Step-by-Step Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread {My New Fave}
Healthy, hearty, and absolutely delicious, this whole wheat quinoa bread is light, fluffy and packs a protein punch. Pretty sure it’s my new favorite homemade bread!
I have been so excited to share this homemade bread recipe with you! It’s no secret I love making homemade bread. I’ve used this tried-and-true fabulous recipe (Darcy’s recipe in that post) to make my family’s everyday bread for years.
There’s just something about making bread that feels wholesome and good. It’s hard for me to explain.
I guess I’m just always amazed that such simple ingredients can come together to create fluffy domes of hearty goodness; it’s a mini miracle.
I wasn’t always good at making bread. And even now, sometimes my bread flops, but it is definitely one of the most satisfying things I make at home.
Having said that, can I take a minute to just throw this out there:
You don’t have to make homemade bread to be a a good mom, a decent human being, a rockstar in the kitchen, a role model to young children, or anything else that your guilt complex might want to fill in that blank.
THERE SHOULD BE NO GUILT OVER STOREBOUGHT BREAD, PEOPLE. And likewise, there shouldn’t be any guilt if you decide to make bread every day of your life in lieu of cleaning your bathrooms.
Sorry to get all lecture-y on you; I just feel strongly that we all need to stop the guilt.
Anyway, moving on.
A little while ago, I decided to branch out and try a new whole wheat bread recipe. With quinoa! I know. It sounds a little strange, but since we eat quinoa with dinner quite a bit, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to throw it into bread.
And oh, my goodness. This whole wheat quinoa bread is the best bread to ever come out of my kitchen.
So good, in fact, that this is the only sandwich bread I’ve been making for weeks. I’ve even converted several of my staunch bread making friends to this recipe, too. We are all in love!
The quinoa lends a deliciously nutty flavor to the bread. It also makes the loaf extremely tender.
And if you are wondering, like I was, what happens to the quinoa in the bread dough, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. The loaf is intensely soft and fluffy without any hard bits of quinoa in the crumb.
The quinoa melds and absorbs in the bread dough as it mixes and bakes. There’s a hint of nutty flavor, but it’s not an in-your-face-quinoa punch as you eat it.
My kids are convinced this whole wheat quinoa bread makes the best toast in all the land. They’ll often eat through a whole loaf at breakfast (or for an after school snack, particularly if I let them slather it with nutella).
Because I want you to love this bread as much as we do, I’ve included a step-by-step tutorial below.
The recipe really is straightforward, but the method is a little unique, and the texture may be a bit different than other classic sandwich bread recipes.
Speaking of mixers, I know the world is divided when it comes to which stand mixer reigns supreme, but I make all of our bread in my beloved Bosch stand mixer. It is a powerhouse when it comes to bread.
I haven’t made this whole wheat quinoa bread in a KitchenAid mixer or by hand. Both could work, although keep an eye on your stand mixer if it has a weak motor.
I don’t want any stand mixers burning out (and people getting mad at me!).
UPDATE: I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the bread pans I use. My favorite bread pans are the USA bread pans and the Chicago Metallic pans. I have a few of each and love both of them.
This whole wheat quinoa recipe is softest, fluffiest, best bread ever!
And if you are wanting to delve into the world of bread making but don’t know where to start or feel a little intimidated, here’s a step-by-step guide on my other go-to whole wheat bread recipe. And here is a tutorial on yeast (an oldie but a goodie of a post).
Please leave any questions in the comments below (or on specific recipe threads). I don’t have all the answers, but I can definitely try to help!
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Two Years Ago: Foolproof No-Stir Homemade Caramels {With Step-by-Step Tutorial}
Three Years Ago: Simple Homemade Haunted Halloween Houses
Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa, rinsed
- 2 ¼ cups water
- 8 cups whole wheat flour, don't pack the flour in the measuring cup
- ⅓ cup vital wheat gluten, optional, see note
- 1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 2 ¼ cups milk, lightly warmed (about 110 degrees F)
- ¾ cup room temperature water
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup oil, canola, vegetable, avocado
Instructions
- Combine the quinoa and 2 1/4 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 10-12 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid, stir the quinoa, and let it stand for 10-20 minutes.
- In a stand mixer, combine the wheat flour, gluten, yeast, and salt. Mix.
- Add the milk, 3/4 cup water, honey and oil. Continue mixing; the dough will start out looking very crumbly and come together in a stiff mass. That’s ok! It will soften as the quinoa is added.
