Small Batch Soft and Fluffy Whole Wheat Bread {Perfect for KitchenAid Mixers}
Making fluffy, delicious whole wheat bread at home is easier than you think! This small batch whole wheat bread recipe is the ticket. It can be made in a KitchenAid or Bosch mixer or by hand!
If you are new to making whole wheat bread at home or you want a recipe that doesn’t yield 13 loaves, today’s your day.
I’m walking you through how to make a smaller batch of whole wheat bread. It’s so easy. And it yields fluffy, soft, and delicious bread (yep, even with 100% whole wheat flour!).
I’ll be honest, my phase of life (with five hungry kids) isn’t conducive to small batch anything. Large batches are where its at with me and mine, especially with bread because the extra loaves freeze beautifully to be pulled out at a moment’s notice.
BUT, I also recognize not everyone’s life mirrors the chaos of my own. Many of you want to bake fewer loaves of bread at a time…either because of household numbers OR because you are mixing the dough by hand or with a KitchenAid mixer.
I almost always use my Bosch Universal stand mixer {aff. link} to make bread. It’s huge. It’s powerful. And it’s perfect for large batches of bread.
But many of you over the years have written/commented to me that you want a recipe for a smaller batch of bread that works great in a KitchenAid mixer.
“Small batch” may mean different things to different people, but the recipe I’m sharing today is small batch in my book. It produces two perfect loaves of whole wheat bread.
I’m showing you the step-by-step of this small batch whole wheat bread recipe below.
But first, here’s a look at some past posts that might be helpful before we start:
The Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe (this post has the original whole wheat bread recipe that I make most and what this small batch recipe is modified from; the full recipe yields 5-6 loaves and is best made in a heavy-duty mixer like a Bosch Universal – it’s too much dough for a standard KitchenAid)
Step-by-Step Tutorial for Whole Wheat Bread (a quick-glance picture tutorial for making the bread recipe linked above)
Bosch vs. KitchenAid (an in-depth look at these two stand mixers with some insight into why I use the Bosch for bread recipes; the comments on that post are helpful, too)
Wheat 101: Where to Buy, Different Types of Wheat, Etc. (quick overview – I almost always use hard white wheat berries and I grind them at home; if you are using storebought wheat flour, look for white wheat flour for a lighter color/textured loaf, otherwise hard red wheat flour can be used…the loaf will be darker in color and possibly a bit more dense)
Wheat Grinding 101: All About Wheat Grinders (I have a KoMo Wolfgang grain mill that I keep on my counter 24/7 and use for grinding wheat; these Harvest mills are a less expensive/great starter option)
For the purposes of this tutorial, I am using my KitchenAid mixer, but this recipe can also be easily made in a Bosch stand mixer or by hand. {I have the Costco version of this KitchenAid mixer; I haven’t tested this recipe with other KitchenAid models.}
To start, add three cups whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast, and 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten* to the bowl of the mixer fitted with the dough hook.
*Quick note about the vital wheat gluten – this ingredient helps develop the gluten in bread and will also help yield a nice, fluffy loaf (fyi: gluten can also be subbed for a tablespoon or so of each cup of all-purpose flour in white bread as a sub to using bread flour). Vital wheat gluten is often found in the baking aisle at the grocery store (near the flour). Many brands of vital wheat gluten have Vitamin C added which is just fine to use in this recipe or other bread recipes. I usually buy my gluten from Amazon – the Bob’s Red Mill brand or the Honeyville brand {aff. links}.
Mix the dry ingredients together and add 2 3/4 cups warm water.
Start mixing on low speed. I find with the KitchenAid that I need to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom at this point in the recipe when the mixture is very wet.
Let this “sponge” mixture rest for 10-12 minutes until it is slightly puffy – some little bubbles may form at the surface.
Add 1/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, bottled or fresh (you can sub in a finely crushed 1000mg tablet of vitamin c instead of the lemon juice; one or the other is needed to help activate the gluten).
