Whole Wheat Machine Bread

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: 2-4 hours (depends on your machine)

1 cup almond milk (or buttermilk, skim milk, any kind of milk)
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp  butter (or lard, olive oil, etc.)
2 tbsp honey (or agave, maple syrup, etc)
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 yeast
2 tbsp vital wheat gluten (optional, but will guarantee a fluffy loaf)

1. 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. **Please note I actually set mine to rapid bake for this recipe
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

247 comments to Whole Wheat Machine Bread

  • 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.
    Heidi recently posted..Blue Plum CrispMy Profile

  • 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?

    • Elizabeth

      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!

    • Camille

      To make a true baguette the way they do it professionally they use a perforated pan with groves to put your baguette in and they spritz it with water every so often. My husband and mother are chefs both have worked in places where they were required to make baguette. you don’t HAVE to have the perforated pan but it helps giving it a uniform crust but spritzing with water helps.

  • Nadia

    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.
    Bev Weidner recently posted..Spicy Tofu Steaks over Bok Choy and BRIDESMAIDS, omg.My Profile

  • 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 . . .
    Jenna recently posted..Off on retreat!My Profile

  • agreed. i love my bread machine and would kill to make it bake whole wheat. Okay, maybe not kill – but rather borrow your recipe.
    Kristy Lynn recently posted..Film Friday: A New PerspectiveMy Profile

  • 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.

  • Mr. Guilty

    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.

  • Nadia

    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?

  • 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! :/
    suki recently posted..11.11.11 Keyword SearchesMy Profile

  • 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!!

  • Tamera Nixon

    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.
    Tamera Nixon recently posted..Cancer Tattoos TumblrMy Profile

    • Elizabeth

      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.

      • Sarah

        Lemon Juice? Really? What does it do? I’m all curious now lol… I am trying your recipe now in my B&D. I’ve been having a really hard time finding a true whole wheat bread like many of your readers! I’ll find out in 3 hours how it turns out! I’ll be sure to let you know as well!

      • Sarah

        Oh I’ve added toasted flax, pumpkin protein and hemp seeds for fun. Hoping it works out for the first time using this recipe lol.

  • Erica

    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!

    • Elizabeth

      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!

    • Janne

      I often substitute whole wheat flour in my bread recipes, even the ones that came with my machine (and it’s a hand-me-down from my mom from wen she made bread when I was a child). They all turn out great 🙂

  • 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.
    Jacki recently posted..Sewing: Pajama Eaters!!My Profile

  • Chi Chi

    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? 🙂

    • Elizabeth

      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.

  • Chi Chi

    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!!

  • Bonnie

    What is a substitute for vital wheat gluten? In Trinidad where I live I cannot get that. Also what is Bulgur Wheat, I never heard of it. I love your recipe so will definetely try it, what I love most is how you put in all the different substitutes one can use- sounds great Thanks.
    Bonnie

    • Elizabeth

      Bulgur wheat is cracked wheat that has been parboiled and dried. It’s a great whole grain and VERY high in fiber! Vital wheat gluten is basically pure gluten and helps whole wheat breads rise and stay light and fluffy instead of dense and heavy. I’ve never used anything else, but you could try using xanthan gum or guar gum if you can find that (http://www.livestrong.com/article/295867-substitutes-for-vital-wheat-gluten/) or you could replace part of the whole wheat flour with another high gluten flour, such as white bread flour to help it rise. Or you could leave it out entirely, though you may have to play around with the recipe to get it to work correctly, such as reducing the water and using a faster cycle. I hope that helps!

  • Mara Jefferson

    I love your recipe so will definetely try it, what I love most is how you put in all the different substitutes one can use- sounds great Thanks. Okay, maybe not kill – but rather borrow your recipe.
    Mara Jefferson recently posted..Many MopsMy Profile

  • The quick cycle didn’t work but I did a little less yeast and some lemon juice and it was amazing. I think I have it down to a perfection now… 6 loaves later (but all of them were great!) This is the only bread in our house these days.

  • Taylor

    I came across your blog while looking for a whole wheat bread recipe. Fantastic recipe with simple ingredients which seems to be hard to find. Unfortunately, I don’t have a bread maker and would love to learn to use this recipe. Have you tried making this recipe without a bread maker? Thanks.

  • Tiffaney

    Is there a difference between the dry active yeast and using the bread machine yeast?

    • Elizabeth

      Bread machine yeast is usually the equivalent to instant yeast. It does not need to be “activated” before use. Dry active yeast needs to be mixed with water and sugar before beginning usually.

  • Darrell

    I followed this recipe exactly – using butter, 2% milk, honey and old fashioned oats. i use a Zojirushi bread maker. The results: a 5″ by 5″ loaf that stands 4½” high – not raised as much as I would have expected. The only thing that I can think of that might cause this result is the use of old wheat to make the flour. this wheat dates back to the early 1960s. It is a hard red Montana wheat. Any thoughts?

    • Elizabeth

      Hi Darrell, it very well could be the flour you are using. After posting this recipe I actually switched flours to a completely whole, red wheat no additives and it did not work. So it does need to be the right type of flour. you can try adding 3 tbsp of vital wheat gluten after the flour but before the yeast in your next attempt. It worked for me.

      • Darrell

        Thanks! That sounds like a great idea but I haven’t been able to find vital wheat gluten in local stores. I guess that I will need to order online. Do you have a brand that you recommend?

        In the meantime I purchased some High Altitude Hungarian Stone Ground Style Whole Wheat Flour and my loaf rose to 7½ inches. That certainly supports the flour issue. But I would like to use some of many cans of hard red Montana wheat purchased in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s.

        • Elizabeth

          I don’t have a brand that I prefer Darrell, so sorry! I buy mine from a local health food store and it is in the bulk bins. I do know that my local grocer carries it as well though in bags in the baking aisle and it is Bob’s Red Mill. There is also Arrowhead Mills who supply it too.

          • Darrell

            Thanks Elizabeth! I found some gluten in my freezer from 1995 and used it with my 1963 wheat. Results were great! I doubt that yeast from those earlier years would have fared as well. Great recipe. I will be using it from here on!!! 🙂

  • Courtney

    Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I got a bread machine a week ago so I could start making whole wheat bread for us that costs less than what I have been paying. After going through several recipes, this is the first one that has been good, and I’m going to stick with this recipe. I used King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat and added a little over 2Tb of wheat gluten (which I had bought earlier in the week for one of my unsuccessful recipes). I used old fashioned oats as it was the only thing listed I had on hand and did the non-vegan version (1% milk, butter, and honey). Thanks so much!!!

