Simple 5-ingredient whole wheat bread. You just don’t get easier than this no-fail and no-knead recipe! Hearty, wholesome, nourishing and delicious!
You know, I always wanted to be the kind of person who makes their own hummus and bakes their own whole wheat bread. So I’m pretty chuffed that I have become this person!
So now I can feel all wholesome and earth-motherish. Well, at least I would if I had some kiddos other than my two cat babies.
Recently someone was saying to me that they’re ‘eating clean’ now.
And ‘eating clean’ is quite the popular phrase in diet culture. But depending on which diet camp you’ve found yourself, ‘clean’ can have vastly different meanings. Like for some it means eating plenty of meat but cutting out grains and processed foods. And of course that is not at all what it means in the vegan community.
But anyway, I am not a fan of labelling foods like this because it’s a value judgement, like ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Which some can take to extremes and it can lead to eating disorders (not good).
But that being said, lately it can be hard to find a loaf of bread in the store that doesn’t have a heap of junk in it. There is one particular loaf of wholewheat bread that I bought, and we just didn’t get around to eating it (or throwing it out).
However, it was just as perfectly fresh 3 weeks after purchase as it was on the day I brought it home from the store. Hmmm.
So I do like to make some whole wheat bread myself, and when it’s as easy as THIS, then there’s no reason not to! Also check out our other super easy bread recipes, our vegan white bread, vegan soda bread and vegan focaccia.
How To Make Whole Wheat Bread
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
I have literally never come across a recipe as easy as this. It’s just 5-ingredients, and you don’t even have to knead it.
In fact, kneading is out with this recipe. You just throw some whole wheat flour, instant yeast and a little salt to a mixing bowl.
Then mix maple syrup with warm water and then add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Mix in to just combine (no kneading! I’m not going to tell you again you super-keen kneading fan), move it into a greased loaf pan (a little parchment paper on the bottom is also a good idea), cover it and leave it to rise for 20 minutes.
It does all its rising before it even hits the oven. So the height it is when it goes in is pretty much the height it is when it comes out.
Put it into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. And bingo you have freshly baked bread!
Who Needs A Bread Machine?
I mean really I don’t think it could be easier even if you used a bread machine. Well, I’ve never used a bread machine so I can’t really compare, but with a recipe as easy as this, who needs a bread machine?
Well, don’t quote me on that, maybe I’ll get one, one of these days. I do like nifty little appliances.
And the BEST thing about baking your own whole wheat bread is your whole house smells delicious and you get to eat it warm from the oven.
Serving Suggestions
I mean really if you don’t feel like cooking, just make a loaf of this (it barely counts as ‘cooking’ it’s too easy), and serve it with a huge salad, maybe some roasted garlic hummus and avocado and various other toppings and dinner is done and dusted!
Of course it goes immensely well with any homemade soups too! So if you’re having a delicious vegan potato leek soup or vegan tomato soup or vegan lentil soup for dinner, then this is going to be awesome for dipping.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is very versatile and has worked great when we’ve switched up the flours. We have tried this recipe as follows and all have worked out great:
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3 cups all purpose flour
- 4 cups all purpose flour
Make It Gluten-Free
It even works with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. I find that adding a tablespoon or two of olive oil (at the same time as the other wet ingredients) makes the gluten-free version come out softer.
Storing Tips
It’s best when very fresh (the day of making it) but it will keep for a couple of days in a closed container and it also makes very delicious toast!
You can freeze it, and that’s best done on the day of baking to lock in the freshness. If you freeze it on the second or third day then you can use it for toast straight from the freezer.
Want Some Toppings For Your Whole Wheat Bread?
- Homemade Vegan Butter
- Homemade Peanut Butter
- Homemade Cashew Butter
- Homemade Almond Butter
- Simple Vegan Guacamole
- Creamy Avocado Hummus
And for more breads, check out our vegan cornbread, vegan banana bread and our easy vegan dinner rolls!
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Easy No-Fail Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour (520g)
- 1 Tbsp Instant Yeast
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Maple Syrup
- 2 cups Warm Water (480ml)
Instructions
- Add the flour to a mixing bowl with the yeast and salt and mix together.
