Grocery prices just keep rising and we’re all feeling it, so I decided to revisit some of my old bread recipes. Because if there ever was a time to learn how to make homemade bread, it’s now! It only takes a couple of dollars to make this super delish homemade honey wheat bread that is soft, fluffy, flavorful, and perfect for toast or sandwiches. And while it does take some time to make a loaf of bread, most of that is hands-off time that you can use to tend to other business. ;)
What’s in Honey Wheat Bread?
This recipe starts with the basic yeast bread ingredients: flour, salt, and yeast. Then I added a little honey to give the bread just a hint of sweetness and a little olive oil which helps keep the bread (and the crust in particular) nice and soft. I’ve used a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for this bread to keep the texture light and fluffy.
Can I use All Whole Wheat Flour?
While you can make bread with 100% whole wheat flour instead of a mix of white and wheat, that tends to produce heavier, dense bread. Whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture than all-purpose flour, so you may need to adjust the ratios in this bread slightly. I find that for the best texture, a 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour produces the best results.
How to Store Homemade Bread
It’s very important to let homemade bread cool completely to room temperature before storing to prevent trapping steam and creating condensation. Homemade bread doesn’t contain preservatives like store-bought bread, so you’ll need to either consume the bread quickly or freeze it for longer storage. (Or make bread pudding with the leftovers!)
If storing your bread at room temperature, wrap the bread in cloth or paper to allow just enough airflow to prevent moisture build-up. Homemade bread will last about 2-3 days stored at room temperature.
If storing in the refrigerator, keep the bread in an air-tight container. This is my preferred method because I don’t usually eat bread that quickly. Bread stored in the refrigerator will stay good for about 5-6 days.
If you need to store your bread for longer, freeze it. I suggest slicing the bread prior to freezing so you can thaw or use 1-2 slices at a time as needed without thawing the entire loaf. I often toast my slices straight from the freezer for convenience! Make sure to freeze the bread in an air-tight, heavy-duty, freezer-safe container (like a freezer bag).
New to making homemade bread? Try our super easy No-Knead Bread!
Honey Wheat Bread
Servings 12 slicesIngredients
- 1.25 cup warm water ($0)
- 2 tsp active dry yeast or instant yeast ($0.34)
- 2 Tbsp honey ($0.50)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil ($0.36)
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour* ($0.57)
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour* ($0.38)
- 1/2 Tbsp salt ($0.05)
Instructions
- Stir the yeast and 1 Tbsp of the honey into the warm water until dissolved, then set it aside for about five minutes to allow the yeast to activate. A thick layer of foam should develop on the surface of the water.
- While waiting for the yeast to bloom, stir together 1 cup of the whole wheat flour with the salt.
- Once the yeast is foamy, add the rest of the honey (1 Tbsp) and the olive oil and stir to combine. Pour the yeast water into the bowl with the flour and salt, then stir until combined. Add ½ cup more of whole wheat flour and stir until combined again.
- Now start adding all-purpose flour, ½ cup at a time, until you can no longer stir the dough with a spoon. At that point, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin to knead all-purpose flour into the dough, a little at a time.
- Knead the dough for about five minutes, slowly adding flour as you knead, or until the dough no longer sticks to your hands, but is still fairly pliable. I used 1.5 cups all-purpose flour total, but the total flour amount will vary with the type of flour used and relative humidity in the room.
- Place the kneaded dough back into the mixing bowl and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise at room temperature for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
- Lightly coat a bread pan with oil. Punch the dough down to deflate, then take the dough out of the bowl. Shape the dough into a log about the same length of your bread pan.
- Place the shaped dough in the bread pan and let it rise for anohter hour, or until it has risen about 2-inches above the edges of the bread pan.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Once fully preheated, add the risen bread and bake for 30 minutes, or until the bread is deeply golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool just a few minutes (to make it easier to handle), then carefully remove the bread from the pan to fully cool.
- Once cool, slice and serve your delicious homemade bread!
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Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Honey Wheat Bread – Step By Step Photos
Start by dissolving 1 Tbsp honey and 2 tsp instant yeast or active dry yeast in 1.25 cups of warm water. Set the mixture aside to allow the yeast to bloom. It should develop a thick layer of foam on the surface.
While waiting for the yeast to bloom, add 1 cup whole wheat flour to a bowl with ½ Tbsp salt and stir to combine.
Once the yeast has bloomed, stir another 1 Tbsp honey and 3 Tbsp olive oil into the yeast water, then pour that mixture into the bowl with the flour and salt. Stir to combine.
Stir another ½ cup of whole wheat flour into the dough.
Now start adding in all-purpose flour, ½ cup at a time until you can no longer stir the dough with a spoon.
When a shaggy ball of dough forms that can no longer be stirred with a spoon, it’s time to turn the dough out onto a floured surface to knead.
