i have made this and loved it!!!!!! i just got a bread machine and was wondering if i can make it in there instead of the oven?

Discovered after waiting for first rise that my yeast was dead. :(. Not wanting to waste the ingredients, including local whole wheat flour, I followed my boyfriend's suggestion & made soft breadsticks & pretzel rolls. They were awesome! Sprinkled some with bread dipping herb mix and some with coarse salt & sesame seeds. Am happy we took the chance. Waiting for second batch (with newly purchased yeast!) and will rate the real deal.

Update: I used the 100% whole wheat version, with the suggested conditioners. It took a LONG time for the dough to rise to double-size (over an hour). We ended up baking it free-form on a pizza stone. Still came out wonderful, though not as high as we'd hoped. Great flavor & texture. Definitely keeping this recipe; may try 2/3 whole wheat / 1/3 organic all-purpose flour next time.

Hi Tammy!
I just got a grain mill AND a Zojirushi bread maker for Christmas, and I followed the Breadbecker's recipe to the "T", but it resulted in a disaster in terms of texture and it didn't rise, and I didn't like the flavor of their recipe (very strong yeast flavor) - so here are my questions about your recipe, because I hate wasting the grain and I hate to disappoint my little one who is looking forward to learning how to bake bread himself - how was that for a long sentence :)?

1) Which setting do you use on the Zoj when using the milled grain? The Breadbeckers do a homemade setting with specific times for each rise/bake, so I wanted to see what you do. It seems like the point of the bread maker is to not have to take it out and bake it in an oven...? But if I have to, so be it.

2) Will Soft White Wheat be a disaster because it's too soft? I really want a fluffy, soft loaf and I'm scared to use hard white or the red.

3) Do you think I absolutely have to substitute in the gluten with the milled grain to get the fluff I'm looking for? I try to avoid extra gluten for health reasons.

4) If I'm milling my own grain, just use 3 cups of it? ...instead of 1.5 and 1.5?

Thank you so much!
Ashley

I tried your whole wheat bread recipe a few weeks ago and love it! It turns out perfect! I have had a grain mill for about 8 years and have been looking for a whole wheat bread that is not too heavy or dense and can be cut for sandwiches without totally falling apart. Yours passed the test. I have also tried many of your other recipes and have been equally satisfied with the turnout! Thank you so much!

God Bless

Tammy I baked this bread yesterday. I have NEVER baked bread before. My son-in-Law is a baker so he bakes but I am not a wheat bread person and neither is he. This was soooo easy I used my Kitchen-aid mixer and it mixed it perfect. It is sooo delicious. The only thing I did different was to add 2 teaspoons of instant clear-jel for conditioning(a tip from my son-in-law) It is so soft and the taste is out of this world. My son-in-law gives it a 10 he loved it too and everyone else in my family. I will bake this bread and never buy bread again. Thanks for posting this recipe and OH we live in Ohio so I used the first recipe.

Ok...I use to make this bread weekly by memory. Then we moved so I didn't bake for several weeks, and my computer died. I could not for the life of me remember the website name, my google search didn't find you either. I tried every King Arthur WW recipe they had. My kids kept saying..."why don't you just make your old bread, please" I made it, they walked in the door from school and could smell it instantly. I don't know how they could tell! They knew it was their old bread:) So now I want to adapt this recipe to a 13x4x4 pullman pan, to decrease the crust and make it perfect for sandwhiches. Any suggestions?

Ok so I must admit i messed it up! I didnt read that it was for instant active yeast, I used active yeast without "waking it up"! But the loaf turn out great. Made it last night around midnight, we now have half of the loaf left! Big hit with the kids! Thanks Tammy.

Hi Tammy, Thanks a bunch for sharing such wonderful information. I own a Zo and make bread about twice a week (for just two of us- me and my husband). I have three questions and I experience these problems with all bread recipes including your wonderful wheat bread recipe-
1. The breads turn out great but they are as soft as a cake. I am unable to cut it thin because I am worried it will tear. But they still manage to hold together but I want a bread that is slightly elastic not sponge-like.
2. My breads mold on the 4th day. So I dont know what people do under such circumstances but I usually powder it and store as breads crumbs. I am looking for a solution to make my bread not mold.
3. How can I get storebought bread texture in my crust? Chewy. As as mentioned in first point, my bread and the crust are all too soft. So I stopped buttering the top of my loaf after I take it out of the bread pan after the cycle ends, because then the crust becomes cloth-like/limp.
Please advise.

