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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!
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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, make French toast, 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!
Ingredients in Honey Whole Wheat Bread
All you need for a few loaves of warm, delicious whole wheat bread recipe are a few pantry staples. These ingredients are easy to keep on hand and have a long shelf life. Here’s what you need:
- 3 cups water – the water needs to be really warm to the touch but not too hot or it’ll kill the yeast.
- Yeast – 2 yeast packets – each packet is about two teaspoons. Or add about one and a half tablespoons of active dry yeast. Do not use instant yeast for this recipe.
- Shortening – using shortening instead of butter helps the bread hold its shape better.
- Honey – about a quarter cup, or more if you like your bread extra sweet.
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 cups whole wheat flour – I always like to reserve about half a cup of the flour to add later if the dough seems too dry. But bread tastes better with a soft dough. Of course, you can make this recipe with white flour, if that’s what you have on hand.
Step By Step Instructions
- First, combine the warm water and yeast in a large mixing bowl (I like to go ahead and use the bowl of a stand mixer).
- Once the yeast is dissolved and frothy, stir in the shortening, honey, and salt.
- Then, add the flour a little at a time, using a dough hook to combine and knead together. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
- Cover the bowl with a towel or cloth and let it raise for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size. It’ll raise faster if you place it in a warm place like in front of a window or on top of a warm oven.
- Punch down the dough and form two loaves. Place into pans that have been greased with cooking spray. You can also line the loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper. Cover and let them 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 onto a wire rack and cool for 10 more minutes before slicing.
Wheat vs. White Flour
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 all purpose 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.
Frequently Asked Questions about Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Yes! Whole grains provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Eating whole wheat bread can help control cholesterol levels, weight loss, lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Freezing this bread will extend its shelf life by at least a couple of months! Wrap a loaf of bread in plastic wrap, then wrap in aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to two months.
Absolutely! If you have picky eaters at home who won’t eat wheat bread, try using ½ unbleached white flour and ½ 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’ll still have a portion of the health benefits of whole wheat.
Read Next: 35+ Quick and Easy Lunch Ideas
What to Serve with Homemade Bread
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
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pour warm water into a large bowl. Add yeast.
- Allow yeast to dissolve and froth, then stir in shortening, honey and salt.
- 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 rises much better if you put in front of a window with the sun shining in or on top of a warm oven).
- Knead again, divide into two equal parts 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.
- I always like to reserve about half a cup of the flour to add later if the dough seems too dry. But bread tastes better with a soft dough. Of course you can make this recipe with white flour, if that’s what you have on hand.
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Try using ½ unbleached white flour and ½ whole wheat flour in this recipe. The bread will have a lighter color and texture than whole wheat bread, and you’ll still have a portion of the health benefits of whole wheat.
Would this do as well with butter or even lard? I don’t like using shortening. Grew up with using butter &/or lard. Am just cooking for 1 now & haven’t been baking for the last while.
We haven’t tried this recipe with butter or lard since shortening is important to the texture of the bread. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Hello what wheat flour did you use? I am asking because I see that this wheat has a yellow (pumpkin) color tint to it, it’s not brown. I want make sure I get this bread recipe correct. Thanks in advance.
I think the orange color might be an artifact of your computer or phone screen, the bread turns out tan or brownish. We just used regular whole wheat flour!
Oh okay, Thank You!
If using a kitchenaid mixer and dough hook how long should kneading go using this method?
Love this bread!! Just made it for the 2nd time! I do adjust the recipe like one of the comments said.. ½tbsp salt, ½cup honey and I add a bit more flour (I use freshly ground red spring wheat). This is the best 100% whole wheat recipe I’ve found! Thank you!!
Thank you, Ellie! I’m so happy you like the recipe. And thanks for letting us know about the adjustments. We will test this recipe again.
I don’t use crisco. Would butter work in this recipe?
Yes, butter will work fine.
I can’t use Crisco. Has anyone had success with something else/natural? Coconut oil? Lard?
Made two changes; double the honey (1/2 cp), halve the salt (1/2 Tbl).
First try at recipe as provided, bread was a bit salty tasting and bland. Made the adjustments above and bread was much improved.
Thanks
How long do you knead bread for?
Knead the dough until you can form a smooth ball.
Can you sub olive oil for shortening?
I haven’t tried it that way, so I cant speak to how it would change the taste or texture. Let us know how it turns out if you do try it!
I’m a novice so here’s my experience. The dough rose beautifully the 2nd time but when I went to put it in the oven & pulled the towel off, the dough fell on all 3 loaves simultaneously. So I have some flat bread. Better luck next time!
Too much or too little liquid can cause the dough to fall. When you are forming the dough make sure it is a smooth ball. If it is rough, add more liquid, if it is too squishy, add more flour. Hope this helps!
I just made the bread, very delicious. My family loved it.
Very easy to make and it taste so good. Only change I made I replaced one of the cup of flour for all purpose. It came out beautifully and moist!
