank you Jenny.
3rd time making this bread, awesome every time,. Jenny rocks
I made the whole wheat bread and whole wheat hot rolls and entered them in our local county fair and got a 1st on the bread and a 2nd on the hot rolls, great recipe.
Well that makes my day. Congratulations and thanks for letting me know!
I bake my own bread because American bread is too sweet (compare UK and European recipes to American recipes), I made this without any sugar and used 2 tbs of 1/2 and 1/2 (your milk is too sweet also) made up with water, the loaf came out perfect, completely different to my usual method, but it works and that 10 min rest time is enough to clean all the equipment and get it all put away, this will be my go-to recipe (minus all the sugar) from now on, took longer to rise but probably because its summer and the A/C is on, no biggie just followed your instructions, absolutely delighted with this.
I put my bread dough in the oven to raise with just the oven light on…when raised enough i take it out and turn the oven on….it only takes 5 mins to heat up if that. then cook as usual. the oven light is just enough warmth and its out of drafts.
Have made this recipe and it turned out great.
Have you every tried to add sunflower seeds or flax seeds to this recipe?
Thinking I might try it and see how it turns out.
Love your website.
I have just posted Betty – I add 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup millet after the initial mix but before adding in the extra flour – it is really good!
I grew up in rural Iowa and my mother was a consummate bread baker. My siblings and I used to take a slice of my mom’s bread to school so we would not to eat the boughten white bread. My mom taught us all how to make bread. I think she thought if we all knew how to make bread we would never starve. Must have worked since I am now in my 70’s and still going strong. I love the simplicity of this recipe. You cal always tell if your bread is going to be good by the feel of the dough as you knead it. Thanks Jenny for this simple and quick WW bread recipe. Enjoy your blog very much. Jere
I am making it now… Waiting 35 minutes for dough to rise.
I am scared! Never before I had made bread, but you make it look so easy! Thank you, Jenny!
I will leave a comment when I taste it. Fingers crossed! Hoe it will taste like your bread!
well? how did it turn out? Im sure it was good.
When I try to make this, as soon as I put the 1 cup of milk and egg (warmed up) in the mixer, it turns into a clump, like I already kneaded it before mixing it, is there something I’m doing wrong? I am adding the one cup measure of milk, the egg, the oil, all that but this happens, which then leads to a lot of cracks in the dough. Can you help me?
You may find an answer using the “problems” link at the bottom of the recipe. It could be you are not aerating your flour. If you’re in a higher altitude, I have no experience with that but you can easily research the changes needed for high altitude baking. I hope that helps.
Have made several times. Always good.
Dear Jenny,
I am wanting to try this recipe soon but I have a question, I am above 9000 altitude, do I need to change any ingredients or bake time? I watched your video then came here, looks pretty simple but I was told that at our altitude my ingredients will need to change. Can you help me out?
Who’s your daddy… lol
This recipe is a good best Whole wheat bread recipe
Hello,
I have two questions. How would I change the recipe to use instant milk, as I don’t drink milk? Also, would using whole wheat flout entirely make a difference in the recipe?
Hi! I’ve made this bread a lot lately and I’ve really enjoyed the recipe. I let the yeast rise a bit with warm milk and sugar but still use the same total amount of milk called for above. Thanks, Jenny! p.s your video is really funny.
Will this recipe work if one uses a gram digital scale to measure flour?
1 cup of flour is 120 grams.
My metric conversion chart might help: https://www.jennycancook.com/category/metric-conversion-chart/
I use a scale and these are my measurements for a perfect loaf:
400 gms flour (You can use 100 percent whole wheat, but it’ll rise a bit less, still delicious though!)
245 ml water
8 gms active dry yeast
7 gms salt
a pinch of powdered ginger
half a spoon of sugar (to activate the yeast in water, though sugar isn’t really required)
1 egg
15 gms of oil
Then I just follow Jenny’s method in the video. I make this at least once a week, usually twice, and its delicious! Thanks Jenny!
