This Honey Whole Wheat Bread is moist, flavorful and doesn’t fall apart! From breakfast toast to sandwiches, this bread is the perfect addition to any meal!
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Honey Whole Wheat Bread is my absolute favorite homemade bread, because it is so moist and really holds its shape. You know how some breads break apart when you cut them? This one never does. Not to mention the flavor! It’s slightly sweet, warm and hearty, just like homemade bread should be. My friend used to make this bread when we were going to school in Idaho and it always filled our apartment with that homey scent that just made me feel comforted and cozy. Slather this bread with honey butter or jam in the mornings, use it for sandwiches at lunchtime or serve it alongside soup for supper. No matter how you serve it, this homemade bread will be a hit with your family!
Tips for Wheat Bread
- The quality of wheat makes a huge difference in baking wheat bread. Hard Red Wheat, Hard White Wheat, and Soft White Wheat all make delicious wheat breads. Grinding your own wheat will give you the most nutritious wheat bread. You can also purchase freshly ground wheat flour from a flour mill or wheat flour from the grocery store.
- Much research has been done to evaluate the benefits of wheat bread over white bread, and the benefits of using 100% whole wheat products. When you purchase bleached white flour, you are purchasing wheat that has undergone so much processing that very little to none of the vitamins and minerals found in whole wheat remain. When you grind your own wheat, you can be assured that all of the nutritional value is still in your flour.
- If you have picky eaters at home that won’t eat wheat bread, try using 1/2 unbleached white flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour in this recipe. You won’t be able to tell the difference – and neither will they! The bread will have a lighter color and texture than whole wheat bread, and you will still have a portion of the health benefits of whole wheat.
- Of course you can make this recipe with white flour, if that’s what you have on hand.
- Top this bread with our mouth watering Homemade Honey Butter, or a dollop of our Fresh and Easy Strawberry Jam or our simple Raspberry Peach Freezer Jam. So yummy!
More Delicious Homemade Bread Recipes
Is there anything better than a warm slice of homemade bread? Here are some more of our favorite bread recipes.
- Irish Soda Bread – This authentic Irish Soda Bread is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. It is easy to make. The bread doesn’t have to rise and there is very little kneading involved.
- Subway Bread – This bread works great for Subway sandwiches. It is soft, slightly chewy, and has a fresh, homemade flavor.
- Zucchini Bread – This is our Mom’s no-fail recipe for zucchini bread. A moist, flavorful bread with a slightly crispy crust.
- Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia Bread – The perfect dipping bread! It is delicious dipped in olive oil or as a side for soup.
- Sally Lunn Bread – A sweet bread recipe that has been passed down in our family for generations.
How to Make Honey Whole Wheat Bread
This Honey Whole Wheat Bread is moist, flavorful and doesn't fall apart! From breakfast toast to sandwiches, this bread is the perfect addition to any meal!
Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Cooling Time: 12 minutes
Total: 2 hours 55 minutes
Serves: 36 slices
Ingredients
In a large bowl add:
- 3 cups really warm water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast or 2 yeast packets
Dissolve and wait until yeast froths then add:
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 cups whole wheat flour approximately
Instructions
- Add flour a cup at a time until you have a soft dough. Knead and put into a bowl.
- Cover with a cloth and let raise about an hour or until it has about doubled in size. (It raises much better if you put in front of a window with the sun shining in or on top of a warm oven).
- Knead again and place bread into baking tins and raise again for another hour.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until brown on the top. Butter the top of the bread while still in the oven and let cook another 2 minutes.
- Remove and let cool about 10 minutes in the pans. Turn out and cool for 10 more minutes before slicing.
Notes
This recipe makes 3 regular or 2 large loaves of bread. A regular loaf provides approximately 12 slices, a large loaf provides 16-18 slices.
Nutrition
Serving: 32g | Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 0.1% | Calcium: 0.7% | Iron: 4.1%
Tried this recipe?Mention @favoritefamilyrecipes or tag #favoritefamilyrecipes!
Netts Nook says
February 25, 2009 at 1:01 amYour bread looks great a honey butter yumyum.
lesley says
February 26, 2009 at 9:44 pmThanks for posting this,
we’re great homemade bread lovers!! I really enjoyed reading your blogs today! :0)
Carrian says
March 3, 2009 at 12:07 amWe make bread every week and I love trying new recipes!!