How long does the bread stay good for? Should it be kept in the fridge or the pantry?
We store it in the pantry. It will stay good for about a week. You can also freeze it for up to three weeks.
If a regular loaf pan is 9 X 5, what size is the long loaf pan? (New to bread baking)
A long loaf pan is 9×5. A regular is 8.5×4.5. Hope this helps!
Hi – 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!!
You want to knead until it is pliable and soft… around 10 minutes or so. Hope this helps!
Can this be made using stand mixer with dough hook?
Yes. 🙂
Is it necessary to cut the shortening into the flour?
Cutting 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!
This 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!!!
What kind of salt did you use in your recipe? The bread looks delicious – I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!
we usually use Kosher salt
I 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!
I 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. 🙁
It could have been defective yeast or too hot of water. Hot tap water is usually fine, but yours may be extra hot.
Made 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.
I’m glad this recipe! Thank you for the tip when adding raisins. That sounds delicious!
I 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!
Anyone 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!
Instead 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!
Thanks Calie! So glad you like it, these kinds of comments are my favorite. 🙂
I 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!
So glad you liked it!
Hi! 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!
No, I don’t melt it.
I’m anxious to try this recipe. Can you substitute canola oil for the shortening? If so, how much do you recommend? Thanks in advance!
I haven’t tried that, if you were going to substitute, I would probably use butter.
Substituting SAF instant yeast for the packaged yeast. Do I use the same amount? Do I skip the second rise?
I 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?
This bread is everything you said it was. So good!
This 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.
So glad that you liked it!!!! 😀 Thanks for the nice comment!
I have this bread proofing in my oven! I am one lucky lady to have a bread proofing oven. I wonder if the temperature of the water isn’t correct for the ones that it isn’t frothing up. I did add the honey to the water and yeast and mine started to froth right away. I will come back and let you know how they come out.
Yes, please do! Thank you!
They came out really good and everyone loved it. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
I 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!!
That is awesome, so glad you love it!
So it’s a “regular” loaf like a 9×5?
yes
P.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.
My 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!
Welcome 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!
Is this a good bread for sandwiches?
Yes, very good!
I 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.
I 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.
I 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.
You can use sugar – white or brown – instead of honey. Thanks for asking!
Or try using maple syrup.
made this yesterday, probably the best texture ever! Yummy!
we 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 !
I’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.
new to bread making the bread pans are nonstick , grease and flour or leave alone?
I still grease and flour non-stick pans. It’s not worth losing a loaf of bread if it sticks. Thank you for asking!
I 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!
Chances 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! 🙂
I 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.
The large is a regular size bread pan. The small is about half that size.
Hi
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.
I 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
Made this and loved it! Just curious though, what’s the best way to store the loaves?
You 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.
I 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!! 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad it turned out for you! I love this bread!
did some of your instructions disappear? it doesn’t say what you do with the yeast, and I am a big time bread rookie!
Sorry, it’s a little confusing, the first instructions are up with the ingredients.
This looks great! I have never made bread before. I am assuming you use wheat flour? Is that what makes this “honey wheat”?
Yes – 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.
I 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??????????
Make 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.
My wheat bread always deflates
Just 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!
I’m just starting to learn how to make bread and I was wondering if it mattered what kind of dry yeast to use?
I usually get the yeast in the little packets.
Do you use Rapid-Rise yeast or Active yeast? Both come in the little pouches.
Active yeast
I Just made this and it turned out amazing! ! Thanks for making my first go at making bread easy!
Have you tried making it in a bread machine? If so, what alterations would you make to the process? Thanks!
I wish! I don’t have a bread machine but I’m sure it would work fine. 🙂
Amy, I’m curious to know if this worked ok in your bread machine, or if you had to cut the batch size?
How long do you knead the 2nd time? From Edmonton Alberta.linda
Just enough to punch down the air, then let it rise again in the pan!
Wondering if there was any update for us bread machine users??
Just out of the oven. Very very good!!!
This 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.
Do you use all whole wheat flour or a mix of white and whole wheat?
I have done both, I like it with the mix of white and wheat.
Do you do an equal amount of white and wheat when you mix the two?
Yes, but you can’t go wrong. Any way you want to mix it will work.
Your 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?
You 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.
Sorry, I forgot to mention I’m from England so I’m pretty sure this doesn’t exist over here.
You can definitely use the same amount in butter instead of shortening and it will work fine, it will just taste a little different.
In the UK it’s sold as brand names Trex, Flora White or Cookeen.
@Mandy- Make sure your water is REALLY warm, almost hot. As long as the yeast is activated you should be fine.
I 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 🙂
Proof your yeast in 1/2 warm water then add it to 2 1/2 cups warm water. I had the same problem.
I 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!
I 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)!!:)
We make bread every week and I love trying new recipes!!
Thanks for posting this,
we’re great homemade bread lovers!! I really enjoyed reading your blogs today! :0)
Your bread looks great a honey butter yumyum.