100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

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by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated 31 Comments

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Making your own bread doesn’t have to be hard. This whole-grain wheat bread recipe makes it so easy to make your own bread. If you like soft and fluffy brown bread this 100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread is it. Made with whole grain flour, you don’t need white flour for this recipe.

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (1)

Table of Contents

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread

This whole-grain wheat bread recipe has been in my family for years and we all make it a lot more now that we have powerful mixers to help. It is really hard to beat wheat bread that is 100% whole grain, and not as hard as a brick.

This bread is not heavy and dense like most 100% whole wheat bread. If it is, you used too much flour and your dough was too stiff. If it flattens out and won’t stand up you need more flour. The total amount of flour is usually about 7 cups.

Benefits of eating whole grains

We have all heard of how eating whole grains is really good for us, but did you know whole grains deliver many important nutrients.

Here are some of the benefits:

  • High in fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants
  • Lowers risk of heart disease and stroke
  • Reduces the risk of obesity
  • Lowers risk of type 2 diabetes
  • Good for healthy digestion

How to make 100% Whole Grain Fluffy wheat bread

Making bread can take quite a bit of time to make. This recipe takes less than three hours and needs only 7 ingredients.

Here’s what you will need:

  • Hot Water
  • Olive Oil
  • Honey
  • Molasses
  • Sea Salt
  • 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour
  • Dry Active Yeast

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (2)

Making bread is definitely an art.

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (3)

Then you will have two beautiful loaves to enjoy.

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (4)

Makes perfect toast and sandwiches.

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (5)

Notes

  • If you are not sure if your yeast is still good, you will want to “proof” it. Dissolve one package and 1 teaspoon of sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. If the mixture foams up, the yeast mixture is good to use. But if it does not foam, you won’t want to use it.
  • Make sure the bread is completely cooled before wrapping it. You don’t want it to get soggy.
  • Keep out of the refrigerator – putting it in there will only make it hard.

Love to bake bread? Look at these recipes:

  • Zucchini Bread
  • Best Pizza Dough Ever
  • Parmesan Garlic Bread
  • Olive Garden Breadsticks Copycat
  • Cornbread made with Sour Cream
  • Black Eye Pea Cornbread
  • Pumpkin Muffin Dunkin Donut
  • Otis Spunkmeyer Muffins
  • Beer Biscuits Recipe
  • Make Ahead Biscuit Dough

Tasty Toast To Enjoy

  • Denny’s French Toast Recipe
  • Creamed Eggs on Toast Recipe
  • Texas Toast Recipe

Find more restaurant bread and easy breakfast recipes.

What do you think about this bread? Share your experience with making this recipe below in the comments. And share your creations by tagging us on Instagram. Remember to also sign up for our CopyKat newsletter so you never miss a recipe.

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread

You can make one amazing loaf of homemade whole wheat bread.

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Breads

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Homemade bread, Whole Wheat

Prep Time: 2 hours hours

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 18

Calories: 232kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups hot water
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons Molasses
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 7 1/2 cups 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour
  • 2 tablespoons Dry Active Yeast

Instructions

  • Place the first five ingredients in the bowl and mix.

  • Add 2 Cups 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour. Then add 2 tablespoons of Dry Active Yeast. (If you're not sure about your yeast proof it in a little warm water first - see notes).

  • next, add 4 Cups of 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour.

  • Mix until the consistency is somewhat even. Then continue to slowly add flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough quits sticking to the sides of the bowl. It should be tacky to the touch. The trick is to have enough consistency to stand up with the least amount of flour so the bread will be fluffy. In any case, do not exceed 7 1/2 cups of wheat flour. Don't over mix or the bread will be tough.

  • When your dough is finished, Cover the bowl and let it rise for about 30-45 minutes. The dough will be larger but it doesn't need to double when using a heavy mixer.

  • Grease two bread pans with Crisco. You can also flour the pans to reduce sticking.

  • Mix again just enough to knock it down at least close to the original size.

