Soft Airy 100% Whole Wheat Bread. This Sandwich bread is 100% whole grain, no refined flour and is soft and delicious. Vegan Recipe Jump to Recipe
A good sandwich bread is a like a dream. Soft, airy, gorgeous crumb, all whole grain, no unknown additives, dough conditioners and most importantly great tasting. Now the last part is the most difficult of the lot.
Most whole grain or grain and seed breads from the market fall a bit short on the taste factor. I don’t know what they do, but the breads are just too sweet tasting and generally have an odd after taste. And they never work out great to make sweet or savory french toasts (they get so soggy). Its not like they make great sandwiches. Grill them, and taste cardboard. On the other hand some of the artisan style breads dislike my teeth. I mean can you ever bite into them without breaking something!
Or maybe I am too finicky. :). Anywho, some of those problems are non-existent with this gorgeous loaf of bread. This bread has just 3 main ingredients, whole wheat flour, water, yeast! No other flour. And it is soft and delicious! And not dense.
Makes perfect sandwiches and french toasts. I add lemon juice and cumin to change up the flavor a bit from the earthy wheat. Try it. Add orange juice instead of lemon. You can add some vital wheat gluten so the bread doesnt make too many crumbs when sliced.
Make this 100% Whole Wheat Bread !
Look at those slices!
More Sandwich loafs from the blog
- Whole Grain Seed Bread Recipe
- White Bean Sandwich Bread Loaf. Vegan Recipe
- Vegan Sprouted Wheat Millet Sandwich Bread Recipe
- Strawberry Sandwich Loaf. GF V
Steps Pictures: Scroll below for recipe.
Make the sponge mixture (see recipe instructions below). Let it sit for an hour. Knead with the rest of the flour. Press the dough into a rectangle, fold the edges. Then fold into a jelly roll. Place in bread pan.
Spray water on top, sprinkle sesame seeds or oats, spray water again. Cover with a towel and let rise.
Once the roll doubles or rises well above the pan edge, bake.
Remove from the pan after 10 minutes. Then cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife. Adapted from Dave’s Whole wheat bread.
Recipe Card
100% Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (250 ml) warm water
- 2.5 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener of choice
- 1 tbsp active yeast 1 tablespoon = 3 tsp
Bread:
- 2 cups (240 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 to 1.5 tsp lemon or lime juice
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) ground cumin
- 2 tbsp water
- oil or vegan butter as needed.
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients under Sponge in a bowl. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes until a smooth batter and you can feel the gluten forming. It will start to get a bit stringy
- Let the bowl sit for 1 hour in a warm place. (Use a large bowl as the sponge will triple)
- In a stand mixer, add the sponge. Mix the salt into the 2 cups flour and add the flour to the stand mixer. Start kneading. Add in the oil, cumin, lemon juice and water and continue to knead for 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Check the dough to see if it needs more flour or water (it should be soft and smooth. not stiff and not sticky). Add more water if needed. .
- Knead for another 5 to 8 minutes. The dough should not break immediately when a small portion is pulled out. (I knead at setting 2 on my kitchen aid). You can let the dough rest for 15-20 minutes at this point.
- Shape the dough into a fat 9 by 5 rectangle. Fold in the 5 inch side. then roll the longer side like a jelly roll. Seal by pinching. Roll the log a little to even it out in thickness. Place in the parchment lined or well greased bread pan (9 by 5 inch). Spray water on top. Sprinkle sesame seeds or oats. Spray water again. Cover with a towel and let rise for 50 minutes to an hour or until it doubles or the bread domes over the pan edge. (You want to give the bread enough time to rise and get airy. the time depends on the ambient temperature.)Spray water, then spray oil on the top.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180ºc. Bake the bread for 40 minutes.
- Remove the bread pan from the oven and brush oil or vegan butter on top. Remove the bread from the pan after 5 to 10 minutes. Let it cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife.
- Store in a bread container on the counter for upto 2 days or refrigerate for upto a week.
Notes
Add 2 tsp molasses for deeper flavor and color.
Add 2 tbsp orange juice instead of water and omit lemon juice.
