The Easiest Whole Grain Seeded Bread

hi Dana, I was wondering if I could place the dough in the fridge and bake it the next day to have fresh bread in the morning without waiting so long?

I made this bread and it came out absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much! By far the prettiest bread I’ve ever made :)

Would this bread be suitable for those on the low Fodmap diet/ibs sufferers?

Thanks,

Tam.

I tried making bread for the very first time and this is the recipe I used. It turned out really good, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. And the best part was that it was so simple! I can’t wait to try baking some more bread!

Hi! I have been making this bread through the winter almost every other day. I LOVE it, and it was part of my morning routine in the winter. Im not baking as much in the heat this month! Early on I adjusted the temp to 375 degrees and baked for 40min with great success. It’s perfect every time. I have even played with different flours and seeds. Hope this helps! Love love your recipes and website. I dont know why, but my phone will not let me select the stars. 5!

Hi. Looks delicious….do you have any suggestions for adapting this for a bread machine? I feel safer leaving that on when we’re away. Thank so much.

I made this today and it wouldn’t stop rising! It got absolutely huge by the time I took it out of the oven! It was wonderful and my mom wouldn’t stop raving about it! Thank you so much for such a great recipe!

…can I use all whole wheat or is it necessary to have the 2 types of flour? I only have the one at the moment.

I just made this recipe this afternoon and love it. I love cooking but I’ve never been much of a baker so easy was key here. I did add some extra grains like amaranth and chia seeds for the protein boost but I only had to add a tiny bit more water to make up for that. Yep I’m going to need to make this as a double batches twice a week it seems.

This was my first time ever making bread. The recipe was easy, and the outcome was a delicious loaf of bread that everyone in the family enjoyed. Thanks!

Thanks! It’s wasn’t easy but I control myself to not eat the whole loaf ;)

I think I may have just found the solution to my bread problem. The problem being all store bought bread tastes like cardboard boxes to me.

Just had to add a comment after baking this as it was A-Mazing!! My husband and family loved it and we’ll for sure be making it again soon. Thank you for such a simple and GOOD bread recipe :))

Hi! i’m allergic to yeast and eggs.. do you know if i can do this recipe without yeast?

I was in a hurry and wanted to speed it up a bit. Had some luck and thought I should share.
Notes:
– The original instructions are slightly confusing – when adding in the flour, you do NOT add an *additional* 3.75 cups of flour after the initial mix, you merely start with intentionally less white flour (ie approx 1.5 ish cups white flour) and continuing adding white flour until you get the right consistency (so your total flour measurement at the end should be ~3.75 cups, NOT 7.5 cups)
– I used whole wheat flour instead of ww pastry flour and the loaf was not too dense. Nice and fluffy!

How I cut off ~3 hours from the recipe:
1. Mixed the yeast, water, and honey together in a big bowl and let set 5 minutes until foamy and fragrant.
2. Then added all the dry ingredients and mixed.
3. Kneaded as instructed and let rise in a bowl in a warm spot until doubled in size (just shy of 2 hours)
4. Skipped the refrigerated rise and went straight to mixing in the oats and seed + kneading
6. Set formed loaf on a floured pan to rise a second time while heating oven
5. Because the loaf was already warm, the second rise only took ~25-30min instead of 45-60min
6. Once loaf was doubled in size (~25min), baked per instructions
7. The loaf took ~30-33min to bake and it came out crispy on the outside, very soft and fluffy on the inside.

Loved the loaf and since I was in a pinch for time, I’m glad I was able to make it still come out nicely with half the time! Another addition would possibly be an egg wash on top of the loaf and then sprinkled with some oats or seeds, or even a nice drizzle of honey on top prior to baking.

Can this recipe be adapted to bread machines? Can I use white whole wheat flour coupled with unbleached bread flour (King Arthur Flours)?

Hi Dana,
Would it be possible to make this in a bread machine?
Thanks :)

In some vegan circles yeast is considered non-vegan, just fyi.
I’m non-vegan and I’m very excited make this, thank you for the recipe.

I made this bread and it turned out wonderfully. Both appearance and taste were great. However, the middle of the loaf was undercooked and doughy, with a large hole in the center. I’m new to baking– can you recommend any ways in which I may have gone wrong? Could I not have baked it long enough? I baked the loaf in a glass pan, and my steaming pan was metal. My oven is electric. Any suggestions you can make will be appreciated.