Mix on low speed with the dough hook and then with the mixer continuing to run, begin adding flour gradually to the mixer.
It’s going to be a shaggy mess for a while, but eventually it will start coming together. Continue adding flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl without leaving a lot of sticky residue. Be careful not to add too much flour at first; as the dough kneads the moisture in the dough will continue absorbing more flour.
If there continues to be a lot of stickiness, it’s ok to keep adding flour (even if you are several minutes into what you thought was the final kneading process).
I add about 2-3 cups. Don’t get hung up on the exact amount of flour needed; it will vary from person to person based on a lot of bread making factors like humidity, elevation, how we each measure flour, etc.
Let the dough knead on speed 1 or 2 for 6-7 minutes until it is soft and smooth.
Turn the dough onto a lightly greased counter and split into two even pieces. Form into an even, taught loaf shape and place in lightly greased 8 1/2-X 4 1/2-inch bread pans.Here’s a video I posted several years ago to demonstrate how I shape loaves of bread before baking. Skip to :52 if you don’t want to hear me blabbing at the beginning.
FYI: my favorite bread pans after all these years are still these Chicago Metallic pans and also these USA bread pans{aff. links} (love the USA ones maybe even more than the Chicago ones; although keep an eye on baking as the bread bakes a little faster…but more evenly…in them).
Let the dough rise, covered, in a warm, draft-free spot until it is 1-2 inches above the edge of the bread pan. I use these large, white, tea towels {aff. link} for covering the dough (I use them when making rolls and all other breads, too).
Bake in a 350 degree F preheated oven for 28-32 minutes until golden and baked through (an instant-read thermometer should register about 180-190 degrees if you are into taking the bread’s temp).
Turn the bread out onto a wire rack.
Don’t forget to slather the top with butter at this point while the bread is still warm, if so desired, and let the bread cool.
This bread freezes great! I pop the cooled loaves into one of these bread bags {aff. link} and freeze until we want to eat it all up.
There you go! Making two loaves of whole wheat bread is doable and dare I say, quite easy!I hope this recipe fits the bill for those of you that don’t need 5+ loaves of bread hanging around at a given time and/or you have a smaller capacity mixer (like a KitchenAid) and therefore need the perfect small batch whole wheat bread recipe for it.
Happy bread making!
One Year Ago: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Two Years Ago: Double Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Three Years Ago: White Bean Chicken Chili
Four Years Ago: Classic Slow Cooker Chili
Five Years Ago: White Texas Sheet Cake
Perfect Whole Wheat Bread {Small Batch; Two Loaves}
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups (710 to 852 g) whole wheat flour, I prefer white whole wheat vs red whole wheat
- 1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup vital wheat gluten (see note)
- 2 ¾ cups warm water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, bottled or fresh
- ⅓ cup oil
- ⅓ cup (113 g) honey
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together 3 cups of the whole wheat flour, yeast, and gluten. Add the warm water and mix well. Cover the bowl and let the mixture rest for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice, oil, honey, and salt. Mix on low speed.
- With the mixer running on low speed, continue adding flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl (don’t overflour! A little stickiness is ok as long as the dough forms a ball and doesn’t leave a lot of residue on your fingers).
- Let the mixer knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly greased counter and divide in half. Shape each half into a taut loaf and place in a lightly greased loaf pan (8 1/2- X 4 1/2-inches).
- Cover the loaf pans and let the loaves rise until they are 1-2 inches above the edge of the loaf pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure an oven rack is in the middle/center position. Bake the loaves for 28-32 minutes until golden and baked through (an instant-read thermometer should register 180-190 degrees in the center of the loaf).