- Spoon in the warm quinoa while the mixer is running. Gradually add all the quinoa and any excess water (there shouldn’t be much; most of it should have absorbed in the quinoa).
- Continue to mix until the dough comes together and forms a soft ball of dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. If for some reason (and this can depend on elevation, humidity, temperature, etc), the dough is sticky and wet, gradually add 1/4 cup of flour at a time until it forms a ball of dough that clears the sides of the bowl – but avoid adding extra flour unless you really need to.
- Let the dough knead for 7-9 minutes.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl or container, cover, and let it rise until double.
- Lightly punch down the dough and portion into three equal loaves, about 32-35 ounces each. Form the dough into loaves by patting each piece into a thick rectangle and rolling it up, pressing with the heel of your hand to get rid of air bubbles and form a taut loaf.
- Place the loaves in greased 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Let rise, covered, until 1-inch above the rim of the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and gently turn the loaves out on to a cooling rack to cool completely. Brush the tops with butter while still warm, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: whole wheat quinoa bread adapted from this recipe in America’s Test Kitchen Bread Illustrated (I swapped out all the white flour for whole wheat and added a few extra ingredients to help with tenderness, and I changed up a few other minor things with ingredients and method)
I would love to make this bread but only need 1 loaf. Are the ingredients simply divided by three or is it more involved?
Yes, you could divide the ingredients by 3 for one loaf.
Hi Thank you for all your amazing recipes.
I am 80 years old but love making bread. I don’t have a mixer so wondered how long I should knead this recipe. My loaves are not as high as yours but the taste is so good. Because I am not a fan of whole wheat bread I use 3 cups of wheat flour and the rest unbleached white. I have kneaded about 10 min.. or until my arthritic hands give out. (Haha).
I will keep trying this recipe until I can get it looking like yours. Toasted this bread is sooo tasty.
Thanks again
Anne
Hi Anne! You’re amazing! The dough probably needs kneading time of 15 minutes or so by hand, but you could also try letting them rise a bit longer, too – that could help!
Delicious and soft. Hubby and I love it. Very tasty. With the cooker quinoa, it was a stickier dough for me. I added another cup of flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Still very sticky but I went with it. After first rise, was very sticky but it was workable enough to minimally shape and put in the loaf pans. I think the soft dough made for a very for a very soft bread, unlike a lot of whole grain breads. This recipe is a keeper for me. Soft and lighter, slices nicely. I did make 2/3 recipe, since I only have two loaf pans. Yum!!
Would you know if I could make this bread into sourdough sandwich bread I just don’t know how to go about it
Hi Donna, I haven’t converted this recipe to a sourdough recipe, so I’m not sure what to tell you – if I work on it as a sourdough recipe, I’ll keep you posted on the results!
Hi Mel,
Can this be made in a bread maker?
Hi Debbie, I’m not sure how much dough can fit into your bread maker – that would be the biggest thing to consider. If the quantity fits, I think it should work fine.
I had to add rather a lot of flour after adding the quinoa because the dough was quite sticky. I added most of the quinoa, but not all of it, for that reason. The bread rose well and the finished loaf was delicious. It had excellent flavour, good texture, and it could be sliced into very thin slices, which I especially appreciated. This is a top notch recipe which will become a regular staple in our home.
I make bread often, many of your recipes, Mel! The first time I made this it turned out well. I’ve made it twice more and it has been a huge flop. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but I don’t think I have it in me to try again. Like the most recent commenter, I couldn’t ever get the bread to come together no matter how much flour I added. I ended up plopping the glue in the bread pans like a quick bread.
Hey Monica, any chance the quinoa is too warm when adding? If so, it can make the dough a mess. If it worked out well for you before, I think we can figure it out, but I don’t blame you for not wanting to try again.
I should have known this recipe would be trouble based on the vague instructions. Mixer with a paddle attachment? Dough hook? How long to rise? I weighed out all ingredients and the dough never cleared the sides. I ended up needing to add at least 2 cups of flour and even still it was a horrible mess. I’m letting it ride now just to see what happens but I don’t even know if it will be worth baking.
I don’t leave reviews very often, but since I’ve been making this bread almost weekly for 4 months, I thought I better share! My family LOVES this bread. I almost can’t eat store bought anymore, hence making it so often. It’s the best texture and flavour, more filling than regular whole wheat bread, and adds a good amount of fibre into your day. Love love love. Thanks Mel!