Thank you for taking time to share this.
Nice presentation… I like cooking at the age of 70 and making good. Now I will try this recipe. Thanks…
Jenny, i made this bread several times now, is the perfect recipe, light, delicious and healthy. So easy to make. Thank you!!!
Dear Jenny,
I love your recipe, but am using wheat flour I mill myself and the dough is too sticky. I end up needing to add an extra 1/2-1 cup flour to make the dough work. Should I use less milk or less oil? I’m high altitude at 6000 ft.
FANTASTIC!
Have tried numerous Whole Wheat recipes but nothing has risen like this, nothing has been as light as this.
For the 2nd loaf I used White Whole Wheat [same nutritional value] and added 2 tsp of Caraway seeds and about 3/4 tsp of Dill. Close your eyes and it is a soft Rye bread.
Super easy and great tasting. kudos
Turned out beautifully! Thank you
I made this loaf today replacing the first two ingredients with:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sprouted whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/2 cup bread flour
Then I followed with the rest of the recipe. The bread rose faster than expected and was really good!
I am interested in the nutritional information, please.
Thank you.
There are quite a few online nutrition calculators that are free to use (I prefer this one https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator). It’s easy to use, & you can tailor the ingredients to exactly what you are using at home for the recipe 😀
Thank you J.P. from J.J. for helping J.D. 🙂
Love your recipes I made this bread with spelt flour and all purpose flour, turned out very good.
Thank fir your videos and funny comments
Me encanta tu receta ,lo hice y me salio estupendo ,muchas gracias por compatirlo !!!!!
Hi made this yesterday mine turned out interesting lol I didn’t need to add the 1/4 cup of flour before turning out and kneading, it came together quickly, after forming the loaf and setting it to rise in warm space all was great I think my pan was a tad bit bigger as after the 35 minutes it was 1/2 inch below the lip of the pan, so I left it another 10-15 mins ( didn’t get any bigger) I popped it in the oven and tented after 15 mins came out great ( a little misshapen the top 1 inch had drifted still attached just funny looking) however it still tasted great and for my first time making bread I consider that a success
Hi Jenny! I have never made a yeasted bread before and was pretty certain my first effort would fail. But I used your recipe, followed your instructions exactly, and the bread came out PERFECTLY. Thank you! I
Absolutely amazing. First time, I didn’t heat the milk enough so didn’t rise,or maybe yeasts were old 🙂 OR me was lazy. We made crackers from what ever came out.
Two days later tried again, follow your instructions and came out beautiful and delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing this fabulous recipe
I made this bread today.. turned out perfect! This is the very first time making whole wheat bread…. I am an avid baker, and have made many loaves of bread through the years, first time attempting whole wheat…. for health issues! I am amazed at how well it raised given the fact that it was clearly a tougher dough… It did brown quickly however… so I covered with foil as recommended. My 91 yr old Mom gave it a thumbs up!
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Deena
FYI
I used a glass loaf pan..
How long will this bread keep and how do you store it?
Second time making this loaf, first time watching the video. Came out very very good, first round I didn’t get as good a rise and ended up with a heavier bread ( great with Sunday roast). Today. I realised I didn’t have bread for work tomorrow kicked out a loaf per your instruction, minus the mixer, just buttered the heel of one end and devoured it. Such a great recipie to learn, I’m hesitant to try the common 2 loaf batch so this one is great to build a benchmark on. Thanks so much for the knowledge!
I used Almond Milk, because I thought I had milk, and I didn’t.
You used almond milk? Did it still turn out great?!!! I have to use milk alternatives and would LOVE to know the outcome!!! 😀
I have not tried this recipe yet but have used almond milk in many other bread recipes and it worked fine. Did not see a difference.
What brand is your bread pan and do you think because I used locally packaged flour from a farmer’s market that could be why I did’t get a higher rise just at top of pan level?