I found your site because I just received a Zogirushi bread maker for Christmas, so I have tried your recipe. I went to three different stores to get everything and measured and figured all that I can. (really how much is a pinch and a sprinkle?) It is very dense and does not look anything like your pictures. My friend says it does not look like the yeast was activated, but I put it on top in a dent in the flour like the instructions say to do. Totally away from salt/water/etc. Any recommendations? Here is a link to some pictures: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2848944308290.149837.1399945189&type=1&l=57b976dce7

From Tammy: There are so many variables for homemade yeast breads, I think your best recourse would be to start with using all (or mostly) bread flour or all-purpose flour rather than 100% whole wheat flour. We've done this in the past after moving or changing types of wheat, or other factors which caused failures in our 100% whole wheat bread. In my experience, geographical location can make a big difference in yeast bread results -- and working with 100% whole wheat yeast bread is the most challenging one to perfect! :)

I loved this recipe before, but my family wasn't so hot on it, so I changed it a little. Now my family just can't seem to get enough. What I did was to omit the water and brown sugar and replace them with milk and honey. It is a truly wonderful change for us.

This was the best wheat bread I have ever made, however the middle sank in after it came out of the oven. The second batch I made came out a little too hard. What am I doing wrong?

After numerous failed loaves (which we ate, for the most part, anyway, as the bread is delicious), I finally managed to make a wonderful loaf today. I used a small loaf pan, which was,I think, most of my problems before. I also opted to use my KitchenAid to mix and knead the dough in, rather than by hand, which made the bread turn out lighter and allowed it to rise more than the loaves I kneaded by hand. I have no doubt that now that I'm slowly getting this recipe mastered, I will be making it for my family at least once a week, if not more. Even the ones in my family that hate wheat bread are loving this half-and-half honey wheat! Thanks for the wonderful recipe, Tammy--as well as help when it wasn't turning out right.

Notes from Tammy: Whole grain yeast breads can be so tricky! (Have you read the post about my whole wheat bread failures after moving to WA?) For slow rising, one of the main things I can think of is the temperature of the room/location where you're letting the loaf rise. Have you tried warming the oven for a minute or two, turning it off, and then putting the loaf in there to rise? You could also try just one rise -- make the dough (it is kneaded enough when it is "smooth" and "elastic" and springy), put it in the pan, let it rise, and bake right then. It's worth a try if you've tried everything else! One more thing... what kind of whole wheat flour are you using? If your whole wheat flour isn't very fresh, or happens to not have much gluten in it, that could drastically affect your results.

Thanks for the advice-- I'll have to try that when I next make a loaf, probably later this week. I've tried putting it on the top of my oven when it is warm (not hot), but perhaps putting it in the slightly warm oven will work better. The flour is new (well,by that I mean I just bought it this past week, though you never know how "fresh" it is off the shelves at the store) and it's, I believe, Prarie Gold brand? I'd have to look at my package again; it was the only wheat flour that my local store even sold, but if it is the wrong kind for this recipe I will simple have to search out a bigger selection at another store! It may be a silly question, but would elevation have any affect on it? I live in the mountains in Utah, nearly 6,000 or so feet. Course, the wheather probably hasn't helped any--extremely hot and humid, with dry spells inbetween.... Oh, the troubles we go through for good tasting fresh bread! LOL. Once I try your suggestions, I'll let you know how everything turned out!
TBQ

From Tammy: Yes, altitude can make a difference but I'm not experienced with high-altitude baking so I don't have any tips on tweaking this recipe for that... I know our weather here makes a difference, too, but I haven't figured out exactly what. I just know sometimes I have success and some times (especially in November and December) I don't! And all-purpose or bread flour is easier to work with than whole wheat flour... good flour does make a difference, and whole wheat is the trickiest for getting that perfect loaf! :)

Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe. I have seriously been trying to find a good, easy recipe for wheat bread. This will be the one and only recipe I use for bread because it turned out so good and evenly baked and browned. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I REALLY appreciate it.