  • Cherie

    Tihis is by far the best bread machinie bread recipe I have ever tasted! Thank you for sharing.

  • Omgsh! Thank you for posting this. I have been looking for a 100% easy whole wheat bread recipe for years. Frankly, I don’t know how I came across your site, but I am happy I did. I just facebook’d all my friends about your blog. The first loaf I made came out super heavy… but I ate it any way.. still yummy. I decided to pull out the user manual for my bread machine (tee hee) before making the second loaf. This one came out so wonderful, even my picky daughter loved it. I will never buy a commercial whole wheat loaf again! May I have your permission to add your bread recipe to my website? To your credit of course. ^^

  • Rachel

    Your picture of the first attempt at bread made me laugh out loud!! I have seen a dense loaf come out of my own bread machine a time or two! I can’t wait to try your recipe, my other whole wheat recipe was “okay”, but not fantastic, I can’t wait till it is ready=)

  • Denise

    I’ve tried the recipe twice now and get a dense non risen loaf. I’ve checked my yeast, everything checks out there.. Any thoughts

  • I have recently acquired a bread machine and my family is in love with this recipe. I’ve made about a half dozen loaves using your recipe. Recently however I’ve been reading on a vegan blog that you should eliminate ALL oils from your diet. Say I were to do it…..what would I need to do to this recipe to make it still taste good and have the right texture. Wouldn’t substituting applesauce make it taste weird?

    • Elizabeth

      Lacie: I URGE you to look more into oils and their health benefits before eliminating them. I do encourage EVERYONE to eliminate refined oils (such as canola, grapeseed, etc.) from their diets, but this recipe could easily be done with olive oil with is a very healthy monounsaturated oil. Having recently switched to a paleo/primal lifestyle, I no longer eat grains, but oils are an essential element of everyone’s diet.

  • leslie

    i love this bread ans have made it several times. but what’s the best way to store it? we go through it in about 4 days but not sure if just on the counter is the best way or the fridge. the fridge just dries it out so quickly!

    • Elizabeth

      The fridge will dry it out, I prefer bread bags on the counter if you use it within 5-6 days or frozen (sliced) in the freezer for quick defrosting and toasting.

  • Georgiana

    Ok, so I have to start by saying that I NEVER replied to a blog recipe before, but this recipe… well it’s a life changer! We bought the BM last week and tried like 6 recipes so far. They were good, but they still felt… homemade (if you know what I mean).

    I made started making the bread last night (here, in Europe)as my bf had to take it to work for breakfast with a fried at 8 AM… So there I was, waking up at 5:30 AM to put the seed mix in my dough.
    Well, I entered the kitchen at 7:30 and what do my eyes see: my bf and 2/3 of the bread gone. I didn’t actually had the time to ask how it is – “THIS IS IT!” he said. And yes… this is the bread we were dreaming about. It’s INCREDIBLE! The crust is out of this world, the middle is moist, fluffy and spongy, it grew like crazy… Uh, the perfect whole bread.

    I had to add a little more flour (so next time I’ll add less water)and used ghee instead of oil (and what a flavor it gave to the bread!) but this is the bm whole wheat bread recipe that will be passed down to my children.
    So thaaaaaaank you! We will be forever grateful 🙂

  • Syd

    This bead is so delicious. Made it once, and craving it again! I don’t cook it in the bread machine, just let it do all the needing for me. Then take it out, set it in a bread pan. Let it rise and pop it in the oven. Wondering how the bread would react to putting in a few mashed bananas and some walnuts! Think I’ll try next batch, gonna “KISS” this loaf.

  • Kate

    Tried your recipe a couple of times and can’t seem to get it to rise enough. This last time I had high hopes as when I checked at the end of the first rise cycle as it had risen to touch the lid. Then I heard the paddle turn and when I checked again the dough was in a ball. From there it went through the final rise cycle and after baking barely came to the top of the pan! Is there a way to bypass the final rise cycle? Or a way to keep the fluff in?! Am i destroying it by opening e lid during the rising? Help!

    • Elizabeth

      First off, never open the lid while it’s rising. You may destroy what height it has, but it seems your bread is rising too much in the first cycle and then not rising enough in the second cycle. Are you using salt?

      • Kate

        Hi Elizabeth,

        Thanks for replying. I didn’t think my message had posted. I was actually checking back here to see what people were saying about using vital wheat gluten. I am using it evening for this first time in an attempt to make my loaves rise more. I will heed your advice and resist the temptation to open the lid! Yes I am using salt.

        Since I posted last I tried using 1.75 cups of wholewheat with 2 cups of white bread flour. The first loaf rose more and was nice and light, however I tried exactly the same thing a few nights later and the loaf was squat and heavy! I am a scientist but this baking malarky is a black art! I swear I have more consistent results in the lab (and that’s saying something).

        Will report back on how this next loaf is with the addition of the gluten…

  • Kate

    Tried your recipe a couple of times and can’t seem to get it to rise enough. This last time I had high hopes as when I checked at the end of the first rise cycle as it had risen to touch the lid. Then I heard the paddle turn and when I checked again the dough was in a ball. From there it went through the final rise cycle and after baking barely came to the top of the pan! Is there a way to bypass the final rise cycle? Or a way to keep the fluff in?! Am i destroying it by opening e lid during the rising? Help! I don’t have a BM but a cuisinart

  • Alyx

    Hi there! Your bread looks delicious! I was wondering if I could substitute the milk for water and the earth balance for oil? Do you think it would make it turn out okay?

  • Michele Mansfield

    Have made this twice now – and going on a third. First time I made it as it with buttermilk, sunflower & pumpkin seeds and a little bit of quick oats (since I didn’t have the old fashioned kind). Was a bit too dry & dense – so made it last night – exactly the same way, except I used the Earth Balance instead of butter, and added the 3 Tbsp of Vital Wheat Gluten and the fast whole wheat setting on my machine & it rose much more and came out a bit lighter.

