Foolproof Whole Wheat Bread

If you’re new to milling your own flour and baking your own bread, it is essential that you have a go-to bread recipe that you can always count on turning out well!

I have been using this recipe for years and I have never once had it not turn out beautifully (well, except for the time I forgot the salt, but that was not the recipe’s fault).  Everyone I serve this bread to absolutely loves it, even diehard white bread lovers!

Another awesome thing about this recipe is that it is a snap to throw together!  Even with grinding my own flour in the WonderMill, it still only takes me a few minutes of hands-on time.  Start to finish, I have freshly baked bread in about 3.5 hours (but again, hardly any of that is hands-on).

Let me know if you try this recipe and love it as well!

Foolproof Whole Wheat Bread

3 1/2 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour (hard white)
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey or sucanat (both work well)
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt (I use Real Salt)
2 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten (can find in the baking aisle)
1 Tbsp. Greek yogurt or dough conditioner (I prefer yogurt)
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Using your WonderMill, grind slightly more than 2 1/2 cups wheat berries to yield 3 1/2 cups of flour.

In the base of a stand mixer, combine warm water, yeast, and honey.  Add sea salt, wheat gluten, yogurt, and olive oil.

As always, with measuring flour, spoon flour into a measuring cup and level off the top using the flat side of a knife.

Dump the flour into the bowl of the mixer as well.

Set mixer to knead (on mine, “2”) and let it do it’s thing for a few minutes.

You’ll know it’s finished with this step when everything is thoroughly combined.  Dough will be sticky.

Cover with a towel and let rest for 45 minutes.

After the dough rests, sprinkle flour onto the counter and knead the dough until you can easily shape it into a loaf.  Add a little flour, since it is sticky, but be careful not to add too much.

Shape dough into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan.

Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a cold rise for 2 hours.

Remove the loaf from the fridge after 2 hours and let it sit on the stove while the oven preheats to 350 degrees.

Remove plastic wrap and bake loaf for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, slice and enjoy!*

*Full disclosure: I rarely wait until the bread is cool before I slice it, but it slices MUCH easier when it has had a chance to cool!