Heather says
March 23, 2009 at 12:39 amI love looking at your blog and seeing all of your great recipes!! I just wish I could pay you to come and make us dinner every night!!!! I have never made bread before but I tried this recipe because it looked so good and it turned out great!! It was so easy, I am going to be making this all the time:) Thanks for all of the amazing recipes (I once in a while dare to try one hoping it will look half as good as your picture)!!:)
Mandy says
December 27, 2011 at 10:23 pmI have been trying all morning to get my yeast and warm water to froth and it's not frothing to save my life. Do you have a certain technique. I even added a little sugar to the mixture to help activate the yeast. I did test my yeast in another bowl with little amounts and it is active. So the 3 cups isn't too much water to add with yeast?
I will be using my kitchen aid that I got for Christmas. 🙂 Very excited to put it to work 🙂
Janee says
September 29, 2015 at 5:11 pmProof your yeast in 1/2 warm water then add it to 2 1/2 cups warm water. I had the same problem.
Noelle says
December 23, 2015 at 11:55 amI add a teaspoon of sugar to the water and yeast mixture and it froths just fine!!
I also used active dry yeast (traditional)…. I have run into problems when I have used the wrong yeast and then my recipe doesn’t work.
Thanks for the bread recipe – super good!
Emily says
December 28, 2011 at 5:48 am@Mandy- Make sure your water is REALLY warm, almost hot. As long as the yeast is activated you should be fine.
Camilla says
June 15, 2012 at 3:37 pmYour bread looks utterly delicious. I would like to make this but could you clarify exactly what shortening is, I’m guessing it is either hard margarine or maybe lard?
Emily says
June 15, 2012 at 10:52 pmYou can find shortening in a container in the baking isle of the grocery store. It’s not refrigerated like butter. It’s stored on the shelf.
Camilla says
June 16, 2012 at 9:02 amSorry, I forgot to mention I’m from England so I’m pretty sure this doesn’t exist over here.
Emily says
June 17, 2012 at 9:17 amYou can definitely use the same amount in butter instead of shortening and it will work fine, it will just taste a little different.
shannon says
April 9, 2014 at 7:17 amIn the UK it’s sold as brand names Trex, Flora White or Cookeen.
Kit says
January 18, 2013 at 5:38 amDo you use all whole wheat flour or a mix of white and whole wheat?
Emily says
January 18, 2013 at 8:22 amI have done both, I like it with the mix of white and wheat.
Maddy says
December 13, 2015 at 11:22 amDo you do an equal amount of white and wheat when you mix the two?
Emily says
December 14, 2015 at 11:37 pmYes, but you can’t go wrong. Any way you want to mix it will work.
Lisa says
March 22, 2013 at 6:00 amThis sounds so good! Can you half the recipe? We don’t eat a lot of bread so I don’t want it to go to waste.
Kerstin Milazzo says
May 9, 2013 at 5:19 pmJust out of the oven. Very very good!!!
Amy says
April 11, 2014 at 10:43 amHave you tried making it in a bread machine? If so, what alterations would you make to the process? Thanks!
Emily says
April 13, 2014 at 7:40 amI wish! I don’t have a bread machine but I’m sure it would work fine. 🙂
Alanna says
May 14, 2014 at 8:50 pmAmy, I’m curious to know if this worked ok in your bread machine, or if you had to cut the batch size?
Melissa says
December 20, 2015 at 4:39 amWondering if there was any update for us bread machine users??
nati says
April 26, 2014 at 6:25 pmI Just made this and it turned out amazing! ! Thanks for making my first go at making bread easy!
Lauren says
August 10, 2014 at 6:32 amI’m just starting to learn how to make bread and I was wondering if it mattered what kind of dry yeast to use?
Emily says
August 13, 2014 at 7:47 amI usually get the yeast in the little packets.
Abbie says
April 18, 2016 at 11:56 amDo you use Rapid-Rise yeast or Active yeast? Both come in the little pouches.