We've settled on this as our new go-to, favorite bread, even for sandwiches-- and my husband is picky about his sandwich bread, it has to be super soft! We go through about two loaves a week. I changed two things-- I let the yeast sit with the water and honey for about half an hour and THEN add everything else in-- and I let it rise three times. We had much better luck getting it to raise as high as we wanted with those tweaks. But THANK YOU for the conditioner suggestions-- that made all the difference. I wasn't willing to settle for a half wheat/half white bread, and your recipe was the winner of a month's worth of frustrating experiments and wasted loaves!

Another delicious recipe, Tammy! I made this bread with 100% spelt flour (lower gluten amount in that flour), did not add in any extra gluten, and used only honey to sweeten. I was giddy in excitement with the beautiful bread it resulted in! Thank you for the recipe. :)

Fabulous recipe! I used the updated version of the 100% whole wheat with the bread conditioner. I used Gold Medal whole wheat flour and I ground the flour in my magic bullet just to make less grainy. I'm not sure if that made a difference or not. This will be our main bread recipe from now on! Perfect and thank you!

Update-- I made another loaf without grinding the flour and it did make a difference. The second loaf did not rise as much as the first. I will continue to use the magic bullet to make my wheat flour fluffier.

I love wheat bread and I was trying to be more frugal and make it myself, then I came accross this recipe and fell in love with it! I think it is very yummy! My boyfriend likes white bread so when I make a loaf for him I use white flour instead of wheat and he thinks its great! Thank you for sharing Tammy! I love your website and have learned so many things from it! You have inspired me in so many aspects of my life Thank you!!! :)

*update - 2-26-11* I made this again and it came out awesome! Was gone quickly and had raving reviews. My dad said that it was better than the store-bought kind. My mom said it needed a little baking soda for better texture, but other than that, she enjoyed it, as well. I plan on making the 100% ww bread once I can get the dough conditioners. This was a fun experience!

Previous Review: I think I messed up on the dough on this one. Or something somewhere... this is my first time baking this and the middle of the bread came out very moist. Is that supposed to happen? Maybe it has to do with the way I formed the dough or the pan I baked it in (it's a small loaf pan). I'll be baking it again, though. Thanks for the recipe! - August 10, 2010

This bread is wonderful! I don't think anyone will believe that this is not store-bought bread! Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I have just made the leap into "grinding-my-own-wheat-land" and am so thankful to find a great recipe on my first try! I made the 100% whole wheat version with hard white wheat flour. I don't have any lecithin yet, but used the vital wheat gluten I purchased from Honeyville. I added a pinch of Everfresh as a substitute for the citric acid, since it is mostly ascorbic acid and citric acid. I was worried the bread would be two sweet because of the honey and brown sugar, but it was perfect! This is just as light and tender as the whole wheat bread I buy at the store! I let my Kitchenaid stand mixer knead the dough for about 5 minutes, then I kneaded by hand for another 8 minutes or so. I baked it in a 4x8 pan for 30 minutes, with foil on the top the last 5 minutes or so! I was so shocked at how high the bread rose!

I tried this bread once before and it did not turn out well, but I had a pretty good idea of where I had gone wrong. I tried it out again today and it turned out really well, although there's still a little room for improvement. I used only 1 Tablespoon of sugar and only about 2 1/4 cups flour and made it more like I do my other bread. Last time I added the full amount of flour and it made the dough tough and my loaf was really dense, but I think I also didn't let it rise enough then. I was happy with my turnout today and I'm ready to try it again in a bigger batch.

This is our favorite bread now...we make it every week. Absolutely perfect!
Amy
note: I use three of the recipe quantities to make two 4"x13" loaves...they turn out really big.

