Light Whole Wheat Bread Recipe for the Bread Machine

You know those times when you want some homemade whole wheat bread but want to keep it from being too dense for guests? We’ve got you covered with this light wheat bread recipe!

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

Whether you want a whole wheat sandwich bread or something to serve as a side dish, this easy recipe can do it all.

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 blend of whole wheat flour with some added white flour so that you get some whole grain crunch and flavor but still keep it slighlyt fluffy for folks that prefer that to the denser 100% whole grains. 

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. 

You could substitute brown sugar for the white sugar, if desired. The sugar is only to feed the yeast, the final loaf of bread will not be sweet. 

Want a sweet whole grain bread? Try my honey whole wheat recipe for the bread machine.

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 plier 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.

How to Serve

Serve this as you would any whole-wheat bread, no reason to overcomplicate it.

It’s a good bread for making sandwiches to tuck into lunch boxes. It makes a great grilled cheese sandwich, too.

The slices will toast beautifully making it an ideal breakfast bread. Use it as a base for your avocado toast, slather it with jam or eat some with your eggs. 

Serve slices as a simple side dish alongside soup and salad meals for a no-fuss bread course. 

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. 

Let frozen bread thaw on the counter prior to serving. Use up any frozen bread within 6 months for best flavor.

Looking for more whole wheat recipes?