This easy honey wheat bread recipe has a soft interior & chewy crust thanks to both all purpose flour + whole wheat flour. And just a little honey balances all the flavors without making it too sweet.
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I Found My New Favorite Sandwich Bread
Ever since childhood, honey wheat bread was my favorite bread of choice for my daily cream cheese + salami sandwiches in elementary school. And I've finally nailed this homemade version from scratch that tastes even better than store-bought!
Now, to avoid my homemade honey wheat bread from being too dense, I used a combo of two flours. White flour makes sure it’s soft and fluffy on the inside, while whole wheat flour adds a hearty texture and slightly nutty flavor. Of course, if you want a 100% wheat bread, try my no-knead whole wheat bread! And I found that ¼ cup of honey is the perfect amount to add balance the wheat flavor, without making this a sweet bread.
And after testing this loaf in different ways, I decided I prefer baking it in a loaf pan, because it ends up way easier to slice into equal-sized pieces for toast and sandwiches. Of course, you could also bake this in the Dutch oven for a crispier crust, like I do for many of my other rustic yeast breads.
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let's Bake this Recipe
For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient quantities, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Gather your ingredients.
2. Whisk the flours, yeast & salt.
3. Mix in the water and honey.
5. Place the dough in a mixing bowl.
7. Shape the dough & place it in a loaf pan.
9. Bake the bread until it's golden.
4. Knead the dough until it's elastic.
6. Let the dough rise & double in size.
8. Allow the dough to proof and puff up.
10. Cool completely before slicing.
Pro Bread Baking Tips
- Yeast: I’ve learned the hard way how important it is to take a quick second to make sure your yeast hasn't expired, otherwise your dough won’t rise.
- Kneading: To avoid putting my dough-covered hand back in my flour bag, I always have a scoop of extra flour in a small bowl on the counter while kneading.
- Rising: For optimal rising & proofing, I always set my dough in a warm, draft-free spot, like in my oven (turned off) with the light turned on.
Soft Honey Wheat Bread for Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 1 teaspoon salt (use either table salt or fine sea salt)
- ¼ cup honey
- 1¾ cups warm water (between 100°F to 110°F or 38°C to 43°C)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, active dry yeast, and salt.
- Add the honey and warm water, and mix with a large spoon or your hand in the mixing bowl for a few minutes, until it forms a wet dough, and there are no visible pockets of dry flour.
- On a floured work surface, knead the dough by hand for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. (Add a little sprinkle of flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to your counter or your hands.)
- Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean mixing bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until it about doubles in size, after about 2 hours.
- On a clean work surface, shape the dough into an oval shape. Gently spread the top edges of the dough down the sides and underneath, to create tension on the top. All the seams or edges of the dough should be tucked underneath.Place the dough in a greased 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Cover the dough again with a towel and allow it to proof for 30 minutes to 1 hour in a warm draft-free spot. The dough is done proofing once an indent made by your finger into the dough springs back after 2-3 seconds.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.Bake the loaf for 30 to 35 minutes, until it’s brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Allow the loaf to cool for 10 minutes, then remove it from the loaf pan. Allow it to finish cooling on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Storing: I prefer to store by cooled loaves in a bread box or a paper bag at room temperature.
Shelly
I got this in the email update, tried it the same day since I had the ingredients and it turned out great, thank you for sharing!
Carissa Erzen
Hi Shelly, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this bread! It's definitely one of my favorites for sandwiches and toast.