Step-by-step tutorial to make soft 100% whole wheat sandwich bread with a 15 minute sponge and only 1 rise. This may be the recipe that finally frees you from store-bought bread!
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I'm so glad you're here - let's finally make perfect, whole wheat sandwich bread!
A number of years ago, before there were blogs, I taught myself to make bread. Through those few years of trying to get it right, my family ate many leaden loaves of bread without complaints (for which I'm eternally grateful!) in my quest for an easy, 100% whole wheat loaf that made great sandwiches and toast.
I've experimented with many different flours (Barley-Rye-Spelt bread, anyone?) and in the end adapted a great recipe that's quick and easy and turns out a consistently good loaf.
This is the recipe that allowed me to stop buying our sandwich bread - really.
I don't want you to have to go through all that, though, so I'm sharing a step-by-step tutorial so that you can start turning out great loaves right away - and free you from store bought sandwich bread forever!
First, though, why bother learning to make your own bread?
- It tastes WONDERFUL.
- You know exactly what's in it.
- It takes less hands-on time than running to the store (a revelation to me, like most of our other pantry basics!)
- It's cheap - these two loaves cost about .75 cents each (and I'm probably over-estimating).
- It just makes you feel good.
- It tastes WONDERFUL.
Convinced? Me, too!
I want to encourage you that you, too, can make bread... I promise. Just give it a try and DO NOT be discouraged by any loaves you may turn out that aren't perfect (they're still good for toast and breadcrumbs)- it's all a part of the learning.
Trust me on this - I know. Just keep practicing.
How to Make Soft 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
1. Make The Sponge
Combine warm water*, yeast, and 2 cups of flour in the bowl of a stand mixer (this can, of course, be mixed in a bowl by hand- I've just never done it that way...) and let it sit 15 minutes to create a sponge.
*Note: I use warmest tap water without a problem, but if you're unsure, you want to use a thermometer and have your water between 105 and 110 degrees - hotter than this will kill the yeast!
PRO TIP: this is the Kitchenaid mixer I use, after burning out my Artisan lift-top with all the whole wheat loaves I was making weekly. It is an investment, but the benefits are worth it to me, since it does the work of mixing and kneading (as well as being used for other baking recipes).
2. Add oil and then add the honey
Look at how all the honey just slides right out of the cup when added after using it for the oil - no scraping needed. A lovely little trick.
3. Add salt and 4 cups of the flour
You can also add the vital gluten here, if using. You'll mix until the dough starts to look like this:
4. Change to the dough hook and knead
Remove the paddle attachment and change to the dough hook to knead (or for those doing it by hand, turn out on floured surface).
5. Knead for 6-7 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand)
After about 6 minutes, the dough should be cleaning the sides of the bowl. If it is sticking to the sides during the kneading process, you can add a little flour, a tablespoon at a time.
Be careful not to add too much - the dough should feel tacky to your finger when you touch it, but not slick to it. It's okay if the dough still sticks to the bottom of the bowl- in fact with whole wheat it usually will.
BIGGEST TIP: Don't add too much flour - the dough should not roll out of the bowl on its own.
6. Prepare The Pans
Grease two 9 x 5 inch pans* while the dough is kneading. You can use oil, butter, or even line with parchment.
I use a Mr. Misto filled with olive or avocado oil (so I don't have to buy a spray from the store) reusable and frugal! In order to get it in the corners I use a small silicone brush- no stray pieces left like from a regular brush.
*Update TIP: If your loaves aren't rising as much, try making the bread in smaller pans. I now use these 8.5x4.5 USA loaf pans which I love because they don't stick at all!
7. Turn the kneaded dough out onto a floured surface and cut in half
On counters that can't be used for dough, I use a tea towel dusted with a bit of flour- the dough doesn't stick as much, so you use less flour, plus it's easy clean-up.
Smoosh the dough down into an even-looking oval shape that you can cut in half with a dough scraper or regular long knife.
8. Shape the loaves
- a) Pat each half into a fairly even oval the length of the pan. (I used to sweat over trying to shape a loaf - using a rolling pin and making it big, then I realized its not rocket science it only needs to be big enough to roll up a bit.)
