Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

  • 6-7 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/4 tbsp instant yeast
  • 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
  • 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp warm water
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp full-fat Greek yogurt

Make the Dough

First, prepare two 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pans by greasing them and lining the bottoms with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together 4.5 cups of the whole wheat flour and the yeast. Add the warm water and mix with the dough hook until just combined.

Cover the bowl and let this mixture rest for ~15 minutes.

After the rest, add the vital wheat gluten, kosher salt, melted butter, honey, and Greek yogurt to the bowl.

Knead the Dough

With the mixer on low, add 1 ½ cups of the remaining flour and mix until it’s incorporated.

Continue to add more flour, a little at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be smooth and elastic, but still slightly tacky.

Knead the dough with the stand mixer for ~5 minutes.

Shape and Rise

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into two equal pieces.

To shape each loaf, press one portion of dough into a rectangle about 9 inches long. Roll it up tightly into a log and pinch the seam to seal.

Place each log, seam-side down, in your prepared loaf pans.

Cover the pans with a lightweight kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has risen just above the tops of the pans.

Bake the Bread

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Place both loaf pans on the middle rack and bake for ~30-38 minutes, until the tops are a deep golden brown.

As soon as the loaves come out of the oven, you can run a stick of cold butter over the hot tops to give them a soft crust.

Let the bread cool in the pans for a few minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

The key to getting a soft, light texture in a 100% whole wheat bread is adding a couple of key ingredients: vital wheat gluten gives the dough the extra structure it needs to rise high, and Greek yogurt adds moisture and tenderness. This recipe uses a single, straightforward rise in the pan, making it a relatively quick process for a homemade sandwich loaf.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Rise Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6-7 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/4 tbsp instant yeast
  • 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
  • 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp warm water
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp full-fat Greek yogurt

Instructions

  • Grease two 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pans and line bottoms with parchment.
  • Mix 4.5 cups flour and yeast in stand mixer, add warm water, combine with dough hook.
  • Let mixture rest covered for 15 minutes.
  • Add vital wheat gluten, salt, melted butter, honey, and yogurt to bowl.
  • Mix in 1.5 cups flour on low speed, adding more gradually until dough pulls from sides.
  • Knead with mixer 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  • Divide dough in half, shape each into 9-inch rectangle, roll tightly into logs.
  • Place logs seam-side down in prepared pans.
  • Let rise covered in warm place 1 hour until dough rises above pan tops.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Bake 30-38 minutes until deep golden brown.
  • Rub cold butter on hot loaf tops for soft crust.
  • Cool in pans 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack until completely cool.

Notes

Dough should be slightly tacky when finished kneading. Store cooled bread in airtight container up to 5 days.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!

Leave a comment

Recipe Rating




michelle

Hi, I'm Michelle!

I'm a corporate finance manager turned full-time recipe creator. Here you'll find hundreds of Southern baking recipes, decadent cakes, irresistible cookies and so much more! With almost 100 recipes, there is something for everyone.
More About Me