Honey Wheat Bread Machine Recipe — Soft Whole Grain Loaf

​When you want something whole grain and a little sweet but also incredibly easy, try this honey whole wheat bread recipe designed specifically for your bread machine.

This is one of those simple and healthy bread machine recipes you’ll turn to again and again for its ease, sweetness, and incredible flavor and texture.

And because this it is done so quickly and with very little hands-on work, you’ll never again by store-bought bread when you’re craving honey wheat bread for breakfast and beyond!

Simple Ingredients

Like all the most basic bread recipes, this whole wheat loaf comes from humble ingredients.

To keep it a light wheat loaf, there is a combination of whole wheat flour and white flour so that you get some whole grain crunch and flavor but still keep it slightly fluffy for folks that prefer that to the a dense bread.

You can use wheat flour from the grocery store or grind your own in a grain mill. I grind my own but something from the store will work just fine and turn out a delicious homemade bread recipe.

If you want an even lighter loaf, use half bread flour and half whole-wheat flour to make it even fluffier. In the end just make it own bread by making what best suits you and your family.

Want a more savory wheat loaf without the honey? Try my Light Whole Wheat Bread Machine Recipe.

Yeast Choices

I use instant yeast for ease in every bread machine recipe I test. If you want to use active dry yeast or bread machine yeast, simply follow your manufacturer’s instructions but I can’t say for certainty in what amount.

To Prevent Sticking

I had multiple loaves become hopelessly stuck to my bread pan and had to learn a trick or two to prevent it. Here’s what I do, if you’d like to try it:

After the final kneading cycle (for my machine there’s a 2 second third cycle of punching down), I remove the bread dough quickly from the machine, remove the kneading paddle and then spray the pan with some non-stick spray. Then I put the dough back in, close the lid and let the machine finish its rising and baking.

I use needle nose pliers to remove the paddle.

This very simple step has stopped bread from sticking to the paddle hopelessly and coming out of the pan a broken mess.

My bread machine instructions do not tell me that this is necessary – meaning the bread could bake with the paddle attached but I found it much easier to remove the paddle.

About My Bread Machine

This recipe was tested on a Welbilt Bread Machine. I bought it at a thrift store for $6.50. It makes great bread but every machine is different. Please follow any specific instructions provided with your machine if they differ from how this recipe is written.

Troubleshooting

My loaf is very dense. Whole wheat flour produces a denser loaf than white flour by nature — some density is expected and normal. However if the loaf is heavier than you’d like, try the half bread flour, half whole wheat ratio mentioned above for a lighter result. Also make sure you’re using the wheat cycle on your machine, not the basic cycle. The wheat cycle has a longer rise time designed for heavier doughs.

My bread didn’t rise well. Honey can slow yeast activity slightly at higher quantities. Make sure your water is at room temperature or slightly warm — not cold and not hot. Also check that your yeast is fresh. If the problem persists, try adding the honey after the water rather than measuring them together, so they’re not in direct contact with the yeast before the cycle starts.

The loaf collapsed in the center. A sunken top usually means too much liquid or the dough over-proofed. Whole wheat doughs can be sensitive to humidity — on very humid days you may need to reduce the water by a tablespoon or two.

The crust is very thick or tough. Try the light crust setting on your machine next time. Whole wheat loaves can develop a thicker crust than white bread loaves, especially on the medium or dark setting.

Can I substitute maple syrup or molasses for the honey? Yes, maple syrup works as a 1:1 substitute and will give a slightly different but equally delicious flavor. Molasses can also be used but will make the loaf darker and more robust in flavor. Start with a smaller amount of molasses — about 3 tablespoons — as it has a stronger taste than honey.

How to Store

Place any leftover cooled bread into a bread bag or airtight container where it should stay fresh for up to 5 days at room temperature.

For longer term storage, place into a freezer bag or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. You can freeze the entire loaf or pre-slice and freeze for later. Freezing slices is nice for just grabbing a few now and then as needed.