After my last post, it occurred to me there were other things I do during my days that I didn’t mention. Did I mention I make all our own bread? Yeah, I somehow manage to bake bread from scratch one or two times a week. But you know how I can manage such a feat while also juggling two Satan spawn children, blogging, recipe creation, blah blah blah?
A bread machine!
I had never used one until about four months ago, when my Mother-in-Law so generously gave me her old Black & Decker. This beauty has seen it’s fair share of dough, yet still goes strong. It also makes some fantastic bread.
Having never baked bread in a machine before, I took everything the ancient instruction booklet said to heart. Put everything in the machine in the right order. Check. Follow the recipes exactly. Check. Take bread out when it beeps. Check. Things couldn’t be easier!
Then I found that the recipes in the book were mostly white bread ( we don’t eat white bread) and that the whole wheat recipes were either bland or contained huge amounts of white flour. My goal was to create my own simple recipe that contained no dairy and was 100% whole wheat. No easy feat. This was my first attempt:
What did I do wrong? That sucker weighed a ton! It was so dense and heavy. I fed a few slices to the kids, who loved it, but the chickens loved it even more.
Failures in the kitchen are okay, you just have to come to terms with the loss of the ingredients and a kick to your pride. I knew that I had added the salt in the wrong step, thereby eliminating the yeasty growth that cause bread to rise. I also used a bunch of gluten free flours. The whole recipe was a big failed experiment. Taste-wise though, it was nutty and delicious! So says me, but Adrian would say otherwise.
After a few weeks of fiddling with the recipe and gradually decreasing the white flour and increasing the yeast, I finally figured out a vegan recipe that is 100% whole wheat. It literally takes me about 10 minutes to pour the ingredients (by heart) into the baking pan and then 4 hours and 10 minutes later, fresh hot and delicious bread!
The smells that come out of my kitchen on these days are intense and wonderful. I love making my own bread, and I will never buy another $6 organic loaf again. This loaf probably costs me about $2.00 every time I make it.
There are always lessons to be learned in the kitchen and this one was one that taught me perseverance is key, you just have to keep trying. Also, follow directions when it comes to baking, they are probably right on the money.
One year ago: Homemade Twix Candy Bites Chocolate
Two years ago: Chocolate ”Macarons” (a failed attempt) with Chestnut Purée
Whole Wheat Machine Bread
Yield: 1 2lb loaf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours and 10 minutes1 cup almond milk (or buttermilk, skim milk, any kind of milk)
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp Earth Balance (or butter, vegetable shortening, lard, etc.)
2 tbsp agave (or honey)
2 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cereal or seeds (I’ve used 7 grain cereal, a blend or flax, millet and sunflower seeds, just straight sunflower seeds and old fashioned oats all successfully)
2 1/4 tsp (or 1 pkg) Active dry yeast1. Place all ingredients in the order they are listed into the baking pan of your bread machine.
2. Follow the directions on your machine for whole wheat bread.
3. Remove from machine when done and allow to cool on a baking rack for at least one hour.
4. Slice and enjoy!
Similarly delicious recipes from other fabulous food blogs:
Cracked Pepper and Chive Bread from All About Food
Bread Machine Challah from Dine and Dish
Cinnabon Clones from The Cooking Photographer
Soft Garlic Knots from Salad in a Jar
Cinnamon Raisin Bread from Lemon Drop
Oooh, that looks delicious! I love the addition of seeds or 7 grain cereal, the texture is great in breads like that. This makes me wish I still had a bread machine
I’m making bread tomorrow so maybe I’ll give it a try by hand and guess with the baking temp and time. It’s so hard to find a good 100% whole wheat recipe.
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I also recently acquired a new-to-me breadmaker, and have been experimenting with different recipes.
One I’ve been futzing with is a baugette recipe, where I just make the dough in the breadmaker, then form long, skinny loaves, allow them to rise, and then bake them. But here’s my problem: the bread is yummy, but it lacks the crispy outer crust that I love in a baugette or french bread. I’ve tried brushing with an egg wash, with olive oil, but I can’t figure out how to make the crust crispy.
Any suggestions?
Yes! Steam! Put a bowl or deep baking dish (preferably ceramic or glass) in the bottom of the oven while you are preheating. Put the dough in for baking and just before you close the door, pour about two inches of water into the dish and close the door quick. The steam creates that crispy crackly crust!
Cool! I will try it and report back!
So how did it go?
Yay for homemade bread! Just last week we ran out of bread night before preschool – what’s a girl to do butpull out the breadmaker at 8:30pm! We have a B&D too, but it’s usually a fun weekend project. Now ‘ve got me thinking I should make it regularly. We also don’t eat white bread if we can help it and I’m super excited to try out this recipe! The seedier and nuttier the better!
This bread looks UNBELIEVABLE. I need to get out my MACHINE too. If I can find it. Uh oh.
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Thats so cool that you make your own bread to consistently. Only make it for special occasions, but I bet if I had a bread machine I would make it all the time!
Wow! I’m impressed by your dedication to experimenting with it until getting it just right. And it’s AWESOME that you make all your own bread! Maybe one day . . .
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agreed. i love my bread machine and would kill to make it bake whole wheat. Okay, maybe not kill – but rather borrow your recipe.
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Today I baked my first Whole Wheat Bead, which was delicious but a bit dense. Will be experimenting with this recipe next.
This Whole Wheat Machine Bread remains me a Recipe which my mother thought me how to cook,let me share the experience with you all.
