This honey wheat bread is so soft and delicious. It is beginner friendly, uses the bread machine and only a few basic ingredients. It is a great bread to begin with if you are trying to get your family to eat more whole wheat.
This soft honey whole wheat bread is the perfect next step if you’ve already mastered a basic white sandwich loaf and want something a little heartier—without getting complicated. This recipe is beginner-friendly, dependable, and made entirely in the bread machine using simple, everyday ingredients. No special techniques. No molasses. No tricks.
What makes this loaf special is the balance: half whole wheat flour and half bread flour. That combination gives you the nutrition and flavor of whole wheat, while still producing a loaf that’s soft, tender, and ideal for sandwiches or toast.
This recipe is designed specifically for success in a bread machine.
Getting the Bread Pan Ready
Start with a clean bread pan and paddle. Before placing the paddle on the stem, dip it into the measured oil. This lightly oils the inside of the paddle hole and makes removal much easier after baking. Pour the remaining oil directly into the bread pan.
Using oil rather than butter keeps this recipe simple and very reliable. Butter and other fats can work, but for consistent results—especially for beginners—vegetable or cooking oil is the most fail-proof option.
Ingredients Order Matters
Add the liquids first:
- Oil
- Room-temperature, filtered water
- Honey
Next, add the salt and yeast directly to the liquids. Activating the yeast early helps ensure a good rise, especially when working with whole wheat flour.
For the dry ingredients, use fine-ground whole wheat flour, not multigrain flour. These are not interchangeable. Multigrain flours often contain little gluten and require an entirely different recipe.
Finish by adding the bread flour. When measuring flour, don’t pack it into the cup. Spoon it in lightly or scoop gently if your flour is already loose and fluffy.
Choosing the Bread Machine Settings
This loaf uses the basic white bread setting, even though it contains whole wheat flour. Because the recipe is half whole wheat and half bread flour, the standard white cycle works beautifully.
- Menu: Basic / White
- Loaf size: 2 lb
- Crust color: Medium
If your machine has a whole wheat setting and you’ve had good results with it, you can use that instead. Both will work.
The Dough Ball: The Key to Success
After the machine begins mixing, check the dough ball at around 3–4 minutes. Whole wheat dough will look wetter and stickier than white dough at this stage. That’s normal.
Whole wheat flour absorbs liquid more slowly, so instead of adding extra flour too soon, pause the machine and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. This allows the flour time to hydrate properly.
When mixing resumes, the dough should form a soft, stretchy ball that is still slightly tacky. A dough ball that’s too dry or stiff will produce a dense loaf that doesn’t rise well. With whole wheat, a wetter dough is better.
By about 30 minutes into mixing, the dough should be smooth, elastic, and soft, springing back gently when pressed.
Baking and Cooling
Once baking is complete, remove the loaf from the machine promptly so it doesn’t continue warming. Let it sit in the pan briefly, then turn it out onto a rack.
Cooling is critical—especially for whole wheat bread. Allow the loaf to cool completely for at least one hour before slicing. Cutting too early will cause the crumb to become gummy and dense, even if the bread was baked perfectly.
The Finished Loaf
The finished honey whole wheat bread has a beautiful, even crumb and a soft, tender texture. It slices cleanly and works wonderfully for sandwiches, toast, or everyday eating.
This is an excellent recipe for anyone new to whole wheat bread or anyone who wants a reliable, no-nonsense loaf that turns out well every time.
If you want to make a smaller loaf, a 1½-pound version is available and follows the same method—just adjust the loaf size setting on your machine.
This recipe proves that whole wheat bread doesn’t have to be heavy, dry, or complicated. Simple ingredients, the right dough consistency, and patience during cooling make all the difference.
Recipe
2lb loaf
1 ⅓ cup room temperature water
¼ cup oil
2 teaspoons salt (use 1 ½ if using fine table salt)
¼ cup honey
2 ¼ teaspoons active yeast
1 ½ cups fine whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups bread flour
2lb setting on bread machine, medium crust, menu option 1 for soft white or you can use the whole wheat setting
1.5 lb loaf
Sometimes a smaller loaf is better than a big loaf. This recipe creates the same honey wheat bread on a smaller scale. You would use the same settings on the bread machine except for the loaf size where you would select 1.5 lb loaf.
7/8 cup (210 ml) water, room temp (this is one cup minus 2 tablespoons)
2 ½ tbsp oil
1 ⅓ tsp salt (or 1 tsp fine table salt)
2 ½ tbsp honey
1 ½ tsp active yeast
1 cup fine whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1.5 lb setting on bread machine, medium crust, menu option 1 for soft white or you can use the whole wheat setting
For better how to you can watch the full video on YouTube where I show you step by step and give great bread baking tips.