- Turn the bread onto a wire rack. Brush the tops with butter, if desired. Let cool completely.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from my favorite whole wheat bread recipe (thanks to Julie, a MKC reader, and her sister-in-law, Becky, who were the first to tell me they’d trimmed down this recipe)
I’ve been making bread for over 40 years so I do have plenty of experience but this one is actually the best and most reliable slicing bread I’ve ever made. It has been perfect every single time! And my 4th batch is rising right now. Because there is only my husband and me enjoying this, I cut each loaf in half, wrap tightly and freeze each piece. I never buy bread anymore. Thanks for sharing this.
I concur! I have tried so many whole-wheat bread recipes over half a century of baking and this is hands down the best! I make it in one large loaf pan but do cut in half and freeze for two of us or to share with friends, to consistent raves. No reason to ever buy bread. (I sometimes sub maple syrup for honey with no ill effect.)
Love this recipe and make it all the time. I’d like to make mini loves tomorrow for some friends. Will this turn out okay as a mini loaf? If so, how long do you think it will take to rise, and how long on the bake?
Yes! It should turn out great as a mini loaf…I’d check it after about 20 minutes of baking.
Excellent recipe Mel. The loaves rose beautifully, even with store bought white whole wheat flour. Do you think I would get the same results if I doubled it?
Thanks Mel.
The recipe should do quite well doubled!
Excellent recipe Mel. The loaves rose beautifully, even with store bought white whole wheat flour. Do you think I would get he same results if I doubled it?
Thanks Mel.
Have you ever used spelt grain with your breads? If so, do you usually add more water or more flour? Love all your things!
Thanks,
I haven’t used spelt other than a time or two so I don’t really know the modifications it needs. I’m sorry I’m not more help!
I made it with spelt and did not need to use as much flour. I used mostly fresh ground WW some Kamut and Spelt. Sooo good
I use 1/2 spelt flour in this recipe and it is fabulous! I don’t actually measure the 2nd addition of flour, just let the mixer tell me when enough is enough (dough scrapes the sides and bottom of the bowl clean, then knead . . .)
Why didn’t you cut it fir us, i was interested in a final slice look
That would show us how puffy it was?
Make it yourself and see
I am new to bread making and flour milling. I have tried your recipe several times now and can’t quite figure it out. I often have a hard time with the dough being sooo wet and sticky, even after adding a cup or more extra flour. I usually just stop and put it in the loaf pan even when it hasn’t “come together”. It still tastes good in the end but it’s a gooey mess to work with. Any suggestions? I am using white wheat that I mill but has had days to settle. Also wondering if you have a recipe for a hearty, dense whole wheat loaf? I’d love to use more of my red wheat. Thanks!
Hi Andrea, does the dough come together for a minute and then get sticky again or is it hard to get it out of the sticky phase at all?
Yes, it does start to make a ball then after mixing more it falls apart again.
After it forms a ball, can you stop mixing then? Has it kneaded long enough?
Maybe? I don’t know. But I could try that next time. Thanks!
I usually use red whole wheat for this bread, as I generally save my white whole wheat for muffins and such. It’s quite good with red wheat. Even the kids like it. The only two things I change are to do a second rise in the loaf pans (I like the flavor and texture better) and to use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice.
I ended up adding quite a bit more flour, almost 150 g more above what was recommended. That’s what it took to get it to release from the sides of the pan and bottom and knead cleanly. If this was a high hydration, sourdough whole wheat, which I do, then I’m used to the very sticky mess in the beginning. With this, though, just keep adding flour little by little until its releasing from the sides and bottom of the bowl while it needs.
Since I got my grain mill I’ve tried 4 different whole wheat recipes. The first one was like a dense Cake, the other 3 were called soft, or raised or fluffy and all 7 loaves ended up in my trash ( 6 loaves + 1 from the first recipe. I make great white bread and pride myself on its beautiful form and soft texture. This bread is all that and more. Soft texture, fabulous taste, gorgeous presentation. This will be my go to recipe from now on! Thank you so much for sharing …I can’t wait to try the chicken noodle stew!
