No-Fail Wholemeal Brown Bread

This no-fail wholemeal brown bread recipe uses just a few ingredients you can easily tweak and is perfect for beginner bakers. Best healthy whole grain bread recipe that is ideal for sandwiches and packed with nutrients.

This post was originally published on Sept 30, 2017 and updated on March 25, 2020 by Elena Szeliga. 

Baking your own bread is so satisfying and fun! Besides, you can control the amounts and the quality of the ingredients you use.

Homemade whole grain bread tastes (and smells!) better than store-bought brown bread and doesn’t contain unnecessary ingredients to prolong the shelf life or make it look better.

This brown bread recipe is very easy to make even if you are a beginner baker and it always turns out great. It’s easily sliceable that makes it perfect for sandwiches like this vegan BLT tempeh sandwich.

This recipe is 100% vegan and whole grain. It uses whole wheat flour in combination with wheat berries (or multigrain mix) to ensure the nutrient-density, nutty flavor and nice prickly texture.

Is Wholemeal Bread Healthy?

Whole meal bread is made from whole grains, usually whole wheat berries, that have been milled into flour. It contains more nutrients, proteins and fiber than white bread, making it a great addition to a balanced diet.

Moreover, whole wheat bread is digested slower making you full longer.

Naturally, wheat berries consist of three essential components: the germ, endosperm, and bran. While the germ contains vitamins and minerals; endosperm is full of carbs, gluten and protein, and bran is packed with fiber.

While producing refined flour, manufacturers remove all the “good” components (germ and bran) and process carbohydrate-rich endosperm to make white flour. It is done to prolong the shelf life of flour and baked goods.

To compensate for this loss, white flour is fortified or enriched with minerals. But the problem is that enriched flour is not digested in the same way as whole grain flour.

The takeaway here is that to make the most out of wheat berries, brown bread is better for you than white bread.

Brown Bread Ingredients

1. Wheat berries or multigrain mix;
2. Almond milk or any other nut milk;
3. Apple cider vinegar;
4. Maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener;
5. Fresh yeast;
6. High quality whole wheat flour;
7. Sea salt;
8. Olive oil.

This healthy wholemeal bread recipe has a certain degree of flexibility to help you adjust the ingredients to your taste. Feel free to experiment with different grain mixtures, sweeteners and nut milk. Let me know which combo you used and how you like it in the comments.

How to Make Brown Bread

If you ever wondered how to make brown bread, keep on reading. This easy recipe is beginner-friendly and foolproof if you follow the directions below.

Prepare Whole Grains

To start with, soak your grains overnight. It can be pure wheat berries or a combo of wheat berries and any (or all) of the following grains: rye, spelt, millet, oat berries, barley, buckwheat and quinoa.

After soaking, boil them for 30 minutes or until they are done, drain well and let cool. If you don’t have time for soaking whole grains, just boil them a little longer, until they are tender.

Make the Dough

Next step will be to combine slightly warm almond milk with maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener of your choice) and fresh yeast. Leave for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.

Add flour mixed with salt and knead well until fully combined (about 5 minutes). Add more flour if the dough sticks too much to your hands.

Let Rise

Cover with cloth and let rest for about 1 hour or until doubles in size.

To shorten the waiting time, put the dough in the oven under the lowest temperature (not higher than 50 °C or 120 °F). For me this trick works wonders and usually helps me reduce the waiting time in half.

If you have difficulties proofing the dough, check these alternative proofing methods.

Once your dough has doubled in size, add the cooked grains (make sure there is no extra liquid in them) and transfer into a 12 inch rectangular loaf pan greased with olive oil. Cover and let rest for 30 more minutes.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 220 °C or 430 °F. Bake the loaf for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 190 °C or 370 °F and bake for about 40 more minutes.

Check the readiness by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the loaf. The bread is ready when it comes out dry. Let it cool and slice. Enjoy!

Store

Store the cooled bread in a sealed plastic bag to keep it fresh longer (up to 7 days).

You can also freeze it in a freezer bag or plastic wrap for up to 3 months. To reheat, let it thaw, wrap it in tin foil and bake for about 15 minutes under 190 °C or 370 °F.

Top Tips

1. Don’t slice the bread directly after baking (although it’s tempting). Let it cool first as this will ensure even slices.
2. You don’t have to add whole grains to your bread. You can skip this step and end up with a softer loaf.
3. If you choose to use the grains, soak them in water overnight. After soaking, boil them for 30 minutes or until they are done, drain well and let cool. If you don’t have time for soaking the grains, just boil them a little longer, until they are tender (check the readiness after 45 minutes).
4. To shorten the proofing time, put the dough covered in the oven under the lowest temperature (not higher than 50 °C or 120 °F). It usually helps reduce the waiting time in half. Alternatively, use these proofing methods.
5. Check the readiness by inserting a toothpick or a wooden skewer in the middle of the loaf. The bread is ready when it comes out dry.
6. This bread is perfect for sandwiches like this vegan BLT tempeh sandwich.
7. Store homemade whole wheat bread in a sealed plastic bag to keep it fresh longer (up to 7 days).
8. Freeze this bread in a freezer bag or plastic wrap for up to 3 months. To reheat, let it thaw, wrap it in tin foil and bake for about 15 minutes under 190 °C or 370 °F.

Recipe Variations

• This healthy brown bread recipe has a certain degree of flexibility to help you adjust the ingredients to your taste.
• As an alternative to wheat berries use a combo of wheat berries and any (or all) of the following grains: rye, spelt, millet, oat berries, barley, buckwheat and quinoa.
• You can use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar.
• Use any other liquid sweetener instead of maple syrup: molasses, agave nectar, date syrup or barley malt syrup.
• Use any of the following types of plant milk: almond, oat, rice, soy, cashew, hazelnut, walnut, coconut milk.
• For this recipe you need 42 grams of fresh yeast (1.5 oz) that can be substituted for 17 grams or 2 tablespoons dry active yeast.

Other Bread Recipes You’ll Love:

• • Whole Grain Spelt Bread
  • Healthy Pumpkin Bread with Walnuts
  • Homemade French Brioche Bread
  • Easy No-Knead Beer Bread