    Today I am making a Vegan version to take to a group that is painting Magritte’s “Empire of Light” on my 2000 Beetle as part of a community art works project(aside). I have used unsweetened coconut milk, maple syrup as I didn’t have agave, Earth Balance and then just sunflower & pumpkin seeds – kept the vital wheat gluten and cooking setting the same – and had to use 100% white whole wheat flour for 1.5 of the cups, as I ran out of regular 100% whole wheat flour. Unfortunately I won’t personally know how it turned out – will have to make a loaf for myself! 🙂

    Am loving making my own bread on a regular basis…..just ordered a bread slicing board (with sides and grooves) that will let me cut 3 different thicknesses of bread to help make it easier to get a consistent serving size and to help with making sandwiches for my son for lunch!

  • Nick

    Great recipe. Instead of baking it in my breadmaker, I just use the dough cycle. I remove it. Knead by hand. Put the dough in a bread pan. Stick it in the oven using the “proof” setting, and watch it rise perfectly. When it has reached the ideal height, I just switch the oven to 375 and bake for about 35 mins. It came out perfect. Thanks for this great 100% whole wheat recipe.

  • Raenell

    Do you heat the milk or use it cold?

  • HEidi

    Thank you SO MUCH for a recipe I didn’t think existed. I have always just settled for the machine recipes out there but this is what I really wanted. The kids love it but “not for sandwiches.” I think my yeast was too old and it turned out too dense for them and never rose like I thought it should. I will try it again with new yeast today. Another thing, I used coconut oil, maybe that had something to do with it. I will keep messing around with it but regardless, it is the only recipe I plan to ever need again.

    • Elizabeth

      Awesome Heidi! I’m so glad I could prove them all wrong…:) I have suggested before that coconut oil might not work because it would not remain in a liquid state, but it was most likely the yeast. Let me know how the second batch turns out!

  • Mike S

    I was in a bread making mood this morning but before things got started I decided (again) to look for a new 100% whole wheat recipe. I’ve been searching the web for years hoping to find one that produces a loaf with a half decent rise.

    I think it was your awesome, delicious looking pictures that made me try your recipe. Anyway, the loaf came out of the machine looking as good as the one in your pics, and tasting just as wonderful.

    And so my search is over. I’ve tossed out the two other recipes I was using before today. Thanks for your hard work fine tuning this recipe to make it work. The results are fabulous. BTW, didn’t have time today to do any further exploring on your blog, but I’ve bookmarked your site to have a look around some other time.

    Cheers,
    Mike
    Niagara Falls

  • plant

    Simply the best whole wheat bread machine recipe I’ve ever tried. Wonderful flavor and good texture. Not dried out or overly dense like most results. Thank you for sharing!

  • Monica

    Just made this recipe yesterday! It is delicious! I didn’t time my starting time right so I ended up going to bed when the bread started baking. I woke up an hour later to check on it and the house smelled amazing! I woke up in the morning thinking about having a slice for breakfast 🙂 This is definitely going to be one of my staple recipes 🙂 thanks so much!

  • Do you know the nutritional information for the wheat bread or how I can calculate it. My first attempt at whole wheat bread also weighed a ton, thanks for this recipe, my family loves it.
    Walter

    • Elizabeth

      I entered the ingredients into a calorie counter and said that it produced about 15 servings. Based on that information, it said the slices would have 159 calories, 2.3 g fat, 0 cholesterol, 341mg sodium, 30.9g carbohydrates and 4.2g protein.

  • Thank you
    For the nutritional info
    Walter

  • Joanne

    Just got a bread machine and used it for the first time today. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research and read that the recipes that came with my machine weren’t very good. I found your recipe and figured I’d give it a shot. I followed your recipe and my bread machine instructions exactly. I made it with Old Fashioned Oats. It came out perfectly! I was so excited. Thanks so much for doing all the “leg work” for us and coming up with this wonderful recipe. J

  • megan

    We were told that not all bread makers can handle “heavy” ingredients like all whole wheat. What brand of breadmaker should we ask Santa for? Is the Panasonic SDYD250 ok? Thank you

  • Hello,
    I was just about to pack up my Black and Decker bread machine and take it back to Target for a refund. Perhaps I’ll try one last time with this recipe…

    My machine is for a 1 1/2 lb loaf. Any idea of how to adjust the recipe for a smaller bread pan?

  • DeAnna

    I mill my own red wheat flour, will this recipe work for freshly milled red wheat flour?

  • Teri

    I just wanted to say thank you soo very much for doing all the hard work for us!! This recipes and bread and blog about it is just wonderful!! Thank you again times a thousand!!!!

  • Going to try this tomorrow. I just got a B&D bread machine for Christmas and have been searching fervently for a good “machine” recipe!! Will be sure to let you know how it turns out 🙂

    • I’ve tried making this twice already, once exactly as you directed and the second time with slight variations. Both time – it was really dense with the consistency of banana bread .. I’m wondering if your bread comes out super dense as well?
      Rugrat Chow! recently posted..Multi-Grain (Machine) Bread – Take 2My Profile

      • Elizabeth

        Nope, light and fluffy every time. I do see that the first time you tried, you used chia seeds. These absorb a lot of liquid which you would have to replace. That might be why it didn’t work. As you can see from the comments, many people have had great success with the recipe followed exactly. Although chia seeds are seeds, they absorb liquid, unlike say, a sesame seed would.

  • Ashlyn

    I tried this recipe yesterday and it was amazing! I had been looking for a wheat bread recipe that I could make for sandwiches and all the other recipes were laden with sugar or white flour. Not bad, per se, in moderation, but not something I would want to eat every working day. Thanks!

  • DaNiece

    Thanks for the recipe… Works great every time
    Was just wondering what your thoughts are on a quinoa and flax seed mix …

  • Ingrid

    Perfect, easy, delicious! I used Sunny boy cereal and coconut oil for my fat – also used whey in place of water, strained from my last batch of yoghurt.
    Thanks!

  • Amanda

    Just made this with butter and a whole 3/4 c of oats and it came out great. This will definitely be my go-to bread recipe now!

  • Wow, great post. I am going to try this loaf tonight. I just got a bread machine from my mother-in-law as well (also Black and Decker) but the first loaf I tried was so heavy and dense! At the moment, it is really cold where I live, in Quebec, Canada, and I wonder if the temperature is affecting my bread.