Hi! I have been making this bread for about 8 weeks now!! IT is amazing! Soft, lofty and delicious. I freshly grind hard white wheat, sift it to get some of the hull out, make and bake ( sifted out hulls go to the chickens 🙂 ) Adding fresh lemon juice I think is the key to getting really high rises. I had been grinding the wheat before and not using the vital wheat gluten, then I found your awesome recipe, and really can’t believe how high this recipes rises. As soon as it comes out I run a cold stick of butter over the top to help it stay soft. It is soft like commercial bread from the bread isle in the store ( I won’t name names, but you know which brand I mean), but tastes SO MUCH BETTER!! Thank you so much for posting this easy and great tasting recipe!! If you have been hesitating about buying a wheat grinder, do it, you won’t be disappointed!! For this recipe, total time including grinding the wheat up to baking is one hour, then baking for 35 minutes.
Can this recipe be cut in half with the same results? I really only need one loaf and it is hard to find a recipe for just one, we loved this recipe so it would be great to have it work!
Yes!
Just finished my first batch! As someone new to making bread, this was super easy and delicious! My local store was out of vital wheat gluten but substituting some xanthan gum worked fine! Thanks for the recipe!!
This recipe is fantastic! I usually mix red whole wheat and all purpose white flour but I have a lot of bread flour. Do you think I could use that for this recipe?
Yes! Bread flour will work great in this recipe.
Hi there, me again.
I tried to halve the recipe. Both of my attempts failed. After adding the flour, the dough is uneven and breakes really easy. I tried adding more water and knead by hand, but it seems the gluten is not developing. What could be wrong? It supposed to get elastic as a white wheat flour bread (when you pull in front of the light you can see through).
The texture won’t be the same as bread made with all white flour – try adding the flour gradually so that the dough doesn’t become over floured.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! The bread is delicious but I have found my loaf to be extremely soft. We like soft but it does not seem to hold its shape when out of the pan. When cutting the loaf, the bread loses form. I allowed the bread to rise 1-2 inches above the pan prior to baking but when baking, it seems to over-rise (it nearly doubles in height!)! Should I be using less yeast or omit the lemon juice? I would appreciate your thoughts and advice! Thank you!
Try letting it rise a bit less (and maybe try baking a bit longer)…do you live at high elevation?
Thank you! This recipe is perfect! I made it in a 13x4x4.5 Pullman pan instead of two 9″ pans, tested it with the instant-read thermometer after 30 minutes, baked it 2 minutes longer, and we could not be more pleased. I made two minor changes – subbed maple syrup for the honey and reduced the salt to 2 teaspoons. I usually use my food processor for bread but it will not handle this volume, and my Kitchenaid dough hook worked beautifully. (I did use white whole wheat flour.)
Hi there, I tried to do this today, and the dough was still a bit sticky after mixing for more than 10 minutes, I tried adding more flour, but it started to look heavy for the kitchen aid to handle. I baked it anyway and got a bit of a bread more on the wet/heavy side, like dense. Is it possible to halve the recipe so I can exercise more? Also, my husband thinks it needs salt, can I add it to it? At which step? Thanks already!
Yes, you can definitely halve the recipe. Also, salt is included in the ingredients (it’s the last ingredient).
I have not purchased bread in weeks because THIS bread is ultimate! This is my go to!! This recipe is so easy and never fails you. I rise my dough in a warm dryer and it always puffs up nice and high. Thank you SO much for this recipe! I love baking this bread so much that I keep baking it and just giving it away to friends and neighbors..
Advice needed –
Tried to make these loaves today – with freshly ground hard white wheat. When i pulled it out of the oven after baking for 38 min it was still not done in the middle and it almost looked like it had fallen while baking – I am thinking I underfloured???
I have this new wheat grinder and i am so excited about making bread but each time i try it is a flop so far – and I typically make delicious breads otherwise – what is it about the freshly ground wheat that changes things up? Thanks for your help.
