Homemade honey wheat bread is soft, perfectly sweet, and packed with wholesome ingredients. It's perfect for toast or sandwiches, plus easy to make and for a fraction of the cost of store-bought bread!
Next time you set out to pick up a loaf of bread on your way home, I urge you to consider making your own homemade loaf instead!
Making bread from scratch is a fun and rewarding process, and it tastes way better than most of what you'd get from the store. Plus, there's nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through your kitchen!
I should warn you that this recipe isn't something you can expect to start and finish in a couple of hours, it takes time and care to develop a great loaf of bread! Luckily, most of it is hands-off time, so you can set it aside and go about your day while you wait.
INGREDIENT NOTES FOR HONEY WHEAT BREAD
- Whole milk: Bread made with whole milk tends to have a softer texture and more even crumb, but any kind of milk or warm water will work.
- Yeast: 1 standard packet (2 and ¼ teaspoons) active-dry yeast. Active-dry yeast has a longer fermentation which is good for slow rising dough and dough with more than one rise time. If all you have is instant or rapid rise yeast that will also work. Active-dry yeast needs to be activated in warm liquid first to prove it's alive and will make the bread rise. Instant yeast is guaranteed alive and doesn't need to be activated.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast and helps activate it!
- Oil: Any light, neutral-flavored oil will work such as vegetable, canola, or light olive oil (not extra virgin). As long as it doesn't have a strong flavor that will change the taste of the bread (like sesame or chili oil).
- Honey: ¼ cup might seem like a lot, but it's really just enough to add subtle sweetness to the bread. I know honey can be expensive, if you don't have enough or don't want to use that much you can substitute an equal amount of granulated sugar in its place. Agave or pure maple syrup will also work!
- Flour: I tried making this with just whole wheat flour and the bread had a slightly dry, gritty texture. Using a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour gives the best taste and texture, plus all of the nutritional benefits of whole grain!
HOW TO MAKE HONEY WHEAT BREAD
Activate the yeast: Add the whole milk to a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Microwave for 45-60 seconds, or until the temperature reaches 100-110°F on an instant read thermometer. Mix in the granulated sugar, oil, and active-dry yeast. Let that sit for 5-10 minutes. If bubbles form on the surface then your yeast is alive and will make the bread rise properly!
Make the dough: Transfer the yeast mixture to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix in the honey, salt, and all-purpose flour. Add 1 cup of whole wheat flour and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment in the stand mixer. Add more whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough comes together and isn't too sticky.
Knead the dough: Knead the dough in the stand mixer on medium speed for 5 minutes. It should be smooth, elastic, and coming off the sides of the bowl. Gather the dough and form into a smooth, round ball.
To knead by hand, gather up the dough and transfer it to a clean surface. Fold the dough in half towards you, then push it away with the palms of your hands. Turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. Lightly flour the surface and your hands if needed for sticking. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and bounces back when pressed in. Form the dough into a smooth, round ball.
First rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or softened butter and place the dough inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size. It can take a few hours for the dough to double in size when placed at room temperature or in a cooler area. To speed up rising, place the bowl somewhere warm, such as next to a window on a sunny day, or next to a warm oven. You can also place the bowl in the fridge to let the dough rise overnight. Take it out the next day and let come to room temperature for a couple of hours before continuing with the next step.
Lightly grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan with oil or softened butter.
Second rise: Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release the air, then form it into an oval shape and place it in the greased loaf pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size.
Bake: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bake the honey wheat bread for 37-40 minutes. Cover the top loosely with aluminum foil about halfway through to keep it from browning too quickly.
The bread is done when it makes a hollow sound when tapped. You can also check with a digital thermometer, the temperature of baked bread should be around 200°F.
Remove from the oven. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with rolled oats, if desired!
Let the bread cool for at least an hour before slicing. I know it's hard to wait, but as the bread cools it continues to develop its structure, and if you cut into it too early it will have an under-done, gummy texture.
HOW TO STORE HONEY WHEAT BREAD
Wrap the bread tightly with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or both! Store at room temperature for 2-4 days.
Homemade bread is also great for freezing! Wrap the loaf tightly with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and place it in a large ziplock bag. Reheat slices in a toaster or warm oven. Frozen bread will stay fresh for 3 months.
MORE HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES
Honey Wheat Bread
Equipment
- 9 x 5" loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk*, warm to 110°F
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons oil*
- 2 and ¼ teaspoons active-dry yeast, 1 standard packet
- ¼ cup honey*
- 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-2 cups* whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: Add the whole milk to a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Microwave for about 1 minute or until the temperature reaches 100-110°F on a digital thermometer. It should be lukewarm and not too hot.
- Whisk the granulated sugar, oil, and active dry yeast into the warm milk. Let that sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. It should start to foam on the surface if the yeast is alive.
- Make the dough: Transfer the yeast mixture to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk in the honey, salt, and 2 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Add 1 cup of whole wheat flour and mix it in with a wooden spoon or with the dough hook attachment in the stand mixer. Add more whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough comes together and isn't too sticky.
- Knead the dough: Knead the dough in the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for 5 minutes. To knead by hand, turn the dough out onto a clean surface. Lightly dust your hands and the surface with flour if necessary. Fold the dough over itself towards you and then push it away with the palms of your hands. Turn 90 degrees and repeat. Knead the dough until it's smooth, elastic, and bounces back when gently pressed in.
- First rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or softened butter. Shape the dough into a smooth, round ball and place it in the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a slightly damp kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size. In a warm environment this will take 60-90 minutes, but it can take several hours for the dough to rise (See notes for ways to speed up rising).
- Lightly grease a 9x5" loaf pan with oil or softened butter. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to release the air. Shape the dough into an oval shape and add it to the greased loaf pan.
- Second rise: Cover the loaf pan with a slightly damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled in size. Again, the dough will rise faster in a warm environment.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bake the honey wheat bread for 37-40 minutes. Cover the top loosely with aluminum foil halfway through to keep the top from browning too quickly.
- Brush the top of the bread with melted butter and sprinkle with rolled oats, if desired.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing. Don't skip this step! I know it's tempting to slice into fresh-baked bread, but cooling is an important step in developing flavor and texture.
Notes
- *Whole milk: Using milk makes a softer loaf of bread. You can also use non-dairy milk or water.
- *Oil: Any light, neutral-flavor oil will work. As long as it doesn't have a strong flavor that will change the taste of the bread.
- *Honey: ¼ cup might seem like a lot, but it's really just enough to add subtle sweetness to the bread. I know honey can be expensive, if you don't have enough or don't want to use that much you can substitute some or all with an equal amount of granulated sugar. Agave or pure maple syrup will also work!
- Flour: Using a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour gives the best taste and texture, plus all of the nutritional benefits of whole grain!
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