Honey Wheat Bread

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 50 mins

Rise: 2 hrs 50 mins

Total: 4 hrs

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 2 loaves

This sweet and hearty honey whole wheat bread is a classic. The ingredients are simple, but you do need a little patience since the dough rises twice, first in the bowl, then in the loaf pans. The secret to moist and tender whole wheat bread is brushing the tops with butter before placing them in the oven. Slice this honey wheat bread for your morning toast with butter and jam, or use it to make a sandwich at lunchtime. Once you enjoy this loaf, you may never purchase store-bought bread again.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 2 (0.25-ounce) packets active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (105 F to 115 F)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 5 cups whole wheat flour, divided

• 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients. 

   

2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk over low heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat. Add the honey, butter, sugar, and salt. Stir until the butter melts. Cool to lukewarm.

   

3. In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water (105 to 115 F), stirring until dissolved. 

   

4. Add the yeast mixture to the milk mixture.

   

5. Add the all-purpose flour and 2 1/2 cups of the whole wheat flour. Stir until smooth, about 2 minutes.

   

6. Gradually add the remaining whole wheat flour, stirring until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. 

   

7. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with the bowl and allow to rest 10 minutes. 

   

8. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

   

9. Place in a large lightly greased bowl and turn the dough to coat all sides. Cover with a towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place (about 85 F), free from drafts, until it has doubled in bulk—about 1 hour and 15 minutes. When two fingers poked into the dough leave indentations, the rising is sufficient. 

   

10. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a smooth ball. Cover with a towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

    

11. Shape each portion into a loaf and place each in a lightly greased 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan. 

    

12. Brush the top of each loaf with the melted butter. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until double in bulk, or until the sides of the dough reach the tops of the pans, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F.

    

13. Bake the loaves for 40 to 50 minutes. The tops should be well browned and sound hollow when tapped with your knuckle. Remove from the pans immediately and cool on a wire rack.

    

14. Slice and enjoy.

Tip

If your bread doesn't develop a dome shape and comes out flat, it may mean that the flour didn't have enough gluten. Switch from all-purpose to bread flour (which has more gluten) for a better rise. A flat-topped bread could also mean the dough was too wet or poorly shaped, or that not enough salt was added.

Recipe Variations

• Lighter crust: Cover the top of the loaves with foil after baking for 25 minutes. 
• Honey-Nut Bread: Add 1 1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts with the first addition of flours.
• Molasses Whole Wheat Bread: Substitute 1/2 cup molasses for the honey.
• Honey-Raisin Bread: Add 1 1/2 cups seedless raisins with the first addition of flours. Increase the rising time to 1 1/2 hours. Before baking, brush each of the loaves with 1/2 tablespoon melted butter, and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon sugar. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	381
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	10%
Saturated Fat 4g	21%
Cholesterol 17mg	6%
Sodium 543mg	24%
Total Carbohydrate 71g	26%
Dietary Fiber 6g	23%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 49mg	4%
Iron 3mg	17%
Potassium 258mg	5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.