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    See More:   Comfort Food Recipes for Beginners Side Dishes Snacks

    Last Modified: Aug 9, 2022 by Tara Ziegmont 43 Comments

    The Best Homemade Whole Wheat Bread in a Bread Machine

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    bread machine

    How to make the best bread machine whole wheat bread - This simple and easy recipe makes a basic crusty loaf with no kneading. Uses a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour for a smooth, tasty loaf that's healthy.

    PIN IT FOR LATER!

    whole wheat bread in the bread machine

    Somewhere between my need to avoid unnatural food additives, my desire to cook and eat more like my grandma, and Joe and my attempts to live more frugally, I talked my husband into making our own bread.

    From scratch.

    It took months of convincing. He likes the bread from the grocery store, and he isn't into making more work for himself.

    After a lot of discussion with Amy Clark from MomAdvice, I posted a request on my local FreeCycle board for a bread machine. Only a few days passed before an offer came in, and Joe went to pick it up. And then it sat in our dining room for seven months, until the car crash forced us to become more serious about being frugal.

    $4 for a loaf of our favorite bread seems wasteful and we don't really have that kind of money right now.

    So, we are now committed to having a better, slower, more frugal lifestyle, and we are making our own bread.

    Of course, when I saw we, I really mean that I'm lying on the couch with an ice pack while Joe follows the recipe I gave him, but that's just as good as doing it myself, right?

    Our first couple of attempts at homemade whole wheat bread were miserable failures. We ate them, but they were barely edible.

    Then we found the whole wheat bread recipe that Phoebe (who did not use a bread machine) had adapted from Crystal (who did use a bread machine). We made a few changes to reflect the ingredients we had on hand as well as our taste preferences.

    We were eager to try our bread, so we smeared real butter on the warm bread and topped it with a dollop of my homemade apple butter. It was comfort food at its finest.

    What you'll need to make the best homemade whole wheat bread

    Equipment

    This is a bread machine recipe, so you're going to need a bread machine. Often, you can find them for free or cheap at yard sales or on FreeCycle (which is what we did). But of course, you can also buy one that is fancy and new. The newer ones are obviously more advanced and easier to use than the older models.

    Ingredients

    See the recipe card below for measurements.

    • Warm water - It's important that this is neither hot nor cold.
    • Instant yeast - Make sure it's the instant kind, not the slow rise kind.
    • White sugar - This feeds the yeast. You can't make bread without a small amount of sugar.
    • Whole wheat flour - Whole wheat bread requires a mix of whole wheat and white flours. If you use all whole wheat flour, the bread will have a strange taste and a strange texture.
    • Unbleached white flour - You could certainly use bleached flour if you prefer. I try to go as unprocessed as possible, and bleaching is an added step that I don't think is necessary.
    • Table salt
    • Dry nonfat milk
    • Melted butter
    • White vinegar - You could also use apple cider vinegar for a similar flavor.

    How to make the best homemade whole wheat bread in a bread machine

    1. Layer the ingredients in the bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. In our machine, we put the yeast in the bottom with warm water, topped by the dry ingredients (sugar, whole wheat flour, unbleached white flour, salt, and powdered milk), and then add the wet ingredients (melted butter and vinegar) last, then shut the lid and turn it on using the Light setting.

    That's it. I'm not kidding. When the machine beeps, we open the lid and eat the most delicious and light wheat bread we've ever had.

    I really like wheat bread with crunchy bits like seeds, so I am eager to experiment with this recipe and ingredients to see if we can get that kind of texture going.

    Check out these other recipes from scratch:

    • The Best Bread Machine Pizza Crust
    • How to Make the Best Homemade Pizza Dough
    • How to Grill Pizza Dough
    • How to Make Watermelon Jam
    • Homemade Apple Butter on the Stove or in the CrockPot
    whole wheat bread in the bread machine

    Perfect Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

    This simple and easy recipe makes a basic crusty loaf with no kneading. Uses a combination of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour for a smooth, tasty loaf that's healthy.
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 3 hrs
    Course Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 slices
    Calories 201 kcal

    Equipment

    • Bread machine

    Ingredients
      

    • 1¼ cups warm water not hot or cold
    • 1 tablespoons instant yeast
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • 1½ cups whole wheat flour
    • 1¼ cups unbleached white flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 tablespoons dry nonfat milk
    • 1 tablespoons butter melted
    • 1 tablespoons vinegar

    Instructions
     

    • Layer in bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. In our machine, we put the yeast in the bottom, topped by the dry ingredients. We add the wet ingredients last, then shut the lid and turn it on using the Light setting.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 313mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 87IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg
    Keyword bread, whole wheat
    Tried this recipe? Pin it for later!Follow @FeelsLikeHome or tag #FeelsLikeHomeBlog!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Donna says

      June 01, 2021 at 4:28 am

      5 stars
      How much wheat gluten did the original recipe call for??

      Reply
    2. Robyn says

      July 07, 2021 at 12:30 pm

      Is there any way to make this without dry milk? I never have that on hand.
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Teresa says

        July 20, 2022 at 1:09 pm

        Great question! Was wondering myself. Maybe try regular milk instead/or milk substitutes. It all gets mixed up in the machine anyway. right? If I’m wrong… please let me know. ☺️

        Reply
    3. Judy Mcinnes says

      January 30, 2022 at 12:18 am

      5 stars
      Finally a delicious light whole wheat bread. Found it slightly sweet. Would cutting back on the sugar affect the results as it turned out perfect otherwise.

      Reply
    4. Phyllis Reder says

      March 13, 2022 at 5:25 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! Turned out great.thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    5. Jo-Anne says

      March 24, 2022 at 6:29 am

      What size loaf does this recipe make: 1.5 or 2 pounds?

      Reply
    6. Phyllis Reder says

      March 30, 2022 at 2:28 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe!

      Reply
    7. Phyllis Reder says

      April 10, 2022 at 2:01 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe !!
      Thank you!
      Phyllis Reder

      Reply
    8. Donna says

      April 21, 2022 at 11:25 pm

      Has anyone gotten a reply back from the author??

      Reply
      • Tara Ziegmont says

        April 22, 2022 at 8:30 am

        Hi Donna,

        I read everyone's comments, but to be totally honest with you, I got rid of my bread machine about seven years ago because I wasn't using it and hadn't made this recipe since 2011. I just don't remember the results well enough to give you an informed answer, and I was hoping that someone else who's made it recently would be able to help.

        Sorry!

        Reply
    9. Tammy Lorimer says

      August 07, 2022 at 10:36 pm

      5 stars
      I cant find my original review to edit. My 1st loaf was horrible and I tossed it. I decided to try again and this time I used less than 1 cup of water and it made a big difference. This loaf is perfect and tastes delicious! I will definitely be using this recipe with less water more frequently. It's very tasty!

      Reply
      • Tara Ziegmont says

        August 07, 2022 at 11:08 pm

        Hi Tammy,
        The problem with the first loaf was that you used liquid milk instead of dry milk. So basically, you added an extra 2 tablespoons of liquid to the dough, which made it too wet. So I'm really glad that you tried again and had success. Thanks for coming back to update!

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Tara.

    Harrisburg PA mom blogger Tara Ziegmont
    I am passionate about helping women to care for themselves and their families physically, emotionally, and spiritually by making time for what matters most through a combination of Christian inspiration and family fun. If you're tired of feeling so weary and uninspired, you're in the right place. I'm so glad you're here!
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