If you are using freshly ground wheat and it is still warm from the grinder, let it cool before using (otherwise it can affect the texture and consistency of the dough). Do you live at high elevation? If it fell while baking it could be that it needs more flour or that it rose too much before going into the oven.
Thank you! Yes the flour was still warm –
I tried again just this morning. Milled the flour yesterday. And made the loaves this morning and it was a whole different story – just put them in the oven now. Feeling much better about this batch. You’re the best. Really.
Beach Street Pasta was DELICIOUS last night.
Thanks for taking the time to send me an update, Jenny! Glad it worked out better!
This was so helpful, I tried this recipe (it is cooling) and my flour was freshly milled so still very warm. It looked amazing but fell during/after baking. I decided to hop on to read the replies. I am going to try again with cooled flour.
If I want a lighter loaf but I only have regular (red) whole wheat four can I sub in some AP? I know a lot of wheat breads are a mixture and I was wondering if it would work well with this recipe. If so- how much do you suggest i switch out and would I have to adjust the hydration?
Yes, for sure! I would suggest starting with half all-purpose flour and half red whole wheat flour.
Hi Mel!
I have made several of your recipes and have loved them all! With this one I added my freshly milled flour and after 3 cups and mixing for 6+ minutes it still looked very wet. I’ve added an additional cup or more and continued mixing for over 10 minutes. Immediately after adding flour it starts pulling away from the sides, but as it mixes the dough seems to always go back to fairly wet and sticky. Is it better to keep adding more flour or keep mixing longer? When this has happened in the past I’ve added lots of flour but then the bread seems so dense!
It sounds like a combination of mixing and more flour is the trick. If it’s really wet and sticky, it probably needs more flour gradually while also letting it mix for several more minutes to absorb the flour.
Hi Mel just brought myself a 4lb loaf tin. Do I need to double the quantity for your lovely
Bread. Want to cut and freeze.haven’t looked back since I found your website.not had to buy bread or rolls since before the look down.thanks.stay safe best wishes to your family
Hi Bridget, I don’t have that size of pan, so I’m not totally sure, but I think this batch of dough should fit in that size of pan.
Made my first batch of whole wheat bread with this recipe and a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. However it did not turn out as your photos indicate. Although the rise was as suggested; when baked both were the same height as the baking pans. Suggestions?
What was the texture of the dough when shaped into loaves?
the dough was “a little stickiness.”
If the dough was overly sticky, it’s possible it needs a bit more flour to maintain the structure while baking (so it rises up instead of falling). Also, take care not to let it over rise before baking – that can also cause it to fall in the oven.
Has anyone tried this recipe at high altitude? I’m at 5400’ and would love to try this but I’ve had too many whole wheat loaves turn out as bricks.
Hello Rachel, I live in Idaho and this recipe has always turned out perfect for me. I make it every week. I do always have to add more flour, as I do for most dough recipes. Give it a try!
How should I adjust this recipe for a 9 x 13 pan?
This bread is amazing! It was a rather humid day so I’m not sure how much additional flour I needed but it turned out absolutely perfectly. It’s so flavorful but not so wheat-y that you can’t eat it. It’s soft without being mushy. Truly the best wheat bread I’ve ever made or even tasted. Thank you!
Where do you purchase your White Whole Wheat flour? I live in B.C. Ca. Since you bake a lot, how much do you purchase if ordering online?
I usually buy white wheat berries and grind the flour at home (I buy the wheat berries from local farmers).
Tried it. And everyone is over the moon. I kneaded by hand since I don’t have a machine but perfecto! Thank you.
Hi love your recipe.
Wondering with the lock down going on And so hard to find baking ingredients in our little store can u make it without the vital wheat gluten I have everything else and would love to give it a try.
Yes, just make sure to add a few minutes to the kneading time.
I was wondering the same thing, thank you!
Hi! Loved your mama’s white bread so trying this. We don’t have lemon or vit c tabs, any suggestions? Thank you!