Like a fool, while reading over this recipe on my phone I only caught “not Pyrex”. So I put a dish in my oven and it exploded into a million pieces!! I’d recommend putting *DO NOT USE* in bold. I know this was a careless skim on my part, but it could have really hurt my husband or myself! Thankfully none of the debris hit us. The bread was good though.

This is only my 2nd attempt to make bread. This recipe looked easy and foolproof, and it IS! It’s also forgiving. I had everything all set out, measured and ready to go, except the flour. That is when I realized the recipe called for whole wheat “pastry” flour, not whole wheat flour. Oh oh. Looked up substitutions and found I could sub 1 cup cake flour plus 1 cup of whole wheat flour in place of the 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour. The results were awesome. And I used molasses instead of syrup or sugar. And I didn’t have oatmeal so I subbed wheat bran, and toasted first. I usually better stocked on baking goods, lol. Anyway, the bread is delicious. I”ll definitely be making it again.

Hi Dana!

I just made this recipe with a few changes and it was amazing!! Thank you!!

Instead of all purpose flour I used white whole wheat flour.

I used active dry yeast instead of instant. I let the yeast bloom in the 1.5c of warm water and honey mixture for 10-15 min.

I baked the bread for 35min at 425. At the last 15 min I covered the bread with tin foil so the top wouldn’t get too dark.

The bread was 100% whole wheat and so light and tender! We loved it!

I’m considering making this bread, but I only have regular Wheat Flour, no Pastry Flour. Is that going to be a problem? Also, what would happen if I used Wheat for both the pastry and white flour? I don’t normally keep white flour around.

You weren’t kidding about the Pyrex! Making the bread with a bit of a cold, a little out of it and didn’t read directions closely enough, just broke a Pyrex baking pan into about 10 pieces pouring the hot water in to bake. Not your fault at all, but it might not be a bad idea to put a short warning in there to grab the attention of airhead amateurs like me!! Still looking forward to seeing how it turns out…

Thanks for posting this recipe! It was my first loaf of bread from scratch and the family loved it! I think it was a little on the dense side but otherwise great – I may have kneaded it too much after pouring in the oatmeal and sunflower seed. One question – the calorie count per slice listed seems high – is it really 163 calories per slice?

I am actually in the midst of trying this recipe. At the end of Instruction #1 it says to add flour until the dough no longer sticks to the sides. Is that approximate amount 3/4 cup or 3 3/4 cups? My dough stopped sticking after only 1 cup. Is that an omen of things to come? I’m making bread for the first time.

Lovely recipe! This bread is perfectly fluffy while having a robust and earthy flavor from the whole wheat, honey and seeds. It was a breeze to throw together and I will definitely be making it again!

Holy cow, best bread I’ve ever made. I will use this recipe forever!

Loved the recipe! First time I made it, the bread remained a little doughy in the middle but too dark on the top crust. The second time, I kept the temperature the same, but added a piece of foil on top of the bread (for the first 15 min of baking) and increased bake time to around 30 minutes until I reached a temp of 190 F in the center of the loaf.

This bread is soooo easy and delicious! I think I totally messed up kneading it (hey, I’ve never made bread before), used a food processor (with a dough “hook” – really a dull blade) to mix it initially, thought I’d totally ruined it, but it still turned out amazing. I was also confused by how much flour to mix in initially (3 3/4 total of both kinds of flour? or 3 3/4 of just the all-purpose flour?), but I ended up barely adding any more all-purpose flour than listed in the ingredient list because the dough already seemed dry enough, and it turned out perfectly. It came out really weirdly shaped though, I think next time I will split it up between my two small loaf pans. Yum!!!!

Okay so I’m an avid amateur baker, it’s my favorite hobby and I absolutely love to do but I’ve never made bread before, that was one item that I just thought too intimidating… but today I conquered my fear with this recipe and I must say it came out fantastically! A hearty crust on the outside, with a nice chewy center, it is such a lovely bread! I will definitely be using this recipe for a long time; super simple, super easy, super yummy. I always believe that home made is better than store bought and home made bread helps take that power back. Wonderful recipe!

I wish I could post a pic! The half whole wheat and half spelt flour turned out excellent! Ty for the recipe:)

This recipe works for my new found vegan diet, I’m using whole wheat flour and spelt for the other 1 3/4 cup. I’m excited to see if this works together. This is my first attempt at making bread!:) I’ll repost if the spelt worked with this recipe.

