The Only Healthy Whole Wheat Bread Recipe You'll Ever Need

A crisp, golden brown crust and the most amazing flavour-packed light and chewy centre. This simple and healthy whole wheat bread recipe is a million times better than anything you'll get from the store or even a bakery! You'll love it so much after you make your first loaf, you'll never go back to buying bread ever again. Your wallet and waistline can thank me later. Now it's time to get in the kitchen!

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A loaf of healthy whole wheat bread that's been sliced

Most of us eat bread pretty regularly. Whether it's covered with strawberry chia seed jam for breakfast, holding together a bbq cheddar chickpea burger for lunch or in the form of homemade Panko-style breadcrumbs used to make a healthy chicken parmesan for dinner. Unless you're actively avoiding it, bread probably plays a big role in your daily diet.

And now you've got your hands on an out-of-this-world-amazing healthy whole wheat bread recipe, you'll never need to rush to the store and settle for an okay-ish loaf full of chemicals and nasties for as long as you live!

A bowl filled with bloomed yeast
This is what it looks like when the yeast that has been correctly bloomed for 15 minutes.

What is the healthiest bread you can eat?

The healthiest bread you can eat is whole wheat bread. White bread made with all-purpose flour has been stripped of most of the nutrients. But healthy whole wheat bread contains bran, germ and endosperm which are loaded with nutrients.

That's not the only reason whole wheat bread is the healthiest bread you can eat. This basic whole wheat bread recipe contains heart-healthy olive oil and just a tiny amount of brown sugar. Don't be tempted to skip the sugar in the recipe. You need it for the yeast to bloom.

Although this is a whole wheat bread healthy recipe, it's not made from 100% whole wheat flour. Healthy bread recipes made only with whole wheat bread tend to be on the tough, dense side. Because this basic whole wheat bread recipe is made with a 50-50 ratio of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, you get the best of both worlds. Loads of filling fibre and healthy nutrition along with a light and chewy loaf you'll look forward to eating.

Unbaked dough from my healthy whole wheat bread recipe
This is what the healthy whole wheat bread dough looks like when you remove it from the mixer bowl.

Can you make homemade bread without sugar?

Rarely do you ever come across a heart healthy recipe that contains sugar, right? But this healthy whole wheat bread recipe does. It works out at something like ¼ of a teaspoon of sugar per slice, which is practically nothing. But still, if you're trying to cut down on your sugar intake, you might be wondering - can you make healthy homemade bread without sugar?

And sadly the answer is 'no'. Well, not in this healthy whole wheat bread recipe anyway. The sugar is 100% necessary to feed the yeast so it activates and does a great job of creating a light loaf. If you didn't use sugar, there wouldn't be anything to feed the yeast and you'd be left with a brick. There are some types of healthy bread recipes that don't use sugar. But they take forever to rise because they don't use yeast either.

Bread dough that's been left to rise
This is the dough after its first rise.

How to make this a honey whole wheat bread recipe

The only way you can really make healthy homemade bread without sugar is to substitute it for honey. Doing this essentially turns this healthy whole wheat bread recipe into a healthy honey whole wheat bread recipe. Sounds delicious, right? Well the results taste even better!

To make this healthy whole wheat bread recipe into a healthy honey whole wheat bread recipe, swap the 3 tablespoons of brown sugar for 3 tablespoons of honey. Mix it into the warm water just like the sugar so it can feed the yeast during the blooming process.

Because sugar is a dry ingredient and honey is a wet ingredient, your healthy honey whole wheat bread dough will probably be a little sticky. To counteract this, add an extra 3 tablespoons of flour into the dough with the rest of the flour. All-purpose flour or whole wheat flour - it's your choice.

Bread dough that's been punched down
This is what the dough should look like when you punch it down.

Which bread is best for weight loss?

Here's something all you carb-lovers out there will be happy to hear - you can eat bread and still lose weight! You've just got to be careful about which type of bread you choose. Avoid empty-calorie loaves made with all-purpose flour and instead opt for whole wheat healthy bread recipes like this one. All the added fibre will help keep you full so you'll lower your calorie count without even trying by not snacking throughout the day.

This isn't the only healthy whole wheat bread recipe out there. The internet is full of them! Click here to sign up for my newsletter and you'll get instant access to my top 10 favourite healthy bread recipes. There are so many awesome ones on the list. I just know you'll love trying them all.

Bread dough that's been left to rise twice
This is what the healthy whole wheat bread dough should look like after its 2nd rise.

What are the health benefits of whole wheat bread?