  • Drop the dough on a floured surface so you can work the dough and shape it. Roll it in the flour and shape it in your hands to make a nice ball getting enough flour on it so it isn't sticky. Divide the ball in half and do it again. Shape the loaves by turning the dough under its self over and over. When the dough is shaped right the sides and ends will be sealed and all you will see is a nice oblong shaped loaf with smooth sides and top. Drop the loaves in your bread pans and let them rise until almost doubled. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 36 minutes. If you forgot to preheat 41 minutes. (gas oven)

  • When done turn the bread out of the pan to a rack to cool. You can eat it right away (a great time for real butter).

Notes

  • If you are not sure if your yeast is still good, you will want to "proof" it. Dissolve one package and 1 teaspoon of sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. If the mixture foams up, the yeast mixture is good to use. But if it does not foam, you won't want to use it.
  • Make sure the bread is completely cooled before wrapping it. You don't want it to get soggy.
  • Keep out of the refrigerator - putting it in there will only make it hard.

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 391mg | Potassium: 221mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Terri

    Hello, will the bread come out ok without molasses or can I substitute something else for it? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Stephanie Manley

      It will work, but the dough is going to be a little stiffer, the bread won’t have the darker color, you could use corn syrup. If you don’t want to do that, omit it, but the final bread will be a little different.

      Reply

  2. Adelle

    100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (8)
    Great recipe, it came out beautifully.
    Please confirm if the nutrition value is per 100g?

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      It is per the slice, I am sorry I never weighed out the slices.

      Reply

  3. DJ Harstad

    I think the picture of your bread is not a picture of the loaf made with this recipe as you do not include any seeds or other grains in the recipe and you do not answer questions about what you used.

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      You are correct, I used a stock photo on the bread. What other questions did you have?

      Reply

  4. Randee

    What size loaf pans are used? I have the 10×5×3, and I only have one. Do you have any suggestions on which pan sizes are best for this recipe?

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      I used 2 standard-sized loaf pans. The measurement for these pans is 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2.

      Reply

  5. Tash

    This looks amazing! Will it work in a breadmaker?

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      I haven’t specifically tried it in a bread maker yet. I will see if I can give it a try this weekend.

      Reply

  6. Christian

    I have made this 3 or 4 times now and it turns out great. The only problem that I’m having is that when I place it in the oven it loses height and is not as fluffy when done. Any ideas?

    Reply

    • Redeng

      Sounds like your bread is over proofed before being baked. Reducing the rising time might help.

      Reply

  7. Raven

    100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (9)
    Did you happen to respond to the question about what time of seeds did you use on the crust? If so, I think I missed it! Would you mind repeating and letting me know? Haven’t tried this recipe yet, but sounds like something I will be making soon! Love making homemade bread and this wheat recipe sounds great!!

    Reply

  8. Critic

    Why can’t you use grams/kilos. Flour comes in different consistences 100g of one flour might not have the same volume as 100g of another making cups useless.

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      Thank you for your suggestion.

      Reply

      • Wolf Turin

        I was wondering the same thing. How much is 7.5 cups of your flour in kilos or pounds? This looks like a great recipe.

  9. P bourque

    Absolutely heavenly! I can have processed bread that has updates in them- which is all of them!

    I’ve been using rhoads (sp?) Frozen loaves, but I only have access to white bread. I’ve tried so many wheat recipes, and THIS IS THE BEST!

    it not only tastes great, it feels right! perfect crumb!

    Thank you so much!

    Super easy people! And btw, I did it by hand! No mixer!

    Reply

  10. sarinagstudio

    Recently I was really, really low on cash and debts were eating me from all sides! That was UNTIL I decided to make money on the internet. I went to surveymoneymaker dot net, and started filling in surveys for cash, and surely I’ve been far more able to pay my bills!! I’m so glad, I did this.. – ox7s

    Reply

    • Regina

      I just saw this. Are you still doing the surveys? My daughter discouraged me from starting for fear of hacking

      Reply

      • Kelley

        HEY Regina, that response about online surveys was most likely posted by a bot and not a real person. You should be wary of people posting things that are completely unrelated to the comments (aka this is a post about bread and that person is talking about making money online) thats usually a sign that is a scam. Hope that helps. Also your daughter is probably right about avoiding certain surveys online haha

  11. Amanda

    Which type of grain do you mill?

