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The Best 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Prep Time1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp yeast
  • 2 3/4 cups warm water
  • 4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 Tbsp vinegar
  • 2-2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

Instructions

  • Start by creating a sponge. To make a sponge, mix together 1 Tablespoon of yeast, 2 3/4 cups of warm water, 4 cups of white whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten, and 2 teaspoons of sugar in a bowl attached to a stand mixer.
  • Let the dough rest for about 15-20 minutes. For this recipe, you will want to use a stand mixer with the dough hook attached. If you don't have one, or prefer not to use one, you can skip the gym today because you will get a great arm workout with this recipe.
  • After the sponge has rested, add 2 teaspoons of salt, 1/3 cup of oil, 1/3 cup of honey, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, and 2-2 1/2 cups of wheat flour to the sponge. Make sure you add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl while kneading so you avoid adding too much flour.
  • Knead the dough for 10 minutes! This is important because it will help create that soft and smooth texture you want in the bread.
  • After it has finished kneading, divide the dough in half. Form each half of the dough to fit into a loaf pan. Place in a greased, regular size loaf pan. Preheat your oven to 110 degrees F and then turn the oven off. Place the uncovered loaves in the heated oven and let them rise for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough rises over the edge of the pan.
  • With the loaves still inside the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Do not set the timer after the oven is preheated. Instead, set the timer right after you turn the oven on. Trust me, it will turn out perfectly! After the 30 minutes, check that the internal temperature of the bread is 190 degrees F. If so, remove the loaves from the oven, if not, let it bake for 2 more minutes and keep checking until it reaches 190 degrees F. Be careful to not overbake.
  • Let the bread cool for 5 minutes and then remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack. You can let it cool longer or, if you are like me and can't resist a hot slice of bread, slice and enjoy!