The Best Honey Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

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If you’re looking for a hearty, wholesome bread that’s soft, slightly sweet, and perfect for everyday use, this Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe is a must-try! Made with simple pantry ingredients, it’s packed with the goodness of whole grains and the natural sweetness of honey. Whether you’re baking your first loaf or you’re a seasoned bread maker, this recipe is easy to follow and yields delicious, homemade bread that’s great for sandwiches, toast, or just warm with a pat of butter.

Originally posted February 2010, updated July 2025

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

A long time ago (think… 2010), all of my kids were little and my youngest son wasn’t even born yet, we regularly did freezer cooking days, menu planning, and a lot of recipe experimenting as a part of our homeschool learning. That’s the first time we made this homemade bread recipe and it was instantly a favorite. 

This French Bread recipe also came from those experiments, and it’s still popular too.

At that time, my son oldest son Joshua (who was 12 years old at the time) made this bread on our Freezer Cooking Day and it was a smashing success! The recipe makes two loaves of bread so you can eat one fresh out of the oven and save the second loaf for sandwiches later or as a side dish to dinner.

Homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bread wasn’t in our original plan, but after making it, it went to the top of our list of favorite recipes! I’m not usually a fan of wheat bread, but this homemade bread was delicious and was nothing like store-bought bread.

 One reader asked about how we got it to rise SO HIGH! Well, I cannot take credit for anything related to this bread. Joshua made it from beginning to end, completely on his own! He used the recipe from the back of the Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour bag, did all the measuring and hand kneading, and I even had him type it up for me as a homeschool assignment to practice typing.

Tools Needed

I consider every tool you’ll need for this homemade whole wheat bread to be pretty common in most kitchens. The only thing that you may not have is two loaf pans if you don’t often bake fresh bread.

• Small Bowl
• Large Bowls
• Whisk
• Electric Mixer
• Rubber Spatula
• Large Mixing Spoon
• Rolling Pin
• Loaf Pans
• Clean Dish Towel
• Wire Rack (or Cooling Rack)
• Instant-read Thermometer

Ingredients

These are very simple ingredients are found at any grocery store. You won’t need bread flour, a stand mixer, or a bread machine. And you will be so impressed with how easy it is to make your own bread.

• Regular active dry yeast (not Instant Yeast)
• Warm water
• Honey
• Butter, melted
• Salt (table salt or kosher salt will work just fine)
• Very warm water
• Gold Medal whole wheat flour
• Gold Medal All-purpose flour
• Nonstick spray (we like olive oil spray)

Find the complete recipe with ingredient measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Homemade Honey Wheat Bread

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, mix honey, butter, salt, and very warm water; allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Add 3 cups of the whole wheat flour to the cooled honey mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently, until moistened. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Beat in the remaining 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and the yeast mixture. With a spoon, stir in 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 of all-purpose flour until the bread dough pulls cleanly away from the side of the bowl.
4. Place the sticky dough on a floured work surface. Knead in the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup of white flour; continue kneading for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy. 
5. Grease large bowl with shortening or cooking spray; transfer dough to the bowl, turning the dough to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a cloth kitchen towel. 
6. For the first rise, let the dough rise in a warm place (80° F to 85° F) for 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
7. Generously grease two (8×4 or 9×5 inch) bread pans with shortening or cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate; divide in half. 
8. On lightly floured surface, roll each half of dough with rolling pin into 18×8-inch rectangle. Starting with one 8-inch side, roll up the bread dough tightly, pressing with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal; pinch each end to seal. fold ends under loaf; place seam side down in pan. Cover and do a second rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
9. Preheat oven to 375°F. Uncover dough and bake for 30 minutes. 
10. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped and are golden brown on top. 
11. Immediately remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely before serving, about 1 hour.

FAQ

Servings Suggestions

This recipe is perfect to use as whole wheat sandwich bread, for toast with jelly, or it’s also a good bread to serve with a warm bowl of soup. It’s great fresh the day it’s baked or the next day.

More Bread Recipes

• Kitchenaid Bread Recipe
• Indian Fry Bread
• Easy Beer Bread (One Bowl – No Kneading)
• Cheesy Broccoli Cornbread Recipe (with Jiffy Mix)