Hi, I’ve read through ALL the comments and I cannot find where you’ve answered the multiple people that continued to ask the same question about the “added” 3 1/4 cups of flour. You say: “Add flour until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides – about 3 3/4 cups total”. For us newbies, this is VERY CONFUSING and yet, I don’t see your answer anywhere (unless I missed it). Would you PLEASE explain that in easier terms for us first-time-bread-makers? Thank you… this looks very time-consuming and not very easy, but then again, I know nothing about bread making.. I’m looking for an ALL-GRAIN bread.

Hi there thanks for such nice recipe, I have been visiting your blog pretty regularly since few weeks… Love the pictures and recipes really look interesting. Also I have been through your tutorials on fizzle and wanted to extend my sincere Thank you…
I will try this recipe soon…

This sounds wonderful Forgive me if this has already been asked somewhere in the extensive comments (!) but when Step 4 says, “Place seam side down,” what seam is it referring to? Is there a seam if the dough is just shaped into a loaf? Thanks!

I made this recipe today (modded to what I had in my pantry at 8 AM on a random Saturday). It’s cooling on the rack now, and the scent is driving me crazy! The crust has a lovely firmness to it. Really looking forward to cracking it open soon!

I made this but the middle of the loaf was hollow and raw. ? I’ll have to try again!

Failed the first time, probably because I used active dry yeast instead of fast acting yeast. Also I don’t think I kneaded it enough the first time and it didn’t rise at all.

Second time it rose! And the loaf was glorious and crusty outside, soft and chewy on the inside! The flavor is great and the seeds and oats really add a nice texture to the loaf. I did have one problem that there was a small hole through the middle fattest part of the loaf. My guess is that maybe it was a weird knead or possibly that I should have baked it at a slightly lower temp for a little bit longer since it’s kinda dense around the hole part. Any suggestions? I live in Florida and I’ve heard that baking bread is difficult here because of the temp and the low altitude…

Overall I love the recipe and will be experimenting with it again! Thanks!
– Leda

oh my goodness…i tried to make a bread last week and it went terribly, but thought I’d brave it one more time…and i am so pleased i did. This loaf is perfection, i didn’t have any wholewheat flour left as used it up on the last failed attempt so used a mix of plain, kamut and oat flours…this is my new absolute favourite!! thank you so much.

I just wanted to comment and say I love this recipe! I also had the issue with the bread not being cooked all the way in the middle but cooked on the outside. I followed your advice and lowered my oven temp to 425 and baked for 35-36 minutes. I also tried it without any sweeteners and it tastes just as good with no added sugar/ sugarfree.

I actually wrote a more detailed blog post about how I make it if anyone is interested:
http://pinemanzana.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/minimalist-bakers-easy-vegan-whole-wheat-bread/

Thank you so much for this simple and great recipe! As I always have managed to make the worst choices when presented with vagaries in recipes, I discovered a slight syntax error on step 1. The principle action of “add flour” can throw some bakers off as you use the line “3 3/4 total” at the end of that sentence, which obviously references the ingredients list but ignores that all of the flower had been already added at the beginning of the step. I caught this as it stopped sticking to the sides right away, but I thought I’d let you know.

I have made this bread several times. I love it. Today I’m going to try subbing in amaranth flour for some of the white flour. The first lime I made this I used what the recipe called for. 1 3/4 cup ap flour. Every time after that I have used the same amount of bread flour because it aids in gluten development. I also add about a tablespoon vital wheat gluten to improve rise and texture. Don’t get me wrong your recipe as is is very good. One of the best bread recipies I have made. But these additions make it great.

Do you have to use both kinds of flour?

I just made this bread. Sort of. I used white whole wheat and all purpose flour. It was in the refrigerator for 2 hours then out for two, shaped into a round and baked after the second rise — I did have to leave it in the oven for another 20 minutes to get the internal temp up to 190 or so (instant read thermo). The crust was looking dark so I put foil over it for the last 20. Came out fabulous. Nice crunchy crust and good texture. I will definitely make this again, maybe with the right flours and with a longer rise in the fridge.

Yum-my! This bread is delicious and easy… or easy and delicious. Either way, it’s a must bake. Especially for those who are intimidated by the bread process. Thank you, Dana. No more store-purchased everyday bread for our house. High kick!