  • Amanda P

    I bought a bread machine from a thrift store and it had no manual, but so far no luck with a decent loaf of whole wheat bread! I have tried about 5 different recipes, and I was so excited to find your blog and recipe. Unfortunately, this may have been the most dense loaf I have made so far. It was not nearly as dry, but very short and sunken on top. I am hoping it was a error on my part somehow and am going to keep trying. I made the recipe exactly, except I only had whole milk. I used shortening, agave, and oldfashioned oats. Maybe too much fat because of whole milk?
    I think this next batch, I may just use the dough setting and let rise and bake in the regular oven. Made some whole wheat buns that turned out perfect using that method!
    Thanks for sharing.

  • Amanda P

    So I remade the recipe the same way as before (except flax seed instead of oats), but I only used the dough cycle in my machine. I thought maybe something was happening in the rising cycle of my machine and since I don’t have a manual that seemed the easiest solution. Well, it was better than before but still sunken on top and denser than I hoped. I will also mention that both loves were incredibly salty. Maybe reducing the salt will help with the rise?

  • Katy

    Delicious! Thank you for this, finally a whole wheat recipe that tastes good and is just as fluffy as white bread. And it is pretty low sugar, and that part can be adjusted. After many failed attempts and okay bread I was started to get disheartened with 100% whole wheat bread recipes. The search is over, I have found it! Thankyouthankyouthankyou.

  • Erin

    My family loves this recipe and I have been making a loaf a day! I am wanting to try baking it in the oven and just have the machine make the dough. I would like to be able to use the recipe to make buns and other shapes of loaves. What temperature should be used and what would be the cooking time? Thanks for sharing this!

  • Yvette

    I used homemade oat milk. 3/4 cups oats to 3 cups water, a dash of honey liquified in vitamix and this is now my go to 100 percent whole wheat vegan bread. Also used olive oil.

  • Robyn

    I have never replied to a blog, but this is worth it!
    I stumbled across your recipie, and it was the second loaf I’ve ever made in my machine. It is AMAZING!!!!!!
    I love how healthy it is! I used a stone ground hard whole wheat flour and it turned out way fluffier than my white bread (just to test/followed the recepie in the book) did! Loafs all gone before it cooled!
    Will be memorizing this one!

  • Gyongyi

    Loveeeeed this recipe and i cannot stop baking it:)
    made it already 3 times, using different types of flour all the time, mixing them and sometimes adding more seeds too…but always ends up A M A Z I N G!!

    Thank you sooo much! x

  • Samantha G

    I love this recipe. I add some vital wheat gluten to help it rise, but I have made this loaf 2 times now and it is the best recipe I have tried! Thank you so much for doing the leg work so I can enjoy homemade whole wheat bread!

  • Sarah

    Thank you for this recipe! I am brand new to bread making, and last night made my first loaf using your recipe. It was tasty and and great first try – I think – with the exception of a couple minor issues:
    – It was a bit dense and heavy. I followed the recipe to the letter, but I understand that every machine is different. Would you recommend I add more yeast? I did use vital wheat gluten.
    – It was a bit salty … Or something. I’m not sure. My machine does not have a sweet or dessert setting. How flexible are the amounts of honey and additives, in your experience?
    TIA!

    • Elizabeth

      Baking is an art and success can depend on so many factors. Were all of the ingredients fresh? The salt is fine, though you could reduce it by 1/4 tsp without too much difficulty. I would try using a quick rise setting along with the vital wheat gluten. If that doesn’t work, you can troubleshoot on this fantastic site: http://www.breadmachinedigest.com/beginners/troubleshooting-chart.php

      • Sarah

        Thank you for replying! I have made four loaves since I posted that and they’ve all been great. What I did was decrease the salt to 1.5 tsp and increased the honey to 2.5 tbsp. I made one with poppy, sesame, and flax seeds; one with 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp cinnamon, and 3/4 cup raisin. Even though these two recipes were very different (one was more sandwichy and one was great breakfast bread) they both came out so well. Thank you so much for working out this recipe so we can all enjoy it!

  • I am making this right now and the ratio of wet to dry ingredients seems way off!! When my bread machine started kneading in earnest, the mixture was still just flour!! So, I added more than 2/3 cup of water AGAIN plus some more and now it at least looks like a dough, but I’m wondering where things went wrong?

    • Elizabeth

      Hi Sara,

      Did you maybe not add something in to the recipe? Unfortunately I can’t trouble shoot where I haven’t seen what happened but I and many others have made this recipe with zero problems for almost two years now. The liquid to dry ingredient ratio is not off.

  • Hi Elizabeth,

    I was just gifted a bread maker today from my dad and I would like to try your recipe, but was wondering if you have every used a yeast substitute….? I am allergic to yeast and wanted to get your opinion before jumping into wasting ingredients. I read you can substitute yeast with an equal amount of backing soda and lemon juice, any suggestions? If not, I will just have to experiment until I can get it right.
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    • Elizabeth

      Hi Lisa,

      Unfortunately I have NO experience with not using yeast, except in naturally leavened sourdoughs…sorry about that. i would be curious to know what happens though!

  • Hi,

    My bread maker has options for making 2 lb, 2.5lb and 3lb loaves. As your recipe makes a 1.2lb loaf, do you think I can just scale up the measurements? I’ve not used a breadmaker before, so its all new to me.

    Thankyou,

    Angela

  • Bridget

    Mine didn’t rise at all…was I supposed to warm the almond milk?

    • Elizabeth

      Nope, the machine should do that for you. You could try that, but I’m thinking it must have been something else. Were the ingredients fresh?

  • Natalia

    Excellent recipe! Easy to make (thank you!) and absolutely delicious!!!! My kids loved it and munched on it all day long. I am sure it will be good for sandwiches, but it is also fabulous on its own – and with a tiny bit of olive oil.
    Thank you, Elizabeth 🙂

  • Used 3/4 cup left over granola (the crumblies) and we loved it!

  • Mel

    12 attempts with 11 different recipes trying to get 100% whole wheat bread that is edible. I was ready to give up.

    Then, I found this recipe 🙂

    5 minutes to put everything in the pan, subbing home-made dough enhancer for the plain wheat gluten, but it’s mostly wheat gluten, anyway (http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/how-to-make-homemade-dough-enhancer/)

    Fantastic base recipe, and ….. Good Lord, I have made edible 100% whole wheat bread! It’s a minor miracle!

