At home, we love homemade bread. Iván usually makes it with sourdough starter, but on days when he’s short on time, he uses yeast-fermented bread.
For this occasion, she’s made a whole wheat bread recipe. It’s a very basic recipe, perfect for beginners. No complications or extra ingredients—just perfect for a quick and easy meal.
Making your own bread at home is incredibly rewarding. With just four ingredients—water, flour, salt, and yeast—you can transform it into a true delicacy, worthy of being eaten on its own. It’s full of flavor and, if you use good flour, nutritious.
On the other hand, the most important part of the process is recognizing the stages that the ingredients and the dough go through. This is key to making a tender, aromatic loaf of bread that doesn’t over-ferment or under-ferment.
I recommend you watch the video and read this post to the end. We know it’s not a short video, but I can only tell you that if you don’t have this time to watch the video, you won’t have time to make your own bread either. I assure you the result will be worth it.
If you decide to bake your own whole wheat bread at home, the next step to making quality bread is time. Allowing time for fermentation and using long fermentation processes is key to achieving more digestible bread with a much more interesting flavor and aroma. No more bland, white loaves that look like tasteless clouds.
As always, we’ve provided the recipe in detail in writing, as well as the video so you can see all the steps at a glance.
The Advantages of Making Whole Wheat Bread at Home
You see, white bread is made with refined flour. This means it’s the result of grains that undergo industrial processes to make them finer (Gottau, 2017). On the other hand, whole wheat flour is unrefined; that is, the grains remain whole.
This is why their nutritional value increases considerably. In fact, they contain more fiber, vitamin B, iron, potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients in comparison (Mayo Clinic, 2017).
And as for the taste, whole wheat bread is just as good as white bread—especially considering you can make it at home and personalize it to your liking.
That’s why at CrazyEspresso.com we bring you this simple whole wheat bread recipe so you can test your skills in the incredible and vast world of baking. You don’t need any experience! Follow these steps and dare to delight your taste buds.
How to Make 100% Whole Wheat Bread Healthy Recipe?
Wholemeal bread is much healthier (unless you have a pre-existing condition that contraindicates it) and has a more intense flavor than bread made with refined flour. That’s why today we’re bringing you this simple and delicious wholemeal bread recipe to make at home.
Recipe overview
Preparation time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Dish: Side, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: homemade bread, healthy homemade bread, whole wheat bread, 100% whole wheat bread
Servings: Approximately 10 servings
Calories: 157 kcal
Author: Fatima
Cost: $2–3
Equipment
- Bowl
- Tracing paper
- Oven
- Rag
Ingredients table
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Warm water | 350 ml | Warm (not boiling) |
| Salt | 1 tsp | — |
| Baker’s yeast or fresh yeast | 1 tbsp | Either option works |
| Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) | 1 tbsp | Adds softness and flavor |
| Wholemeal flour (any cereal) | 500 g | If gluten-free, add 20 g psyllium |
| Raisins (optional) | 10 | Optional |
Instructions
- Add the salt and yeast to the warm water and mix it well.
- Add the flour and extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), and mix all the ingredients well.
- Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
- Knead vigorously for 20–25 minutes (since it’s whole wheat, you’ll need to knead it more to make it fluffy). If you’re using a food processor, 12–15 minutes is enough.
- Take the dough out onto parchment paper and give it the desired shape (I put it in a salad bowl).
- Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest and grow for 1 hour 30 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, calculate when to turn on the oven so that after an hour and a half you can put the dough in and it will be at 180ºC.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Take it out, let it cool, and… if you like, you can slice it and put it straight in the freezer. That way, you can better control the amount by taking it out and toasting it directly whenever you want a slice.
- Enjoy!
Video Guide 📺
Nutritional facts table
| Serving size | Calories | Carbohydrates | Protein | Fat | Sugar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 g | 157 kcal | 29 g | 4 g | 1.8 g | 2.6 g |
How to Preserve Homemade Whole Wheat Bread?
These homemade breads usually keep for longer than the breads that are usually bought in the supermarket or the “basic” bakery breads.
Thus, in consultation we usually recommend making slices with any bread (not just homemade) and freezing them in order to better ration the daily amount consumed.
We all know that if we have bread in sight… it’s easier to overindulge.
And, really, it is not a necessary food in our diet, because we generally reach the necessary daily amount of carbohydrates, even if it is excessive.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
What if I only have white flour?
This recipe is designed for wholemeal flour, so using white flour will change the texture and flavor. If you do swap it, you may need slightly less water and a shorter knead.
Can I skip the olive oil?
Yes, you can, but the crumb may turn out a bit less soft and the flavor slightly less rich. The EVOO helps with tenderness.
How do I know the dough has risen enough?
A simple check: the dough should look puffed and bigger after the 1 hour 30 minutes rest. If your kitchen is cold, it might need a little more time.
Is freezing bread actually a good idea?
Yes—freezing slices makes it easy to control portions. You can toast straight from frozen, which is convenient and helps avoid waste.
Can I make it gluten-free?
The recipe mentions a gluten-free option: use gluten-free wholemeal flour and add 20 g psyllium to help structure the dough.
Conclusion
This whole wheat bread recipe is simple, beginner-friendly, and built around the basics—water, flour, salt, and yeast—plus a little olive oil for extra softness.
The biggest secret isn’t fancy ingredients; it’s paying attention to the dough and giving it the time it needs. If you follow the steps, knead well, and let fermentation do its job, you’ll end up with a loaf that’s flavorful, aromatic, and worth making again (and again).
