The Easiest Whole Grain Seeded Bread

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Slices of simple homemade Whole Grain Seedy Vegan Bread with various toppings

My mom used to make her own bread and yogurt from scratch.

I mean, come on. How cool is she?

I remember learning that and thinking my mom was the most awesome hippie mom ever and I wanted to do the same if I was ever a mama.

The bread-making season in our house ended sometime around the arrival of 10-pound me. But can you blame her? She had two babies to look after and who has time to make bread with so much life happening?

Well, the good news is, you do have time to make this bread. I even speculate you could make it with a baby on your hip because it is literally a dump, mix, rise and bake kind of bread! Let’s get to baking!

Wood platter with ingredients for making super simple homemade vegan bread

This recipe is simple in both preparation and ingredients.

Just 9 basic ingredients that are very forgiving. If you don’t have any of the seeds or oats on hand, just omit them! It’s still totally doable.

Mixing together ingredients for making easy Vegan Whole Grain Seeded Bread

With a short 20-minute bake time, hands on prep time is only 15 minutes + the rise! Hello, free time.

When I say dump, mix, rise, I mean it.

You literally dump the ingredients in a bowl, mix and let it do its thing in the fridge.

Bread dough rising in a mixing bowl

All that’s left to do is knead in the seedy and oat-y things and let it rise once more while the oven preheats.

Twenty minutes later and you have a perfectly delicious, seedy, whole grain loaf on your hands.

Loaf of our simple homemade Whole Grain Seedy Vegan Bread that's perfect for making sandwiches
Freshly baked loaf of Whole Grain Seedy Vegan Bread in a bread pan
Partially sliced loaf of our homemade Seedy Vegan Bread recipe

This loaf is magnificent; everything you want in a homemade bread. It’s:

Seriously simple
Tender on the inside
Crusty on the outside
Loaded with whole grains
Seedy
Dreamy
& Perfect

This makes the perfect bread for toast, sandwiches, french toast, and everything in between.

I’ve been loving it with smashed avocado and a little vegan parmesan cheese and hemp seeds, or with peanut butter and flax seed. You really can’t go wrong.

Sliced homemade Whole Grain Vegan Seeded Bread perfect for making sandwiches

More Vegan Bread Recipes

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Happy baking!

Slices of homemade bread with vegan butter, nut butter, avocado, and jam

The Easiest Whole Grain Seeded Bread

Easy, 9-ingredient seeded whole grain bread with oats, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Naturally sweetened, hearty, wholesome, and SO simple to make! Mix, rise, bake.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Partially sliced loaf of homemade Whole Grain Vegan Bread on a cutting board
4.81 from 470 votes
Prep Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 45 minutes
Servings 12 (slices)
Course Bread
Cuisine Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine warm water (like bath water, or 110 degrees F / 43 C), yeast, maple syrup (or other sweetener), salt, flaxseed meal, and flours in a large mixing bowl and stir. The result will be a sticky, rough dough. If using a stand mixer, beat at medium speed for about a minute. Otherwise just use a spoon to stir until well combined and when it can no longer do the job, knead and turn it in the bowl with your hands. Add flour until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides – about 3 3/4 cups total (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
  • Lift the dough out and lightly grease the bowl with nonstick spray or olive oil. Cover and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature and 2 hours in the fridge. Alternatively, if you only have 2 hours, let rise at room temperature and skip the fridge (though a longer rise is best).
  • Use fingers to create a small hole in the dough and pour in sunflower seeds and oats. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead about 20 turns or until elastic. Form into a loaf-like shape.
  • Place seam-side down in a lightly greased loaf pan or baking sheet and sift a light coating of flour over the top to help keep the dough moist. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 45-60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C)* toward the end of the dough resting time and place a metal or cast iron pan (NOT glass, Pyrex, or ceramic) on the lowest oven rack. Also have 1 cup of hot water ready.
  • When the oven is preheated, slash the bread 2 or 3 times with a knife, making a cut about ½-inch deep.
  • Place in oven on middle rack. Then carefully pour hot water into the shallow pan on the rack beneath. Expect it to bubble and steam; then close oven door quickly.
  • Bake the bread for 26 to 35 minutes, or until deep golden brown and risen.
  • Remove the bread from the oven and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Then carefully remove from pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Let it cool completely before slicing for best results (otherwise it can be doughy in the middle).
  • Store leftovers in a plastic bag at room temperature for up to a few days. Transfer to freezer for longer term storage.