Note: If using other flours like white whole wheat flour or chapati atta, you might need a bit more or less water.
If kneading by hand. Knead a few minutes longer. Throw the dough onto the counter a few times between kneading to help with the gluten formation. Nutritional values base on one serving
Nutrition
Troubleshoot:
If the bread dough rises well before baking and the dome falls during baking:
- The dough got over proofed / over risen. Depending on the ambient temp in the kitchen or wherever you leave the bread to rise you might need less time for the bread dough in the loaf to rise to just about double the original dough size. Anything more than double means the bread is over rising and the gluten will not be able to hold the dome eventually.
- Too much moisture. If the dough is too sticky and has too much moisture, the bread will rise but the dome will be too wet to hold its shape during baking
- bread dough was not kneaded enough. Any of the above issues (in small amounts i.e slightly over risen, slightly over moist) can be handled by the gluten if the bread was kneaded enough to form the gluten well. You want to knead the bread till it is smooth (at least 5 to 7 minutes) and when you pull the dough apart, it doesn’t just break off, but gets elastic before breaking.
If the bread dough does not rise much
- The yeast is old or died somewhere in the steps. Too hot water or salt directly added to the yeast will kill the yeast.
- Ambient temperature was too cold. Yeast activity slows in cooler temperature. Let the bread sit for longer time until it is just about double the original dough size before baking.
- Bread dough was too stiff/had less moisture. Spritz water on the dough every 10 minutes during rising to incorporate some moisture and let the dough rise for longer time until it is almost double.
For Softer, more moist bread, add a bit more oil. Let the dough rise for half an hour before shaping into a loaf. Knead the dough really well for good gluten formation, which will help hold the bread structure with more air.
Rachna Sindhu
Thank you so much Richa for sharing this recipe. Today is the fourth Time I am making this bread and every time it turns out amazing. I just want to know if I can use vanilla honey as sweetener.
Can I request you to share barley whole wheat bread recipe as well.
Vegan Richa Support
so glad you enjoy! i’ll work on barley!
kb
Did you bake this in a glassware?
Richa
Yes metal glass or ceramic
Allen
Hello, I’ve made this recipe 4 times. The first time I made only 1 loaf. It turned out perfect! After that I have been quadrupling the recipe. It hasn’t turned out as good. But I’m still trying to get it figured out. Do you have any suggestions?
Richa
You might need more moisture when increasing quantity and more kneading so that the gluten forms well. Since you’ve made the original recipe, keep an eye on the increased one for texture and rising and you’ll know if it needs adjusting before baking.
vanessa
Excellent recipe! I have just made it – using spelt instead of wholewheat: it is one of the best bread I have ever made!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Vegan Richa Support
so happy to hear that. thank you!
Lisa Noble
Will this work if I make my own flour by grinding whole wheat kernels in my vitamix?
Vegan Richa Support
yes
Sonja
Hi Richa, could you please tell me what the sponge should look like at the end of step 2? After an hour in my proofing drawer at 85°, it becomes very bubbly and not much bigger than it was at the beginning of the step. Should I be stopping the proof when it reaches the triple in size? Thank you so much!
Vegan Richa Support
The roll should double in size, or rise well above the pan edge. Make sure you’re leaving it to sit for about an hour, and mixing well! Let me know how it goes.
Mary
I’m enjoy baking and have tried many bread recipes but they are never quite what I want in a bread so I’ve continued buying it at the store. My son has a sesame allergy so currently there are pretty much no safe store bought breads and I continued my search for the perfect homemade bread. Well, this is it! Best bread I’ve ever made and I will happily stop buying bread now that I can make this! You are a lifesaver for my family!
Vegan Richa Support
So thrilled to hear, Mary!
Alison
I found the bread too sweet. Is it possible to lower the quantity of sweetener without compromising the outcome?
Richa
Omit the sweetener and use 1 tbsp flour instead to activate the yeast
Alison
Thanks for your quick reply Richa !
Would that be plain white flour ?
Vegan Richa Support
You’re welcome. whole wheat.
Celine
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. Would love to try this. Isn’t 1 Tbsp of yeast too much? I’m afraid with that amount it will result in a very yeasty taste bread.
