This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.
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!
Featured with this recipe
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.
-
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.
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.