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.
I tried this recipe and my family and I were really impressed! Great easy recipe, will always make this from now on. No more store bought! I topped mine with some oats and sunflower and pumpkin seeds (brushed with with egg white and soaked a 1/4 cup of the seeds before adding on top of the bread.
Thank you.
Nayeema
Yay! Thanks so much for your great review!
I tried this bread and will definitely make it again.
I used 2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups white flour. It is low salt so next time I will increase it to 1 tsp.
After waiting a half hour and not seeing it rise very much, I kneaded it for a few minutes and put it back in the pan. It rose beautifully in a short time and had a great texture.
Thanks so much for sharing Susan!
This recipe is a winner! I ground wheat berries to make the wheat flour and followed the recipe exactly except added a bit of honey. Since I used sea salt it had amazing flavor. The outside was crunchy with the perfect balance of softness inside. The EASE of making this recipe without a a bread machine was a bonus. I’m in high altitude in CO and it rose perfectly. Love it!! Thank you!!!
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and for your lovely review Cherie!
I made this recipe. The crust was very hard and the flavor was bland. Would not make again. I usually love the recipes on this site.
This is my go to bread recipe and it turns out perfect every time! I weigh my ingredients and have yet to have any issues.
So glad to hear you enjoy the recipe Rachel! Thanks so much for you great review!
Very easy to make. Family really enjoyed it. I can’t imagine how anyone would get 16 slices, my son’s 4 slices used up half the loaf. Will definitely make it again. I put seeds on the top, next time I’ll add them to the mixture.
This is the first time I have successfully made bread, my other attempts went in the bin.
That’s awesome Karen. Yes, the slice size depends from person to person. 🙂 Thanks so much for your lovely review!
Thanks for this recipe! I tried this and it is delicious, though it sank in the middle (during baking, not after) and made the bread more dense than I think it’s supposed to be. Any tips on preventing the sinking and getting a nice rounded top like you have?
I add cinnamon and raisins to mine and my kids LOVE it!
Hi, I’m just wondering how much 1 serving weighs? Or how many slices did your recipe make of using the same size pan?
Hi Nick, we got out 16 slices.
I was excited to try this recipe. I’ve never made bread before, so this seemed like a good place to start.
It smelled absolutely delicious while baking, and I was pleased with the texture: crusty on the outside, soft on the inside.
However, the bread’s flavor is so bland! I really don’t think 1/2 teaspoon of salt is enough for this recipe. The flavor just feels like something is “missing.”
Sorry to hear that Ashley. You are welcome to add more salt next time. Hope you try again soon. All the best!
I love this bread and the way it turns out but when I slice the bread the first couple inches off each end are perfect but when I get towards the middle the slices crumble and are unusable to put in the toaster or use for a sandwich.I’ve thought of adding a tablespoon or 2 of evoo. Do you have any suggestions to prevent crumbling?
Hi Harvey. This is a more dense bread with a bigger size crumb. Did you slice the bread while still warm?
No I did not slice the bread while warm. In fact I don’t start slicing into the middle of the loaf until a couple days after I make it in order to freeze the slices before the bread spoils. I end up putting the crumbled pieces in the oven and warming them that way but I’d prefer good uniform slices. I added a tablespoon of evoo to the last loaf but it didn’t help. Do you have any suggestions?
I love this recipe. I mix it by hand, weigh the ingredients and have used regular sugar both times I made it. Although the recipe says it is best the first day, my family likes it as it ages. I will make this often!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Bee!
I’m not vegan, but was looking for a simple whole wheat bread recipes. This was very simple, but I think I accidentally did 5 cups of the flour cause my dough was very dense & less cake batter-ish like yours. I also used honey instead of maple syrup cause that’s what I had on hand, but I can’t really taste it. Either way, this bread will do the trick & I’ll be sure to count very closely next time.
Thanks for sharing Mahala!
So easy and it came out perfectly. Delicious!
Awesome! Thanks so much for your great review!
I made this bread, was nice and easy to follow the instructions. however after baking for 40mins it came out rock hard around the sides and wet in the middle.. not sure what I did wrong?? I did have to convert the oven temp to fan assisted oven, so maybe this was the cause??
I have a slightly smaller looking (than your metal) glass loaf pan – do I need to alter the recipe at all? Thank you.
Hi Crystal! Glass takes longer to bake so you will need to check and see how the bread looks at 50 minutes. If it’s not ready, bake for longer.