I doubt you need any convincing to dive into a loaf of freshly-baked crusty whole wheat bread. But just in case, here are some health benefits of whole wheat bread:

  • Improved digestion. The fibre in whole wheat bread not only helps you feel fuller for longer, but also promotes a healthy digestive system which reduces your risk of colon cancer.
  • Lower cholesterol. Whole wheat bread helps to prevent your body from absorbing bad cholesterol, lowering your risk of heart disease.
  • Lower blood pressure. Eating whole grains substantially lowers your levels of triglycerides, insulin and blood pressure - another 3 things which can cause heart disease if they're high.
  • Redistributed fat. Whole wheat bread cuts down on the fat around your middle section and redistributes it evenly throughout your body, reducing your chances of developing diabetes.
  • Improved immune system. Just like fruits and veggies, whole wheat bread is filled with essential minerals which your body uses to fact bacteria and disease.
2 loaf tins filled with unbaked bread dough
Unbaked bread dough shaped into loaves and tucked into loaf tins.

Can you put undercooked bread back in the oven?

Yes, you can put undercooked bread back in the oven. Before I got good at bread baking (please excuse my inflated ego!) I used to pull my loaves out of the oven way too early. You know when that freshly-baked bread smell hits you and you just can't resist any more? That was me all the time.

If you're making this healthy whole wheat bread recipe and you remove the loaves from the oven too early, simply pop the loaves back in their tins and put them back in the oven at the same temperature. Give them another 10 minutes or so and check on them again. The best way to tell if the loaves are done is to remove them from their tins and tap them on the bottom. If you hear a hollow sound, they're done. If you don't, put them back in the oven.

When the tops of the loaves are browning too quickly, just cover them with tin foil and return them to the oven. This way the dough in the centre will still bake, but the tops won't burn.

Whole wheat bread dough just about to go in the oven
This is what the dough should look like just before it goes in the oven.

Tips for making this healthy whole wheat bread recipe

  • Make sure the water really is 110F-120F or 43C-49C because this helps the yeast bloom. The best way to do this is to use a baking thermometer. They're super cheap and they take all the guess work out of it.
  • Yeast blooms best when it's in the dark. So follow my advice and cover your bowl with an opaque cloth or something that completely blocks out the light.
  • Leave the dough somewhere warm to rise. If you live in a warm place and it's summer, you can leave the dough outside if it's properly protected. By the stove when you've got something cooking and close to a radiator are 2 other great spots.
  • Preheat your oven thoroughly. Set the temperature at 350F/175C and do not put the loaves in until it has reached that temperature! This helps ensure the loaves rise properly and get a wonderful crunchy golden brown crust.
  • Don't open the oven for at least 20 minutes once the bread is inside. The whole wheat loaves aren't going to be ready for at least 40 minutes and if you open the oven door any earlier, you risk ruining all your hard work.
The loaf you'll get from my healthy whole wheat bread recipe

You've got this!

It's so much easier to make your own healthy homemade whole wheat bread than you probably think. Yes, this recipe does take 4 hours to make from start to finish. But less than 1 hour of that is active time! And putting a homemade loaf of bread on the table you've made entirely yourself 100% from scratch without any cheats or weird ingredients has got to be worth a few hours of your time, right?

Better still, this heart-healthy bread recipe makes 2 loaves, so you can serve one up the same day you make it and freeze the second one for later on in the week. If you don't go through much bread, you can even cut the loaf into slices, pop the slices into a Ziploc bag and freeze them individually. So the next time you're craving a sandwich or some toast, you can just pull 1 or 2 slices of bread out the freezer instead of having to defrost a whole loaf.

Essential bread baking accessories

Whether you're a newbie baking bread for the very first time or an expert who makes it every week, here are some essential bread baking accessories that will make baking bread so much quicker, easier and more fun!

2 healthy whole wheat bread loaves on a wire rack

📖 Recipe

A loaf of healthy whole wheat bread sliced

The Only Healthy Whole Wheat Bread Recipe You'll Ever Need

A crisp, golden brown crust and the most amazing flavour-packed light and chewy centre. This easy healthy whole wheat bread recipe is a million times better than anything you'll get from the store or even a bakery!
4.86 from 34 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy whole wheat bread recipe
Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Rising time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Servings: 2 loaves
Calories: 80kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups warm water 110F-120F / 43C-49C
  • 3 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil + extra for greasing
  • 1 medium egg at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 cups whole wheat flour
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • butter for greasing

