Healthy Wholemeal Brown Bread

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

Course bread

Cuisine European

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 1

Total Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 271kcal

Author Elena Szeliga

Cost $5

Ingredients

150 grams or 5 oz wheat berries or whole grain mix
500 ml or 2 cups almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup or another liquid sweetener
42 grams or 1.5 oz fresh yeast
600 grams or 1.3 lbs whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sea salt
olive oil to grease the pan

Instructions

Prepare whole grains

Soak the grains of your choice 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

Combine slightly warm almond milk with apple cider vinegar, 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 (see notes). 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. Preheat the oven to 220 °C or 430 °F.

Bake

Bake the wholemeal bread 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. Enjoy!

Notes

Top Tips

Don’t slice the bread directly after baking (although it’s tempting). Let it cool first as this will ensure even slices.
You don’t have to add whole grains to your bread. You can skip this step and end up with a softer loaf.
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).
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.
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.
This bread is perfect for sandwiches like this vegan BLT tempeh sandwich.
Store homemade whole wheat bread in a sealed plastic bag to keep it fresh longer (up to 7 days).
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 wholemeal 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.

Nutrition