You can leave it out – just be sure to knead for a few minutes longer
I use white vinegar and it works great. :). I love this bread recipe (although I usually make the large batch one since we go through a lot of bread)!
Hi Mel, thank you for the amazing recipe. I had a great success with this one. Could you please tell me if active dry yeast can be substituted for instant one as all stores have run out of instant yeast due to the lock down.
Does it require rise time?
You can use the same amount of active dry yeast and dissolve it in 1/4 cup warm water with a pinch of sugar until it is bubbly and foamy and then use it in the recipe.
I am a professional bread maker, and while people do use instant and active dry interchangeably, they absolutely are not the same thing. Active dry will slow down the raising time. It will still get there but not as fast as instant. If you want to use active dry, and still want the same fast raising time as the instant, you’ll have to increase the active dry yeast to half again as much. On long, slow rises, where you’re waiting an hour or two or more, the active dry catches up, using the same amount. Since most of my does take two hours or more, particularly when I’m doing danish or croissants, I use active dry, because the instant just doesn’t hold up over the two day process.
Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak I have been searching for a bread recipe that my family will enjoy. Your whole wheat bread recipe is perfect. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Well done and thank you!
Hi Mel! Thanks so much for this recipe. I was wondering, have you ever measured the flour by weight as well as volume? Thanks!
I usually don’t measure bread recipe flour amounts by weight because there are so many factors that alter the exact amount of flour based on where people live.
If you give the weight of flour, the result should be the same every single time. Humidity will not play a factor. Now, if you are measuring by volume, but absolutely there will be great variability because of the way people measure cups of flour, and the humidity in their home. I weighed out my flower for this and had to use about 150 g more than your top amount. Next time I make this I will just use that amount and I should come up with consistent results every single time. As whole wheat does go, this was a dream to work with. I’m waiting to post my comments until I take it out of the oven but so far it’s going beautifully.
Just made this recipe and the taste is wonderful! Used my just milled flour but only realized after it wasn’t rising high enough for me…. that my pans are 9×5 bigger than yours! So I adjusted the time and the loaves came out great but just to the top of the pan. So do you think if I make 1 1/2 batches of the dough that I could divide it into my 9×5 pans to make a “real” size loaf? Thanks
Yes, I think so!
Hi Mel!! I live in Eastern PA and with this Coronavirus outbreak people have bought up all the bread in the stores! So I’m giving your yummy looking recipe a try 🙂 Do you think I could I substitute butter for the oil to give the bread a little extra something? Butter makes many thing better in my opinion but I wasn’t sure how it would affect the yeast. Thanks!!
Yes, I think so! Butter is fine with the yeast – although in my experience oil makes for a slightly more moist bread.
That’s so funny! I’m looking for bread recipes because the stores here are out because of Coronavirus too!
Also, is all-purpose flour a substitute for the vital wheat gluten or would that not work? Thank you
You can just leave the gluten out and add a few minutes to the kneading time.
Exactly the question I had too – thank you
I love your bread! I have been making it for six years and started off making your larger recipe and freezing the extra loaves. I overheated a new 6 quart Kitchenaid which Kitchenaid eventually told me was unable to handle that much whole wheat and let me return it. I ended up buying a Bosch which does the job easily but I find it a pain to clean. I am now over 70 and enjoy quilting more than trying to get dough out of odd places in the Bosch bowl.
I bought a used bread machine off eBay and have been mixing bread dough in it and then baking it in the oven. But I miss your bread! Any ideas how I could adapt your recipe to the machine? I know basically how to adapt a recipe to the bread machine but your 10 min. “sponge” is what I don’t know how to handle. Thanks, Pat
Hi Pat, could you let the sponge ingredients rest in the bread machine before turning it on and starting it? I’m largely unfamiliar with bread machines, so I’m not entirely sure what else to suggest.
With a bread machine, mix the sponge first and let it sit for the 10-12 minutes. Turn the machine off, then turn it on and complete the recipe.