Instructions

  • In the bowl of your electric mixer, stir together the water and brown sugar. Whisk in the yeast and cover the bowl with a cloth so the contents are in the dark. Leave to bloom for 15 minutes.
  • When the yeast has bloomed, stir in the salt, olive oil, egg and lemon juice until everything is blended together.
  • Stir in the whole wheat flour then cover the bowl with a cloth again and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
  • When the whole wheat flour has absorbed a lot of the liquid, stir the all-purpose flour into the bowl. Knead with the dough hook attachment for 7 minutes, until you've got a strong dough. You might have to add more warm water or all-purpose flour to get the right texture.
  • Rub a little oil on the inside of a large bowl and drop the dough into it. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave to rise somewhere warm for 45-55 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  • Punch the dough down and leave it to rise, covered, for another 45-55 minutes, or until doubled in size.
  • Preheat the oven to 350F/175C and generously grease 2- 4" x 8"/10cm x 20cm loaf pans with butter. Punch the dough down again and evenly divide into 2. It's a good idea to use a set of scales for accuracy.
  • Form each piece of dough into a loaf-shape (here's a short video tutorial that shows you how) and place them inside the loaf pans.
  • Lightly cover the loaves with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes, or until the tops of the loaves are poking 1 inch / 2.5cm above the sides of the tin.
  • Bake the risen loaves in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes, until the tops are a dark golden brown and you hear a hollow noise when you tap the bottoms of the loaves.
  • Remove the loaves from the baking pans and leave to cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing.

Notes

This bread will keep at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you place it inside a Ziploc bag, it will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal

About Nicola

I’m Nicola, the face behind Happy Healthy Motivated – your go-to guide to becoming your best you!
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    Recipe Rating




  1. Lynn

    I have been looking for a 50/50 bread like this and had not found one that I liked until I tried yours. Absolutely amazing taste and texture! Stayed soft for at least 4 days! My kids loved it, too! I did not need to do the second 45 min rise and it still turned out beautiful! This will be my new go to bread recipe every week!

    • Nicola

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Lynn! It's great to hear about people trying my recipes and then loving them as much as I do. So happy I was able to give you and your kids something homemade and yummy to eat 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!

      • Joan Blair

        In your nutrition statement you say that servings is 2 loaves and cal are 80 kcal. Are you saying that the total cal fir the 2 loaves is 80 cal?

        • Nicola

          Each slice contains roughly 80 calories 🙂

          • Kayla

            How many slices in 1 loaf?

          • Mel

            How many slices are in 1 loaf?

          • Cindy Mulkey

            I have tried your recipe and it’s amazing! Can you tell me the reason for having the eggs at room temp? Also, can this recipe be made, somehow, to turn out looking more like white bread for those who need to be “tricked” into eating healthy bread?

        • Kris Dobbins

          Does this work with fresh ground whole wheat flour?

        • Sonja

          Can you provide the rest of tge nutrition info, especially carbs, fiber, and sugar?

          • Chris Jacobs

            I like to see nutrition also . I need low or no salt and low cholesterol for someone

  2. HB

    Thanks a lot for this recipe, I was in a bit of hurry so i didn’t let the dough rise the second time and it still turned out amazing and tastes great ????

    • Nicola

      That's wonderful! Great to know it works well without the second rise. Thanks for sharing!

    • Maui

      Can you help me to adapt your recipe to make it on the bread machine?!?!

      • Victoria

        Fantastic recipe thanks. Totally delicious with a wonderful crust. I made one large loaf and baked it for approximately double the time. 3 days later still fresh and perfect to eat without toasting. Thank you

        • Adi

          Tried with just honey no yeast bloom like in photo 3 attempts gave up used soft brown sugar only small bloom for time period carried on added flour left it came back was sticky but rised added rest flour 2nd rise still sticky left 10 more minutes halved needed with little flour put in tins left 20minutes rise just level tin put in oven rised half tin height again 45mins cooked light fluffy bread. What i do wrong ? Room not warm enough. Used metal mixing bowl ? Any advice appreciated

  3. Carol

    Best bread Ever!!! I followed the recipe exactly as written. Delicious, moist perfect sandwich bread. Trying to transition from commercial flour to home milled, so the whole wheat was fresh home milled from organic hard red winter berries. Now if I could just figure out what to replace the bread flour with.

    • Nicola

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Carol! I just shot some extra photos of the process of making this bread yesterday, to help people totally new to bread baking. Just need to upload them! Making this recipe with your home-milled flour sounds absolutely amazing! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂

    • Meredith

      I used to grind my own flour, too. Sadly, there are no wheat berries to make white flour!! People used to actually ask me what I used to make white flour. I just had to laugh. A whole lot of bleach!! Just kidding. Don’t ever try that! 🤣

  4. April

    Thanks a lot for the recipe. Just wondering if I can use light brown sugar or dark. Which one is best?