Video

Notes

*Based on some users’ experience, I lowered the baking temperature to 425* F (from 450) to ensure the middle gets all the way done. I’ve had success at 450* F, but it seems some people’s ovens or loaf pans are not allowing it to cook all the way through. This information was updated 3/15/16.
*Adapted from my 7 Ingredient Muesli Bread.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)

Serving: 1 slices Calories: 169 Carbohydrates: 32.4 g Protein: 6.1 g Fat: 1.9 g Saturated Fat: 0.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.52 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.36 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 294 mg Potassium: 124 mg Fiber: 4.2 g Sugar: 2.4 g Vitamin A: 0.73 IU Vitamin C: 0.02 mg Calcium: 18.86 mg Iron: 2.2 mg

This post was sponsored by the lovely folks at Bob’s Red Mill. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Minimalist Baker!

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  1. Celeste says

    I’ve made this a few times. A couple of tips for best results:
    1) Make sure your sunflower seeds are shell-less. I know this sounds obvious, but I accidentally put shell-on ones in once…
    2) Use a kitchen thermometer to check when its done. Take the loaf out, flip it over, and stick the thermometer in the bottom middle (so you don’t have an unsightly hole on top). Keep baking until the thermometer reads 190 F. This eliminates the problem of doughy bread.

  2. ToniaD says

    Easy delicious bread. I’m not a bread maker so I cut the first loaf too early. Fortunately, I made two! Let it rest 5 minutes then completely cool. Hearty and tasty! I will make this regularly.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and will be making it again, Tonia. Thank you for the lovely review! xo

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Other readers have reported success making this recipe in a bread machine! We’d suggest using the manufacturer instructions on your bread machine. Let us know how it goes!

    • Stacey says

      First, thanks, Dana for the delicious recipe! This was my first attempt; I tried this in my bread machine on the wheat setting for a 1.5 lb loaf. On the second knead, I added the sunflower seeds and oats. What follows is user error and has nothing to do with the perfection of the recipe as written. Just sharing since I was hoping to find someone who wrote about trying this in a machine. So, after add ins and about three hours in, it was all looking perfect, but once it got 45 minutes from completion, it deflated. Darn! Overproofed it, I think? (I read that machines err on overproofing). In my next attempt, I’ll decrease the yeast a little (someone recommended by 10%), use the white setting, and set it to a one pound loaf so as not to over bake it. Despite the gigantic crater in my bread, the flavor was delicious. The crust was perfectly crunchy (set on dark)–the crumb was too dense and on the borderline of gummy–AGAIN, MY FAULT. Still with the texture/deflation issues: five star taste! I’ve just got to dial in the bread machine so that it can better serve the texture of the bread!

  3. Jennifer Goldsberry says

    The recipe is simple with relatively few ingredients and I would say it is easy, but the time to make is more like 6 1/2 hours, not the 4 1/4 listed if you allow the full recommended time for the first rise. Even the Bake time is different in the recipe than at the top. I think my loaf would have been better if I hadn’t had to rush it. All my guys loved it.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for sharing your honest experience, Jennifer! We’ll take another look and see if we can make improvements.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jules, just 1 loaf pan. We used a standard size loaf pan (8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches). We hope you love it!

  4. Stephen Goldsmith says

    I’ve made this recipe several times, so it’s clear that I love it. It’s my go-to daily bread.

    The picture of your loaves compared to how mine turns out indicates that mine is much denser. Sometimes it appears mine is not quite cooked through. I’m using the right flour, but not the fast-rise yeast, and wonder if that’s the difference. Should I let it rise longer than the 2 hours at room temp plus 2-hours in the fridge? Maybe 3 hours for each rise?

    Why is mine so much denser than yours?

    Thanks for the deliciousness.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Stephen, to confirm, you’re using pastry flour, not regular whole wheat flour? Other readers have reported success with active dry yeast and it should work well – is that what you’ve been using? We wouldn’t recommend rising for longer as it might get over-proofed. Another idea would be if perhaps your oven runs cooler, it may need to bake longer. Or is it possible you’re slicing into it before it’s fully cooled or that you live at a high altitude? We hope one of those suggestions does the trick!

