This recipe for Bread Machine Honey Wheat Bread makes a light, fluffy and flavorful 1.5 pound loaf using the whole wheat setting. It can be baked in the bread maker or in the oven. Use it for deli-style sandwiches, toast, grilled cheese and more!
Bread Machine Honey Wheat Bread makes a flavorful, soft and fluffy whole grain bread that's great to use for sandwiches and toasting. This beautiful loaf uses slightly more nutritious ingredients than traditional white breads, such as whole wheat flour and pure honey.
Because it uses a combination of whole wheat flour and bread flour, honey wheat bread isn't as dense as true 100% whole wheat bread. This recipe creates perfect whole wheat honey bread that's the perfect texture for sandwiches and toast. It's big on flavor and I think you'll find it to be a delicious recipe!
I based this recipe on my readers' favorite white bread and garlic bread, and factored in the ratio of ingredients used in rye bread and whole wheat bread. The result was a perfect honey wheat bread for your bread machine!
Instructions below include how to make and bake it directly in the bread machine or bake the dough in the oven for the loaf shape you'd prefer. This recipes uses the whole wheat bread setting, which includes a 30 minute preheat, 4 kneads and 3 rises for a total of about 4 ½ hours from start to finish.
Why You'll Love Bread Machine Honey Wheat Bread
- It's more nutritious than breads made with only bread flour or all-purpose flour and because it uses extra virgin olive oil it's lower in fat and calories than bread made with butter.
- It's very flavorful, thanks to pure or raw honey but isn't too sweet to enjoy for sandwiches.
- It's inexpensive to make at home, compared to store bought honey wheat bread loaves, which can be quite pricey!
Loaf Size
This recipe makes a 1.5 pound loaf using the whole wheat bread setting. It takes a little over 4 hours to make honey wheat bread.
Ingredients
Bread machine honey wheat bread is made with:
- Whole wheat flour: both bleached and unbleached whole wheat flour are perfectly fine to use. Whole wheat flour needs a fair amount of liquid for it to hydrate enough and form a good springy dough that won't make dense bread. You may notice this recipe uses a higher ratio of water to flour than traditional white breads, but this is necessary to produce a light and fluffy honey whole wheat loaf.
- Bread flour: using part bread flour helps to make a nice chewy and fluffy texture that is hard to get when using only whole wheat flour.
- Honey: make sure to use honey of excellent quality, like that locally produced. I use local organic honey from a nearby farm to ensure I am getting pure honey and not honey filled with unnatural sugars (like many popular grocery store brands).
- Olive oil: good quality extra virgin olive oil is my preference here, as it will give the bread a good flavor and texture. Oil can be replaced with butter, at the expense of extra calories and fat.
- Vital wheat gluten: technically this is optional. Bread made with whole wheat flour tends to be more dense and flatter than white flour breads. Vital wheat gluten gives whole wheat breads a higher rise and a slightly fluffier texture. Because honey wheat bread is made with a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour, I only use a small amount of vital wheat gluten.
- Yeast: bread machine, instant yeast, and active dry yeast can all be used in bread makers.
- Salt: use iodized table salt.
- Water: water should be warmed to between 110 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Equipment
- Bread machine: while this loaf can be made in any bread maker, I use my Cuisinart CBK-200.
- Bread knife or bread slicer: a bread slicer will give you nice even cuts but a bread knife is good too.
- Bread storage bags: I liked storing my homemade bread in linen bread bags. You can also use a bread box, plastic storage bags, or aluminum foil.
- Wire cooling rack: it's a good idea to let the bread cool completely on a rack before slicing into it. This way the bread keeps its shape.
- Measuring cups and spoons
Instructions
STEP 1: Add the ingredients to the bread maker pan in the order listed. *The ingredients are listed in the order that Cuisinart machines require them to go. Check your brand's manual for the correct order to add ingredients.
STEP 2: Select the whole wheat bread setting. Choose the 1.5 lb loaf size and your preferred crust color. During the first kneading cycle, frequently check on the dough. If it's crumbly, add more warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is sticky yet pliable. If the dough appears too wet, add more bread flour 1 teaspoon at a time. *Depending on the crust color, the cycle will take between 4 hours 15 minutes and 4 hours 40 minutes.
STEP 3 (MACHINE BAKE): After the last rise and before the bake cycle begins, brush the dough lightly with milk and sprinkle on the seeds (optional). When baking is complete, turn off the bread machine. Remove the bread pan and the bread immediately. Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.
STEP 3 (OVEN BAKE): If baking in the oven, remove the dough from the bread pan immediately after the last knead and before the last rise. Reshape into a rectangle and place on a floured baking sheet or put into a loaf pan.
Cover with a towel and let rise 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
Transfer to an oven preheated to 350° Fahrenheit. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove bread from the baking sheet immediately and let cool completely before slicing.
Pro Tips
- Watch the kneading process for the first 10-15 minutes. If the dough appears too wet and it's sticking to the sides of the pan, add more flour one teaspoon at a time until a springy ball forms. If the dough is too crumbly, add more water one teaspoon at a time.
- The weather affects the condition of the dough. This means that you can follow a recipe exactly one day and have it turn out perfectly but the next day you may need to adjust the quantity of flour and liquid. Humidity plays a big role in this. When the air is warm and humid, you may need to increase the amount of flour to account for the extra moisture in the dough. This makes the above recommendation even more important.