    • Nicola

      You're so welcome, April! I use light brown sugar, but there's no reason why you can't use dark. Choose whichever one you like the flavour of most 🙂 Have a wonderful Friday!

      • Sami

        I'm in the process of making this bread. I would like to use honey and all whole wheat flour. I'll let ya know how it turns out. I'm borderline diabetic and I need whole wheat according to my Dr.

        • Nicola

          Thanks for letting me know, Sami! How did it work out for you?

          • Mona Boudreau

            My husband is on a no salt added diet, I know you need salt to help with the activation of the yeast. Can I use less salt and how much per loaf.

        • Cynthia Ann Mulkey

          Sami, I used honey as well (1/3 cup for a double recipe) and it turned out great! I, too, am borderline diabetic. So thankful for this healthy bread recipe!

  5. Connie

    Love this recipe. I am 63 years old and have never made homemade bread. I always assumed it was difficult. I am now retired and decided to give it a shot. So glad I did!! Recipe was easy to follow. My two loaves looked and tasted great. I will make again!

    • Nicola

      I'm so glad you discovered the world of bread baking, Connie. Happy holidays! 🙂

  6. Tina

    This sounds wonderful! Will this work in a bread machine if I just cut the ingredients in half so that I only have one loaf? Can I leave the egg out or substitute with something else due to an allergy? I'm new to bread making!

    • Nicola

      Hi, Tina! You could substitute the egg with 1/4 cup of applesauce. As for using a bread machine, I really don't know. I've never used a bread machine before, so I can't give you honest advice. Happy holidays!

    • Barb

      Try using ground flax seed for the egg. I think you mix it with a little water and let it sit a minute. Check Pinterest for a “flax egg recipe”. It gets the same consistency as an egg!

      • Nicola

        Great idea, Barb!

  7. Silvia

    Are you using whole wheat flour or whole wheat bread flour?

  8. F Sethman

    Thx a million for the recipe and the bread baking tips!! Several things I learned I was doing wrong. Now I know not to do next time. This recipe sounds fool proof and delicious, adding to to recipe box now.

    • Barbara

      My sister made this for her son Nathan. He is Autistic and was overweight. However a loaf of wheat bread to buy is over $4.00. So she decided to make her own. Your recipe was amazing. Easy to follow and she did use the honey instead of sugar. Her first time making wheat bread and she nailed it with your guidance. She would have liked it a little more airy. How can she do that? Thank you for a great wheat bread recipe.

  9. Cyndi

    What did I do wrong? Bread turned out good, but not perfect! I added some extra water, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. I’ve never baked bread before. Maybe my dough was too soft and gooey? The outside was hard and never turned brown. The inside was soft and thick and really tasted good though! I did skip the second rise since others said they did as well and it turned out fine. The outside being hard made it difficult to slice, but it was not rock hard, and also didn’t taste bad - it was like toasted bread

    • Elizabeth Ankeny

      One tip to prevent the top of your loaf getting hard is to rub butter on it immediately after taking it out of the oven. It keeps the tops soft! Also, while tempting, wait until your loaves are completely cooled before slicing into them. This should help the inside crumb not be gummy 🙂

  10. Erica

    I don't own a mixer. (Small apartment) Could I mix/knead this by hand? Has anyone tried?

    • Nicola

      Hey, Erica! I've never tried kneading the dough by hand, but there's no reason it wouldn't work.
      I'd suggest kneading it for around 10 minutes for the best results.

  11. Intan

    I Try to make this wonderful bread, but l couldn’t get whole-wheat flour in stores where l living
    (I living in Sydney) what can l substitute whole-wheat flour with ?
    Here we have all purpose flour and whole meal flour
    Thank you for help

    • Nicola

      Hi Intan!
      Whole meal flour should work 🙂

  12. Rebecca

    Thank you for this recipe. My 15 year old daughter is a budding baker, specializing in cakes and cookies. She does a local farmer's market once a week and has had special requests for bread. She was going crazy trying to find the right breads to sell. We baked this recipe tonight and we want to eat it all, ourselves. It is so light and fluffy and delicious. I'm sure it's going to be a huge hit at the market.

