Bread Machine Honey Wheat Bread

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. Try this gluten-free bread recipe if you have dietary restrictions and still want a wholesome loaf.

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 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. 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.

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

1. Add the ingredients to the bread maker pan in the order listed. *Check your brand's manual for the correct order to add ingredients if it differs.
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.
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.
4. 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.

Kristina's 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.

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