Emily says
April 19, 2016 at 9:07 pmActive yeast
Kami says
August 28, 2014 at 5:08 pmJust mixed up 1/2 the recipe (used butter instead of oil) in my bread machine on the “DOUGH” setting, let rise in the loaf pan and then baked in my oven. Turned out really, really good! Thanks for posting the recipe!
Janice says
September 28, 2014 at 10:11 amI have been trying to master the art of making homemade bread, but not having much luck. I am following the recipe exactly, either comes out too dense or in this case I tried your recipe and even after adding 7 cups of flour still not dough consistency more like really thick cake batter, added more flour and still no go…. What am I doing wrong??????????
Emily says
October 2, 2014 at 9:16 amMake sure you are giving it plenty of time and a good place to raise. Density issues usually have to do with that the bread didn’t raise enough before baking. You want it to really raise up out of the pan before sticking it in the oven, and when you do, put it in the oven gently so it doesn’t deflate.
Deborah says
August 17, 2016 at 8:45 amMy wheat bread always deflates
Kelly says
October 19, 2014 at 8:57 pmThis looks great! I have never made bread before. I am assuming you use wheat flour? Is that what makes this “honey wheat”?
Echo says
October 20, 2014 at 10:33 amYes – thank you for your comment! I changed it to “wheat” flour in the recipe, but it can also be made using white flour. I definitely prefer the wheat flour especially if you grind your own. I found some hard white wheat at Costco that is fabulous when making bread. It is “Lehi Roller Mills” hard white wheat.
Jules says
October 22, 2014 at 8:54 amdid some of your instructions disappear? it doesn’t say what you do with the yeast, and I am a big time bread rookie!
Emily says
October 23, 2014 at 7:39 pmSorry, it’s a little confusing, the first instructions are up with the ingredients.
Leslie says
November 18, 2014 at 3:30 pmI made this today and it was fantastic!!! It is the first time I have made bread and it could not have been more perfect!!! Just the most amazing texture. When toasted it was a slice of heaven!! Almost english muffin textured when toasted!!! You had my hubby lavishing praise on me!!! <3 Thank you for the perfect recipe!! And on a side note….I saw a previous comment was made about the yeast not foaming….mine never really foamed either! I was thinking it may be a flop until I saw it rising to perfection!! 🙂
Echo says
November 19, 2014 at 8:31 pmYay! I’m so glad it turned out for you! I love this bread!
stephanie says
January 9, 2015 at 7:21 pmMade this and loved it! Just curious though, what’s the best way to store the loaves?
Emily says
January 12, 2015 at 12:34 pmYou can store them on the counter if you are going to eat it within a week, in the fridge will make it last a little longer. Or you can slice the loaf and freeze them if you want it to last even longer.
Melanie says
January 15, 2015 at 11:55 amHi
Made this bread today and it was wonderful. It was so easy and tastes really great. I used butter instead of shortening. I halved the receipe and made one loaf. Will be making more soon.
Connie says
March 14, 2019 at 3:47 pmI have made this 4 times. Its always delicious and I make my own bread all the time, but each time the top deflated. I’ve tried to be very careful not to jar it but it never fails. I wonder if it didn’t deflate would it be a big hole under the top crust? I noticed the slices crumble a lot more near the top crust when sliced
Jessica says
February 12, 2015 at 8:31 amI am trying this recipe today and I am super excited about it! Just one quick question for you — what is considered a “large” pan and what is considered a “small” pan. I’m trying to figure out if I should divide the dough into two or three pans.
Emily says
February 13, 2015 at 8:52 amThe large is a regular size bread pan. The small is about half that size.
Giana says
February 18, 2015 at 12:10 pmI haven’t tried your recipe yet however I have tried a few others. They are always delicious right out of the oven but crumble and fall apart when I try to make sandwiches a few days later. Can you give me any insight on why my bread always ends up dry? I look forward to trying your recipe. It is also the first that I will be trying with shortening so I hope that helps!
Erica says
February 19, 2015 at 3:51 pmChances are, you are using too much flour. Try using bread flour or adding a couple tablespoons of vital wheat gluten to your flour next time! 🙂
Rosemary says
April 4, 2015 at 5:17 pmnew to bread making the bread pans are nonstick , grease and flour or leave alone?