    I will be adding more dough conditioner (to see if I can make it fluffier) and probably doubling the amount of seed/nut/grain goodies (because I like nuts and twigs breads), but, allow me to say again ……..

    Good Lord, I have made edible 100% whole wheat bread! It’s a minor miracle!

    I now before your talent, and greatly appreciate this share!

  • Lisa

    I’m confused. You responded to a question from Tiffaney (on June 18, 2012) by explaining that active dry yeast needs to be mixed with water and sugar before beginning, but your recipe calls for active dry yeast and has no instructions to mix it with water and sugar before beginning.

    The different types of yeast have never been fully clear to me, so I wonder if I’m misunderstanding something. Should I be using active dry yeast or bread machine yeast for this recipe?

    • Elizabeth

      Hi Lisa,

      Usually, that is the case. When using active dry yeast in a risen bread recipe (not in a bread machine), you need to “activate it” in liquid for it to work properly. From “What’s Cooking America: There are two types of dry yeast: Regular Active Dry and Instant Yeast (also known as Fast-Rising, Rapid-Rise, Quick Rise, and/or Bread Machine Yeast). The two types of dry yeast can be used interchangeably. The advantage of the rapid-rise is the rising time is half that of the active dry and it only needs one rising.

      You can speed up standard yeast bread recipes by changing the yeast in the recipe. Substitute one package Instant or fast-acting yeast for one package regular active dry yeast. Instant yeast is more finely ground and thus absorbs moisture faster, rapidly converting starch and sugars to carbon dioxide, the tiny bubbles that make the dough expand and stretch.”\

      So in this recipe I always used Active Dry yeast and it worked fine. Because you add it last it mixes with the liquid when it needs to and not sooner.

  • ruth

    I just bought the Oster machine for $47 on Amazon /free shipping so was skeptical of results. I wanted a heartier recipe than the guide provided. Your FYIs were so helpful & your recipe looked the best and it turned out so great! I love the 3/4 cup of grains & seeds option because I felt a little more creative by adding my pantry odds & ends:almond meal,steel cut oats & flaxseed! I cut off the “heel” and buttered it asap & grinned since I never enjoyed the crust on commercial bread!! Thank you for your earthy baker comments as well as the “chemistry” aspects . So very helpful.Thanks for doing all those trial & errors so the novices can just bake & grin & enjoy.

  • WOW!! Great flexible whole wheat recipe for the bread machine.! I used fresh goat’s milk and whey instead of milk and water and salted butter (I needed to use up the last little bit). I used 3 cups of w/w flour with half a cup of spelt flour and 1/4 of white bread flour to increase the gluten content and added flax seed, wheat germ, oats and pumpkin seeds. It was light, tender, flavorful and rose beautifully. I will be emailing this to the two friends who complained about not finding successful whole wheat bread machine recipes. Definitely making this on a wekly basis from mow on!! THANKS from this Israeli kibbutznik looking for excellent bread to feed her family.

  • Tanya

    I found your recipe and want to try this for my kids. I have a b&d machine and was wondering is this a 2lb loaf? Also my rapid setting is 1h40mins. Would this be to short of a cycle? Thanks for the help!

  • kristi a

    Just finished baking two loaves using this recipe. I did not put seeds or nuts in and used stone ground whole wheat flour. Smelled amazing, but the true test will come in the morning when I toast it for my five year old. Thanks!

  • Charlotte

    THANK YOU so much for this recipe!! I have made some failed attempts at wheat bread and was so happy to see a recipe that does not include white flour. Very excited to have the husband and little one try it!

  • T. Manuel

    Hello, Elizabeth. Wow! This is my 3rd BM bread attempt. Gracious, it is delicious! It fell like crazy. It was U shaped when the buzzer went off. I will try to rectify that with the shorter cycle, less water, vital wheat gluten fixes. I could not find wheat gluten today. It still had some complexity to it, some small air pockets in there. I used King Arthur 100% whole wheat flour, peanut oil, pumpkin seeds and a couple handfuls of quick oats. The last two attempts were tasty but door-stop heavy and dense (another recipe). I think I will try some grape-nuts, some steel-cut oats, some sesame seeds, heck, this is fun. Once I can get it to rise and stay that way, I will be even happier! Thanks for the wonderful recipe and hints!

  • This is in my bread machine as I type. It looked like a lot of ingredients going in. I have a Breadman machine with a 1.5 or 2 pound loaf size. I used Raw cow’s milk, millet,flax meal and rolled oats. I am hoping it goes good so we can have it with my homemade potato soup tonight!!

    • Elizabeth

      Should be fine Janette! Raw milk…yummm!

      • I think something went wrong. It looks too dense and heavy. I used Wheat gluten and 2 1/2 tsp yeast. I don’t think it mixed up well enough. I’ll know in a hour when I can cut into it. 🙁
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        • Elizabeth

          Hmmm, Did you use the quick cycle or the whole wheat cycle?

          • I did the quick cycle. I’m trying it again and I’m using the quick/rapid Whole Wheat cycle, which runs 3 hours 20 minutes. I think it may be the salt in the liquid? Maybe I should add the salt on the sides of the flour and grains making sure to keep it away from the yeast? I’m not giving up and I’m using Almond milk and coconut oil this time. (My sister is very lactose intolerant) I’ll let you know how it goes!
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          • Elizabeth

            The salt should be in the liquid and the yeast is added last, so they should not come in contact until needed….otherwise, yes that would affect it. How fresh is your flour?

  • Chelle

    Goodness gracious. What absolute perfection this is: healthy, easy, vegan, delicious. Thank you so, so much!

  • Ann

    I don’t have any sort of seeds or oats at the moment- can I just omit from the recipe or do I have to adjust other ingredients?

    • Elizabeth

      I don’t think omitting them will ruin the loaf, but I have not experimented with that. It’s a large potion of the recipe but is esentially filler, I don’t think it will hurt the rise, but the bulk of the loaf will be smaller.