This bread is so delicious! I have been experimenting with bread baking on occasion for a couple of years, but I have never made a successful sandwich bread until I tried this recipe, and this is the best bread of any kind that I have ever made. Now my husband and I can't get enough homemade bread and I am trying to bake our own bread weekly. I have made both the 100% whole wheat version and the half whole wheat version with success. (Though I was blown away by how easy it was to get the half whole wheat version light and fluffy after trying with 100% whole wheat! But we have really enjoyed both kinds.)

Being so new to bread baking, it took some experimentation to figure out how wet the dough is supposed to look, and how much to knead, etc. In case anyone is experimenting with this, I found in my climate I got better rise with 2-3 tablespoons of milk instead of one. Also, I have been able to find all of the dough conditioners except the lecithin so adding that may help, and of course getting a grain mill to have fresh flour will probably help tremendously.

I can't say enough about how fantastic this bread is! Thank you for a wonderful blog, Tammy!

I have looked low and high for a good wheat bread my husband would eat as he likes the gummy store bought stuff This recipe is excellent!!! But I am still having my usual problem: My bread overflows my pan resulting in a mushroom effect that breaks when sliced at the "overflow". This happens with all recipes. I am using the large, old type bread pans.

Any suggestions?

From Tammy -- Sounds like a little too much dough for your pan(s). I'd say to try putting the dough in 2 pans, or make a double recipe and use 3 pans. :)

This recipe is the best!! I am now going to use it for my bread. I modified it a little (kefir instead of milk and used all honey instead of brown sugar) and it was delish!!! I mistakenly but in two tbsp of kefir instead of one but it didn't disrupt the loaf at all!!! Thank you for a great recipe!!!

This is the best wheat bread recipe I've ever tried! I make 1 loaf per week for my husband and myself. With the conditioners, it lasts a full 6 days (which is about how long it takes us to eat it). I've been using 2/3 wheat and 1/3 AP flour.
I got my new grain mill in today and am baking my first 100% wheat loaf right now. It looks good, but not quite as tall as the others. I guess I'll need to work on my conditioner measurements and try to get the "fluff" back into it.

I can't believe how perfect this recipe is. My husband said" You made this? It looks like its from the store" I used 100% soft white whole wheat that I mill myself. I always add vital wheat gluten but not with such great results. I made a loaf yesterday and Im now making another one ,we only have one slice left.I mixed it in the bread machine and baked in the oven. I also made the pita bread with just as good results. Thanks for another fantastic recipe.

I love this bread! I just printed the recipe and and made it today and I couldn't be more pleased. It's light, fluffly and tastes as yummy as it smells while it's baking. I had been making a recipe that turned out heavy, cakey and didn't taste anywhere near this good. This is my new everyday bread recipe!! Thank you!

Delicious. I made this completely with whole wheat flour and didn't add any of the extras recommended because I didn't have them handy. It came out perfect and can't stop eating it. Great warm with butter, can't wait til morning, toasted with my coffee!

I had to let mine rise longer because it was cool today, but, turned out to be the most delicious bread I have ever made. Not too dense like most recipes with whole wheat in the ingredients. I may try the gluten flour next time to help it rise quicker. Thank you for such a great recipe. Oh, I did mix mine by hand, maybe that's why it turned out so well, didn't think about that. But just lovely. Thanks Jessica

I've been trying to make really good whole wheat bread for years and I've used many different recipes and consulted lots of people. I've even been using lecithin and wheat gluten, too. I guess the ascorbic acid was the trick. Finally, ww bread that turned out exactly how I wanted it to. When I made the dough in my Kitchenaid, it was really dense and I wasn't so sure that it would turn out. I put it in a warm oven to rise, but it wasn't really rising after 45 minutes, so I pulled it out to rise on the counter; which it did just fine. Very soft texture, not dense at all. Great for making sandwiches. I no longer have to buy bread, yeah!

I have made this recipe for our family for the past 6 months (we make all our own bread) and it is by far our favorite. We double the recipe and make it in the kitchenaid and it turns out fabulous every time. I call it the error proof bread, we make a double batch several times a week! I allow the dough to rise in a warm oven in the kitchenaid bowl before transfering it to loaf pans, just as simple as the bread machine, just use your kneading hook and tastes fabulous!