    Reply

    • Stephanie Manley

      I have some red soft that I have milled. I just used whole wheat flour I bought at the store for this.

      Reply

  12. Aditi

    Hey Stephanie, the bread looks amazing,just what I was looking for. Would definitely try this soon. Can you please tell me what seeds have you used on the crust and how have you used them?
    It makes me wanna bake a whole wheat bread right now at 11pm.
    Aditi
    https://itallcomesdowntofood.wordpress.com/

    Reply

    • Christie Ferguson

      Yes, I would like to know the seeds used also. Looks so delicious!!

      Reply

  13. Ulli

    Can I use honey instead of molasses? And if so, how much?
    Thanks!
    I am not a baker by trade, I don’t know if you can substitute one for the other. This is a terrific recipe as written. ~stephanie

    Reply

  14. Joanne

    Question: How long is the second rising? I need a time to check on it. Thanks,

    It can vary, it depends on the temperature and the humidity in your home, I would think it could take between 30 minutes to 1 hour. ~stephanie

    Reply

  15. April

    I must be doing something wrong. Someone please help me! My bread came out really dense. It’s moist and has a good flavor but way too dense. When I was mixing the dough it was still really really sticky so I kept adding more dough even more than the 7.5 cups of dough but it was was still really sticky. I proofed the yeast first so I know that wasn’t the problem. How long should it take for the dough to double in size the second time it rises?

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      So, baking is more of an art, than say regular stove top cooking. Sometimes you can get things to vary by the flour you use, the moisture in the air, ect. I know in some bread recipes the amount of flour I use can vary by a cup or more. Honestly I had a very similar experience in making challah recently. It was a great recipe, but my bread was so dense you could have knocked someone out with it. I don’t know if you used fast acting yeast or the old fashioned kind. Your package directions would be the best indicator of how long it should take for the bread to rise.

      Reply

  16. Tim

    Wow, just wow. I have tried many different whole wheat bread recipes, and most of them were either too dense or used too many artificial additives to make it work. This is by far the best bread I have had in a while. And the best part is, the bread is so good for you too! Thank you for sharing this simply wonderful recipe.

    Reply

  17. admin

    King Arthur Flour makes a white wheat version of their flour. But this is definately a good recipe. I use the whole wheat to make my dog some biscuits.

    Reply

  18. Katherine

    I have to thank you so much for this recipe! I made it this morning and it was totally awesome. I was afraid to go to 100% wheat, so I did 1/2 and 1/2 the first time. Next time, I’ll try more wheat! This was the softest sandwich loaf bread I’ve ever made, and tasted so good! Much better than anything I’ve ever bought in a store, or any other sandwich bread I’ve ever made!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

100% Whole Grain Fluffy Wheat Bread - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my wheat bread not fluffy? ›

As mentioned earlier, you may require additional water for wheat bread to make them fluffy. Water vapor is one essential leavening gas that makes the dough more moist and soft. Therefore, you need a lot of water, which changes to water vapor while baking.

What makes a bread 100% whole grain? ›

Thus, when we talk about 100% whole wheat bread, the loaf contains the entire grain of wheat and all nutritious parts as ingredients. Multigrain bread contains various types of grains. You might find wheat, flax, barley, oats and even seeds in multigrain vs. whole wheat bread that only consists of one grain type.

How do you keep whole wheat bread from being dense? ›

Gluten is important for giving the dough – and final loaves – structure. Without it, loaves tend to end up flat and dense. One trick is to add some white all-purpose flour along with the whole wheat flour. Even just a little white flour has enough gluten to give the dough better structure.

Why is 100% whole wheat bread so heavy? ›

The bran in whole wheat flour weakens the gluten strands by cutting into them and disrupting the gluten matrix. This decreases the overall extensibility and elasticity of the dough so that it cannot hold onto as much carbon dioxide – resulting in a denser bread.