- b) Roll up gently.
- c) Pinch the seam together and then pinch the ends and bring them in toward the seam...
- so that it looks like d) when shaped.
9. Place Shaped Loaves into Pans
Fit the shaped loaf into your prepared pan and repeat with the other loaf.
Another reason I like using a towel to shape them: I simply take the tea towel, shake it off gently over the sink, and use it to cover the pans. You can get out a new towel or use plastic wrap if you shaped them on a cutting board.
10. Let The Dough Rise
Set the pans in a warm place. Don't worry too much about this - the counter is fine, even the top of the fridge - just no cold drafts.
I did have a cupboard right above our heating vent that was always warm in the winter, so I'd often use that. But when it's warm out, the counter works fine.
Timing: Set a timer for 50 minutes, then turn the oven to 350 degrees to preheat for the last 10 minutes of rising time.
11. Bake
When the loaves have risen 1/2 inch to 1 inch above the pans (1 hour for the loaves pictured above), put them in the preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, then turn them around for even cooking and bake another 15 minutes, for 30 minutes total.
Notice one is bigger than the other? It really isn't about perfection around here - the bigger one seems to have a growth on the side, too - it's a bubble and I just don't worry about these things!
12. Take the loaves out of the oven
Remove the loaves after 30 min. To make sure they are done you can do a test, turning them out and knocking on the bottom for a hollow sound, but if your oven is truly at 350 they will always be done at 30 min. - I never test with this recipe anymore.
Let the loaves cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then run a spatula around the edges right away to loosen any sticking parts.
PRO TIP: See that completely flat spatula? It's one of my favorite cooking tools - this spatula is just the BEST. It's plastic, but sorta sharp for a spatula, so it gets EVERY last bit of dough from a bowl and is better at loosening things out of pans than knives because it's not sharp enough to actually cut through anything.
13. Let Cool On Racks
Turn the loaves out onto racks and let cool at least 30 min. to 1 hour before cutting or you're going to smush the bread down when you try to cut it! I know it's hard, but have patience, it will be worth it in the end.
Then, if you're like me, cut off one of the lovely ends, spread it with just a bit of real butter and bite into that soft, crispy wonderfulness...there's just something about fresh-out-of-the-oven bread!
Cool the loaves completely before storing or freezing.
Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread FAQs
The standard answer is to store bread wrapped in a bag (linen or plastic) at room temperature for 2-3 days and to never refrigerate it because that makes it go stale faster.
However, it will often mold before we eat it, so I do regularly refrigerate our bread! It's perfectly fine for toast and will soften up with a warming in a toaster oven.
Also, a tip is to separate the loaves into halves if your household doesn't eat that much bread and freeze the parts you aren't using for later.
Double wrap each loaf in plastic bags (reused from produce bags work) and freeze until you need them, up to 4 months. You can freeze whole or cut before freezing (I always cut before so the slices are easy to remove). They freeze beautifully and you'll never have to run to the store for bread again!
This is one of the most-asked questions I've gotten over the years. Since I don't have a machine and the machines all have different capacities, I'm pointing you to this article from King Arthur Flour: How to convert your favorite recipes to a bread machine.
Update on Using Vital Gluten: As of November of 2010, I no longer add the extra gluten listed in my original recipe. I've read that Americans get too much gluten in our daily diets and I just feel better not using it. My loaves are still fine for our family, but are probably not quite as high as the loaves pictured here. I've listed it as optional now in the recipe.
Soft 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- Two 9x5 inch OR 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pans
Ingredients
- 6 to 6½ cups whole wheat flour*
- 2½ cups warm water between 105-110 degrees
- 1½ tablespoons instant active dry yeast OR regular active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup oil**
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 1½ tablespoons vital wheat gluten OPTIONAL (I don't use this anymore)
Instructions
- Combine water, yeast and 2 cups of the flour in a mixing bowl. Set aside to sponge for 15-20 minutes, until risen and bubbly (warmer weather takes 15 min, cooler temps usually needs 20).
- Add honey, oil, salt, (plus gluten, if using), and 4 cups of flour. Mix until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. Change to dough hook (or turn out to knead by hand), and knead 6 to 7 minutes (10 by hand). Add only a few tablespoons of flour at a time if dough sticks to sides, being careful not to add too much.