    • Nicola

      That's amazing Rebecca! I'm so happy you all like it 🙂

  13. Mitch

    This is my first time EVER attempting to make bread (I am new to cooking in general—I’ve been living the bachelor life of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Bud for the last thirty three years and just recently started to learn, LOL), and it turned out AMAZING! I honestly wish I could post a picture here, I am so proud of myself! 😉

    The loaves are just dense enough to make a great sandwich bread while tasting fluffy and light. The crust turned out a bit crisper than I think it was probably supposed to, so next time I am going to cook it either at a lower temp for for 35 minutes instead of 40. I will probably do the lower temp since at the top of the article you mention 350 degrees but in the recipe it days 375. I did 375 this time and got that crispness, so perhaps it’s supposed to be the 350? (I do know that homemade crust isn’t supposed to be as soft as store bought, but this you kind of hand to saw through.). It still tastes delicious, though, and the inside is perfect!

    Thank you SO much for these step by step pictures. I didn’t know what each step should look like, and this seriously helped me out since YouTube videos run through it so fast it’s hard to remember the steps. You rock!

    • Nicola

      Thanks so much for all your feedback, Mitch! And yes, it is meant to be 350F 🙂

  14. Donna

    Any possibility this could be made in a breadmachine?

    • Nicola

      Hi Donna. I on't own a bread machine and I've never used one before, so I really can't say.

  15. Mary Ann

    Can honey be used instead of brown sugar?

    • Nicola

      Hi Mary,
      You definitely can use honey instead of brown sugar.
      Use the same about - 3 tablespoons.
      You might have to use a little bit of extra flour (about 3 tablespoons I'm guessing) so the dough isn't too wet.

  16. McKenna

    Do you know the exact amount of proteins carbs and fat in a loaf?

  17. Sílvia

    Hi! I didn’t have all purpose flour at the moment. Can I do it without it? I’ve whole wheat flour though.

    • Nicola

      Hi Sílvia. You can substitute the all-purpose flour for whole wheat, but the loaf will be much heavier and denser. If you can't use all-purpose flour at the moment, I recommend following a 100% whole wheat bread recipe - you'll get better results. I don't have one, but there's a recipe here with great reviews: https://www.veganricha.com/100-whole-wheat-bread-recipe/

  18. Gayle Trafford

    This is a fantastic recipe. I have made it 3 times in the past couple of weeks and our family. Turns out great every time.

    • Nicola

      Hi Gayle,
      That's great! I'm so happy you like it.

      • Amber H.

        I made this bread last night, as a first step in a healthier living plan.

        Followed all parameters exactly, substituted honey for the brown sugar. Ended up adding about 2 tbsp extra flour.

        This is the perfect texture for sandwich bread, is delicious and is so easy!!!

        Thanks so much for sharing, this is going to be our households main bread!

  19. Deanna

    Would it be possible to make this a Honey Whole Wheat bread? How would I incorporate the honey?

    • Nicola

      Hi Deanna,
      You definitely can use honey instead of brown sugar.
      Use the same about – 3 tablespoons.
      You might have to use a little bit of extra flour (about 3 tablespoons I’m guessing) so the dough isn’t too wet.

  20. Aesha

    I just made this recipe tonight. This is the first time I baked a bread with yeast. Although it took time it was one of the best experiences in baking. I loved it and it came out of the oven great! Little crust, sweet, soft and smelled wonderful! Thank you so much 🙂

    • Nicola

      Hi Aesha,
      I'm so happy to hear that! 🙂

  21. Amina

    This is not the first time I made bread, but this was definitely the best I made, and more importantly the best whole-wheat bread I've ever had! Thankyou so much Nicola for this gem of a recipe.

    • Nicola

      Hi Amina,
      That's absolutely fantastic! I'm so glad you enjoyed my recipe 🙂

  22. Kim

    Can you mix it with a hand mixer?

    • Nicola

      Hi Kim. You can mix the ingredients together with a hand mixer. But to do the kneading part, you need a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or you need to do the kneading by hand. You won't get the same results by using a hand mixer for the kneading stage.

  23. Kathy

    Would you be able to tell me what the serving size is? I see it’s 80 kcal- but for how much ?

    • Nicola

      80 calories is for 1 slice. You should be able to get at least 12 slices out of a loaf.

  24. Jasmin

    Hi, recipe sounds amazing. Waiting to try it. Would like to make one loaf instead of two so not to waste. Do I just halve the ingredients for one loaf?

    Thanks.

    • Nicola

      Hi Jasmine,
      Sorry for the super-late reply!
      Yep, if you just want 1 loaf, you can just halve the recipe.
      If you're worried about waste, you can always just freeze the other loaf. That's what I do! 🙂

  25. Steve Sheldon

    One secret to my own success in using this recipe is doing the rises in an Instant Pot on the Yogurt setting. Keeps the temperature about 115. One needs to make sure to cover with a towel and a plate rather than the regular top to avoid the potential for a mess.