Just had to share that on a whim this morning I decided I wanted to try a new wheat bread recipe and found myself here. Holy cow — this bread is addictive!! I literally said out loud (to myself, with no one else home) — “This could be dangerous!” So, so soft and yummy! If you’re on the fence about trying it, do it; you won’t be sorry.
Mel! I LOVE your recipes. Do you have any suggestions for making one of your whole wheat bread recipes into a cinnamon raisin loaf? 🙂 Your bread always turns out so well, yummy and simple! So I hate to go elsewhere…Just wondered if you have any up your sleeve!
Hi Stephanie, I’ve never made cinnamon raisin bread (probably given my family’s hatred of raisins) so I’m not a lot of help. I’m sorry!
Hi, I was wondering if I could cook quinoa in my Insta pot like I normally do when making quinoa. Or is there something different about the stove top method that you describe that is specific for this bread? Thanks!
Yes, you can use the instant pot!
I’m on a low sodium diet – please advise what the minimum amount of salt I could use in your recipe and still have success in baking the bread.
Thank-you.
Hi Tim, good luck with your low-sodium diet. I haven’t tested this bread using a lesser salt amount so you would have to experiment. You could try cutting the salt in half and see how that goes. Salt is really imperative to not only the taste but the structure of the bread so I don’t know how decreasing the salt will affect those two things.
You may have said this in one of your other bread posts but could you tell me what altitude you’re baking bread at. I am at sea level and if you’re at a high altitude that could change a couple of things for me including the amount of yeast.
Hi Glenna, I live at about 2,500 feet
I have made this recipe multiple times now and it is delicious! I used some of the dough for rolls today too. I think my only comment is that my loaves are never done in the time stated. I always use a thermometer to check when the bread is done. Thank you for sharing.
Hi there. This recipe looks fantastic. Any chance it could be made in a bread maker? Please let me know if you or anyone has tried it! (I know for sure I would have to adjust the amounts to make one loaf, not 3….)
Hi Hope, I don’t have a bread maker so I can’t say for sure. Hopefully someone else who has tried that can chime in.
I LOVE this recipe!! But since I have a kitchen aid I always end up having to knead it by hand and being 6 months pregnant it’s a killer haha. I would be so grateful if you could post a smaller version of this that could mix in a kitchen aid like your other small batch whole wheat bread! This is our favorite bread ever.
Love this recipe! I’ve been making into rolls instead of bread. And yesterday as an experiment I substituted freekeh instead of the quinoa. (Also forgot and used milk instead of water, since I’ve been using powdered milk during pandemic.) Love the original, and the freekeh makes it totally fragrant and rich.
Very nice recipe.
Used Ancient grains instead of quinoa, added dry milk (too lazy to open a new carton of milk or almond milk) to the flou/grain mixture, EVOO-oil from my peanut butter. Halved the recipe and used 3 smaller loaf pans. Baked beautifully.
Great with the soup I made on a snowy night.
Thanks for the recipe. I’ll definitely be making this again.
just found this recipe, looks great! I would like to know if it can be adapted to a breadmaker?
I don’t own a bread maker so I’m not sure – sorry!
Tried this recipe late last night. Turned out beautifully.
Substituted ancient grain mix, the oil from my peanut butter plus EVOO and added dry milk to the flour mixture. I usually use regular or almond milk in my bread but was too lazy to open a new carton!!! Adding vital wheat gluten always ensures a light and fluffy loaf. So, along with the grain’s it guaranteed a perfect result.
I don’t have a large freezer so I halved the recipe and used smaller loaf pans.
Thanks so much for this recipe.
Was the highlight of a snowy, icy day warm from the oven with peanut butter(@10 pm!).
I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.
Thanks.
I hate that I’m late to the party on how great this bread is!!! I was following you when you posted it – not sure why I didn’t make until now. It is FABULOUS!!!! I have made Darcy’s Bread that you posted every week for years – but this is going to change that!! I was loving it so much – that I gave a loaf to a friend of mine who has a vegetarian daughter and is worried about their protein intake (Dad is a doctor – she is fine and healthy, but a Mama worries). Mama reported back to me that each loaf contains 69.8 grams of protein! I did add an egg to the recipe instead of the vital gluten – so it may be less if don’t use egg. Thank you for another great recipe for our family!!
Hiii Mel!
I am from Pakistan. I absolutely love your recipies❤. Best of luck for everything!
I just wanted to ask an alternate to quinoa as it is a bit difficult to get it around here.
I don’t think there’s really a great alternative for this recipe unfortunately! It really relies on the quinoa – but another whole wheat bread recipe might be easier to source ingredients!
