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 Packet Instant Yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 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.
Zamara says
This was pretty good! I followed the comments and added extra salt and maple syrup. Thanks so much!
Alison Andrews says
Cool! Glad to hear it worked out! 🙂
Marcy says
Hey, I was wondering If I could use all purpose flour instead because I dont have whole wheat flour and I can’t really go out and get some today
Alison Andrews says
I don’t know really, but this recipe wasn’t designed with all purpose flour in mind. You could try my bread rolls though as that recipe uses all purpose flour, and it would be possible to make that into bread rather than rolls.
Jo says
So easy and it turned out perfectly. I mixed it maybe 2 minutes in my Kitchen Aid with bread hook. It rose and baked it in a stoneware bread pan so did not need any oil at all for this recipe. Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome that it turned out well! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Mischelle says
I’m excited to make this bread! Me and my daughter are eating together, so I’m going to have to omit the salt (she’s only 6months) will write back on what I think. So I should expect this to be a little dense than store-bought bread right? I try to avoid them now because some of them has honey in it which LO can’t have too! <3
Alison Andrews says
Yes, it’s definitely more dense, if you have a slice or two it’s much more filling than a slice or two of regular bread would be. Hope it comes out great! 🙂
Mischelle says
Hi! We both love this bread! So perfect for avocado and some yoghurt, we had coconut yoghurt (i know, weird right). Because it’s dense and chewy (little bit like sourdough) my daughter loves it especially the crust! I love how filling it is and I froze half of it and actually making another batch right now 🙂 Thank you for sharing this recipe! The maple syrup added a good kind of sweetness to the bread too! So much love!
Alison Andrews says
That is SOOO great! So happy to hear that! And coconut yoghurt sounds amazing too! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Christina says
So good! I did the trick the other person commented about with the hot boiling water to make the yeast rise, cause I have been having the same problem with yeast recipes lately and everything being so cold. I added almost triple the maple syrup. I also did a blend of wheat pastry flour, whole wheat flour, and teff flour. I don’t have a bread pan, so I used a round cake pan instead. Took my yeast almost an hour to rise up, but it was worth the wait.PERFECT bread! Teff gives it a nice touch. Bread so good, I have to make a soup to go with it now, or else I’ll feel guilty about just feeding my family bread and butter for dinner. HAHA!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Christina! So glad it came out so well! And thanks for sharing about your adjustments, very helpful! 🙂
Sharra says
Can whole wheat all purpose flour be used instead of whole wheat bread flour?
Alison Andrews says
I think it should work out fine, but haven’t tried it myself.
Chrus says
Thank you so much for this recipe! This was my first ever attempt at making bread and it was a massive success. My family loved it! I used wholemeal spelt flour in place of wheat.
I think this experience has unlocked a new hobby for me 😀
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So glad to hear it worked well with spelt flour too! 🙂
Stacey J says
Start J should be stacey J. Gotta love autocorrect & small print.
Alison Andrews says
Hahaa definitely! 🙂
Start J says
This recipe was super easy to make. While prepping it, I began thinking of different flavors & ingredients to add. Are there any you would give the yay or nay to?
Alison Andrews says
Not really, I think whatever seems like a nice flavor add would be great! Let us know what you try! Would love to hear! 🙂
Start J says
I’m in the process of baking my bread as I type. It was super easy. Have about 20 mind left before I get to taste it.
I’m excited!
Jennifer says
OMG! Can’t wait to try this!
Alison Andrews says
Great! Let us know how it works out! 🙂
Karen says
I followed the directions exactly but mine wasn’t sticky at all-too dry so i added a little water. It still didn’t look sticky really. It also didn’t rise at all. Any ideas?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Karen, I’m not really sure about why the dough didn’t seem sticky. Usually a flour/water combo would be quite sticky. It’s usually when you knead that you remove the stickiness, but in this recipe it’s no kneading required. With regard to not rising that is yeast that didn’t work. It sometimes happens that the yeast you have is no longer fresh so it just doesn’t work anymore. It might have sat for too long on the shelf at the store. If you try it again try a different batch of yeast altogether. All the best!
Michael Sklaroff says
Mine just came out of the bread pan, and it looks fabulous. Can’t wait to try it with the spaghetti squash, mushroom and tomato sauce concoction someone special is making for dinner. One thing: I lined the pan with parchment paper instead of using cooking spray or oil. No problem getting it out of the pan, and it looks just like the picture of yours. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic Michael! That sounds like a great dinner! Thanks for posting. 🙂
Pauline Christmas says
ALISON, I MADE THIS TODAY. I USED 2 TSP OF SUGAR INSTEAD OF MAPLE SYRUP. IT’S SO EASY TO MAKE. AND WITH DISABILITY ISSUES, I REALLY LOVE, NOT HAVING TO KNEAD IT! AND THEN HAVING TO WAIT FOR TWO RISINGS. OH, MY IT IS SO DELICIOUS! JUST AMAZING! JUST WONDERING, CAN I MAKE THIS WITHOUT ANY SUGAR OR JUST 1 TSP?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Pauline, so glad you liked it! Yes, not having to knead it is the best thing! You can likely reduce the sugar to 1 tsp or leave it out, I don’t think it would affect the result.
Shannon says
Great recipe. Made it today. I’m 5 days into vegan eating and needed some good homemade bread. Thank you for sharing.
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing!