Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Mar 06, 2016, Updated Sep 09, 2018
Andrew’s Note for Carrie’s Recipe (originally published October 2010, updated March 2016):
This Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Bread calls for coconut oil, which conventional wisdom says is high in saturated fat and therefore should be avoided. When I expressed that concern, she pointed out that there is increasing evidence that coconut oil has many redeeming health properties: It has high antimicrobial properties, is quickly used for energy, and contributes to the health of the immune system. She suggested reviewing the information and links at www.coconutoil.com.
Fast forward a couple of years, and Andy Bellatti and I gave unrefined Coconut Oil a high ranking on our Cooking Oil Comparison Chart. It’s especially good for high-heat cooking, since it has a much higher smoke point than most other cooking oils.
If you don’t want to use coconut oil, this recipe can also be made with butter (choose organic from grass-fed cows). Or, you can omit the fat altogether and this 100% whole wheat bread will still turn out great. It’s very simple to put together and you can have fresh bread on the table in just two hours (most of that time is inactive, letting the dough rise).
For a vegan option (without honey), try this 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe instead. (And in case you’re wondering, Carrie shared this recipe before she went grain-free — for those of you who still enjoy grains, this recipe is well worth a try!)
Everyday 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil or organic butter, optional
- 2 1/2 cups warm water, not above 120°F (49°C)
- 7 cups whole wheat flour, divided
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil or butter (if using) over low heat in a small saucepan. In a large bowl stir melted fat, warm water, 3 cups (350g) flour, honey and yeast. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and set in a warm, draft-free area for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust rack to middle position. Uncover the bowl with the flour mixture in it and add remaining 4 cups (450g) flour and sea salt. Stir until just combined and then pour mixture onto a floured, flat surface.
- Knead the dough for one minute (if the dough is a bit sticky, add a tablespoon or two of flour). Cut the dough in half. Roll first half to a 12x9-inch (30x22-cm) (approximate) rectangle and then it roll up to form a loaf. Place the loaf seam side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with second half of dough.
- After both pieces of loaves are formed, place a clean dish towel over the loaves and let them rise again in a warm, draft-free area for about 30 minutes or until they double in size.
- After dough has risen, remove towel and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Another way to tell if the bread is ready is to thump the bread with your finger. If it makes a hollow sound, the bread is ready. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Photos by Kelly Jaggers for Eating Rules.
I have made this bread several times a love it! A few comments – I put my two loaves INTO the loaf pan at the second rise. Before doing this, butter or oil the pan, I had to scrape out my loaves last night; so sad! Also, I was going for an internal temp of 190 (from another bread recipe I have) and didn’t get there after 35 min baking time. So make sure you are checking as baking might take longer for you! All that said, the bread is delcious, healthy, and is quite quick to make!
Andrew, I read your story. I, too, have tried to eat healthier and healthier. I think I do a good job but I do not “monitor” it. You got me thinking. So I clicked on this post to see what it said about whole grain wheat bread. There is so much to learn. I have at least half a dozen oils in my cabinet and I like coconut oil. I have not used it in bread. I will have to try it. Great guest post and beautiful pics!
I was wondering if anyone else had the issue of it not rising much while baking. I was expecting it to rise more and was wondering if I was doing something wrong. I mean it raised normally while in the prep process but not as much with the baking process.
Trying this in my bread machine tonight. Will follow up on how it turns out!
Turned out fablous. Making it again today! So glad I inherited my folks electric knife to slice the loaf perfectly!
Is active dry yeast the same as yeast? All I have is active dry…is that OK?
I think so because that’s what I use 🙂
That’s the most common yeast to find in a grocery store. If it came in a little 2″x2″ foil/paper packet, or a small brown glass jar, and looks like small tan grains, it’s either “active dry” or “instant” yeast – they are interchangeable, really.
The other commercially available yeast is “cake” yeast, and you’d know if you had that – it isn’t common in grocery stores, has to be refrigerated, and looks like a compressed, damp cake.
This recipe is AWESOME! Simple,healthy and fast! Thanks
I would like to know how much these weighed after they were done. I made a bread recipe like this from the book Healthy Breads in 5 minutes and each loaf only weighed about a lb and that put the calorie count for a typical 2oz (56grams) of bread at nearly 300-400 calories after you consider the honey and oil. I haven’t worked out what it would be for this, but I was just curious. Not that the bread wasn’t super tasty, but even if it’s healthy, whole grain bread who can afford to eat a serving of bread that is nearly 15-20% of your daily calorie intake.
Could you please tell me why you would turn the oven on @ 350 degrees when you have about 45 minutes additional preparation and rising time left before baking?
My house is kept at about 65 degrees and I have to use a slightly warmed oven to get dough to rise. But even if I was not using the oven to help the dough rise, I’d really like to know why the recipe calls for heating the oven up so far ahead of baking.
Thank you for any reply.
It’s because, in order to get a good final rise out of your yeast, the oven has to be really hot when you put the bread in. Ovens are notorious for having inaccurate temperatures. If you buy a good oven thermometer and put it in your oven, you’ll find out that your oven is probably lying to you. For instance, my oven says that it will preheat to 350 in 10 minutes. My oven thermometer on the other hand tells me that my oven takes about at least 20 minutes to preheat all the way to 350. All the really good read books that I’ve read suggest 40 to 45 minutes to preheat time, just to ensure that the oven is really, thouroughly hot. It does seem excessive, I agree – I always preheat for half an hour.
Has anyone tried this in a bread machine?