  5. Talia says

    This is the only bread recipe I use, but when I made it as instructed it was really dough-y in the center. Maybe my oven’s weak, but definitely I needed to bake it at least at 430˚ to get it done in around 35′.

    be careful when pouring the boiling water into the metal pan. Almost burned myself with the steam.

    I’ve started using a dutch oven instead of the metal pan thing. Will update how it goes, but it seems best to preheat the dutch oven with the oven to 450˚, then add the bread, bake 25′ covered, and 10′ uncovered.

    Oh also, if you don’t want to fuss with rise times all afternoon, here’s how to make the bread overnight: the night before, prepare the dough 1/2 tsp instant yeast. Then let it rise overnight, or for all of the next day, on the counter. This also helped the bread taste less yeast-y.

  6. BethAnn says

    Hi! Sorry if this has been asked and answered, but i was wondering if I could substitute whole wheat flour instead of AP flour? I’m looking to make a bread that is 100% whole grains. I would still use the whole wheat pastry flour.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi BethAnn, you can replace if with more whole wheat flour – it will just be more dense. Hope that helps!

  7. Jade says

    This bread is amazing!! I wondered if I could mix it up before bed, leave it to rise overnight and then knead, shape, prove and bake in the morning?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoy it, Jade! It should work well to make it in advance and proof overnight in the fridge. Then set it in a warm spot (such as on top of the oven) for ~20-30 minutes before baking so it doesn’t get shocked from cold to hot.

  8. Nancy D says

    I have been searching for a whole wheat bread recipe that I could make into a baguette that is not too dense and found this recipe. I ended up making a few substitutions in the recipe. It called for flaxseed meal which I did not have and used almond flour instead per substitution on Google. I used honey from my bees and pepitas seeds instead of sunflower seeds. After the second 2 hour proofing in the fridge I kneaded in the rolled oats and pepita seeds, then formed the dough into 2 baguettes. I let it it double in size and baked according to the recipe baking only 20 minutes at 425 F. The baguette came out soft texture, slightly chewy crust, has a great flavor, and love the taste of the pepitas. Next time I will get flaxseed meal but keep everything else the same. This recipe checked all my boxes and pleased with the results. Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! We’re so glad it worked well for making baguettes. Thank you for sharing your experience! xo

  9. Susie says

    I I followed instructions to the t, except used regular (Bob’s Red Mill) yeast and baked for 32 minutes and it turned out great. This is a very thick and very heavy bread. The crust is thick and hard. I only give 4 rating for personal preference, as I prefer a lighter bread. But very easy bread recipe and delicious!

  10. Nicole Marschall says

    The whole process went smoothly! I might of let it rise just a smidge longer but other than that it turned out beautiful. The only complaint is it’s a bit bland? Should I add more salt / honey for my own taste? Would that help?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Diane! We haven’t tried this recipe as a bagel and think it might be too soft, but let us know if you do some experimenting! We do have a recipe for gluten-free bagels here!

  11. Sarah F says

    Delicious!! I made this using AP and Bread Flour in place of the Whole Wheat Pastry flour. It came out perfectly chewy with a crunchy exterior. I also added and additional tablespoon each of poppy seeds and hemp heart seeds mixed into the dough. I used a longer sized loaf pan and it came out to like a half sized high bread (which is what I wanted) for smaller sandwiches and slices. I also refrigerated it overnight instead of just for 2 hrs. I let it come to room temp and then sit for another 30 mins (due to being busy with something else) before I folded in the seeds and let it rise in the pan.

    This is a forgiving and tasty recipe! I’m looking forward to trying other recipes from this site!

      • Lemon says

        I’ve made this several times—each time I have a problem with the bread being cooked through. This last time I used whole wheat bread flour not pastry flour. Not sure that this could make a difference. I like the recipe otherwise but I would like to resolve the raw middle.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Lemon, Sorry to hear it hasn’t turned out right! Pastry flour will yield a different result than whole wheat. We’d recommend trying with whole wheat pastry flour for best results! If that doesn’t do the trick, another thing to look into would be confirming with an oven thermometer that your oven doesn’t run too hot/cold. Keep us posted!