The 6 Important Components to making Whole Wheat Grains Challah are:
1. Add all elements to Bread machine and start the rubbing/rising process (requires 1 1 / 2 several hours for my machine).
2. Remove dough from machine and divide into 3 equal portions. Pull and squeeze each part until it seems like ropes about one feet extended and 1 1 / 2 inches across.
3. Braid the 3 ropes of dough and pinch the finishes together.
4. Put the braided dough by having an oiled baking pan or cookie sheet, cover getting a moist towel and hang up it aside in the warm place for 30 minutes to improve.
5. Pre-warmth your oven to 375 levels F/190 levels C
6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
Make certain to check on it after 20 minutes to ensure that it isn’t browning too rapidly. When the Homemade Whole Wheat Grains Challah is ready, it’ll have a very beautiful brown color. Enjoy.
I hereby admit that I eat this bread every day, and I love it
When we have store bought bread, it just doesn’t compare. I also must say that a nice crunchy french bread loaf with butter on it is still one of my favs though 
I love homemade bread, but I’ve never used a bread machine because, well, it just never occurred to me! Your bread looks easy and delicious- it’s so cool to hear how you worked out such a great, healthy recipe! Loved the last post, and this one. Satan spawn children…hehehe.
Question: I found a 7 grain museli by Bob’s Red Mill – think that would work well, or are those Kashi-type cereal a good way to go?
Bob’s is perfect!
My mom bought a bread machine years ago that she never used. I took it home one day, and of course, being an older machine, it didn’t have its instructions! :/
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Wow, I’m impressed with the whole wheat machine bread. Perfect for breakfast and snack. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
OhmyyY!!! Thank-you for taking the time to create this recipe!! Thank-you thank-you thank-you! I totally agree with you about the recipes in the book that comes with bread machines… their blahh. Blog recipes are SO much better. I have looked high and low for a GOOD ALL whole wheat bread machine recipe and I’ve had one too many that have come out looking like yours above (dense, short, ugh..). Making this recipe today!!
Yay! Awesome. I love your enthusiasm! Let me know how it turns out, I love to hear success stories…:)
Any suggestions? I can’t wait to try it. I also recently acquired a new-to-me breadmaker, and have been experimenting with different recipes.
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Suggestions? Hmm, a little lemon juice does wonders for whole wheat bread and always use the whole wheat function. Also all oats are not created equal. Rolled oats work great, wild oats and Scottish oats do not.
I’ve made this recipe 4 times so far and it never fails to impress me. Thank you very much for providing such an excellent recipe. The first time it didn’t rise very much (my fault, I checked my yeast afterwards and it was 2 months expired, oops!), and the remaining times it rose so much that it hit the lid of my machine. I’ve gradually cut down the yeast to a scant 1 3/4 tsp and it’s still rising too much. I’ll try it on the sandwich bread setting next time and I’ll hopefully eventually have an intact loaf
. My favorite add-ins so far are 1/4c each of rolled oats, rye flakes and ground flax. I’ve been having alot of fun experimenting with it.
I’m mainly so impressed with this recipe because for years I thought 100% whole wheat bread was impossible to produce at home (let alone such a light, soft loaf). When my mother first gave me my bread machine, she showed me how to use it by making a whole wheat recipe that came with the machine. I was so disappointed that nearly half the flour called for was all purpose. My mother gently explained to me that white flour was necessary to make whole wheat bread at home, and that instructions had to be followed to the letter, otherwise it wouldn’t rise properly. I have never been so amused to prove my mother wrong (I very nearly took a picture of the second loaf I made, it had risen so much the entire top had attached itself to the lid of my machine!)
tl;dr – awesome recipe, thank you!
SO glad I could disprove the skeptics on this one. It IS possible to have honest to goodness 100% WHOLE WHEAT bread! Your add ins sound delicious, I will try them next time!
wow, this looks fantastic. have you attempted to do the final rise in a traditional load pan? I really prefer the traditional loaf shapes and prior to my 100% whole grain only kick always used just the dough cycle for the bread…now we’re back on store bread…blah.
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I have not tried that yet but I have the same thing from several people, so I might have to try!
I recently bought a bread machine and after much investigation online for a bread machine recipe for whole wheat bread (I have a recipe book but their recipe for whole wheat bread appeared very dense and blah). In any event, I tried it last night and it is delicious! Love it. I used sesame seeds because that was all I had and the result was nutty and dense (but not too dense) and super flavourful. Next time I will try a mixture of seeds/flaxeeds and/or oats. One question, whilst baking the top of it came out a bit flat. I have read that this is because of the salt interacting with the yeast. Is this true? How can I avoid this the next time?
Hi Chi Chi,
I have had this problem as well sometimes when using heartier flours. I have been told by the very best experts that you can try the following to avoid this (which is usually caused by the bread rising too far and then falling): Reduce liquid by 2 tsp, always add the salt in earlier steps so that it does not touch the yeast at all, Add 3 tbsp of vital wheat gluten before adding yeast to condition your dough, use the quick cycle on your bread machine instead of the whole wheat cycle.
I will try your suggestions and let you know how it goes. Thanks!
I have tried so many bread machine recipes, none of which come out fluffy and light (unless, of course, it’s white bread…) and this has come out so divine twice now! I do have the top falling problem. I am going to try the quick cycle next time. THANKS!!
Awesome Stacey! I hope it helps, if not try the vital wheat gluten and reducing water as well.
[...] recipe was originally adapted from Guilty Kitchens Whole Wheat Machine Bread Recipe. If you’d rather use a bread machine check [...]