Richa
Use 2 tsp. Many people use old yeast and the strength then isn’t enough to raise this heavy dough well. With fresh yeast you can reduce the amount
Riana
Can I substitute yeast with baking powder?
Richa
Nope won’t work
Matthew
Adapted this recipe to work with very large Pullman pans. It is delicious, but a bit weak in the centre of the slice. I am going to add some vital wheat gluten to strengthen the crumb. I use molasses as the sweetener.
Vegan Richa Support
good to know
Nirosha
Can I use brown sugar instead of maple syrup?
Richa
Yes
EllenMarie
I’ve made many a whole wheat doorstop, but this whole wheat bread couldn’t stop a door if it tried. It’s light, tender, and my favorite whole wheat bread recipe ever. Next time, I plan to add nuts and seeds into the bread mix for a healthy crunch.
Vegan Richa Support
😂 😂
Rosalia Damasco
hi can i ommit the cumin powder to this recipe?
Richa
Yes
Nirosha
Thankyou very much. I’m going to try
Vegan Richa Support
I can’t wait to hear what you think
Dia
I’m concerned about lemon and cumin flavors being too Indian instead of just sandwich bread. My kids just need it firm ham and cheese sandwiches for school.
Richa
Omit them
Susan Helder
I rreally loved the texture of this bread, but my son said the cumin flavor was too strong for him, so I will omit it from now on.
Richa
Yes omit it!
Quinn
Good bread but I’ve made the recipe twice now and it hardly rises. I measured the temperature of my water both times, let the dough rise in a 100 degree oven, and I’ve used the yeast in other recipes that turn out fine (yeast isn’t old). A tablespoon of yeast is a ton for bread, should rise like crazy. Maybe the maple syrup is a bad substitute for sugar.
Richa
Maybe the yeast is old or dead?
Nirosha
Hi Richa!
I did it today. It’s sooo good.This is a wonderful recipe gives better results than any other recipes that I have tried. Thank you for this wonderful recipe
Vegan Richa Support
so glad to hear!
Poonam Jhaveri
Hi Richa..this is a wonderful recipe. Have made it a few times now. Gives better results than any other recipe that o have tried. thank you for this wonderful recipe.❤️❤️
Vegan Richa Support
wow. – thank you ❤️❤️
Lin K.
This recipe does not disappoint! I have made this bread several times and it always comes out light yet moist. I like it better than any whole wheat bread I can buy. The loaf is a little small so sometimes I double it and make a larger loaf plus 6 rolls. The one change I made is that I reduce the sugar to 2 Tbsp and I knead it longer with my dough hook (about an extra 5 minutes to get that stretchy, smooth feeling).
Ks
Can I use aquafaba in this as an enhancer? How should I modify the other ingredients?
Richa
Just sub a 1/4 cup water with aquafaba
Lin K.
Yippee!! My first 100% whole wheat bread that came out soft and chewy instead of like a doorstop! Thank you for posting this!! I omitted the flavoring (cumin and lemon) because I wasn’t sure if I’d like it and I also reduced the sugar by half as I prefer it less sweet. I did knead it longer as I wasn’t happy with the texture. It never became “silky” but it was close enough for me to move on. Everything else went smooth and I am now enjoying my success.
Vegan Richa Support
a doorstop, haha glad i could open= a new door for you!!
Neeta
oh dear what happens if I accidentally put the 2 cups of flour in the sponge instead of 1 cup?🤦🏾♀️ doing too many things at once… should I forget the sponge and just mix everything now and knead? lost… why I should understand the basics of baking lol
Denise
I don’t have a stand mixer available. I made your white bread by hand with good results. Can I do the same with this recipe?
Richa
You can. Just make sure to knead it enough so that there’s good gluten development. When you pull the dough it shouldnt immediately break off
Jen
Amazing, soft 100% wholewheat!