- Form into two loaves and place in greased 9x5 pans (or 8.5x4.5 inch pans for a better rise). Allow to rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes, until 1/2 to 1-inch above pans (you may need 15-30 minutes longer if your kitchen is cold, but don't over rise or the loaf will fall when baked). Preheat oven to 350 degrees ten minutes before rising time is done.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through if needed.
- Immediately remove from pans to cool on a rack. Allow to completely cool before slicing.***
Notes
Nutrition
More bread recipes you might like:
The Original Soft 100% Whole Wheat Rolls
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Beverly Day says
I made these loaves today. My very first bread. I am not just impressed but my 9 year old grandson had 3 pieces. First loaf almost gone. I need a better mixer. I have a Sunbeam and it would not work like what yours did cleaning the sides of the bowl. They still turned out great. I won’t buy anymore bread. Thank you so much.
Jami says
Yay!! So glad you tried this easy bread, Beverly. 🙂
Z. L. says
What would you think about using Pullman pans for this bread? What about using a Universal No. 4 bread dough mixer?
Jami says
I haven't tried either of those, so you'd need to experiment.
Brian Hanley-Hart says
I put all the dough in a 2.2 pound Pullman pan (4.72 x 12.6 x 4.8 inches, no lid), added 20 minutes to the baking time and it came out great! It didn’t crest over the top, so next time I’ll try increasing the recipe by 50%.
Jami says
Thanks for that baking info, Brian!
Brandon says
I've recently started baking bread and I was extremely impressed with how well this loaf turned out. This is the best bread I've made. It turned out really soft and it's got great texture. I'll definitely be using this recipe again!
Jami says
I'm so glad to read this, Brandon! And I'm happy that you're experimenting with baking bread and that you will be making this again.
Michael Harryman says
Really good, dependable whole wheat recipe, with one bakers note: Bake for 30 minutes, then CHECK THE TEMP of the bread with an instant read thermometer - it needs to be around 200 degrees inside. I find it takes another 5-7 minutes of baking time in my oven.
Jami says
Thanks for the tip!
Tracie says
Wonderful recipe. I have made it many times and it always turns out great. Thanks for sharing!
Jami says
I'm glad you like this recipe, Tracie - thank you so much for the review!
BeBe says
Simply the best!! So glad I tried this recipe. Came out perfect.
Jami says
Yay!!
Osvaldo says
Would it be possible to use light butter in place of regular?
Jami says
I've never tried that, so I don't know. You can use oil, though.
Bev Urquhart says
I just made this bread today and it was heavy. I followed the recipe. Should I have let it rise once before putting in pans. I was disappointed.
Jami says
Sounds like you maybe added too much flour or your kitchen is colder and the bread needs a longer rise. Did the bread rise 1" above the pans?
Crystal says
Do you grind your own flour or use bagged whole wheat? I'm wondering if I use home ground flour if the amounts will be the same. I am going to try this. So much of the time my home ground flour bread is slightly crumbly. I'm still trying though. Thanks for the recipe!
Jami says
I use store bought whole wheat. I've had some comments from people who've used home ground flour, though, and they've had success.
The biggest tip would be to use the minimum amount of flour (or even slightly less to start) and only add enough to get the dough to look like I show in the photos, even if it's not the amount I list. Learn to go by the look and feel of your dough. 🙂
Michelle says
Hi Jami,
I have been making this bread for some time and it has replaced store bought bread for my daily sandwiches. I'm wondering if it's possible to make several batches at once and freeze the dough for future baking. Is that possible with this recipe? If so, at what point in the recipe would I freeze it? Thank you!
Jami says
I'm so glad to know this has become your go-to bread, Michelle!
I've never frozen the dough, so I can't say for sure. If you were to try it, I'd freeze after mixing but just separate the dough and not form into loaves. Freeze the dough and then thaw and shape into loaf pans when ready to bake. The loaves might take more time to rise. This is just a guess!