    • Nicola

      Hi Steve,
      That's an amazing tip!
      Thanks so much for sharing 🙂

      • Steve Sheldon

        In the interest of science, I would like to add that today I tried substituting an ounce of white flour with an ounce of flax seed flour (I find weighing the flour is easier. I've rounded it up to 16 ounces of each type). It was the wrong thing to do. The dough turned out to be way too dry, so I added a couple tablespoons of water while kneading it in the KitchenAid. It was to no avail, and the loaves would barely rise at all.

        Now I will be eating whole wheat biscuits for a week.

  26. Angelica Valencia

    mine was totally fail, i don't have any wheat flour so i blend oatmeal without water. my bread can't rise and it still like dough when i already finished put in the oven. what is wrong? any tips?

    • Nicola

      Hi Angelica,
      This recipe really needs wheat flour to work - oatmeal won't cut it.

    • Michael

      What's wrong is you didn't follow the recipe. I suggest following the recipe if you would like the recipe to work as followed

  27. Sherry Harcombe

    I’ve tried so many bread recipes over the years and each time have been disappointed. SworeI would never make again but this recipe caught my eye so gave it a go. Wow! This recipe is fabulous. Followed the first few steps and once the other flour was added I popped the dough into my bread maker and set it on ‘dough’ function. This kneads and allows the dough to rise. Dough rose right to the top of the pan. Once done - 1 hour 50 minutes on my machine- I placed the dough on floured counter top. Worked dough by hand until stickiness was gone, cut in half and placed into pans on 180•C for about 40 minutes. I never let it rise again, just popped them into oven. Except for the sesame and poppy seeds falling off the top this bread is fabulous. Light, airy and delicious. I used brown bread flour x3 cups and a white bread flour for the other 3 cups. Thank you so much I never need to look for another bread recipe ever again. Wish I could send a photo.

    • Nicola

      Thank you so much, Sherry!
      I'm so happy you enjoyed my recipe. And it's great you've provided info on how to do it with a bread machine. I get asked that question a lot!

  28. Mary

    My dough is rising right now, but I just realized by loaf pan is 5 X 9 instead of 4 X 8... Should I put the whole dough ball in just that one? or maybe divide it 1/3, 2/3 and discard the 1/3? Help!

  29. Lee

    Like many, I started looking for sandwich bread recipes with the virus shortages and like the looks of this healthy recipe. It’s become my staple, making it once a week even now that bread is available. It slices beautifully and has never failed.

    • Nicola

      I'm so happy you like my recipe, Lee.
      Thanks so much for your kind comment!

  30. Andeline

    Hi Nicola,
    This is my second attempt at bread baking. My first one was a disaster with another recipe, looked like a stone. This one using your recipe was almost perfect but I need a bit of advice. I followed your recipe as close as possible except that I replaced it with instant yeast. My bread turned out to taste like bread (unlike my first attempt) but it felt a little dry and crumbly, do you have any advice? And also, was it meant to be a light or dense bread? If you have an email, I could send you a picture of mine. I also replaced a small portion of whole wheat flour with purple corn flour to make the bread looked purple, and it turned out as my wish!

  31. Janna

    Oh. My. Word...... this bread is awesome! I haven't made yeast bread in years, but wanted to get back into it. I usually only make quick breads, because, well.....instant gratification. However, I came across your recipe and just had to try it. I'm so glad I did!

    The only modification I did was using honey in place of the sugar. This turned out great! The loaves are so pretty and well-risen. I'm so happy with the results! Thanks!

  32. Amanda

    Can I use all wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?

    • Nicola

      Hi Amanda,
      You can follow the recipe using only wheat flour, but the results will be harder and denser than if you used a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat.

  33. Jc

    Hi Nicola,

    Any chance you can give me nutritional information on this? Also would oat flour work?

    Thank you,
    JC

  34. Starlet

    Hi Nicola I have Quick rise instant yeast but would still like to use honey ! Do you have any suggestions! Thank you!

  35. Katie

    Wow!! This bread is delicious!
    Thank you so muchf or posting this recipe and giving great directions😍

  36. Aneeta mustafa

    I baked my whole wheat bread with your recipe and it turned out awesome.Thanks for sharing recipes and specially your tips.

  37. Lu

    Hi,

    How would you add grains to this recipie to make whole grain? If its doable.

    Thanks

    • Nicola

      Hi Lu,
      I'd love to help you out, but I've got no experience adding grains to the recipe.
      The whole wheat flour should give you plenty of nutrition 🙂

  38. Annette

    Can I replace the chicken egg with a flax egg?

