Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe

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This whole wheat sandwich bread makes the perfect housewarming bread! Nothing beats good homemade bread, made with love and care. And this whole wheat bread recipe is exactly that. Warm comfort straight from the oven.

If you’ve ever watched “It’s A Wonderful Life”, you may remember a part of the movie where George and Mary welcome the Martinis to their new house. Mary says to Mrs. Martini,

“Bread, that this house may never know hunger. Salt, that life may always have flavor.”

Then George says to Mr. Martini,

“And wine… that joy and prosperity may reign forever.”

I love this part of the movie because I’m a sucker for these types of traditions. They have so much meaning and good will behind them and sadly, they are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Many of these types of traditions are already extinct. I think this is a sad thing because these types of traditions add a certain “flavor” to everyday life that is lacking in our ever-busy, technologically “improved” lifestyle these days. But maybe by sharing this recipe, I can revive just a little bit of tradition.

Is Whole Wheat Bread The Same As Whole Grain Bread?

Whole wheat bread is whole grain bread, but whole grain bread isn’t necessarily whole wheat bread. Whole grain bread can be made from any whole grain including wheat, rice rye, or oats.

Is A Sandwich With Whole Wheat Bread Healthy?

That depends. It’s better than a sandwich on white bread, to be sure. But “healthy” is a subjective term and will also depend on what you put in between those slices of bread.

Why Whole Wheat Is Better Than White

Any time you strip away the nutritious part of a grain, it converts to sugar much faster in your body than a whole grain does. So your insulin takes a bigger, harder hit. Whole grains digest much slower, making things easier and healthier for your body.

About The Ingredients

Warm water – hot, but cool enough to stick your finger in it without burning yourself.

Instant yeast – active dry yeast.

Sucanat – or honey.

Vital wheat gluten – found at most health food stores.

10-grain cereal – uncooked – I used multi-grain cereal from Trader Joe’s.

Oat flour – You can buy this or grind your own from whole oats in a blender.

White whole wheat flour – This is pretty widely available.

Olive oil – or any light flavored oil.

Salt – use whatever type you normally cook or bake with. I used pink Himalayan salt.

How To Make Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Butter two standard loaf pans.

Combine all ingredients in a large stand mixer bowl with a dough hook and mix on low for approx 3 minutes until combined. Turn up to medium-low and continue kneading for 7 minutes (Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Then add the wet ingredients and knead by hand for at least 5 minutes).

Place dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, allow to rise until doubled, approx 1 hour.

Gently press down on the dough to release any air bubbles and divide into two equal pieces. Shape and put each into a 9×5 prepared pan. Allow it to double again, about 1 to 1½ hours. If you like, you can brush the top of your loaves with some melted butter, but this is not a necessary step. It just gives the crust a nice texture. You can also sprinkle the top of the loaf with seeds such as sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F.

When the dough is ready, place it in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. you will know when bread is ready when it sounds hollow when you tap on the bottom, OR if you have a kitchen thermometer, plunge it into the center of one of the loaves, if the temperature registers between 190 – 210F, it’s done.

Cool on a wire rack to room temperature and slice with a serrated knife.

How To Store Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

Place the loaf in a food-safe plastic bag and store it in the fridge for up to approximately 5 days.

How To Freeze Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

If you can’t use up a whole loaf in 5 days, freeze some of it! The trick is to wrap it twice. First, wrap it in plastic wrap as tightly as you can. Make sure you wrap the entire thing. Then place the wrapped loaf into a zipper-top, freezer-safe, plastic bag. Get as much air out of it as you can and close it up.

Special Thanks

I would like to also say thank you to Angelica Z. for sharing this recipe with me. It’s wonderful! I had to change the recipe slightly based on what I had, but it’s a really great recipe.

Need A Good Bread Knife?

This wonderful bread knife is the knife that I have and use almost daily, especially for sandwich bread. It’s a knife that you’ll have for a lifetime. Find one of these fabulous knives on amazon here! (affiliate link)

More Healthy Bread Recipes

• Whole Wheat Naan
• Soft Pretzels
• Quinoa Tortillas

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Recipe Card