Success
I tried this recipe two days ago. (thanks to Joshua I got all the enhancers he suggested - who would have thought that one can bake bread better than store bought) My first attempt was a delicious (but very dense loaf). I realized after wards that I didn't let the dough rise for long enough and that is why the results were a bit on the (brick) side. The kids loved it though and we finished the loaf last night. The kids (age 3 and 6)called it muffins (bless their souls). Today I tried again (with hubby's help). We put the dough under the electric blanket (in my bed of all places) and the results were fantastic. We polished all but two slices of the loaf for dinner. The kids have already ordered the next loaf for tomorrow. Hubby is looking forward to helping again. I've tried for 11 years to get him interested in my baking & cooking and this is the first time EVER he is taking an interest. Hubby asked me to check if there is a recipe for a loaf that will last longer ;) Thank you so much and keep up the good work.
edit - since the last post I made this recipe again (well I tripled up on all the ingredients to make 3 loaves) Big surprise - there goes my diet - three loaves only lasted 2 days.

We absolutely loved this bread. Recipe was incredibly easy to follow and the bread turned out perfectly. I'll make this again and again.

It's rare my baking comes out just like the picture--but it did with this. I ended up going back and making a quadruple batch and giving some to the neighbors. It was quite yummy!

I haven't had a slice yet, but I've sure picked at the dough (yummy), and the loft is so beautiful after a second rising in the bread pan. I don't see how this could be a bad loaf of bread! And it smells heavenly. I've been looking for a recipe that used whole wheat that couldn't be used as a doorstop later, and I think I just found the perfect bread recipe. I've seen suggestions to use molasses, which adds a nice dose of potassium and iron to the recipe.

This bread was very moist and tasty. I decided to bake it in my bread machine and it turned out great. Not dense at all.
Thanks Tammy for another great, tried and true recipe!

I've been making your recipe for wheat bread for about 6 months or so. We all love it!
I posted about it on my blog today, & linked back to you.
Thanks for another great recipe Tammy!

Last night I was gone for dinner, so I left instructions with DH to take the bread out when it was done from the breadmaker. I was a bit nervous, having never tried this recipe AND the fact that I was using the bread machine. But it turned out wonderfully! DH said, "That bread machine is cool!" lol. I just dumped it all in according to the order it was written, and put it on "normal/specialty" cycle (didn't choose wheat), 1 1/2 loaf, and medium crust. Wah-lah, 3 1/2 hours later it was a beautiful yummy loaf!

This is a fast and simple bread recipe. I am usually great at goofing up bread, but this recipe is really easy to follow. I also like that it rises quickly, so you can have fresh homemade bread in your hand in less than 2.5 hours. I am usually great at ruining bread, but this recipe turned out really lovely. It is a little more on the sweet side, and would be great as a dinner roll. The texture and sweetness reminded me of the bread that they serve at Outback Steakhouse.

In the past 24hrs I have used this recipe 3x's! I made it with the molasses instead of honey & when halvies with the flours...just fabulous! Even my 7yr old ate the crust! A selling point on it's own! I sent a loaf to my husband's office & received RAVE reviews from his employees...also passed along the website, so you will new additions to your member list soon. JUST THE BEST!

I love this bread. I add 4 tsp of vital wheat gluten, let my bread machine knead it. It's very easy this way, and this bread is even better than Sara Lee, with all its HFCS and chemicals added to make it soft and sweet.

I have tried many homemade bread recipes (too many to count) trying to find the PERFECT one. While many of them were very good, there was always something that just wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

I have finally found the PERFECT homemade bread with this recipe. It was easy to make (used my bread machine for the dough cycle) and was absolutely delicious. The texture was amazing - firm, yet soft and not crumbly at all! I am in awe and so thankful, Tammy.

Also, just a little sidenote. My husband is a hard one to impress. After he took the first bite of bread, his exact words were, "Wow that is some awesome bread, dear!". : )

I have finally found the perfect bread - my search is over. Thank you! PS - Forgot to add that I made 2 loaves: one exactly as recipe stated and one in which I substituted molasses for honey. The molasses was the favorite of the adults and the honey was the favorite of the kids. :) I'll be making both regularly. **Update: I made 3 more loaves of this over the weekend. Came out perfect and consistent every single time. Thanks again for this recipe. It is the new everyday bread for our family!