My pan must be bigger than most- my bread was gorgeous but was wide and not very tall. If I wanted to make 1.5x the recipe do I need to change the rise time? Any suggestions on the bake time for this? Also if I was tempted to try it with seeds added do you think this could work? I’m aiming to stick to 100% wholewheat
Lisa
This is such a simple recipe and the first thing I made with my new stand mixer. I followed the directions to the letter but my dough was always and for every stage very sticky. But based on some of the other comments I didn’t add any flour other than from my floured surface when I was shaping it at the end. But the bread turned out perfectly despite the sticky dough so anyone else who is experiencing that I would advise to just keep going.
Thanks so much for the fantastic bread, Richa!
Valerie
Question regarding kneading with the KitchenAid, which recommends no more than 2 minutes & limiting total kneading time to 4 minutes. I was cautious this time so I kneaded by hand, but I’m wondering if the 5-8 minutes in the recipe is actually ok?
Shivani Sood
Hi,
I want to use Instant Yeast in this recipe. How much yeast should I use?
Thanks
Vegan Richa Support
Active dry yeast and instant yeast can generally be used interchangeably, one-for-one (although active dry yeast may be slower to rise). So if a recipe calls for instant yeast and you use active dry yeast instead, you may want to consider adding an extra 10 to 15 minutes for the rise time
Aylit
First time making bread and this came out perfect!
Richa
Yay
Neeta
enjoying this bread recipe:) Is there any added benefit to allowing the kneaded dough to rise twice (not including the sponge rise)? I have seen some recipes that also do the sponge rise add the flour and oil and salt then rise 1 hour then recommend punching down the dough after the first 1 hour rise and then letting it rise again for 1 hour… just wondering if it would soften / lighten the bread even more? PS I have always eaten 100 percent whole wheat bread used to do it in the bread machine . Now with your recipe kneading with a food processor and baking in the oven:)
Neeta
Thank you for posting this recipe. I am making bread for the first time without a bread machine and followed the recipe measuring by weight… the sponge rose very nicely . Before the first resting of the dough in the food processor, it seemed sticky but I thought I would let it rest and it was soft yay! But then the next spin in the food processor and it became really sticky then on and on and I felt as though I had to keep adding more and more flour way more until it quit sticking to my hands and the processor…so it was not soft anymore. I did add a little oil to compensate. The bread rose in the Pyrex. But boy is it hard and really dense more dense than when I used to make it in the bread machine (I have only eaten 100% whole grain breads so I am used to dense and hard but this is quite a bit more)… wondering if I should have stopped after the first rest and not done the second food processing? Tried watching other’s videos on processing dough in the food processor but they do not use a sponge and they only process it once for a few minutes max 8-10min… any thoughts? Thank you!
Richa
There’s a point at which it is well kneaded and after that the dough might start to get sticky again. Even witb the extra flour, if the bread did rise then it shouldn’t be too dense. Have you tried baking hundred percent whole grain bread in a bread maker before?
Neeta
Thank you so much… I did it again this time I did a few things differently than I did the first time… I had the oil and cumin etc ingredients ready and only mixed the sponge and flour for a few seconds before adding those ingredients and only did a total of 5 min and then let it sit 5 min. Then I let my self be okay with it being a little sticky and did not add any additional flour. Then I only kneaded it for another 5 min and then let it rest. Then folded it and this time it rose considerably more. ( and yes we have only ever used 100 percent whole wheat flour:) even in the bread maker lol even in my desserts but shhhh don’t tell anyone)
Richa
Awesome! Glad it worked !!
Nidhi Iyer
I have tried baking this multiple (7) times and except for once it never rose. Even the texture was such that it looked overkneaded and the dough kept tearing off, despite the fact that I followed every single instruction of yours. Could you possibly have an idea of what I am doing wrong? The one time I baked it, I found it very very tasty, and the perfect balance for a vegan bread and I really want to try and make this work. My ingredients are spot on, I have already checked. So it is somewhere in the process that i am going wrong. I’m a baker and I have never faced this problem before (this was my go to option for a non-sourdough bread), and i am at a loss of what to do. Please help.
Richa
If the dough is tearing off easily then that means gluten hasn’t developed. Is it really cold there? Did the sponge increase in size? If it did rise then maybe it’s too cold or too much flour got added and doughgot too dry ?