Echo says
April 4, 2015 at 9:48 pmI still grease and flour non-stick pans. It’s not worth losing a loaf of bread if it sticks. Thank you for asking!
Rosemary says ...Its a Keeper says
April 4, 2015 at 7:39 pmwe just sampled it, tastes great, I did need more than 7 cups flour though, dough was wet added about a half more cup and that turned out just right !
Echo says
April 4, 2015 at 9:50 pmI’m so glad it turned out! The amount of flour you need in bread recipes varies just a little depending on your elevation and the humidity in the air. You were wise to add more flour.
Linda says
April 12, 2015 at 3:41 pmmade this yesterday, probably the best texture ever! Yummy!
Diane Hall says
June 1, 2015 at 7:54 pmI am allergic to honey but I really want to make this bread for my husband, because he can’t eat white bread. What can I use to sweeten the bread without using honey? Thank you.
Echo says
June 1, 2015 at 8:56 pmYou can use sugar – white or brown – instead of honey. Thanks for asking!
Xara says
October 1, 2016 at 9:47 amOr try using maple syrup.
Diane Hall says
June 4, 2015 at 6:00 pmI made this recipe using molasses instead of honey because of my allergy to honey. The bread came out beautifully. The loaves rose out of the pans and had a lovely flavor. I will be making this bread again. My husband is so happy that he gets a homemade wheat bread that is soft and great for sandwiches. Thank you for this recipe.
Diane Hall says
June 4, 2015 at 6:06 pmI am sorry Echo, I didn’t see your reply. I think I will use brown sugar the next time to see which recipe ( molasses or brown sugar) we like better. Thank you for your reply.
Wendy says
August 23, 2015 at 12:40 amMy boyfriend and I moved from the U.S. to Australia about three years ago and we miss Nature’s Own Honey Wheat sooooo much that I finally broke down and tried making a substitute at home. Enter your recipe. It is delicious. I just made it, so we haven’t made sandwiches yet, but I can already tell that we will be quite satisfied with this bread. I mixed a bit of honey with melted butter to brush on top for the last 2 minutes… YUM!
Thank you for posting!
Echo says
August 24, 2015 at 7:57 amWelcome to the United States! I’m so glad you like this bread recipe. Also, thank you for adding your comments about the dough consistency. With bread, so much depends on altitude and humidity. Thank you!
Lindsey says
October 10, 2015 at 8:48 pmIs this a good bread for sandwiches?
Emily says
October 12, 2015 at 7:36 pmYes, very good!
Wendy says
August 23, 2015 at 12:59 amP.S. My water/yeast mixture didn’t froth at all and it still turned out fine. Also, the dough was very moist and sticky. Like someone else commented, I kept having to add flour until it was the right consistency. I didn’t measure the extra flour, but I’d guess it was a good extra cup.
Just wanted to point that out for any other novices who worry how their bread will come out if their yeast doesn’t froth and/or their dough is too moist with the 6 cups of flour the recipe calls for.
katie says
September 1, 2015 at 6:36 pmSo it’s a “regular” loaf like a 9×5?
Emily says
September 4, 2015 at 10:00 amyes
Beth says
October 4, 2015 at 5:15 pmI have made this a few times, and my whole family loves it. My 3 yr old will not eat sandwiches, UNLESS they are on this bread! I had it pinned, and also printed, and ended up loosing both, tonight I’ve been scrambling to find this again because we LOVE it so much, trying something else was not an option.
Thanks SO much!!
Emily says
October 5, 2015 at 8:49 amThat is awesome, so glad you love it!
Tanya says
October 15, 2015 at 9:14 pmThis bread is amazing!!! I did use 1cup white flour. I’ve made tons of bread. This is my very favorite. My family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing it.
Erica says
October 15, 2015 at 10:35 pmSo glad that you liked it!!!! 😀 Thanks for the nice comment!
Tanya says
October 15, 2015 at 9:17 pmThis bread is everything you said it was. So good!
Deb says
November 5, 2015 at 6:28 amSubstituting SAF instant yeast for the packaged yeast. Do I use the same amount? Do I skip the second rise?