I made the one bowl WW seeded bread. I baked it for 21 minutes and later after it cooled discovered it was not done! I was very sad. Will the extra 5 minutes do the trick or is there a definite way to know it is done? I had to throw it away and will re-make today.
Thanks

I would love to make this but I was wondering if I could use flax seed mean instead of flaxseed?

Can I ask why you prefer the whole wheat pastry flour? I’m just curious.

This is the best bread recipe I’ve tried so far! It’s so delicious and was really easy to make. I made two loaves and in the second one mixed cinnamon and raisins – delicious! Thank you!

I think this is the best bread I have ever eaten. First day of being a vegan is going well! Thank you!

I tried this recipe twice and the baking time and temp is causing my bread to burn on the top and be doughy in the middle. The first time I used a 8×3 or 4 inch cast iron bread pan (the instructions do not say what size to use). So the next time I used a 9×4, lowered the temperature and cooked for 18 minutes. I ended up with a burnt crust and undercooked center. Most whole wheat bread recipes call for baking at 350 for 35+ minutes. I might try that next and just spritz my oven with water when I put the bread in. I think the pan in the bottom is messing with the circulation of the oven.

Hi just tred this but turned in to rolls the temperature was to high for fan assisted burnt my rolls please advise.

Mike

This looks wonderful! Would it be possible to use only wheat and all-purpose flour for this recipe?

When you say ‘flax seed’ do you mean whole seed or ground?

Bread looks delicious. Made the dough tonite and put it in fridge, but won’t be able to bake til morning. Should I let it come to room temp first, or continue as your recipe states when it has been the fridge for only the two hours with the kneading and rise in pan, etc.
Thanks for help and all your great recipes…Karen

Anyone had issues with it being soggy in the middle? I’ve made it twice & baked it longer than recommended and it’s been doughy in the middle both times.

In step one, you mentioned to add flour, about 3-3/4 cup total, until the dough is no longer sticky. Is this amount of flour an addition to the 2 cups of WW pastry flour and 1-3/4 cup AP flour already added into the dough initially? Also, thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! I absolutely love making homemade bread and this recipe seems so nice and simple! :)

We don’t have the wheat pastry flour here. I ve been searching for a while and have everything else in the Bob Mills range. What could I use instead?
Thanks

I just made this and it is so good. I didn’t have bread flour so I used regular so flour. Turned out great!! I needed breakfast options for my hubby and I. We are newly vegan so we’re looking for toast options. Thanks so much!!

Mine turned out dense and weird :( Not sure what I did wrong. However this was the first time I’ve ever made bread, and the flavor was quite delish!

this is a little far down in the comments, but PEOPLE!!! before you ask the question, read ALL THE COMMENTS!!! most likely your question has ALREADY BEEN ASKED! and, hence, ANSWERED!!! for instance, CAN I USE ONLY WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR? WHY A PAN WITH WATER? CAN I OMIT X, Y, OR Z? sheezus, yahoos!!!

Hi Dana!

I’m really keen to try this recipe; I’ve just purchased all the ingredients except whole wheat pastry flour. I’m in Sydney, Australia, and I’ve just found out it’s very hard to get a whole wheat pastry flour here. There is a white one available in supermarkets, for bread, pastry, cookies, etc – should I try this? I was hoping to keep all the ingredients as unrefined as possible. Is there something else I could use as a substitute?

Thanks!
Bronwyn

This was really, really good! You might want to specify though, that the water pan should be metal. I used a Pyrex glass one the first time and it broke when I poured the water in. But even with having to put the bread back in the fridge while the oven cooled down so I could clean up the glass, it was probably the best homemade bread I’ve ever made! I think I will be making this again for sure!

Any idea what would cause the middle of the loaf to come out uncooked? The edges and ends were lovely but as you get closer to the center it became doughy. I cooked the loaf as directed for 25 minutes at 450 degrees.

Hi Dana! I made this recipe using pastry flour instead of the white flour (used what I had in my cabinets). It gave me a giant, beautiful scone that tastes great. I am excited to try it with vegan butter, preserves, or maybe even drizzled with maple syrup. Next time, I will report back on my efforts using regular white flour. Thank you for the recipe.

So i let it rise at room temp and then in the fridge as well or just one or the other?

I am confused. The time listed for prep or cooking time does not reflect the fact that it seems that the bread needs to rise for 2 hours out of the fridge and 2 hours in. Can you just do it at room temp for 2 hours and then go on to the next step? Does it need a shorter time for the room temp rise?