Bread dough overrises in my bread machine, making the finished loaf with a huge dent in the top of the loaf, so I use mine to mix bread dough. It works perfectly. This recipe works perfectly also! Thanks Mel!
I hated cleaning the Bosch too but started soaking the whole thing in pure hot soapy water for a bit and then the whole thing just rinsed off. Hope this might help.
I have a 6 quart KitchenAid with a bowl left. It handles this amount of flour just fine and in fact, I ended up using about 900+ grams of whole wheat without a problem. I’m going to guess you have a tilt head? I’ve heard more people say they have a problem, with the tilt of being able to handle larger batches of dough. Maybe it’s the shape of the ball too because my daughter-in-law’s ball comes in at the bottom where I have a wide base on my bowl.
I love love love this recipe… and do does my husband… the dough looks so shaggy… when you’re putting in the flour… and then it turns into the most lovely dough to work with… making it does much to calm me! I use my beloved bosch… but since I’m an empty nesterthis makes enough for us and one neighbor! Thanks for solving my yeast crisis! you’re the best!
Hi Mel, I have been making this bread for several months now and we love it. However even though I feel like I make it the same each time, sometimes the loaves sink in the middle after baking. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, and just love all your recipes.
Hi Pauline – do you think they need longer in the oven? Are they sinking during baking or after you take them out of the oven?
Thanks for replying. They sink when baking. I did split the dough into 3 loaves and knocked a couple of minutes off the bake time. Next time I will try cooking longer.
I have been following you for a little bit made a few recipes all have been super tasty. This Christmas I followed your advise and purchased the Komo grinder and the Bosch mixer to make bread from your links.
I have been super happy. Thank you for going into detail on all your posts.
I wanted to say, I have only been making bread a short while but your new method of kneading the bread before you place it in the loaf pan is so easy! Thank you for that amazing tip and video.
Also I was using avocado oil in the bread and this last batch used coconut oil and wow the coconut oil is amazing in bread.
I do have a question. I have triplets and twins and one of the triplets has short gut. She was super sick in the NICU so they cut out her large intestines. She can’t handle fiber. We buy white bread grandmas sycamores it has no junk in it. I want to make her bread. Can I use the soft white to make “white” bread for her ? She mostly eats white rice, bananas, white bread, meat potatoes etc so I would love to be able to make her healthier home made bread. I’ve tried the hard white and it’s a little much for her still. I grind it on the finest grind the machine will allow. Can I use soft white ? Any tips would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
Thanks for all the great recipes and tips!
Cherie
Hi Cherie! Glad the homemade bread journey is going well for you! As for your daughter, you definitely can use soft white wheat to make homemade bread but it won’t make a “white” bread – the bread will still definitely have a strong whole wheat vibe to it (but it won’t be as hearty as hard white or hard red wheat).
Cherie, you posted this awhile back, so I hope you come back to see this answer! I recommend you try einkorn flour. It bakes like soft white flour, so I mostly use it for non-yeast foods like quick breads and pancakes. But I know there are people who successfully use it for bread. It does still have gluten but as an ancient grain it is structured differently and is much easier to digest even in the ground whole-grain form. I have a child who is sensitive to too much gluten and he is able to tolerate einkorn much better. We have also done well with Kamut and spelt flours. If too much fiber is the issue, you might also try sifting your ground grains to take out a portion of the bran which should lower the fiber content.
Mel, do you ever use dough enhancer in your bread? I made this and my loaves fell in the oven. My mom suggested that I should try adding dough enhancer and that might help, but I wanted to check with you first (since I trust your recipes <3). Thanks.
Hey Cat, I don’t, sorry! I can’t easily find it where I live so I’ve never used it.
I made another wheat bread recipe and from reading your whole article, here, I’ve learned what went wrong. I over floured, and it came out good but the crust was rock hard. I didn’t have wheat gluten but this recipe did not call for it. I will get some and see the difference. Could I add 1/3 cup of potato flakes?, would that ruin this recipe?
