This easy-to-make whole wheat bread is great for making sandwiches, toast, or just enjoying with butter or jam! We promise you that this bread is so tasty that it will not last long in your home. This bread is much healthier and more delicious than any store-bought bread, and you won’t want to go back to store-bought!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons raw unfiltered honey
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 3 tablespoons butter cut into 6 pieces and softened (salted or unsalted)
Instructions
- Combine the water and milk in a small pot on the stove and heat over low heat. Warm the milk and water to 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit. You will want to use a thermometer for this step as you do not want to overheat the milk and water.
- Pour the milk and water into a large bowl and add the honey and yeast. Stir to combine. Let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature until the yeast “proofs” or becomes foamy on top of the water.
- Add the flour, salt, and butter to the bowl and mix until everything is combined. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.
- Now that everything is combined, switch to the dough hook if using a stand mixer and knead the dough on low speed for 8 minutes. You may knead by hand on a well-floured surface if you do not have a stand mixer.
- After kneading the dough, the dough should feel slightly sticky to the touch. A lot of the dough should not stick to your hands. If this happens, add a tablespoon or 2 of flour and knead again until the dough does not stick to your hands.
- Shape the dough into a ball and transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl. The dough will not hold the shape of a tight ball, but it should hold together when transferring it to the greased bowl. Turn the dough ball over once in the greased bowl to coat the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let the dough rise for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Grease a metal or glass bread pan as you wait for the dough to rise.
- After the dough has risen, gently punch the dough down to deflate it. Now transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape the dough into a ball to get started. Gently pat the dough ball and shape the dough into a loaf and put the dough in your greased metal or glass bread pan.
- Cover the bread pan with a tea towel and let the dough rise in the bread pan for 20-30 minutes.
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the dough has risen in the bread pan, bake the bread for 35-45 minutes. The amount of time that the bread needs to cook will depend on the type of bread pan that you are using. If using a glass bread pan, bake the bread for approximately 35-40 minutes. if using a metal bread pan, bake the bread for approximately 40-45 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Now turn the bread out of the pan and place the bread on a wire cooling rack and allow the bread to cool completely. It is easiest to slice the bread when it is completely cooled, otherwise it may crumble apart.
NOTE
*You can store the bread at room temperature in an airtight container for approximately 3 days, or you can freeze the bread if desired.