  12. lubi says

    this is a really good recipe & bread, soft inside, crunchy outside, good flavor, simple instructions.
    for my 304 g whole wheat, I’ve been using combo of barley, buckwheat, & w.w. still comes out nicely.
    b/c I’ve got a marine/ rv propane oven, can’t add boiling water under burners (it splashes up& douses flame! BAD). instead i found if i fill my cat iron pan w water & preheat w/ oven, it does the crusty outside, soft inside trick! so excited about this! (many tasty, but failed bread experiments in this oven before)… thanks for the fabulous, easily adaptable recipe! even my (says he’s not picky, HAH!) husband likes it.

  13. Andrea Andrade Petrola says

    Me and my husband tried making this last friday before our day of rest. We found that the bread it was very hard to knead because of how dry it was and it turned out really dense and kinda falling apart. Not really sure what we did wrong:c

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so sorry it didn’t turn out right, Andrea! Is it possible you were using whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour?

  14. Erica G says

    Making this AGAIN! The only tweak I do is to sprinkle the oats/seeds on top (after brushing with simple syrup or vegan butter). This bread turns out perfectly every time! Haven’t tried skipping the 2nd fridge rise so not sure how much that effects the outcome.

  15. Robin Vanlandingham says

    I’ve been making this consistently throughout this fall. A great weekday bread for breakfast, go together with soup or a hearty fall salad, open face sandwiches – made a double batch and shared a loaf with my daughter who is expecting and her partner. Let just say, I feel good about eating this tasty bread and sharing it!

  16. Linda says

    I followed this recipe and used sprouted grain flour in place of the wheat. My only issue was I think I make it too dry so where I cut the top kind of “exploded”. I used my cast iron Dutch oven. I will say the taste was delish. Thinking of trying same recipe with beer grain flour. These flours might be a bit heavy compared to wheat flour so I need to be sure it’s not too dry. Any thoughts on this? To date this recipe has worked out best for the sprouted grain flour. The taste was great. TIA

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Linda, thank you for sharing your experience! We aren’t sure about that type of flour as we haven’t experimented with it. Perhaps another reader will be able to chime in?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Edna, Other readers have reported success making this recipe in a bread machine! We’d suggest using the manufacturer instructions on your bread machine. Let us know how it goes!

  17. Laurie Bailey says

    I am looking forward to trying this recipe! Is it possible to use traditional yeast, as that is what I have on hand, and if so, do I need to alter the recipe, or rising time? Thank you in adVance!

  18. Danielle says

    If I don’t have pastry or whole wheat flour, can I use AP flour in addition to what’s already called for? Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Danielle, we haven’t tried it, but another reader mentioned doing so with success, while a different reader said the dough was more wet. You might need to use more of it. Let us know how it goes if you try it!

      • Helena Kotala says

        I skip the pastry flour and use all whole wheat flour except 1/4 to 1/2 cup almond flour. I find the almond flour gives it a nice texture.

  19. Romina says

    I have made this bread… it is excellent! I used less salt than the quantity indicated but I think I may add some more next time. Thank you for the tip about adding a bowl of water.. the process is long but the result is very good!! I have a brick oven and tried many recipes.. but this one is really good.

  20. Acacia says

    I just wanted to say that this recipe was awesome! It was my first time making bread today and I had no issues at all, though I substituted more oats in place of the sunflower seeds. It wasn’t the prettiest loaf out there, but the interior looked just like the pics here and the loaf had a great texture overall. Looking forward to trying slices with all sorts of things!

  21. Dom says

    Haven’t tried this yet, but it looks great. Sadly I’ve got to start watching my sodium intake, so I was wondering how essential the salt is to the cooking process, is it possible to reduce/eliminate the salt and reduce the sweetener to compensate, or is the salt necessary for getting part of the process to work correctly?

  22. Ann says

    Is it possible to mix in the oats and sunflower seeds at the beginning when you are mixing the flour and yeast etc.? That seems easier.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Michelle, other readers have used regular whole wheat flour with success. Hope that helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Elizabeth, It should be fine to refrigerate overnight. We’d suggest bringing it to room temperature for ~20-30 minutes. Hope that helps!

  23. Darbi Lamrani says

    Good morning,

    Do I have to use the flaxseed meal or can it be omitted? I don’t have any so I don’t want to purchase for such a small amount.

