Is there anything better than homemade Honey Wheat Bread? The smell from the oven as it bakes will have you drooling.
A friend of mine who I really admire is an avid cook — and a great one at that. She’s an awesome mom and wife, works full time and makes it all look effortless (a rare feat for most women). One way she likes to spend time with her kids is by getting them into the kitchen, where they make everything under the sun together. We had dinner at her house a while back and she put out a spread for us that would have made the most talented restaurant chef envious. Right in the center of the table was a loaf of fresh, homemade bread. It was warm, soft, made the whole house smell like a bakery and was nothing like the variety you would buy at the grocery in a plastic bag.
I don’t know many kids who don’t like to play with dough, so I decided to make some Honey Wheat Bread and get Kenya involved in the fun. Breads that contain yeast can be intimidating to bake at first, but this recipe couldn’t be easier. Kenya has a blast dumping all of the ingredients in a bowl, mixing it up, watching the dough rise (a magical site for a little kid) and finally kneading and pulling apart the dough to make rolls for us to eat at dinner and use for sandwiches the next day.
Is it possible to be the perfect mom? Probably not, but at least we can have some fun with our kids and give it a try!
Honey Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups plus 1/2 cup extra as needed bread flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 packages (1/4 oz each) dry instant yeast (you can find it at the grocery)
- 2 1/3 cups warm water
- 1/3 cup honey
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Whisk both flours, whole wheat flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a standing mixer*.
- Whisk the warm water, honey and butter in a small bowl until the ingredients dissolve. The mixture should be 110 degrees.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the flour. Stir to combine and knead on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes or use the dough hook in a standing mixer for 5 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky and pulls away from the side of the bowl. Use a tablespoon of bread flour at a time if needed.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth (it’s done when you poke your finger in it and it bounces back).
- Place the dough in a large greased or oiled bowl, cover with plastic and place in a warm area (I like to set it on top of my oven) for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- After the dough has risen, place it on a floured work surface. Cut into 2 equal pieces if making loaves or into 24 equal pieces if making rolls.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide the dough in half. Roll out each piece into a rectangle about 8 inches by 12 inches and 1 inch thick. Roll up each rectangle starting with a long side into a log. Shape each log into a loaf then transfer each to a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan**. I use olive oil, but butter or other fats/oils work.
- Cover the loaves or rolls with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake 30 minutes for loaves or 15 minutes for rolls, until golden and crusty.
- Allow bread to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a baking rack and slice.
- Once bread has fully cooled, place in a brown paper bag or wrap in foil at room temperature for 4-5 days. Bread can also be wrapped in foil and placed in a zipper bag to freeze sliced or unsliced for up to 4 months.
- * Using the dough hook of a standing mixer is even easier for combining the dough.
- ** Alternatively divided the dough into 24 pieces, shape into rolls and place on parchment lined sheet trays.
Can you use agave to make this for a 1 year old?
Would this work well for a pizza crust?
I tried this and it tasted really bland! the texture was great and everything else was good but no flavor at all. My husband even commented on how it didn’t taste like anything. Any tips to make it more flavorful? more salt maybe?
[…] Honey Wheat Bread – Weelicious […]
Can I substitute Kamut flour for the all-purpose flour? Will it still turn out the same??
Ok, thats it. I have wanted to make some homemade wheat bread for so long now. We’ve all been too sick to eat it though. I think I’m just going to go for it tonight. ~Amber
Thanks for letting us know!!
I made this today and it’s delicious! I did one loaf of bread and 12 rolls. I only had white whole wheat flour, so I used 3 cups of that and 3 of white bread flour. I also reduced the honey to 3 tablespoons. The only problem I had was the cooking time, and I don’t think my oven temp was the issue. After 15 minutes my rolls looked well done and when I checked a similar recipe in the BH&G cookbook, I saw that the rolls were to cook for just 15 min at 375. I took them out right away and they were getting overdone – 30 minutes and they would have been ruined for sure. My loaf took 40 minutes. I’d suggest that everyone just keep an eye on their bread/rolls to avoid any disappointment since cooking times always vary (nothing worse than burning all that hard work)! 🙂
Ooo, I can’t wait to try this. I bet it would be good as a bread bowl for a hearty stew or chili….
AAAAAAHHHH!!!! (screaming in fright)
I am sooooo scared of yeast! 🙂 I have never used it cuz I heard its hard to work with but since I make everything Weelicious makes I guess I need to get over my fear!
No it is at room temperature. The butter will dissolve in the warm water 🙂
Is the butter melted when added to wisk with honey, etc.?
Yes it will freeze wonderfully! 🙂
Will this freeze well after made? It’s only me and my husband (and one on the way in 4 weeks!!), so we won’t go through both loaves I don’t think. Thanks!
wow, sarap naman niyan..
The secrets to really great 100% whole wheat bread are NUMBER ONE: White Whole Wheat Flour and NUMBER TWO: Vital Wheat Gluten. White whole wheat flour, from hard white spring wheat, has a lighter, less bitter taste than traditional whole wheat, which is hard red wheat, yet it has the same nutitional benefits.
Use 1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten per cup of whole wheat flour. This will help the dough become more elastic, which translates to fluffier bread. I make 100% whole wheat bread all the time, and my bread always comes out fluffy, lovely, and delicious.