This bread is super easy to make and comes out consistantly good. We no longer buy bread at the store because it's so much tastier when I make this one! It's really easy to modify the recipe and still get a great loaf, too!

I'm a lazy measure-er, so I use 2 cups whole-wheat and 1 cup white flour. Turns out great. My whole family loves it! Someday I'll get brave and try making it with all whole-wheat, but I'm afraid it wouldn't rise as well.

I quadrupled the recipe and I plan to bake it bimonthly! It turned out great, but I think by quadrupling it- it may have made a dough too heavy for my Kitchenaid to knead ( it made a sad noise.)
Also found bulk yeast at a grocery store $3.50 for 2lbs!

I have been looking for a bread recipe that is good enough to make everyday instead of buying bread from the store. And I found it!! This bread is so yummy and my entire family loves it too!!! It has just the right amount of sweetness and I know what is in it which makes me feel even better! Thanks Tammy!!

Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I have tried several wheat bread recipes before and none were so yummy! Others were too gritty or sandy which my interpretation of normal wheat bread ;)

But this wheat bread is so sweet and smooth and yummy! My kids and husband ate almost the whole loaf with lunch. I too will stop buying bread unless I'm in a pinch and just make this recipe. It was also so easy to cut and didn't flake apart.

After making this, I may never buy bread from the grocery store again! I added a little bit of millet (about 2 1/2 T) to mine for some extra crunch. My husband is picky about bread, and he's been toasting this bread for breakfast ever since I made it!

I will be making this bread again! I let it knead and rise once in my bread machine. The first one I forgot and let it raise twice, so it rose three times all together and it was the best, actually! Honey is out of my budget right now, so I used molasses instead, but it was great! I mght have smaller loaf pans as each recipe made 1 large loaf and one small loaf. We ate the small one for dinner and the rest for later! It was so easy, I think I can make this everyday!

I made the recipe in my bread machine book but it wasn't what we liked so I was glad to see your recipe and give it a try. I really wanted to just knead it in my bread machine and then bake it in the oven - smells better and I like the long 'normal' loaf and my machine just does a tall loaf with a 'mushroom' top.
This was great! I made it as per your recipe first but found it a bit sweeter than we like it, so I left out the honey and it's just great. It tastes so much better than store bought bread that we aren't planning to buy bread any more. This recipe is so easy it's not I don't mind taking a few minutes to make it myself! Thanks again!

My family loves this bread, and I love that it's so easy to make. It made a beautiful loaf and is good as leftovers (especially warmed) as well. Oh, mine was done in 25 minutes. Thanks, Tammy!

I made the original first and was fast, easy and very tasty. I then made another and added 1/2 cup or so of Quick Oats and 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds. Making another loaf like that as I write this. Thanks Tammy for a great wheat bread recipe. My next attempt is adding apricots, raisens and some spices.

This Bread....
Is delicious!!! Very soft and tender, not wheaty tasting at all. I
used EVOL and all whole wheat flour. It turned out great. I have pics
on my blog if anyone wants to see how mine turned out. My family of 7
devoured two whole loaves at dinner time! I will use this recipe again
and again! Thanx so much!!

I just made this and already have eaten three pieces! The only change I made was to omit the milk (I was out) and increased the oil to 3T. I made the dough in my bread machine but baked it in the oven. Delicous!

I didn't grow up baking bread, so I always expected it to be too much work, but a couple weeks ago, I started baking bread for the first time using your recipes. First I tried the bagels and then this one - they both turned out great. Thanks so much!

Please see the recipe above for my complete review! Thanks! ~Tammy

Tammy, you have the most consistent recipes that seem to hit our family's palate. This one is another hit. My girls loved helping me knead the dough and then having a sample when it was done. This bread slices beautifully. It has a slight sweet flavor, but that did not stop us from sampling it with honey butter. I am looking forward to trying it toasted in the morning with peanut butter.