Wheat Bran Bread Recipe with Honey

This wheat bran bread recipe adds whole grain goodness to a light, airy loaf without the heaviness that puts some people off whole grain bread. The majority of the flour is still all-purpose, which keeps the texture soft and the dough easy to handle. A touch of honey adds just enough sweetness to make it work for sandwiches and toast alike.

It’s a great starting point for bakers who want to add more whole grain to their baking without committing to a dense, heavy loaf.

What Is Wheat Bran?

Wheat bran is the outer layer of the wheat kernel, removed during the milling of white flour. It’s high in fiber and adds a slightly nutty flavor and a little texture to baked goods. It is not the same as wheat germ or wheat flour. In bread recipes, wheat bran adds whole grain character without dramatically changing the structure of the dough the way whole wheat flour can.

Wheat bran is usually found in the cereal or bulk foods aisle of most grocery stores. Bob’s Red Mill is a common brand. It keeps well stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Difficulty Level: Beginner

For novice bakers these loaves are still easy to make because the majority of the flour is all-purpose, meaning it will knead well and hold its shape. The addition of eggs also helps the dough bind, which increases the chances of whole grain bread success.

Bran Choices

This recipe was originally made with wheat bran. Wheat bran is likely to be the easiest of all bran to find in grocery stores. Oat bran or even rye flakes could be substituted for different flavors.

Loaf Shapes

These could, of course, be baked in traditional loaf pans. It’s simple and easy. However, they also make great round loaves and even dinner rolls if something different is desired.

For rolls, start checking for doneness at about 20 minutes.

Make some of each. A round loaf and a traditional loaf. A pan of rolls and a loaf is also nice. Serve the rolls with some soup for dinner and have the loaf for sandwiches tomorrow.

Level of Sweetness

Adapt the level of sweetness as desired. Decrease to 2 Tablespoons of honey for the barest hint of honey or increase to 1/2 cup of honey for much sweeter loaves that would be excellent for toast and jam or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

How to Store

Keep baked and cooled loaves in an airtight bag or container where they should stay fresh for up to 4 days at room temperature.

This bread freezes well. Wrap cooled loaves tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 6 months and thaw on the counter before slicing. You can also slice before freezing and pull out individual slices as needed.

The dough is sticky and hard to knead. Wheat bran absorbs water slowly. Give the dough a few extra minutes before adding more flour. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if it remains unworkable. The finished dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not completely dry.

The loaves are dense. Some whole grain density is expected but if the loaves are unpleasantly heavy the dough likely needed more kneading or the rises were cut short. Make sure the dough doubles fully during both rise periods. Also check that the yeast foamed properly before adding anything else.

The loaves didn’t rise much. Check that the yeast was active before adding it to the dough. If it didn’t foam in the warm water after 5 minutes, start over with fresh yeast. Also make sure the water temperature was right, around 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

The crust is very thick. Whole grain loaves develop a thicker crust than white bread. Brushing the loaves with butter immediately after they come out of the oven and tenting loosely with foil while cooling will soften the crust.

The bread tastes too bland. Make sure you’re using the full tablespoon of salt. Salt does a lot of flavor work in a simple bread like this and reducing it noticeably flattens the taste.