Begin kneading in more all-purpose flour a little at a time. Knead for about five minutes, or until the dough no longer sticks to your hands, but is still pliable. I used about 1.5 cups all-purpose flour in total, but the total flour amount can vary depending on the type of flour used and the relative humidity in the room.
Place the kneaded dough back into the mixing bowl and cover it with a towel. Let the dough rise at room temperature for one hour, or until doubled in size.
Once doubled in size, punch the dough down to deflate. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a log the same length as your bread pan.
Lightly coat a bread pan with olive oil then place the shaped dough inside. Let the bread rise for another hour, or until it has risen about two inches above the top of the bread pan.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Once the bread has risen, transfer the bread to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is deeply brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
After 30 minutes, remove the bread from the oven. Let it cool for just a few minutes to make it easier to handle, then carefully remove it from the bread pan to finish cooling.
Once cooled, slice and serve the bread, or store it for later!
There is something so satisfying in making your own bread! I usually make no knead bread but this recipe has taken me back. When my kids were little I made almost all of our bread but as they got older and I got busier I quit doing that. I will be making this bread this weekend, enjoying the process, the way the baking bread makes the house smell, and how delicious fresh bread tastes! Thanks for the recipe and the memories
Happy Thanksgiving!
Can this be made in my breadmaker??
I’m sure it can. However, we did not test it in a bread maker and can’t offer guidance. If you do make it, we’d love to hear about your process and results! XOXO -Monti
Can I use a stand mixer with a dough hook and achieve the same results?
Absolutely! XOXO -Monti
Absolutely delicious. Reminds me of the fresh baked bread at Longhorn Steakhouse. 🤤
Curious and excited to try this. How would you adjust the temp for a metal pan? Thanks!
Though metal heats up quicker than glass, it cooks slower. You’ll need to keep an eye on it, but a general rule of thumb is to add 20 minutes to the bake time. XOXO -Monti
Thanks! Same temp?
Yes. XOXO -Monti
I’m thinking of trying this. What size bread pan did you use? Thank you for all the wonderful recipes!
Just a standard loaf pan, 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches. :)
Perfect loaf but had absolutely no flavor. Not sure if it matters that I made it in bread machine.
I also found the taste a bit bland, good texture tho. Next time I might add more honey.
If using instant yeast, would you just combine everything in the first step with the water?
Instant yeast can actually be proofed the same way as regular dry yeast, so you wouldn’t have to change the method. It can be added dry, like in no-knead breads, but it doesn’t have to be. :)
Do you us guide for uniform slices?
Nope, that was just freeform slicing. :)
Great bread! However, 425 is too high of a temp to bake this bread. I’m glad I read the comments. I baked mine at 375 degrees for 25 minutes and it was done. I used a thermometer to check the internal temp, which was 185 degrees.
This is my go-to recipe for cinnamon rolls and other buns. I use all chakka atta flour (a finely ground whole wheat flour, the only kind my Costco stocks) with a little vital wheat gluten instead of the white/whole wheat combo. Otherwise, I let the dough rise, divided it in 2 portions, and then flatten/stretch each portion out into a rectangle for filling.
Two fillings that have worked great so far:
– soft butter (smeared) then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon
– olive oil (brushed) then smeared with a tart jam and sprinkled with ground almonds
I roll the filling into a sausage, pinch shut, cut into cinnamon roll shapes, rise about 30-40 minutes in lined cake tins, then bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. As the dough is not very sweet, these work well with a little icing.
It came out well. I think that I like a little more sweetness, and so may add a little brown sugar. That will increase browning, so I’ll have to keep an eye on it in the oven. I baked this loaf at 375 in a convection oven for 35 min.
This is my go-to bread recipe! For some reason though it always turns out overdone when I follow the oven directions, so I bake it at 400°F for 27-28 minutes and it’s perfect!
We double the recipe and keep it in the freezer. We don’t buy bread at the store anymore! Thanks for a great recipe.
Hi! I’ve been unable to get whole wheat flour due to the pandemic. Are there any adaptations of this that use regular bread flour or all purpose flour? Thanks!
You should be able to make this will all AP flour, but you might need slightly more water as AP flour doesn’t absorb quite as much as WW flour. :)
I’ve been messing with this in quarantine as a sort of personal science experiment to learn more about bread. It’s such an easy and forgiving recipe that it’s good every time. The first time I had a hard time getting the dough to come together by hand. I got there but had to add a lot of water. I’ve been using my stand mixer with the dough hook ever since which is easier. For this week’s loaf I used a whole packet of yeast (only an extra 1/4 teaspoon) and didn’t score the top (I’ve had the same problem with deflation another commenter reported). I also forgot the salt but that was an accident. :) It rose beautifully and is almost fluffy.