Auntiem says
Crystal, I'm interested in what modifications were necessary when you used fresh-milled flour as I intend to use that and am pretty new to it. I'm actually thinking of subbing a couple of all-purp cups to help myself. Thanks for any recommendations you have---
Cathy says
It is just perfect! Very hard to find a good 100% whole wheat recipe. Thank you! I like to bake bread with a scale so I weighed one cup of whole wheat bread flour and multiplied it. I’m glad I did because I would like to make many loaves that are as good as my first ones.
Jami says
I'm glad that worked for you, Cathy - thanks for the review!
Miah says
I guess I could'nt wait for a response. Anyways, I tried it with shortening. My bread turned out to be a bit doughy in the center. Everyting else turned out good- it tasted great! the outer crust was just right. What could I have missed/or not done enough of? Was shortening the culprit? Please advise. Thank you
Jami says
Hi, Miah! I've never tried it with shortening, so can't say if that was the culprit. Off hand, I'd think the bread needed to be cooked longer. To be sure you're cooking long enough, you can insert an instant read thermometer into the center and make sure it's at 200 degrees. Once you know how long your oven takes, you won't need to do that anymore.
Miah says
Can I use vegetable shortening instead of oil? Will this make the bread softer?
Carolyn says
I started baking bread last spring -- my COVID hobby. I started with the Bittman/NYT no-knead long rise bake in Dutch oven bread, and got to where I was pretty good at it, even got it to 1/3 whole wheat. (I've yet to find a recipe for that method that is 100% whole wheat that comes out as well as I'd like, though.)
Then I wanted to find something in loaf pans, something that my husband might like in place of his store-bought sliced loaves in the morning. Preferably 100% whole wheat. I tried a couple of recipes that an acquaintance and I were swapping, some billed as "the best whole wheat bread ever," and I learned more about baking bread along the way. But they weren't quite as good as I'd like, and some recipes were downright bland -- and most were denser than I'd like.
Then I saw yours posted on a FB page for folks fighting GERD/LPR -- folks who are avoiding a lot of ingredients typical to many breads, but yours has perfect ingredients. I made it, and it came out WONDERFULLY. I have now made it three times (I like to try different things still, so I alternate recipes) and it is always wonderful! NOT dense, great crust, great taste!
I am in Colorado, and I don't even do anything for high altitude. Sometimes I have problems with things rising enough, but not this bread; in fact this last time it OVERrose; I had forgotten to follow the details of molding it in the pan, only looking at the recipe proper, but I just folded the extra over onto the top and it is fine, if funny looking 🙂 .
(I use KitchenAid stand mixer with dough hook to knead; I do use the vital wheat gluten; EVOO for the oil; gently melt the honey because it's too think otherwise; instant/rapid rise yeast rather than regular -- I have both and maybe will try the other next time.)
Thanks for a great recipe!
Jami says
What a wonderful review, Carolyn - thank you! And it's so fun to read your bread making journey - it's very similar to mine (and maybe many others?), in that you just try a lot and learn along the way! So much of it is learning to read the dough and you can't learn that without a lot of trial and error. 🙂
Carolyn says
Jami, I'd like to try one more wrinkle, a *seeded* 100% whole wheat bread. I haven't found any great recipes out there yet; most are only partly whole wheat and still have a lot of all purpose flour, which I'm trying to avoid. I'm thinking I might just try adding ~1/2 cup of seeds (e.g., sunflower, chopped walnut) to this recipe, but wanted to see if you had any advice in this direction, or another recipe you've already done with 100% whole wheat and seeds. Thanks again!
Jami says
I haven't added seeds to the bread before, but that sounds like a good starting point to see how the bread might react and if that's the amount you're wanting. To add more, you might need to decrease the flour, but I think starting with 1/2 cup is small enough just to be an addition.
Hope that works well for you, Carol!
Carolyn says
I've been meaning to get back to you. Long story short, I am able to add 1/2 cup of pepitas and/or sunflower seeds plus up 3-4 T smaller seeds (e.g., flax, millet, chia, poppy) with NO other changes to your recipe and it comes out perfectly 🙂
I'd like to suggest, if you ever edit any of your recipes, that you add it as an option to your recipe above -- after trying it out first for yourself, of course.