The brand of bread pan would not make a difference. Please look at the FAQs for an answer: https://www.jennycancook.com/problems-with-yeast-baking/
Followed measurements exactly but dough was way too sticky to work with. Had to add at least another 1/4 to 1/3 cup of flour while kneading. It was sticking to my hands and the counter otherwise. It didn’t rise as much as it should have and I waited 45 mins. I baked it anyway and still ended up with some yummy bread! It was delicious. I will be using this recipe again
Please look at the FAQs for an explanation on sticky dough.
dear jenny I tried your easy whole wheat bread and I,am so happy to tell you it turned out fantastic I,ve always wanted to make bread but no luck because it turned out heavy.thanks so much .p.s. can you make a white loaf the same way simple .
Yes. https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/simple-white-bread-with-egg/
Hi Jenny! I am new to bread making and I am so glad that I came across your site. Your informative ‘how to’ videos (as well as humourous) and easy to follow recipes have given this girl new found confidence! Thank you!
Can I use water instead of milk and still get the same result?
I’ve been using warm water and a tablespoon of butter for fat content, it’s been fine.. I’ve made a loaf every 4 days since January and it always turns out.
I have been looking for a whole wheat loaf that is soft inside and out with slices that hold together and doesn’t have that lingering raw taste of whole wheat flour. I noticed yours because of the really good photograph. After reading it I was skeptical. After seeing the dough in the video I was even more so. But when you spanked the dough and said, “Who’s your daddy?” I knew I had to give it a try. I followed your written instructions and video to the T and the results were spectacular. I still experiment with other multigrain recipes but this is the last whole wheat sandwich recipe I will ever try. As with every recipe attempt in the past, mine did not rise to the height it should. I will work on that. But the shape, taste, texture, color, sliceability, and flavor are amazing. I won’t dis your recipe but I still look at it and say no way. But way it is. I think readers who have doubts, such as the dough is too sticky so I better fix that, should just trust the video and do it exactly your way once. I always do that with a new recipe because making changes first will give you vague results. Steve p.s. I put the egg in the neck hole of my shirt but it just fell to the floor. So, no to that.
Thank you for taking time to send this helpful note. I hope it encourages more people to trust my recipes.
I must agree. JENNY has the best bread recipes anywhere on the Web or YouTube. It’s the only one I will ever use. Thank you for sharing !
Hi Jenny😁 I have 2 loaves rising as I write this. I followed the recipe exactly but found that I had to add even more flour than the extra amount. It was a sticky goo without it. Could it be because I use Canadian flour?? I assume a large egg is the same no matter where. Anyway, I turned it out on a floured board and just added flour til I got the “feel” that I wanted. If is rising splendidly…just popped it in the oven! I am just curious about the extra flour I had to add. I do live in the Canadian North but that should really only affect the cooler temperature of my house. I am used to breadmaking the “old”way and really like that this is so much quicker. I am enjoying many of your recipes. Thanks so much😁😁
Did you look at the FAQs? You may find the answer there – let me know. https://www.jennycancook.com/category/faqs/
This is the stickiest gooiest dough I’ve ever used. It’s the egg. But I manage the extra flour with a routine. I keep a bench scraper in one hand and sprinkle as little flour as possible with the other. I scrape underneath half the dough and fold it over. Sprinkle a tiny amount on the counter and the dough. Repeat 50 times. Sometimes the dough starts to cooperate and sometimes it doesn’t. I stopped expecting it to cooperate and I just keep moving and sprinkling. Because of the egg it will never look like the elastic dough of eggless recipes. But it has come out perfect every time. To solve the rising problem I cover the loaf pan, run the dryer for 15 seconds, put the pan inside, set the timer for five minutes, and wash dishes. I repeat this seven times and it is ready to bake.
What are the nutrition facts for this bread? For the entire loaf?
3 times so far. Oel all 3
I have made this twice and didn`t rise either time. Yeast is good and milk was the right temperature. Will not try this one again.