  • The Chicken Lady

    I have been looking for a whole wheat bread machine recipe and I found this last night. I had pumpkin seeds, flax and poppy seeds on hand so thats what when in. I used Vital Wheat Gluten as well as Dough Enhancer. It is fantastic. I think I want to try it with walnuts, flax and sunflower seeds. It is soft and chewy like store bought and dense and filling with a great texture due to the added nuts and seeds. This is my new go to. Thank you so much! I am going to look around the rest of your site.

  • Vanessa T.

    Just have to say, I discovered this bread recipe about a year ago while pregnant with my son and I HAD to have this bread with every meal, hahaha. I’ve been making it ever since, and it has turned out perfectly every time. I make 2 loaves every week because my husband and I eat this bread every single day for breakfast and we usually have another slice with dinner. The BEST whole wheat bread recipe that exists! I use agave nectar instead of honey and the bread turns out wonderful on both the rapid (1 hour) setting and the whole wheat setting that takes about 3-4 hours. Simply divine! This recipe will be cherished in our family! Thank you for posting!!! <3 xoxoxo

    • Elizabeth

      Hi Vanessa,

      Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know about your family’s love for this bread. That means a lot to me! I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much!

  • Hi there. I am currently into my second B&D bread maker. My first one died after years of weekly use and then a co-worker gave me one she had received as a gift and never used. Yay!
    From talking to friends over the years I’ve found that many bread failures are due to the number of recipes out there that are not developed for Canadian wheat products.
    Being stubborn, my first failures just made me mad enough to keep experimenting. And then I came across “Canada’s Best Bread Machine Baking Recipes” by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt. Like the B&D Recipe booklet, they give ingredients in US and CDN quantities. Now, I still experiment just because I can or because I do not always have all the ingredients so I substitute. Just ask Joey 😉
    The authors then produced a “More of …” book. Not sure if it’s still available but if you run across a copy of either one, grab it! Breads are quite forgiving of being fiddled with once you get the basics down. And nothing beats coming home to the smell of bread baking after a walk on the beach.
    I use the bread maker for kneading the dough because my hands don’t work like they used to, then shape and bake on a pizza stone – love hearth breads with crispy crusts and soft insides so I spritz the loaves a few time during baking.
    Also, I’m so glad Joey referred me to Guilty Kitchen. Grats on a great website! All the best for 2014.
    Barbara recently posted..“Are We There Yet?” The Eternal Question Solved –My Profile

  • Ling

    Thank you for this WONDERFUL recipe! I have been trying to make wholemeal bread using my breadmaker but ended up with the densest loaves – which we had to throw out. This is the first recipe that worked! Thank you for sharing!!!

  • Carrie

    I just recently got a bread machine and wasn’t happy with the whole wheat recipe that was in the booklet that came with the machine. So I tried yours, and it is perfect!! Wholesome, flavorful and soft, so much better than anything I could get at the grocery. Thank you!

  • Sasha

    I have read that honey isn’t great for yeast because it is antimicrobial. Better to use, say, maple syrup.

  • Hello,

    Very good recipe, thank you very much!! When out of the machine, this bread is absolutely perfect. However, do you have any advice for the storage of the bread in the days following its making? I’ve tried to store mine in the fridge or at room temperature, and in both case, the bread loses its fluffy character and becomes quite dense in less than 24h…

    • Elizabeth

      Hi Vincent,

      I always store mine in an airtight bag on the counter at room temperature and it always stays fluffy and light. Not sure why yours would turn dense so suddenly..

  • Abi

    Thanks for the recipe. When I made it it was very dense and thick, but it smelled so yummy and tasted good…so I gave it a second try after googling some techniques to help out. I doubled the butter and honey. Also, I added the water (heated to be warm) and honey first and then the yeast, let it sit for 10 min, then added all the rest of the ingredients. It was much lighter/fluffier after that. Hope it helps someone 🙂
    I’m new to bread making so have no idea why this worked or if I did something wrong the first time around.

  • Katherine

    I’m trying this bread right now, only its midnight so I have to improvise with what I have (no honey, oats or vital wheat gluten). I was going to run it on the Whole Grain cycle at first but then realized that it wouldn’t been done until almost 4 am, so I have decided to go ahead and attempt the rapid bake cycle anyway. 🙂

  • I have this in bread machine now – is dough quite dry? I added a bit of sparkling water as it was a dry lump. Fingers crossed. I used bread machine yeast as well and Hungarian stone ground whole wheat flour. I’ll let you know how it goes.

  • Sarah

    This is now my go-to bread recipe! It’s addictive! Oat milk works really well in it, although I really liked the almond milk version too. Thanks so much for developing this and for sharing it!

  • Monica

    I live in a high altitude place, over 6000ft, so I added 1/2 cup water and it came out great. Thanks for the recipe!!!

  • Help!
    I have never used a bread machine before but want to start making my own bread because we go through 2-3 loaves of fancy schmancy organic whole wheat bread every week!
    I followed the directions in the recipe to a T. But about half way through the rapid whole wheat cycle (it was displaying “rise” in the display), NONE of the ingredients were mixed up!!!! They were layered exactly as I put them in still.
    Should I assume machine error? Are there any tricks or secrets that I don’t know about?
    The machine was making the sounds as if it was stirring (my mother gave me a brief overview of what to expect…)
    I tried taking the ingredients out before the bake cycle started to save them and bake in the oven, but the dough was SO dry and rubbery it couldn’t even be salvaged into rolls.

    I used Almond Milk, and for my cereal blend I used 1/2 cup oats and 1/4 cup ground flax seed. I used agave nectar instead of honey (I’m vegan…).

    I really want to try again!

    • Elizabeth

      Hi Jean! If you followed the recipe in it’s entirety (which it looks like you did to me), it should have worked just fine. If the ingredients weren’t mixed together by the rise cycle though, perhaps the paddle was not actually turning the dough? This sounds like machine error to me, but anyone else is free to chime in here.

  • Holy crap, thank you so much for posting this! It is going to help me when I buy Coconut Oil online! Super Magnificent!

  • Chrys

    Hello,

    My husband has recently become a master bread maker (not really, but they are good) This is our favourite recipe. I just had a slice spread with coconut oil and dashed with cinnamon and whorled with maple syrup. I was in heaven until the slice was all gone. Next time the slice will be thicker so it will last longer:) So delish! We might also try adding dried cranberries to the next loaf along with our usual flax, pumpkin seed and sunflower seed mix.

    Thank you for this great recipe!