- Dissolve the maple syrup in the warm water and then add to the dry ingredients.
- Mix – don’t knead – until you have a sticky well combined dough.
- Transfer to a greased 9×5 loaf pan. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper if you think there will be any chance of it sticking.
- Cover and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
- While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
- After 20 minutes* when the dough has risen, bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
- Absolutely BEST when fresh, but will keep for a day or two in a closed container. After which you can make the most delicious toast.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your flour for the most accurate results.
- Maple syrup can be replaced by another sweetener such as agave nectar or other syrup.
- If your dough hasn’t quite risen as high as mine in the picture at the 20 minute mark then leave it a couple more minutes, sometimes it takes a couple of minutes longer to get to the perfect height, but don’t leave it too long or it will rise too high and then you’ll get a muffin top loaf!
- Prep time includes the 20 minutes spent rising.
Foolproof and delicious ! Thank you !
Made it for first time on Mother’s Day…’under pressure’…came out just like you promised! Thank You Alison!
So happy to hear that!
This is such a good and simple recipe. You can also add mung bean sprouts which give the bread a sweet flavour. Back in the hippy days this was a favourite easy way to make fresh bread daily without taking any time really.
Hi Alison, I have just come across your healthy, quick and easy recipe.
I am hoping to get a chance today to make it.
I was wondering why it is only suitable for toast after freezing.
Regards from Australia 🇦🇺
Hi Lorraine, I realize that part of the post wasn’t entirely clear so I have updated it!
I can’t believe how easy it is to make. First time I have made this recipe and will definitely make it again.
Thanks Anna!
Absolutely love this recipe – it is so easy and the bread tastes amazing! I use honey instead of maple syrup and add some mixed seeds for extra flavour and texture.
I was wondering, can I use spelt flour instead of regular wholewheat flour?
So happy you love the recipe Chrisna! I haven’t tried spelt flour but I do find this recipe to be very flexible with different flours so definitely worth a try.
This is really easy to make and tasty. I’ve made this bread twice. Second time I tried half all purpose and half whole wheat flour and my kid and I liked it better. It’s so much better than store bought bread. Next time I will add some walnuts and seeds to increase health benefits. Thank you so much for such an awesome easy to make recipe! As a working Mom I love this recipe, it’s so easy to make but healthy and tasty bread! Even on weekdays I can make this healthy bread.
Awesome, thanks for the great review Jane!
I love this bread. I make it a lot, 2 loaves at a time. I do have to line the pans with non-stick foil. The nutrition info is great, but missing how many slices you got from a loaf. Thanks for all your work.
So happy you like it Linda, it’s based on 16 slices per loaf.
This recipe is a real saviour! I was looking for the best options for breads for my toddler, and I am not satisfied with commercial breads no matter what the label says. I perfected this recipe the second time and it tastes so good! Only used half the yeast and it took less time to rise as I live in a hot country. Thanks for this 🙂
I feel there is an error in the recipe. Salt should be more like 1-1/2 t., not 1/2 t. I noticed this at the outset as being way below what I typically see in bread recipes (about 1/2 t. per cup of flour). Made the recipe as published, never-the-less, and found the flavor of the finished bread was indeed seriously lacking due to the low ratio of salt. Therefore had to give it a lower rating. As for how easy it was, though, it truly is an effortless recipe. In addition to the salt issue, this bread lacks the developed flavor of a kneaded or long rise bread, but that is the trade-off for speed and ease, so I did not fault the recipe for this.
Tried the recipe today – and was pleased with the results. Used honey in place of maple syrup (which I didn’t have). Made a half sized loaf and cooked it for 25 mins (just over half the time for the whole loaf). This worked well also. Thank you.
I’m not all that good when it comes to baking, but this came out fine for me. I added sunflower and pumpkin seeds along with a little nutritional yeast. I baked it in a countertop convection oven at 390F for about 30 minutes. Great with almond butter!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I discovered it two days ago and I already made two loaves! my kids and I loved it , it’s so fresh and tasty and has this nutty taste from the whole wheat flour which makes it extra yummy. Thanks again!! I think im not buying bread anymore 😀