This homemade whole wheat bread is a must have in my home and tastes just like the fresh bread we ate while growing up Amish. On a cold fall or winter afternoon this soft and fluffy bread, fresh out of the oven with a dollop of butter and homemade strawberry jam, is simply the best snack a body could ask for. I store this bread in gallon sized zip-lock bags and then freeze it for several weeks. The bread does not last long in our house though, and I end up making a batch once a month or so. Enjoy!
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Homemade whole wheat bread
Equipment
- Stand mixer (linked below)
- Large mixing bowl (linked below)
- Glass bread pans (linked below)
Ingredients
- 3 cups warm water (divided) *see note
- 2 tablespoons Active dry yeast heaping
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 3/4 teaspoon (divided)
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 3/4 tablespoons salt
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 6-7 cups bread flour *see note
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup water, yeast and 3/4 teaspoon sugar. Allow to rest for ten minutes, then add the remaining water, sugar, vegetable oil and salt. Mix well, then whisk in the whole wheat flour.
- Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer, then mix in bread flour (one cup at a time) starting on low speed and then gradually increasing the speed to get rid of any lumps. Mix each cup of flour for a few minutes. Once the dough is no longer sticking to the bowl, remove it and knead by hand on a floured surface until the dough no longer sticks to your hand and is soft and pliable. *see note below
- Place the bread dough into a lightly greased or floured bowl, then cover the dough with a tea towel and allow to rise for an hour, or until doubled.
- Remove the risen dough from the bowl and shape it into a log, then cut it into 3-4 sections and shape them into loaves. Place into greased bread pans (See notes*). Allow the loaves to rise for another hour, then bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tops and sides are a nice golden brown.
Notes
Equipment:
- Stand mixer I find using a stand mixer to mix the bread so much easier than hand kneading it the way we did while growing up Amish.
- Mixing bowl If you prefer to hand knead the bread dough, then you will need a large mixing bowl to combine the ingredients in.
- Glass bread pans I prefer to use glass bread pans, because it is easier to check the bottom of the bread loaf for doneness.
Optional: slather the tops of the bread loaves with butter while still hot.
If you love to bake homemade bread, check out my bread recipes below!
- Mom’s Amish Honey Bread
- Garlic Pretzel knots
- Iraqi Naan Bread
- Copycat Red Lobster Biscuits
- Amish Apple Cinnamon Pumpkin Bread
- Amish Soft Pretzels


Try this Amish Cheese spread with the fresh homemade bread. So delicious!
Note 1* I prefer to use glass bread pans, because it is helpful to be able to see the sides and bottom of the bread when checking for doneness.
Note 2* I also like to use shortening to grease my bread pans to prevent the bread from sticking once baked. This helpful tip and Recipe originated from a local Mennonite cookbook, called the Country Kitchen Favorites.


Note*3
This bread is shelf stable for 3-4 days at room temperature, or the homemade whole wheat bread can be kept in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.


Feel free to pin this recipe for later and show off your creations by tagging me on Instagram at thismom.cooks . Thank you for your support!!
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