    • Nicola

      Hi Annette,
      I've never made this substitution myself, but I wouldn't recommend it.
      If you need to make the recipe vegan, I'd replace the egg with 3 tablespoons of oil.

    • Lorilee

      Its best if you grind the flaxseed and then mix with water to make a flax egg. Also when I worked in a commercial vegan bakery, we used golden flax as it didnt change the color of the bread. You can substitute this vegan egg straight across for the chicken egg with no other substitutions needed.

  39. Jan

    Hi ... 3 tablespoons brown sugar...packed or loose?

    • Nicola

      Hi Jan,
      I use loose brown sugar.

  40. Cat

    Hi Nicola...you show serving size as 2 loaves. I only wish that totaled 80 calories! Can you be more specific about the 80 calorie serving size? Obviously, it's per slice, but how many slices out of one loaf? Thanks!

  41. Kris Dobbins

    Can bread flour be used in place of all purpose flour?

    • Nicola

      I've never tried the recipe with bread flour, but I don't see why not!

  42. Doreka

    Hi Nicola, thank u for sharing your recipe. It turned out very well except for the taste of the egg even after adding lemon juice. I just do not like the smell of eggs.Must i add the egg? Please recommend. Thanks.

  43. doreka

    Hi Nicole, i request to know the purpose of lemon and why i have to soak whole wheat flour in the yeast liquid. Thank you!

  44. Anne

    Hi Nicola,

    Just like to say thanks for an awesome bread recipe.

    I have been trying to find a good bread recipe for a while now, almost 3 months but always get disappointed as it either turns out tasteless or dense.

    I also used the bread machine to knead the dough, and made bread buns instead of bread loaf.

    It tasted awesome, and my husband said it’s the best home made bread he had ever tasted. Great with chicken as sandwiches.

    Thanks Nicola, your bread recipe is my go to recipe now,

  45. Anne

    Better than Paul Hollywood’s !

    • Nicola

      Thank you so much for your kind words, Anne. And that's an amazing compliment!! So happy you like my recipe 🙂

  46. Cathy C.

    Best Whole Wheat bread (or as it used to be called - brown bread) I've ever had! Thanks for posting! I did this in my BREAD MACHINE. For those that are interested, I put the 110*F water in the bread machine pan, added sugar and yeast, stirred it and left it for 15 minutes. Then I added beaten egg, oil, lemon juice, both flours (which I premixed) and lastly salt (all in that order). I set my machine to Basic Bread, 1.5lb loaf, Medium Crust (you could do light) and 3 hours and 5 minutes later it was done. Yum, so good.

    • Nicola

      Thanks so much for leaving bread machine instructions, Cathy!

  47. cindy vanburen

    LOVE LOVE LOVE! turned out perfect. It will be my go to homemade bread. easy peezy. thank you you this recie

    • cindy vanburen

      PS I do not use a bread machine 🙂

  48. Jackie

    It turned out just amazing. The only recipe I’ll use from now on. Only thing I’ll remember the lemon juice next time. It slices up so nice

  49. Jackie

    Awesome recipe. So glad I found you. This is the 2nd time making it and it’s even better this time. I’m going to try your directions in the future. I was just so anxious I used my previous experience. First I made sure all ingredients were room temperature I measured the flours so I had 3 cups of whole wheat in one bowl and 3 cups of white all purpose in the other. I added 1/2 cup more water, so total of 2 1/2 cups. I heated it to 110 degrees then stirred in one packet of Fleishmans rapid rise instant yeast, the oil and brown sugar. After stirring a little I added egg, salt and lemon juice. Then I stirred in all of the whole wheat flour and kept adding the white flour 1/3 cup at a time until it was the right consistency. I had about 3/4 cup of white flour left over. Kneaded it by hand 10 min. Heated oven 170 degrees 2 min. Sprayed my soup kettle, I think it’s 4 quarts with cooking spray and warmed it in the oven Rubbed the dough with some oil and put it in the warmed pan with a metal lid. Let rise 1 hr. I didn’t do a second rise punched it down weighed the dough and cut in half sprayed two 9”x5” bread pans with cooking spray and shaped into 2 loaves. Heated oven again at 170 degrees for about a minute then turned it off placed loaves in and let rise 45 minutes where they were perfectly risen. Carefully put them on counter and preheated oven to 375degrees. Then baked 35 minutes. Came out perfect. Better taste with lemon juice I got 14 slices from each loaf. I freeze them sliced up in freezer bags. They freeze together but come apart easily when I want a slice. Sorry this is so long. This bread is so good

  50. Maria

    Easy recipe! Often times my bread dough doesn’t rise properly and this did! Great taste as well!