You could try adding potato flakes but I’m not sure how it would affect the end result as I haven’t tried it myself. If the crust is really hard, it might be that the bread is baking too long.
I don’t understand how this recipe works for some . The ratio of liquids to flour seemed off to me, but I did it anyways. Then I had to add way more flour like 7+ (seems consistent in some of the comments) which then ended up being too much for my Kitchenaid so I ended up having to kneed by hand ( So how is this an kichenaid recipe then?). Then when I went to the link of the larger recipe that it has been adapted from I noticed that while the dry ingredients have been cut down to roughly a third, the wet ingredients have been halved! My bread is rising now so hopefully will be okay, but the recipe needs to be changed in my opinion
Hi Jan – what size is your KitchenAid? In the post I detail what size of KitchenAid I have (with the disclaimer I haven’t tested this recipe in other models/sizes of KitchenAids). Also, do you live at high elevation? That can make a difference in how much flour needs to be added. Either way, the exact flour amount shouldn’t matter as much as long as a soft, smooth dough is achieved. I don’t think the recipe needs to be changed – I tested it many times and still make it often as written (but again, there are many factors, like elevation, humidity, how we each measure flour, etc, that go into bread making). Hope the bread baked up well for you! 🙂
I love love love did I say love??? This recipe!!
I’ve been using my freshly ground white whole wheat berries for this bread and it is delicious every time. Okay, so there was a small learning curve at first. 🙂
You have managed to wean my family off of store bought bread! This is our new favorite. Add a little kerrygold, and we are good to go!
Thank you!
I made this bread this cold wet morning. I did the 2 rise method and had good volume after shaping the dough and starting the second proof. The loaves collapsed slightly and never rose more than 1/2” above the pan. The result was a good tasting loaf, although a bit dense.
I may have left the dough a bit wet after kneading. It was a little sticky, but not too bad. I added a total of about 5 cups of whole wheat flour. My crumb was similar to the Whole Wheat Quinoa bread shown above. (Not sure if that pic is in everyone’s post.)
Mel, what sort of crumb do you typically find with this recipe. It would be helpful if you had a pic of the final loaf, cut in half.
Great flavor and I will definitely try again, with variations.
Also, my iPad is showing 10 bullets for a rating, but no indication if the first is highest and bottom is lowest. I am trying to give this 9 out of 10.
The crumb is soft but still tightly woven. I’ll try to take a picture of the slices or the inside of the loaf and post it. And thanks for the details on the ratings – had issues with that, but should be fixed now!
HI,should I omit the honey?I don’t like sweet bread.thank you
That’s up to you! I like the honey in this recipe for flavor (and to help activate the yeast).
My dough was above the loaf pan when I put it in the preheated oven 350 degrees. During the baking my loaf fell flat to just to top of loaf pan. Any ideas on what happened???
I had to use almost twice as much flour, but the bread turned out light and tasty. I did do the extra rise.
I also need to say that even though this went terribly wrong for me today, I used your white bread recipe making 8 loaves last week, and they were the best I have ever made. Thank you for that! That’s what gave me confidence to do this. I used traditional yeast, proofing and two rises in both.
I made this bread today, using traditional yeast and proofing it Rose beautifully on the first rise. Terrible on the second. It is like two bricks. What did I do wrong?
Hmmm, I’m not sure. Do you think the dough was overfloured? That will prevent a good second rise.
I want yo try this today and don’t have honey or a store nearby. Can I substitute sugar?
Yes, that should be fine
Your site has inspired me to bake bread. I just bought the KoMo Fidibus 21. My question is: Back in the day when baking 100% whole wheat store bought flour, bread fo r the family, we never added Gluten. I would prefer not to add gluten. When I mill my flour must I add gluten? And I will need to find a bread recipe for two loaves and no addition of Gluten?
You can definitely leave the gluten out – just knead for longer and maybe add a touch extra flour.