Jami says
Oh thank you for revisiting this, Carolyn! I have made a note to try your seeded version. 🙂
Suz says
Hello. I've made this twice now (in kitchen aid stand mixer) and it seemed to be very sticky even when at about 6 1/2 cups of flour. The last time I had a total of 7 cups of flour and rolled it out the best I could, even though still sticking to my hands. It appeared to rise/cook fine, but since I'm new to bread making I'm not sure how much this is impacting texture. Have you ever had to add this much (or more?) flour. I weighed my ingredients, using King Arthurs site for flour weight & followed instructions exactly. It's winter with snow here, and house always at about 70 degrees. Thank you
Jami says
That hasn't been my experience, Suz. I'm wondering if it's the difference in weighing vs. using cups? With bread baking, you want to go with more what the dough looks and feels like rather than exact cup measurements. I've provided photos to help illustrate this - you want the dough sticking to the bottom, but clearing the sides and tacky, but not sticking to your fingers.
Sometimes if you let the mixer keep kneading, the dough will become looser again and start sticking to the sides. I add a bit more flour (1-2 tablespoons) and allow it to clear the sides again and test with my finger for tackiness. Too much flour is the death-nell in most bread recipes, so you want this to just be able to handle.
Hope that's helpful!
Maryam says
Thank you so much for this recipe Jami! I've been baking bread for years but have only recently started baking 100% whole wheat. I mistakenly let the dough rise for 1 hr before shaping as I am used to. I believe that made it overproof and collapse a bit during baking. The top half was very light and airy and couldn't stay together while the bottom was dense. It was still scrumptious nevertheless and we ate every single crumb! I'll make sure to follow directions next time!
Do you have a recipe or recommendation for 100% whole wheat pizza dough?
Maryam
Jami says
Oh, yes that sounds like over proofing, Maryam - good you could still enjoy it!
I often use all whole wheat for my quick pizza crust - I find it a lot more forgiving in flat breads as we don't really want a lot of rise. 🙂
Maryam says
I made the bread again and it's soft, consistent, and just prefect! I used evoo, a little less honey, just 1 tbsp instant yeast, and no gluten. I also didn't roll the loaves just cut the dough in half and put the ovals in the pans. Can't wait to try the pizza dough! Thanks a lot Jami ^-^
Jami says
Oh, good - so glad that worked out!
June says
I have a question concerning a recipe for soft whole wheat sandwich bread that you used to make and have that I made for several years - up to 6 loaves at a time. The recipe included a long soaking period of the flour before mixing with the sponge and other ingredients, etc. I tried going to that link to make it again, but can't find it. Can you help me out with this?
Thanks!
Jami says
Hmm, I've never had a recipe like that on my site, June. I think you're thinking of another website!
Susan says
So good! When placed in the freezer after cooled and wrapped, and then it’s time to use it for sandwiches, how do you store it? Do you pull it from freezer and allow to sit on counter at room temperature for up to 3-4 days? Just trying to get a system down if I make two loaves weekly, and save the second in the freezer for later in the week. Thank you so much.
Jami says
Yes, I will let it sit on the counter for 3 days. If any longer I put in the fridge, even though it makes it "stale" - I don't want to risk losing any to mold!
Farah Imam says
Hi! Love your website!
Was wondering if there was a particular whole wheat flour you use? Any particular brand?
Thank you!
Jami says
Thank you, Farah!
I do prefer either Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur flours and pretty much use those exclusively (except when there was that shortage and then I used whatever I could find, lol).
Susan says
Hello. I’m new to making bread and just trying to make sure I have it right. If using active dry, normally I proof for 5 mins with the warm water and small amount of sugar, do I skip this step and go right to the yeast, water, flour step? Also if I use instant yeast, do I add directly To the water, then add the flour and proceed mixing & then let rest like the first step? Yeast is hard to find where I live right now so I never know which option they will have). Thank you.
Jami says
The sponge acts like a proofing for active dry and instant can be used the same way in recipes, so either will work with the recipe as written.
Alex says
how much of the whole wheat flour can I sub with oat flour and still get a semi- decent rise?
Jami says
I haven't tried it, Alex, so you'd have to experiment with it. I'd start with just 1 cup and see what happens, then try 2, etc.