  51. Ella Holt

    Hi! I made the bread and it’s a great recipe, the only issue is that mine is pretty flat. I did all of the rising times, but I’m wondering if I didn’t let it rise enough before it went in the oven…idk but if you have any suggestions for next time, please let me know!

    • Krista

      Do you have a bread machine equivalence to this recipe?
      My standard bread machine can’t hold 6 cups of flour.

    • Paula

      I usually put it in a warm place, eg. Sunny window, slightly warmed oven. Lately. Now that the temp is cooler in my area, I place the bowl on a warmed heating pad. Does the trick!

  52. Chris

    First time ever making bread and I made a few mistakes but it came out looking good. It seems very dense, will try to make this again.

  53. Deborah

    This recipe looks so yummy! My Hubs is on a low sodium low cholesterol food plan. He doesn't like the store bought bread choices (too dry). Do you have the nutrition facts for sodium & cholesterol for this bread recipe?

  54. Jacqueline Gawne

    I was new to bread making just last year, 2022. This is my go to recipe. I actually use coconut sugar and it works great! I’m glad to hear that I don’t need the second rise time. I may try it without.

    Thank you for this recipe!

  55. Pat B.

    Calorie Count. I have been making and eating this bread exclusively for the last month and I really like the taste and crumb and ease of baking. I have been curious about the stated calories so today I did the math. It came out to 88 Calories per 1/2 " slice. That is comparable to the Dempster's bread that I usually buy and it works out to half the cost.

    • Kim

      Pat, I did the calorie and macro count in my fitness pal and it came out to 268 calories per slice based on 12 slices. How did you come up with your count?

  56. Ashley

    Hi Nicola, I tried this bread recipe with honey, and it's delicious! I am wondering if you can share how thick your slices are when you cut your bread in order for each slice to be that ~80kcal per slice. TIA!

  57. Becca

    Just so you know - 100% whole wheat sandwich bread that is soft and airy is possible! It requires fresh ground flour though. The whole wheat flour you buy at the grocery store isn’t much better than the white flour from the grocery store. Plus, bread from fresh ground flour tastes way better! Oh, and I only use: fresh ground flour, water, salt, yeast, sunflower oil and honey. No other additives needed - particularly no vital wheat gluten.

  58. Barbara

    I made your bread last night. I mixed up all of the dry ingredients (with instant yeast) in my Kitchenaid mixer bowl. Then I added the wet ingredients immediately and used the dough hook to mix and knead for 7 minutes. The first rise took longer than it should have. I put it in an oven that has been heated to 350 for one minute, so it’s not really that hot. I thought I messed it up and my yeast was outdated, but I keep it in the freezer. It did raise. The 2nd rise didn’t take as long. I formed it into 2 loaves and let it rise. It rose faster and beautifully. I’ve never tried dumping everything in the mixer before, but this will definitely be tried again and again. We love the bread. Thanks for the recipe.

  59. Yvonne

    Thanks. Great recipe. I make it with honey and only use 3 dessertspoonfuls, it worked great. Light, fluffy and delicious. I've used apple cider vinegar when I had no lemon juice, was still great. I also divide it and make 16 rolls which I cook about 25 mins, perfect when you live alone. Double bag them and pop them in the freezer, take 1 out 30 mins before lunch and its just like it's just been cooked.

  60. Sharon Goddard

    How many carbs are there

  61. Laverla

    Super easy., little clean up produced two lovely tasty loaves.

  62. Amelia

    I liked the recipe! Thank you!! It ended up a little dry, would love any tips you have on that.

    Also, can you make this in a bread maker? How would you adapt it?

  63. Angela Westhoff

    I’m 56 years old and have never been successful with homemade bread. I’m a good cook. But homemade bread was always just a dream I’d never been able to make a reality. And, in an effort to eat a more Heart healthy clean diet, I happened on to this “fool proof” homemade wheat bred recipe. I was drawn to the “only recipe you’ll ever need” claim, but IT’S TRUE! Sooooo good!

  64. Theresa DeHoff

    Hi Nicola...

    I really love this recipe. I have a bread machine, but I don't like to bake it in the machine. I really only use the the dough setting. Is there a different way to mix and make it that way. Thank you for any assistance you can offer.

  65. Annie

    I've been looking for a good ww bread recipe for a while and this is it!! Soo yummy! I only have one 5x9 inch loaf pan, so I made 2/3 the recipe and made one big loaf it wsd beautiful. My second rise was more like 35 mins to get it nice and tall. Will make again and again thank you!!