I made my family’s favorite whole wheat tortillas to go along with dinner the other night (along with a few loaves of whole wheat bread on the side) and was shocked when I realized that I had never shared my favorite bread recipe here. I made everyone in the family wait to eat the bread until I was able to snap a few pictures of them in the daylight (in other words, I tortured them).
I have tried many whole wheat bread recipes in the past and keep coming back to this one. It turns out perfect nearly every time. I use a KitchenAid mixer to knead my dough, but just remember that this recipe or any bread recipe can be made without fancy kitchen equipment – you just need strong hands and a little bit of time.
Breads will turn out differently based on a number of factors: the quality of the wheat (my best breads are made with wheat that I have ground that same day, but I don’t always have the time to grind wheat and then make bread on top of that), the humidity and temperature in the house where it’s baked, and the type and flavor of honey that is used. Bread is one of those things that improves with practice. You’ll learn what amounts and ingredients work best for your kitchen and tastes as you make it regularly.
And, remember….even an “ugly” loaf of bread still tastes and smells amazing.
Lolli’s Favorite Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
- 1 Tbs yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 ½ cups hot water
- 1 Tbs. Salt
- 7-8 cups whole wheat flour
- Soften 1 Tbs yeast in ¼ cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar for 10-15 min. until spongy (in small bowl).
- Mix together in large bowl (or your KitchenAid mixer): ¼ cup oil, ¼ cup honey, 2½ cups hot water, and 1 Tablespoon salt.
- Add 5 cups wheat flour and mix well.
- Then add the yeast mixture and 2-3 cups flour.
- Knead or mix in a stand mixer.
- Let rise in a warm place (in a greased bowl, covered with plastic wrap and a towel)--1 hour or until doubled.
- Split the dough in half and form into two loaves. Place into two greased bread pans, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until the dough reaches the top of the pans.
- Bake (uncovered) at 375° for 30-35 minutes. Cool on a rack…but be sure to eat a piece while it’s hot!
VARIATION: (how we make this a meal) After the first rising, I split the dough in half and form a loaf (or 2-3 smaller loaves) and set that aside to rise a second time. I then use the second half of the dough to make thick whole wheat tortillas (no second rising is needed!).
All you do is break off a small handful of dough (about the size of half a cup…but size really doesn’t matter) and roll it out into a flat circle (you want it to be thin!). TIP: Spray a cutting board AND your rolling pin with non-stick cooking spray before rolling your tortillas out for best results.
Place one circle of dough at a time onto a heated (medium-high) DRY skillet (no oil needed). Heat on each side for approximately 2 minutes (time may vary with your stove–just watch for the bubbles and golden brown color).
Fill heated tortillas with tuna, lunch meat, chicken salad, or anything else you might put into a sandwich or use them instead of rolls alongside your favorite meal. My kids go crazy over these!
© 2013, Food Fun Family. All rights reserved.
Yes, you’re right. For some reason, the formatting got messed up within the recipe plugin and chopped off the 1st number in that step and the next one (It should be 1 Tbsp salt, not just “Tbs salt.”) Heading over to fix that now.
In Step 5 of your recipe, it says 1/2 cups hot water–this should be 2 1/2 cups hot water, right? Thanks. Looks yummy.
I have not cooked any bread for a long time. I am going to try this recipe. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I used to make homemade bread with my Gram all the time when I was in elementary school but have kind of forgotten her recipes. I’ve been making white Artisan bread from the 5 Minutes a Day book, but we love whole wheat bread and I’ve been wanting to bake some. I’ll give this a try this weekend!