Easy Homemade Whole Wheat Bread Recipe – Soft & Yummy Made at Home

Have you ever walked into your kitchen and smelled fresh bread baking? It’s the best smell ever! This easy homemade whole wheat bread recipe makes soft whole wheat bread from scratch that tastes just like the fancy bread from the store. If you’ve tried whole wheat bread before and it was hard or heavy, don’t worry! We’re going to show you how to make whole wheat bread that’s not dense and actually super fluffy.

This is the best whole wheat bread recipe for beginners because it’s really simple. Even if you’ve never made bread before, you can do this! This healthy, whole wheat sandwich bread recipe only needs seven ingredients you probably already have at home. You don’t need any fancy machines – just your hands and a regular oven. We use a little bit of honey in this whole wheat bread recipe with honey, which makes the bread taste a tiny bit sweet and helps it rise up tall and fluffy.

Related Guide: Easy Honey Wheat Bread Recipe

The best part? This fluffy whole wheat bread recipe needs no bread machine at all. And once you make it, this whole wheat bread recipe stays fresh for almost a whole week! Your family is going to love having fresh, homemade bread for sandwiches, toast, or just eating warm with butter.

What You’re Making

Name: Easy Homemade Whole Wheat Bread (Super Soft & Fluffy!) What it is: The easiest whole wheat bread recipe for kids and beginners – healthy sandwich bread made at home with honey. Getting ready: 20 minutes Baking time: 35 minutes Total time: About 4 hours (but most of that is just waiting!) How much you get: 2 big loaves (that’s 32 slices!) Calories: About 95 calories in each slice. Picture idea: Two golden-brown bread loaves cooling down, with one cut open to show how soft and fluffy it looks inside

Related Recipe: Simplest Rustic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

What You Need to Buy

Dry Stuff

• 6 cups whole wheat flour (that’s the healthy flour!)
• 1 packet active dry yeast (the magic ingredient that makes bread rise!)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Wet Stuff

• 2½ cups warm water (should feel like a nice warm bath – about 110°F)
• ¼ cup honey (the good stuff that makes it taste great!)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter

Related Recipe: Best Whole Wheat Bread Machine Recipe

How to Make Fluffy Whole Wheat Bread (No Bread Machine Needed)

1. Wake up the yeast. Put the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a big bowl. Stir it gently and wait 5-10 minutes. You’ll see it get foamy and bubbly – that means the yeast is working!
2. Mix the wet stuff. Add the honey and oil to your foamy yeast water. Stir it all up until it looks smooth.
3. Add some flour. Put 3 cups of flour into the wet stuff. Mix it with a big wooden spoon until it’s smooth like cake batter.
4. Add the rest. Now add the other 3 cups of flour and the salt. Keep mixing until it looks like messy dough.
5. Knead the dough (this is the fun part!). Put the dough on a clean counter with a little flour on it. Push it and fold it over and over for about 8-10 minutes. It should feel smooth and a little stretchy when you’re done.
6. Let it grow. Put your dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and put it somewhere warm. Wait 1½ to 2 hours until it gets twice as big!
7. Make your loaves. Punch the big dough down (so satisfying!) and cut it in half. Shape each half into a loaf and put them in greased bread pans.
8. Let them grow again. Cover your loaves and wait 45-60 minutes until the dough comes up over the top of the pans.
9. Heat up your oven. Turn your oven to 375°F about 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake.
10. Bake your bread! Put the pans in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until they’re golden brown and smell amazing.
11. Cool down (the hardest part!). Take the bread out of the pans right away and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before cutting. We know it’s hard to wait!

Related Recipe: Make Yummy Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread

Cool Tips to Make Your Bread Even Better

Super Important Tips

• Check your water: Use a thermometer if you have one. If the water is too hot, it will hurt the yeast. Too cold, and nothing happens.
• Don’t pack the flour: Just scoop it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
• Make it humid: Put a pan of hot water on the bottom of your oven while the dough rises. This helps it grow better.
• Test if it’s done: Tap the bottom of your bread – it should sound hollow like a drum when it’s ready.

Fun Ways to Change It Up

• Add seeds: Mix in 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
• Make it cinnamon raisin: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ cup raisins
• Herb bread: Mix in 1 tablespoon of dried herbs like rosemary
• Make it the night before: After the first rise, you can put the dough in the fridge overnight and finish it the next day

How to Keep Your Bread Fresh

Keeping it at Room Temperature

Put your completely cooled bread in a plastic bag or an airtight container. It will stay fresh for 5 days on your counter. Don’t put it in the fridge – that makes it get stale faster!

Freezing Your Bread

• Whole loaves: Wrap them tight in plastic wrap, then foil. They’ll stay good for 3 months in the freezer.
• Sliced bread: Put wax paper between slices, wrap the whole thing up, and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thawing: Leave wrapped bread out for 3-4 hours, or just pop frozen slices right in the toaster.

Making Day-Old Bread Fresh Again

If your bread gets a little stale, wrap it in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10-15 seconds. Or brush water on the crust and warm it in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes.

What’s In Each Slice (The Healthy Stuff)

Good Stuff	How Much
Calories	95
Fat	1.5g
Sodium	148mg
Carbs	18g
Fiber	3g (that’s the good stuff that helps your body!)
Sugar	2g
Protein	3.5g (helps you grow strong!)
Iron	1.2mg

These numbers are close, but might be a little different for your bread

Questions Kids and Parents Ask A Lot

Why is my bread heavy and hard instead of fluffy?

This usually happens when you use too much flour, your yeast is old and dead, or you didn’t knead enough. Make sure your yeast gets foamy when you mix it with water. Knead until the dough feels smooth and stretchy.

Can I use regular white flour instead of some whole wheat flour?

Yes! If you want lighter bread, you can replace half the whole wheat flour with regular all-purpose flour. You’ll still get lots of good nutrition, but it’ll be even softer.

How do I know when my bread is done baking?

Your bread is ready when it’s golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. If you have a food thermometer, it should read 190°F in the middle.

Why didn’t my bread rise big and fluffy?

This usually means your yeast was too old, your water was too hot or cold, or your kitchen was too cold. Make sure your yeast gets foamy, and try to keep your dough somewhere warm, like on top of the fridge.

Can I use a bread machine instead?

Sure! Just put everything in your bread machine in the right order (your machine’s book will tell you how). Use the whole wheat setting and let it do all the work.

How can I make my bread last longer?

Keep it in sealed containers, only slice what you need, and think about freezing half of it. You can also add a tablespoon of something called vital wheat gluten to make it last longer.

Tell Us How It Turned Out!

Did you make this awesome whole wheat bread? We’re super excited to hear about it! Give this recipe some stars below and tell us in the comments how it turned out. Did you change anything? Do you have questions? We want to know!

Take a picture of your beautiful homemade bread and share it on Instagram or Facebook with #MyHomemadeBread so other families can see how amazing your bread looks!

When you share your thoughts, it helps us make our recipes even better and helps other families make perfect bread, too. Happy baking, everyone!