Abdullah, can you get freekeh in Pakistan? I’ve just made a batch of this bread with freekeh instead of quinoa, and it was absolutely delicious.
Whoa… I just made this bread and it’s super moist, soft and delicious. I messed up on the quinoa so the dough was extremely wet. I had to add more flour. I then kneaded by hand for about 7 minutes as listed. There’s only two of us so I’ve saved the other two loaves in the freezer. Yummy!! Thank you! My go to bread now.
Could one make this recipe with gluten-free flour? Perhaps sorghum?
I’m afraid it wouldn’t turn out the same with a gluten-free flour.
Hi Mel, can I use quinoa flour in place of whole quinoa? I’ve a bag of quinoa flour that I need to use up and had been looking for bread recipes that combine quinoa and normal flour. Most recipes I found are for the completely gluten-free type of breads. Thank you!
I’m not sure since I haven’t tried that – you could definitely experiment although the quantity of quinoa flour will likely be quite different than the amount of cooked quinoa called for in the recipe.
Hi Mel! First off, I have to tell you I love your site and it is our go to for finding new recipes. I’ve made your white sandwich bread, and tonight I made this one. Delicious! However, I keep running into this problem when I’m making bread where I have a big hole running through the top of the bread under the top crust. What am I doing wrong?? Thank you!!
Do you mean after it bakes there is a gap?
Yes! Like after it cools a bit and I start slicing it, there is a big whole throughout the bread! Usually right under the top crust!
Ok, from what I understand, that can happen if the crust is pulled too tight while rolling or shaping into a loaf. So it might help to keep an eye on that and also try not to let it rise too much before going into the oven.
Whoa… I just made this bread and it’s super moist, soft and delicious. I messed up on the quinoa so the dough was extremely wet. I had to add more flour. I then kneaded by hand for about 7 minutes as listed. There’s only two of us so I’ve saved the other two loaves in the freezer. Yummy!! Thank you! My go to bread now.
any idea what the calorie count is on one normal slice?
Hi, I would like to make a smaller amount, more like 1 or 2 loaves. I looked at the Perfect Whole Wheat Bread small batch and tried to convert the recipe to the Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread, I am not able to convert or change the recipe to a smaller amount. Could you possibly make a recipe for a smaller amount, I have a Kitchen Aid and it is not able to handle 8 cups of flour plus all the other ingredients. Thank you.
I have successfully halved the recipe and have also made the full recipe in the regular stand mixer. It does get a bit heavy going, so I split the dough into 2 and knead for a bit by hand and then swap it around.
Do you have weight measurements for any of your bread recipes? I had to add a bit of flour to my dough so wondering if measurements would help me out. I usually use a kitchen scale for bread. By the way, I LOVE this bread and the white bread recipe….and we’ll, everything you share!! It’s always delish! Thanks!
Hi Ashley – I generally don’t include weight measures for bread recipes, particularly the flour, because so much is dependent for homemade bread/yeast recipes on climate, elevation, and other factors and everyone will end up adding varying flour amounts. It’s ok if you have to add a bit more flour as long as the dough texture is soft and smooth.
I used oat milk and tri-color quinoa and it was amazing as well as pretty!
Quinoa bread, definitely delicious but it was too wet by a mile even though I live in an arid environment. It did rise beautifully but fell during the baking. I will play with the recipe a bit. We actually like bread with more body. I’m wondering how the addition of fresh milled rye would be a nice body builder. I used winter white wheat that I milled that day. Baking at 7000 feet is an interesting experience. I
Do you cook the quinoa first? And if so do you take from the water listed?
Yes, step #1 of the recipe details how to cook the quinoa.
I’ve been thinking of making this for a while. Using a whole wheat & rye mix of flour, I halved the recipe to make two lovely loaves of this bread and it is fantastic! I’ve also figured out I need different loaf pans for bread because my stone ones just don’t brown the bottom nicely though they were nearly as pretty as yours. And I need a better mixer because, well, bread. ;p
why is my bread so doughy? I’ve followed the recipe exactly but used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 bread dough.
It’s ok if you need to add more flour!
This recipe is wonderful! I made it this afternoon (our supermarket was out of bread) and the kids inhaled half a loaf with dinner. I wound up using about 5c. stone ground red wheat (I was using up an open bag), and the rest all purpose. I had to add quite a bit of additional flour- maybe 2 cups, so it was nearly 1/2 and 1/2. I also used powdered milk instead of fresh. Because of the extra flour, I got 4 loaves of tender but hearty perfection. Our future sandwiches thank you!
