This Whole Wheat Bread recipe is the best I’ve ever tried!
This is my favorite wheat bread recipe hands down. It makes a super tasty loaf that is packed with all of the goodness of whole grain, but thanks to a secret ingredient, it is still fluffy and light.
About ten years ago, a friend made me a loaf of this bread. Honestly, I was skeptical when she brought it over because I don’t always like wheat bread. But after one bite, I was stalking her until she gave me the recipe. It is THAT good.
You can make this bread by hand, in a KitchenAid or Bosch mixer, or in a bread machine.
Whole wheat bread tends to be dense and heavy. The best solution that I’ve found is to add vital wheat gluten to the dough.
Adding vital wheat gluten to bread:
- Increases the protein level
- Helps improve the rise and texture
- Helps retain moisture
- Helps prevent crumbling
- Controls expansion and contributes to the uniformity of the dough
I bought mine in the bulk bins at Winco Foods, but it should be available in the baking aisle at most grocery stores. If you are having a hard time finding it, you can also buy it on Amazon or at a health food store.
If you are new to making homemade bread, I wrote out a lot of helpful tips and tricks for making bread here. The principles apply just the same to wheat bread as they do to white.
This bread includes cinnamon, which may seem like an unusual addition, but just trust me… the final bread doesn’t taste like cinnamon bread. The cinnamon just enhances the natural nutty flavor of whole wheat and will have you saying, “Dang! I can’t figure it out… why is this bread so good?!” Don’t skip the cinnamon!
Looking for a white bread recipe? This is the best homemade white bread recipe EVER:
100% Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1 5/8 cup warm water
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 cups whole wheat flour (plus about 2/3 cup more)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- Measure water, sugar and yeast into the mixing bowl of your stand mixer or bread machine. Add flour, salt, cinnamon and vital wheat gluten.
- Mix ingredients together using a dough hook attachment until a smooth dough forms. Add more flour gradually, if necessary, until the dough forms a ball and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the dough bowl with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about 1.5 hours.
- Shape the dough into a loaf shape, then place in a greased bread pan. Let rise about 30 minutes, or until the dough is roughly the size of a loaf of bread.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the top of the bread is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Alternately, bread is done when it reaches 200 degrees F internally, as measured with a food thermometer.
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Comments & Reviews
Where do you get the vital wheat gluten? I tried the co-op, but the lady just showed me gluten flour.
Ooh I'll have to try this. I have tried your recipes before and they turned out fantastic! Does it make one or two loaves?
The previous comment was from me… Marcie. Guess that's what happens when you have a shared computer 🙂 –Marcie
Can you use honey instead of brown sugar?
I've never tried that substitution and can't tell you whether it would work or not.
How many cups of water???
One and five eighths cups (1 5/8 cups)
How do you think it would do with using 50/50 white to whole….lost my old stand by and looking for a new! 🙂
Adding white flour will actually make the bread rise more easily and give it a lighter, fluffier texture.
Is it not necessary to allow the yeast to grow before adding the flour, as you state in your white loaf recipe. I made a loaf of white. I was a bit skeptical about not kneading it by hand, but I did let my KitchenAid do the job and I was pleasantly surprised by the results.