- Use a loaf pan, like this Pullman pan to make perfectly shaped sandwich bread.
- For a soft, golden brown crust brush the loaf with milk before baking. For a shiny, harder crust use egg.
- For extra flavor and nutrition, sprinkle a super seed mix on the loaf after brushing with milk or egg.
You should stick with bread flour for the best results. But if all purpose flour is all you have than that will work.
I don't suggest using only whole wheat flour, as this would significantly change the quantity you need of the other ingredients. You would need to use more liquid and more vital wheat gluten.
Instant dry yeast, active dry yeast, and bread machine yeast can all be used interchangeably in your bread maker. I stick with active dry yeast most of the time because this is the easiest to find in my local stores.
There are many reasons why it could have turned out dense. The most likely reason that this recipe turned out dense is that there was not enough warm water. Whole wheat flour needs a lot of liquid to stay hydrated and form fluffy loaves.
A bread box, linen bread storage bags or plastic food storage bags should all keep your bread fresh for 2-3 days. For longer storage, cut into slices and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost per slice as needed.
Recipe
Bread Machine Honey Wheat Bread
Equipment
- bread machine
- bread knife
- bread storage bags
- wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ cup water warmed to 115°F
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup bread flour
- ½ tablespoon vital wheat gluten optional
- 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast active dry, instant or bread machine
- seeds for topping optional
Instructions
- Add the ingredients in the order listed to the bread maker pan. *The ingredients are listed in the order that Cuisinart machines require them to go. Check your brand's manual for the correct order to add ingredients. If it differs, add them in the order that your manual states.
- Select the whole wheat bread setting. Choose the 1.5 lb loaf size and your preferred crust color. During the first kneading cycle, frequently check on the dough. If it's crumbly, add more warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until it's sticky yet pliable. If the dough appears too wet, add more bread flour 1 teaspoon at a time. *Depending on the crust color, the cycle will take between 4 hours 15 minutes and 4 hours 40 minutes.
- MACHINE BAKE: After the last rise and before the bake cycle begins, brush the dough lightly with milk and sprinkle on the seeds (optional). When baking is complete, turn off the bread machine. Remove the bread pan and the bread immediately. Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing.
- OVEN BAKE: If baking in the oven, remove the dough from the bread pan immediately after the last knead. Reshape into a rectangle and place on a floured baking sheet or put into a loaf pan. Cover with a towel and let rise 40 minutes or until doubled in size. Transfer to an oven preheated to 350°F. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove bread from the baking sheet immediately and let cool completely before slicing.
Nora
Love this recipe! Have made it several times and all have come out great! I would love to make a bigger loaf of 2 lbs. Would you be able to guide me as to the amounts for a 2lb loaf ? My machine does not accommodate a 3 lb loaf ,so doubling it won’t work. Thank you for the great recipe as I am new to baking bread in a bread machine and found yours delish and easy to make.
Kristina Tipps
I am really glad you like it! These are my approximations for a 2 pound loaf. I have not yet made this size, so keep a close eye on it while it's kneading and adjust the water/flour if needed. You may need to tweak ingredient amounts next time around, so let me know how it turned out!
1 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
2 ¼ tsp yeast
Nora
Thanks so much for sharing your 2lb recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
Laurilee
This is the best bread I’ve ever made in my bread machine! I used hot tap water and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Kristina Tipps
You are welcome! I am glad you enjoy it.
Anonymous
This was the best bread I’ve made in my bread machine so far! Thank you
Kristina Tipps
I am so happy to hear that! Make sure to check out my white bread and garlic bread next. 🙂
Kary
Can I use 3 cups of whole wheat flour or 2 c whole wheat flour and 1 c of all purpose? I dont have any bread flour
Kristina Tipps
Hi Kay, Yes you can use all purpose flour instead of bread flour. If you want to use 3 cups of whole wheat flour, you'll need to increase the liquid a bit as whole wheat flour needs more hydration. I would watch the dough as it kneads and add water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed.
Teresa Galey
Love this. I have made it at least 5 times and it turns out PERFECTLY DELICIOUS every time!! ❤️
Kristina Tipps
I am so glad you like it!
Paul
It was a bust. Didn’t rise and I followed the recipe to the letter. Frustrating.
Kristina Tipps
When yeast breads don't rise, especially in a bread machine, it is likely that the yeast used was not good. Or, the salt and yeast somehow interacted before mixing as this will also cause the yeast to become inactive.
Donna
What size loaf pan is used??
Kristina Tipps
Hi Donna, I do not bake this in a loaf pan, but I think an 8x4 should be fine.
Monique
Hi, I like very much the honey wheat bread, the loaf is so fluffy, but the recipe of 3 cup of flour, 1.5 pounds, is to small. If I double the recipe, 6 cup of flour, and choose 3 pounds, will it be OK in the machine bread?
Also the cinnamon raisin bread is my favorite.
Thank you so much for your response.
Kristina Tipps
Hi Monique, If your bread machine capacity is for 3 pounds, you can double it. However, don't double to water from the start. I suggest using 1 3/4 cups of water at first. Then watch the kneading for the first 10-15 minutes and add water in 1-2 tablespoon increments until a soft, pliable dough ball has formed.
Monique
Hi Christine, I did like you said and it was perfect. This is the best whole bread I ever donc. Thank you
Kristina Tipps
Great!! I am glad it worked. Thanks for letting me know, and I am glad you are enjoying my recipes. 🙂