  • Jeez, thank you so much for posting this! It is going to help me when I get Chia Seeds at the grocery store! So Outstanding!

  • Yellow Jen

    THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was so frustrated to look through my break maker recipe book and find all the whole wheat recipes were half white flour – WTF!!!! This recipe was perfect, tastes great 🙂 thanks for experimenting and thanks for sharing

  • Ashley

    Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I recently found out that I am insulin resistant and eating food with white flour and white sugar are really bad for me. Unfortunately, I love bread and it is so hard to find it at the store without either of those and I was excited to find this recipe to try. The first time I made it, it was really dense but good and so I decided to invest in the wheat gluten. Just came out of my bread maker and is so good and so much better! I used coconut oil, agave nectar instead of the honey, and the quinoa/flax mix and added sunflower seeds. I never would have thought to add the sunflower seeds but they really give it a nice texture.

  • Hi Elizabeth,

    Thanks so much for this recipe. My bread maker has been out on loan for the last couple of years and I just got it back yesterday. I went looking for a vegan bread maker recipe and found yours, which sounds delicious and super easy, which suits me just fine. And I thought I might try hemp seed oil and agave/coconut nectar instead of the honey to make it totally vegan. Fingers crossed!

    Nikki

  • I really appreciate this recipe. I love that you’re still getting constant compliments on it even though its a post from 2011! I’ve made it twice now, and not for nuthin, but I’m a pastry assistant at a resort and this bread beats a lot of what I make there. I’m in love with it.
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  • Janet

    This recipe is EXCELLENT! I too have tried others and had settled for one similar but this came out perfect. Thank you so much.

  • Tried this bread with the modifications suggested to make it vegan friendly. It turned out perfect! PERFECT! I have never been so happy with a first try recipe. Thank you for posting this. I posted my experience to my blog and credited back to you.

  • Julie Patrick

    I followed your recipe – PERFECTION! Best 100% whole wheat bread I’ve EVER made. I used 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup hemp seeds in my loaf. I didn’t have any gluten in the house, but I did have xantham gum, and added the same quantity as suggested for the vital wheat gluten. It rose, was dense but fluffy and moist. The best! Thank you!

  • Gail

    Not sure what went wrong, but my loaf is dense enough to be a doorstop. It isn’t even shaped like a loaf of bread: instead of rising to a nice rounded top, it is gnarled and twisted. I followed the recipe, using whole wheat bread flour, 7-grain cereal and flax. Anyone have any idea what might have gone wrong?

  • Kathryn

    Does the milk and water need to be a certain temperature?

  • Delicious Bread!!!! Thanks for the recipe!

  • Trish

    Love this bread! I’ve made it a couple of times and this is now the only bread recipe i can find that I enjoy. I add sunflower, flax, and pumpkin seeds along with steel cut oats. I have one baking right now! I stopped buying bread because I love to know exactly what goes into my mouth. Thanks for this. Everyone in the family enjoys it, not to mention the smell of fresh bread baking is just to die for 🙂

  • tiffany

    Hi, I made this recipe twice today and neither time it came out!!! It is literally like 2.5-3 inches tall and so dense even I can’t handle it (and I like whole wheat products). What am I doing wrong? I used whole wheat pastry flour (the Kroger brand the first time and King Arthur’s the second time), and used quick cooking oats the first time and old fashioned oats with ground flax seed the second time. Both times I used Bob’s vital wheat gluten. The first time I baked on the whole wheat sandwich option and on the second I used the Bake Rapid. Should I use an egg to help it rise? I have a new bread machine with an automatic yeast dispenser. I am so frustrated!!! I have been trying other 100% whole wheat recipes, and the only way I can get them to work is if I add in part all purpose flour, which I don’t like doing. I was excited to see yours was 100% whole wheat and that the vital wheat gluten is supposed to help it rise, but I’m just not sure what I am doing wrong. Maybe I should try stone ground wheat flour?? Help please!! THank you so much 🙂

    • Elizabeth

      Hi Tiffany,

      All your ingredients are definitely fresh? Egg won’t help it rise, but may actually make it denser. I’m not familiar with newer machines, perhaps it is the automatic yeast dispenser? It could be the timing of the yeast for sure. As you can see by all the comments, there haven’t been too many people who couldn’t get this recipe to work.

      • Hi Elizabeth,
        Just did my 2nd loaf with your WONDERFUL 100% WW Bread! I didn’t have any gluten, but I remembered when I was gluten free, most of the bread recipes used eggs…so I mixed an egg with the liquids to equal amount of liquid called for in recipie, and it worked perfectly!

        Love it, thank you!

  • Chloe

    I just put this into my bread maker (pretty old Breadman Plus acquired from my mom). I used a multigrain hot cereal for my oats/seeds and followed the recipe with light almond milk instead of regular (all I had) and started it. It definitely seemed dense, so I ended up adding another 2/3 cup of water as I went, moving the dough around with a spoon to mix it in. So we’ll see how it turns out.

  • Alyssa

    I just bought a second-hand bread machine. I was wary, since my last bread machine routinely got stuck while kneading dough and made very small, odd-shaped loaves. Your recipe was the first I tried, and it came out great! I used maple syrup instead of honey, since I didn’t have any (and as a native Vermonter, it’s rare I don’t have maple syrup in my house…). The result was delicious. And my bread machine handled it beautifully. This will likely be my go-to recipe. Thank you; it is so hard to find a good 100% whole wheat recipe and especially one for the bread machine!

  • Kyle

    Any chance that someone knows a way to convert this to a 1.5 Pound loaf?

  • Hi Elizabeth!
    I try this at home today but my bread did not rise. I use some wheat germ and linseed flour.
    Have you try any recipe with this? or you only use whole wheat flour?
    I´ll try again, hope you can guide me.

    Greetins
    Javiera recently posted..Organic Layered GardensMy Profile

    • Elizabeth

      Not sure these flours would rise the same and I haven’t ever worked with them within the confines of this recipe, sorry about that.

