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Look no further than this perfect whole grain bread recipe! With just eight simple ingredients, this recipe is light and fluffy with great flavor, perfect for sandwiches, toast, or freezing.
I have been milling my own flour for as long as I can remember. I mean, not for all my bread recipes, like my no-knead dutch oven bread or my cast iron loaf bread, which uses all-purpose flour, but I love it for recipes like my whole grain rolls!
Any time I make bread for others, they always compliment me on how light and fluffy it is, which personally is a huge compliment, especially considering the reputation whole grains get!
I have to contribute that to my mill as well as my stand-up mixer. However, if you don’t have a stand-up mixer, that is totally fine, you can get away with kneading it by hand, and a little bit of muscle!
This simple whole grain bread recipe is light, fluffy, a tad bit sweet, and a whole bunch of delicious!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It’s easy to make and foolproof. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a newbie, I break down the steps and include detailed pictures and a video documenting the process!
- There is no substituting homemade bread. Sorry, but you just can’t buy this goodness!
- Perfect for any occasion and any meal. This is perfect for sandwiching my dutch oven meatloaf recipe or broken up and used in my sourdough french toast casserole.
Ingredients
- Water
- Whole milk: If you don’t have whole milk, 2% will work just fine!
- Active dry yeast: You can also use instant yeast in this recipe without changing the ratio.
- Whole wheat flour: I use freshly milled whole grain flour, spooned and leveled. If you mill your own flour, read my notes below.
- Honey
- Butter: softened to room temperature
- Lemon juice: I actually use lemon juice in several of my whole grain recipes to improve the texture of the dough. You just need to use it in moderation, or it can negatively impact the yeast.
- Salt: Just regular fine-grain sea salt!
Whole Grain Bread Recipe
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand-up mixer, combine water, milk, and yeast, stirring gently until dissolved. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Add the flour, honey, butter, lemon juice, and salt. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
Step 3: Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment (see notes below for kneading by hand), knead the dough on low for 6-8 minutes. It will feel sticky and tacky at first, but that’s normal.
Step 4: After about 6 minutes or so, you’ll notice it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, which indicates it’s about ready for the next step.
Tip: The dough is going to feel pretty tacky at first. Try not to add any additional flour unless it’s still pretty tacky and sticks to the sides of the bowl after 6 minutes of kneading.
Tip 2: Be sure to use a spatula to scrap off any dough stuck up the sides of the bowl. Make sure you turn off the machine first, though!
Step 5: Carefully peel the dough out of the bowl and loosely shape it into a ball. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm area to rise for 1-2 hours or until double in size.
Step 6: Once the dough is ready, gently punch it down and shape it into a rectangle slightly smaller than your loaf pan. Tuck the seams underneath and place it in a prepared cast iron loaf pan for one large loaf. If using stainless steel loaf pans, divide the dough in half and place each piece in a prepared pan. Cover and rise for 45 minutes, or until it reaches the top of the pan or even slightly over the top.
Note: This recipe makes one large loaf in a deep 4×8 cast iron pan or two smaller loaves in standard 4×8 stainless steel pans.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake on a lower rack. For one large loaf, bake for 40-45 minutes. If making two smaller loaves, bake for 35-40 minutes. (see tips below!) If the top starts browning too quickly, you can cover it with foil for the last 20 minutes in the oven. I personally do not cover it, and it turns out perfectly! Some people have mentioned they prefer to cover it, so feel free to do so if needed.
Expert Tips
- Use an instant thermometer to check the internal temperature. Between 195-200°F is perfect.
- I mentioned I grind my own flour. If you are grinding your own, I highly recommend a Mockmill professional grain mill for the best results. I have used cheaper mills, and they never do as good of a job, and the bread always turns out dense and grainy.
- The temperature of your home will affect how well the dough rises. If it’s cooler, place the bowl with the dough in the oven with the light on and a towel over the top to create a warmer environment.
- You can easily make this without a stand-up mixer. For steps 3 and 4, hand-knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get the right texture; then, you can simply follow the instructions from there.
- For best results, do not double this recipe. The rise will take quite a bit of time, and kneading that much dough with your stand-up mixer can be hard on your machine.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! While instant yeast rises faster, you can use them interchangeably in this recipe.
The most common reasons are a cold environment or inactive (dead) yeast. While ingredient ratios can sometimes be a factor, this recipe has been tested to ensure proper rise when followed as written.
Absolutely You’ll want to incorporate these ingredients during the kneading process. You can learn more about that in my Dutch Oven Cheese Bread recipe.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Whole Grain Bread Recipe or any other recipe on my website, I would love for you to come back and leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easiest Whole Grain Bread Recipe
Equipment
- Stand up mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup water warmed to about 110°F
- ⅓ cup whole milk warmed to about 110°F
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast 1 packet
- 3 ⅓ cups whole grain flour spooned & leveled
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp butter softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standup mixer, combine water, milk, and yeast, stirring gently until dissolved. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Add the flour, honey, butter, lemon juice, and salt. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
- Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment (see notes below for kneading by hand), knead the dough on low for 6-8 minutes. It will feel sticky and tacky at first, but that’s normal.
- After about 6 minutes or so, you’ll notice it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, which indicates it's ready for the next step.
- Carefully peel the dough out of the bowl and loosely shape it into a ball. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with a tea towel and place in a warm area to rise for 1-2 hours or until double in size.
- Once the dough is ready, gently punch it down and shape it into a rectangle slightly smaller than your loaf pan. Tuck the seams underneath and place it in a prepared cast iron loaf pan for one large loaf. If using stainless steel loaf pans, divide the dough in half and place each piece in a prepared pan. Cover and rise for 45 minutes, or until it reaches the top of the pan, or even slightly over the top. Note: This recipe makes one large loaf in a deep 4×8 cast iron pan or two smaller loaves in standard 4×8 stainless steel pans.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake on a lower rack. For one large loaf, bake for 40-45 minutes. If making two smaller loaves, bake for 35-40 minutes. (see tips below!) *If the top starts browning too quickly, you can cover it with foil for the last 20 minutes in the oven.
Notes
- *I personally do not cover it, but it still turns out perfectly! Some people have mentioned they prefer to cover it, so feel free to do so if needed.
- Use an instant thermometer to check the internal temperature. Between 195-200°F is perfect.
- The temperature of your home will affect how well the dough rises. If it’s cooler, place the bowl with the dough in the oven with the light on and a towel over the top to create a warmer environment.
- You can easily make this without a standup mixer. For steps 3 and 4, hand-knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. It takes about 10-15 minutes to get the right texture; then, you can simply follow the instructions from there.
- For best results, do not double this recipe. The rise will take quite a bit of time, and kneading that much dough with your standup mixer can be hard on your machine.
Can you substitute sourdough starter for the yeast?
Yes! I usually swap the yeast for 1/2 cup of sourdough starter. If the dough seems sticky, you can add more flour. I really go by feel here when I use sourdough.
Great!! Thanks!! My grains come tomorrow and this recipe will be perfect!
I have been looking for a whole grain bread recipe and just came across this. I can’t believe how fluffy and light this turned out.
Yay, I’m so glad to hear!
Looks great, can’t wait to try it!