In case you change your mind, the solution is probably here: https://www.jennycancook.com/problems-with-yeast-baking/
I had trouble with rising too, but then discovered, for whatever reason, that I had to let it sit for an extra 15-20 minutes. The temperature of my liquid was 125 degrees, and I was oh-so-careful with my measuring, so I am pretty sure it wasn’t those factors.
Even though I had to wait a bit longer for rise, the bread turned out fantastic! Better than store-bought. I gave the recipe to my mom and she’s going to try it too. This is now my go-to homemade bread recipe! Thank you Jenny!
My kitchen is the no-rise zone so to solve the problem I cover the loaf pan, run the dryer for 15 seconds on high, put the pan inside, set the timer for five minutes, and wash dishes. I repeat this seven times and it is ready to bake.
bread was delicious and so easy to follow your directions. video was a big help too.
instead of the white flour, I had some Vital Wheat Gluten that i had bought for a disastrous bread recipe. I’m not sure what that is but i put it in instead of the white flour and it worked.
Super easy and delicious! My bread didn’t rise as quickly but I think that was because I didn’t mix and knead it quite long enough. In any event, it was a simple recipe and baked up perfectly. I added a tablespoon of honey over the top and sprinkled with oats. I will definitely be making this again.
Ok So apparently I managed to be the only one who messed this recipe up. Made twice and each time it would not rise correctly. Milk was correct temp…yeast date good…but I did finally look at my whole wheat flour package and it says stone ground whole wheat flour. I assume that is the problem. I will try the 3rd time with different flour.
Love this recipe! So easy to make. I use less sugar because that’s the taste we prefer. I’ve also forgotten to add the egg & still turned out fantastic. I love your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing.
Jenny,
Just baked this bread today and Its super delicious. Tried other recipes but yours is the best. It’s simple and easy to follow. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
tank you for your recipe Jenny, very good i love it,never had any problem.
i would like to know the measurement of the pan.
I only have 1 and is little narrow on the bottom.And also thank you for your recipe i never had any problem.
Thank you so much! I made this so many times, and it’s perfect every time.
Thank you so much! This is my go to recipe. My whole family loves this bread.
Wow oh wow oh wow what an AMAZING recipe. I just tried this recipe today after so many numerous attempts at whole wheat bread from other recipes I was just about to give up and buy a loaf at the supermarket. I came home and did one last google search for high rise whole wheat bread and found your recipe. Tried it right away and this was the first recipe that worked for me. My family Loved it. This one is a keeper for sure and blows the store brand out of the way. I did use buttermilk for my bread and turned out great. Thanks a million time for a simple great bread recipe. 😊
Thanks for the buttermilk tip–that’s the only milk I keep in the house. I use it in all breads and cakes to substitute for regular milk. But for breads without yeast, I often use beer (or half beer and half buttermilk)–delicious and it helps dense breads, like whole wheat, rise higher and lighter.
Found this recipe a few months ago and have made it on a weekly basis ever since!! The whole family loves it..i especially love the first slice with a little honey. I’ve altered the recipe slightly. I omitted 1/4c of flour for 1/4c of bran and added 1/4c wheat germ. I also brush some warm honey on the top and sprinkle with oats!! Excellent recipe and definitely a keeper!!!
Amazing and delicious. So easy. Thank you
I made this last year and just loved it. I thought I would make again for my Mom. She loves cinnamon. Made as directed ( I mixed in Kitchen Aid for 5 minutes). Before placing in pan, I rolled it out, sprinkled with brown sugar and ceylon cinnamon, rolled back into a loaf the shape of pan. I also used a new whole wheat flour at Walmart (at least that is where I got It), Prairie Gold. This stuff was so wonderful. Super fine and the flavor was so different from regular whole wheat. Like comparing fat free milk to cream. Better than KA too.
Thanks for sharing your flour find. I will look for it myself.
Thanks for this tip on flour. I love whole-wheat bread, but not when I make it. I’ve tried numerous whole-wheat flours, including Einkhorn, and I can’t get a flavor I like. I just ordered this flour for my next Walmart grocery pickup.