Emily says
November 10, 2015 at 4:08 pmI haven’t used that kind of yeast, I don’t want to tell you the wrong thing. Have you tried it yet? What did you end up doing?
Denise Henson says
March 6, 2016 at 12:09 pmI’m anxious to try this recipe. Can you substitute canola oil for the shortening? If so, how much do you recommend? Thanks in advance!
Emily says
March 7, 2016 at 8:19 amI haven’t tried that, if you were going to substitute, I would probably use butter.
Kali Hibbs says
March 19, 2016 at 6:18 pmHi! Just wondering, do you melt the shortening before putting it in the bowl? My husband requested homemade bread as he has been making homemade jam all day. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Emily says
March 25, 2016 at 8:57 pmNo, I don’t melt it.
April says
April 17, 2016 at 7:35 pmI made this today and it was so poofy! It rose very well, actually oozed over my bowl when I wasn’t looking! The bread itself is light, chewy crust, awesome honey flavor. I did the half white, half whole wheat flour. Thanks for the recipe!
Emily says
April 19, 2016 at 9:07 pmSo glad you liked it!
Calie says
May 12, 2016 at 3:47 pmInstead of buying bread I now make this bread weekly! It’s the best bread I have ever tasted!! My whole family loves when I make this! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Emily says
May 12, 2016 at 7:53 pmThanks Calie! So glad you like it, these kinds of comments are my favorite. 🙂
Quinn says
August 4, 2016 at 10:09 amAnyone have any recommendations if I wanted to make this cinnamon raisin bread? I can’t seem to find any few ingredient, healthy whole wheat recipes for this and thought maybe I could modify it. I made this bread yesterday with my new kitchenaid, and it turned out wonderful! Thank you for this great recipe. It’s so simple and delicious! Any suggestions for a cinnamon raisin version would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Neha says
September 29, 2016 at 6:05 amI live in India and made this bread today. Turned out perfect! Thanks for a great recipe.
I halved it, used butter and half all purpose flour. Awesome.
Many thanks!
Fran Geurts says
October 28, 2016 at 11:36 amMade this bread this morning and it turned out perfectly. Thankyou
nice it makes 2 long loaves. I have been making white bread for years for my 6 children and once in awhile make raisin bread. Make this recipe and when you put half the flour in put in 1 cup raisins then knead in more flour as needed.
Echo says
October 29, 2016 at 10:01 pmI’m glad this recipe! Thank you for the tip when adding raisins. That sounds delicious!
Gema says
January 7, 2017 at 12:53 pmI tried this recipe today. It did not rise. Don’t know what I did wrong. The yeast never did Froth. The water was very hot. I almost think it was too hot. I threw it out. I may try it again. 🙁
Emily says
January 16, 2017 at 10:15 amIt could have been defective yeast or too hot of water. Hot tap water is usually fine, but yours may be extra hot.
Erin says
March 24, 2017 at 11:04 amI was just wondering what type of salt you use in your recipe? The bread looks delicious – I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
Erin Corbin says
March 24, 2017 at 12:56 pmWhat kind of salt did you use in your recipe? The bread looks delicious – I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
Erica says
March 27, 2017 at 11:25 pmwe usually use Kosher salt
Tianna Workman says
May 3, 2017 at 8:14 amThis bread is so good! I have been making it for a couple months now, alternating with some other bread recipes, but I always come back to this one. Great flavor and great texture. I use about 5 cups wheat flour and use white for the rest. Thanks!!!
Debbie says
December 16, 2017 at 9:11 pmIs it necessary to cut the shortening into the flour?
Favorite Family Recipes says
December 18, 2017 at 9:46 amCutting it in is a baking technique that helps the fats get evenly distributed into the flour. It just makes for a better base when making bread. Hope this helps!
Jan says
April 22, 2018 at 10:14 amCan this be made using stand mixer with dough hook?
Favorite Family Recipes says
April 24, 2018 at 9:59 pmYes. 🙂
Angela Maurstad says
May 22, 2019 at 12:13 pmHi – My daughter and I are going to make this as a school project. How long do we knead it each time? Thanks, can’t wait to try it!!
Erica Walker says
May 23, 2019 at 9:08 amYou want to knead until it is pliable and soft… around 10 minutes or so. Hope this helps!