Hi… can I use sourdough starter for this recipe ?
I haven’t tried that but I’m sure you could experiment!
Hi, has anyone tried this with non-dairy milk with good results? We typically have almond milk or coconut-almond blend in our fridge. Thanks!
I’m wondering the same thing! We have dairy allergies in our family.
I made it with water! (By mistake, actually.) Works fine with water.
Mel, I finally made this quinoa bread and it’s DELICIOUS! My husband does not like “healthy bread” but loves this! The texture is so moist and soft, and it’s full of flavor. I’ve made this recipe twice this week. My KitchenAid 6 qt. handled it – no problem.
I do reduce the water by 1/4 cup and have added 1/4 – 3/4 c flour and the dough has been perfect! Thank you for posting tried and true recipes! You’re bringing a lot of joy to me in my kitchen! 🙂
Thank you so much, Jill!
Do you use a bread slicer to keep the slices consistent?
No, I use a really inexpensive bread knife from Amazon (the 12-inch Rada knife).
I’m still working on getting my loaves as pretty as yours but man this bread is good! I ran out of instant yeast and made my first batch with active dry yeast. I mixed 2T yeast with the 3/4C water and 2T sugar, waiting for it to foam before adding it to the mixer. It worked great but before I make another batch I wanted to ask for your expert advice. Is there a better way to do this with active dry yeast? Or should I just stop being lazy and go to the store for more instant?
Haha, well my first inclination is to say get your hands on some instant yeast. But if you have active dry to use up, the proofing method you used really is the best way to go.
LOVE this recipe; it’s my choice for keeping us stocked in sandwich bread.
Question – I double the recipe and make 6 loaves at a time, and I know you’ve done large 5-6 loaf batches as well. What container do you use to rise that much dough? I bought 6 quart cambros but doesn’t seem large enough.
I divide it between two 6 quart containers.
Can’t wait to try this. Your step by step recipe will be so helpful. I have made quite a few loaves of bread, but branching out, trying 100% whole wheat.. Just tried a 100% sprouted wheat that turned out unbelievably soft. First time with sprouted wheat. That recipe had cottage cheese in it. Great sandwich bread. But this sounds amazing and I am so excited to try it. Thank you so much for all the work you do to give us great recipes.
I have now made this bread three times. I don’t have a mixer so I do it all by hand. It’s a workout! BUT I wanted to say the last time I subbed lentils for quinoa (ran out) and it turned out delicious. Thanks, Mel!
That’s amazing – thanks for letting me know!
Just made this bread. It is awesome! I think this is my new go to recipe for whole wheat bread. Thanks Mel, for always having the best recipes!
This bread is delicious! …but drives me crazy! I’ve made it twice. The first time I didn’t cook the quinoa enough and it didn’t “melt” into the bread enough. This time I used my IP to cook it and it was perfect. HOWEVER, both times I had to add WAY more flour! The dough is SOO STICKY! I even reduced the additional water to 1/2 C instead of 3/4 C. Perhaps I didn’t add enough flour in the first part of the recipe, but I had to add about 3 more cups of flour! Even still the dough was really sticky, but I couldn’t bring myself to add anymore flour. There was so much dough I actually made 4 loaves and luckily they turned out delicious.
Any special instructions if I’m making this without a stand mixer?
Thanks!
I haven’t made it by hand but as long as you don’t overflour, it should be fine!
Love this bread so much! I just made it with all white flour since I was out of whole wheat. It was delicious!!
Made this yummy bread today. Divided the recipe by three to make a single loaf and subbed the milk for soya milk. Tastes amazing soft and chewy with a bit of nutty texture but not crunchy at all. Thanks Mel for all the great recipes!
PS Have you ever considered doing a sourdough bread recipe on your blog?
Hey Melissa, so happy you love this bread! I keep a sourdough starter but don’t know if I’ll ever be confident to post a recipe since I”m still kind of learning. I mostly use the recipe(s) from King Arthur Flour when I make sourdough bread.
Would it be possible to post the measurements you used to cut the recipe to make a single loaf?
This is excellent bread. The first time I made it, I had to add about 2 c. Extra flour. This time I only added 1 c. of milk and the dough was the perfect consistency, maybe even a tad sticky. I kneaded it in the mixer and it cleaned the bowl. I didn’t have to add more flour when I kneaded it a short time on the table. It’s raising for the first time now.