What is the secret to making fluffy bread? ›

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

What makes bread rise and fluffy? ›

Once reactivated, yeast begins feeding on the sugars in flour, and releases the carbon dioxide that makes bread rise (although at a much slower rate than baking powder or soda). Yeast also adds many of the distinctive flavors and aromas we associate with bread.

What's the difference between 100% whole grain and 100% whole wheat? ›

Both whole grain and whole wheat contain all three parts of the grain kernel — the bran, endosperm, and germ. However, whole wheat exclusively refers to wheat kernels, while whole grain includes other grains, such as barley, corn, and rye.

What is the difference between whole grain and 100% whole grain? ›

But just because a label says "whole grain" doesn't guarantee that the product contains exclusively whole grains, Cavuto says. The best way to learn about your loaf is to look at the stamps on the packaging. If it bears the 100% Stamp, all of its grain ingredients are whole.

Is 100% whole wheat bread the same as whole grain bread? ›

Whole-grain bread can be made with one or several types of grain, whereas whole-wheat bread implies that only wheat is used. Whole-grain and whole-wheat breads are a nutritious choice, but read labels and choose what makes sense for you and your family.

How can I make my bread fluffier instead of dense? ›

To make fluffy and light bread, high-protein flour is a must. Its low-protein counterpart, otherwise, is too weak to form consistent gluten networks and, as such, weakens the dough's texture. I always remind myself to check the protein content before buying flour from any supermarket or grocery store.

Does whole wheat bread require more kneading? ›

Knead the dough for a long time, at least 8 minutes. If you have a stand mixer, use it for this recipe. This is a heavy whole grain dough, so it requires a good amount of kneading to help produce a more elastic structure. When kneading, avoid adding too much flour; a slightly tacky and soft dough is OK.

How to make homemade bread less dense or more light & fluffy? ›

Well it's simple, bread flour has an increased amount of protein or more gluten which results in a lighter, fluffier dough which produces a less dense finished product. All-purpose flour can be used for bread but bread flour is always better if your goal is a “fluffier” bread.

Can you lose weight eating 100 whole wheat bread? ›

Including whole-grain bread in your diet can help support your weight-loss goals. But eating this carb won't guarantee that you will achieve your weight-loss goals in minutes. Whole-grain bread should be included as part of an overall balanced and healthy diet and lifestyle to support weight loss.

Can I mix bread flour and whole wheat flour? ›

Yes, you can make pizza dough with half whole wheat flour and half white bread flour. Use a small amount of yeast and give your dough enough time double in size, before forming your dough into tight balls.

How do you make wheat bread rise higher? ›

Substitute 1 tablespoon gluten for 1 tablespoon flour in each cup of flour in the whole wheat bread recipe. Dry milk powder -Adding 2 tablespoons instant dry milk powder per loaf of bread will help your bread rise higher, stay soft, and hold the moisture longer.

Why is my homemade bread not light and fluffy? ›

Your Bread Doesn't Have Enough Gluten

Once these proteins become moist, they create stretchy molecules that give bread dough its elasticity. Gluten helps bread maintain its shape and produces the "crumb" (or texture). If your bread does not have enough gluten, the crumb will not come out as expected.

Why is my bread dense instead of fluffy? ›

If you score your bread too deep or get too carried away and cut too many times across it will be cut too much and the dough will not release the gas it has collected inside it. This means that you'll end up with dense and heavy bread.

Why is my bread dense and spongy? ›

There may be several reasons for a dense, cake like texture in bread. It may indicate the kneading wasn't enough for the gluten to develop properly, or the dough was proved for too short a time or the dough may have been too dry. It is also worth checking the flour you used.

Why does whole wheat bread not rise? ›

Whole grain flour: Whole grain flours such as whole wheat or rye don't produce the same stretchy glutens as all-purpose flour, which can lead to denser doughs that don't rise as well. Dry crust: If the surface of your dough dries out, it can impede rising.

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