  • Milly

    How do you adjust this recipe to high altitudes. I live at 7800

    • Elizabeth

      I have no idea. Let me Google it…

      I found this:

      Decrease the yeast by 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
      Decrease the liquid by 1 to 2 tablespoons
      Decrease the sugar, honey or other sweetener by 1/2 teaspoon

      Meanwhile, according to the Home Economics Department at the University of Wyoming, additional tips you can try include:

      Stick to smaller-sized loaves, since the proofing time for larger loaves tends to overproof the loaves in high-altitude climates.
      For fallen loaves, in addition to decreasing the yeast and/or the sugar as Zojirushi suggested, try increasing the salt by 1/8 teaspoon per 3 cups of flour.

  • So I know Im’ behind the 8-ball here since you posted this a looong time ago. But THANK YOU! I just got a bread machine for free (thank you Freecycle) and was SO disappointed when the instructions it came with had a recipe for whole wheat bread that was had a 2:1 white to whole wheat flour ratio. NO! That AND it called for 3/4 a cup of honey. SO MUCH SUGAR. Exactly what I hope to avoid in a bread. This looks awesome. Can’t wait to make it and stop eating bread laden with preservatives. I’m throwing in some flax seeds, but do you think chia seeds would work? I know they absorb water so IDK how well that would turn out…

  • Aid

    Tried this recipe and it did not work out. Crater bread is what they call it… Need to adjust the liquid ratio.

  • Lauren

    Hello! This recipe is absolutely delicious but my loaf turned out a little funky when I made it.
    So…I followed the directions except I heated the water to 112F. I even microwaved the milk for 10 sec. like you suggested to another follower. I added the ingredients in the order as written and I placed it on the 2lb express setting. I also used instant yeast for the bread maker instead of active yeast and used vital wheat gluten as well.

    It came out short, didn’t rise very much and was very dense. What would you recommend changing? Thank you so much for your help and thanks again for this wonderful recipe!

  • Lisa

    Found this recipe – exactly what I was looking for as far as vegan and with the addition of seeds – and knew I had to make it work. Got a bread machine for Christmas and made 8 loaves without any real success. Adapted this recipe slightly for my Zo….Used 3 tbsp and 1 tsp vital wheat gluten and 4 tsp quick rise or bread machine yeast. Warmed the milk and water as well. Used the regular, whole wheat cycle. It’s the best freaking bread I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for this!

  • Sharon

    A friend gave me a bread machine 2 or 3 years ago and I finally got up the guts to try it….using your recipe here. I followed the recipe, using sweetened cashew milk, olive oil, and all flax on that ingredient line item. I had previously used manual rising techniques and a plain old oven and gotten disastrous results with someone else’s recipe, but your recipe, on the bread machine’s rapid bake selection, worked fabulously! Tasty bread with a nice texture. Loved this. My question: can agave be used instead of honey? Thanks for a great recipe.

  • Kathy

    I used all fresh ingredients and made this exactly as written, omitting the wheat gluten which is listed as optional. I was unable to find any so I left it out. The bread was tasty but small and very, very dense. I will have to try it again if I can find wheat gluten. Just an fyi, this is NOT a vegan recipe as claimed by the author as vegans do not eat butter or honey.

    • Elizabeth

      Vegan options are given in parenthesis. If the recipe did not work for, please try using the wheat gluten or a shorter cycle on your bread maker.

      • Kathy

        Thank you for the vegan options indicators. I missed that initially. I am making the bread now with the wheat gluten and will let you know if I have better luck. It occurred to me that I should check the ingredients on the seven grain cereal for salt and sure enough it is listed. Could that have added to the problem and should I try adding less salt? I’m not good at baking and surely appreciate your recipes and tips!

  • TheOther

    I have a question. If I omit the cereal/ oat, should I reduce the liquid(water or milk)? Thanks.

    • Elizabeth

      You cannot omit all the seeds and expect the recipe to function properly. I have not tested this recipe without seeds. Reducing the liquid is one solution but the whole volume of the loaf would be reduced. This would be something you would have to play with.

  • Stephanie

    Thanks so much for this recipe, I make at least two loaves a week and even my fussy toddler likes it. Lucky me, this is the first wholemeal bread recipe I tried apart from the one that came with the machine. I won’t bother trying any other recipes any time soon, I’ll just fiddle with the seed and grain mix (current faves are sunflower, burghul, cracked buckwheat, poppy seeds and sesame seeds)

  • becky

    Hi! The loaf worked well, except that I used sea salt instead of table salt which made for a salty loaf. Next time would only 1tsp of sea salt due? I wasn’t sure if the measurement affects the bread (aside from taste).

    Thanks!

    Becky

  • Janine

    I made this bread today and it was wonderful! My husband hates whole wheat bread and he liked it. Thanks so much.

  • Faith

    Hi! Your recipe is wonderful! Ever since I discovered it about two months ago, I’ve been baking this bread continuously. Since my husband and I are vegan, I use hemp milk and half a cup of additional water. I also replace the butter with applesauce and add about a half cup more seeds/oats.

    The bread consistently rises high, bakes beautifully and tastes amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  • Tried this recipe for my first with the bread machine. Loved by the whole family. Thank you.
    Shirley recently posted..Quick Curried Pumpkin SoupMy Profile

  • I am making this bread has we speak ! I had to add more flour in my bread machine it was way to sticky.
    I cup and 2/3 of water seemed a lot for the amount of dry ingredients. I make bread all the time and they never have that much water . Will see I added at least 1/2 cup of flour otherwise the dough was sticking to the side and was way to wet. I will write back with the results .

  • Ok so I am done baking my bread and like I said I needed to add 1/2 cup more flour while kneeing , I took it out 7minutes before it was done just because I don’t like a dry bread it was perfect , fabulous very moist … next time I will do 1 cup and 1/2 of liquid instead of 1 2/3 …
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  • Mindy

    When you baked yours on the rapid bake function did you use instant yeast? I used active dry (brand new jar) and my loaf hardly rose at all.

  • Brownbread

    Hello,

    I’ve made at least half a dozen whole wheat loaves in my bread machine and they have either risen then sank whilst baking, or were too dry. So I’m always looking for whole wheat bread recipes for the bread machine. I know there is recipe that will work for me, and I have to persevere until I’ve found it. My latest attempt was a recipe that required all the ingredients to be mixed (excluding the yeast, salt, and a little flour), and then left to soak for hours or overnight. The recipe failed, again. The loaf rose really well whilst baking but then sank. Anyway, back to this recipe. Can I leave out the seven grains and keep all the other ingredients the same for the recipe to work? Thanks.

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