    Thanks!

    Darbi

  24. ASHLYN says

    Thank you so much for this recipe! This was my first ever bread I made and it was so delicious! I did have one question as far as density is it going to be slightly dense due to the flours used, or should it be light? If it should be light how long should I extend my prove time? Thank you for your time!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ashlyn, a slightly longer rise time could make it a bit lighter but if the bread is over proofed it could collapse and sink!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sol, we’d recommend standard size, which is 9″ x 5″, or 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″.

  25. Pepper says

    I’m new to baking. My apologies if this is a dumb question. The recipe states 1/2 Tablespoon salt, shouldn’t it be 1/2 Teaspoon? In your video, you are using a teaspoon. Am I reading the recipe incorrectly? Thank you.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi! There are no dumb questions :) Happy to help! 1/2 tablespoon is correct. In the video we added three 1/2 teaspoon measurements (two were just off camera!) which is equivalent to 1/2 Tbsp. Enjoy!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Shannon, we think spelt could work, but we haven’t tried it. Let us know if you do!

      • Lauren says

        I was going to ask the same thing! I’m going to try it with spelt and will let you know how it goes!!!

  26. John Gallo says

    I made this with about 3 cups white whole wheat flour and a 1/4 cup of high gluten flour On the counter top rising in a loaf pan and the oven pre heating I am very happy with the outcome so far… it should be a great loaf

  27. Jasmine Hall says

    I’m afraid mine did not rise at all. I used Fleischmann’s RapidRise fast acting yeast and all the other ingredients as stated so don’t know the problem.

  28. Mika says

    I really hate the taste of store-bought bread, so I said okay well if it isn’t done right, I’ll just do it myself. Now I bake this bread every single week. The only thing I don’t add is a sweetener because I like my bread on the slightly more bitter side, but it’s just the best bread I’ve ever eaten! On top of that, I like knowing what exactly it is I’m eating. The recipe is made with whole foods, which is better than anything store-bought.

  29. Alexandria Cole says

    Obsessed with the taste of this bread. My whole family loves it especially my two toddlers. And on top of that it’s SO easy (a dream if you are a mom). I followed the recipe to a T and let it take the full time recommended for rising in and out of the fridge and it came out spectacular each time!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you and your family enjoy the recipe, Alexandria! Thank you for sharing! xo

  30. Bob T says

    I had been rummaging around trying to find a recipe to match a favorite commercial loaf: 7-Grain Bread by the Ideal Bakery, Chicago (I can only buy it when visiting). The product is so much better than you would expect.

    Anyhow I was browsing the internet cooking sites and not finding recipes that matched up well until I found yours. My first loaf was great! Used “Bob’s” Muesli, added craisins, nuts, and 2T flaxseed meal. Just finished my fourth loaf only upping the add-in amounts on each.

    Such a simple recipe and technique. The finished loaves surpass the one I was trying to match. I did change the process of kneading in the add-ins to get better distribution. Thanks.

  31. Sue says

    I am trying to eliminate all “white” food (white flour, white rice, noodles, etc.). Can I make, and use, oat flour as a substitute for the all-purpose flour? The recipe looks great.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sue, we think it would be too dense, unfortunately! Using all whole wheat flour would probably be better, but again, it will be more dense.

  32. Marya says

    Love this! I used King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, roughly 3 cups total; baked for 26 minutes. Fluffy crusty deliciousness!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad it turned out well, Marya! Thank you for the lovely review! xo

  33. Leif says

    this is my favourite whole wheat bread recipe. the crust is robust (ha), while the inside remains soft and fluffy. excellent for toast; the crust gets extra crunchy ! i had been having trouble with getting dry scraps at the bottom of the bowl but today i mitigated that with a tiny bit of extra water, maybe a tsp or so. the dough rose beautifully and produced a gorgeous loaf. this is a recipe i will always come back to.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Leif! Thank you for sharing your experience!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Barb! That won’t work with this recipe, however, we do have a gluten-free bread here if that’s what you’re looking for!

  34. Claudia Decker says

    I made this bread according to the directions. The flavor was good but the texture was a little too dense. Did I over knead? The yeast is fresh.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Claudia, it sounds like it might not have risen enough! However, we’re so glad you enjoyed the flavor!