I used your recipe for Easy Whole Grain Seeded Bread. After baking, the crust was almost getting too dark (burnt) yet the inside was not fully cooked. What can I do to avoid this on my next try?

Hi there! After 25 minutes mine was still quite gummy in the middle. I had unfortunately already dumped out the water, because I thought it was done. I put it back in the oven (sans water), checking it after 20 more minutes. It was still a bit gummy inside. Don’t get me wrong, we still sampled along the way and it was delicious. I’m just wondering if you have any thoughts as to the issue with my cooking time.

Finally a bread I made the actually turned out. It’s so delisious. Thank you!❤️

My bread didn’t bake in the middle. It was raw in the centre. I followed every instruction. Will definitely try again because the part I could eat was amazing!

Dana,

I am gluten-intolerant. I am not to eat wheat, rye, barley or oats. Can I substitute sweet white rice flour and brown rice flour for the wheat and all-purpose flour? Thank you.

Thank you for this divine recipe. In 2016, I’m working to give up commercially produced bread, and your recipe has empowered me to do just that. The only ways I altered your original recipe were (1) I woke up the yeast with the warm water and maple syrup for 5 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients, (2) I omited the oats and sunflower seeds (only b/c I didn’t have them on hand), and (3) as the bread came out of the oven, I brushed the crust with some melted butter. My first try at this whole bread making thing was a HUGE SUCCESS with my family, and I plan to make this over and over. Thanks again!

Canyou use whole all whole wheat all purpose insread of pastry flour?

This bread turned out great! The texture was better than my usual loaves. I don’t usually give my bread such a long rise time – or do the step with it rising in the fridge – but it was worth it! Thanks for the great (and easy) recipe!!!

Ground or whole flax seeds?

Sorry, I saw your reply above. I’ll probably leave it at room temperature but take it off the top of the fridge when I leave. My house is pretty cold.

Hi,

I made the dough and it’s now rising but I have to leave and am not sure I’ll be back within two hours. Will the bread be okay if left at room temperature for three hours? More? Should put it in the refrigerator? Thank you.

Perfect, except the loaf stuck to the glass bread pan I used, in a few places, tearing it. Even though I oiled it. Anyone have any advice on how to prevent this? I’m new to bread making. Thanks

Thank you for this recipe! It was so easy to make and looks delicious! I put walnuts cause I didn’t have any sunflower seeds.
I forgot to make cuts on the top but it seems to have turned out ok. Can’t wait to taste it! ?

Oops! My apologies about the instructions comment, looks like my reading was what lacked detail.
Sorry, great recipe, bake on!

I’ll be using your delicious recipe again!
My only complaint was the big sell on it, then a few key details being omitted in the recipe instructions. For a novice baker it might be confusing, ie. When do I add the yeast?
I turned it into a sourdough bread, using 3/4 cup active sourdough starter, 3/4 warm water in place of the 1 1/2 cups warm water and quick yeast. I made the mistake of using ground flaxseed which thickened the dough, so that it only took 3 cups flour.
I extended the fridge time to overnight, then the final rise took another 8 hours.
Very good though, with a subtle sourdough taste.
Also I used all whole grain, mostly red fife, wheat, and a little rye.
I still don’t get how a bread can be called ‘whole wheat bread’ and use half white flour. All whole wheat is fine, if it’s a good quality flour.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!

I made this bread last week. It was soooo good. I made it again this morning but added 1 tbs of vital wheat gluten and an extra 1 1/2 tbs water. It improved the texture. Giving it chewier bite. This is a keeper.

Hi Dana! I tried this bread recipe today I followed instruction but At first I had troubled with kneading the dough was too tough and I can’t able to knead it then when it was baked the bread is too heavy inside but not as crunchy outside please enlighten me what went wrong.

Thanks and God Bless.

I made this yesterday, and my husband and I loved it! The recipe I was using had a lot of butter and sugar, so I’m glad to have a tasty bread that doesn’t use either. One question though, what would need to change to make two loafs instead of one?

Hi, made this bread today. I measured a T of whole flaxseed, then grounded it. Maple syrup was my sweetener of choice and I only had King Arthur flours on hand. I was also having a little confusion on the exact amount of flour added, I noticed a few others were too. Personally I kneaded in an additional 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour. Didn’t have any sunflower seeds so I used double the oats. Messed up and let it rise first in the fridge then on the counter (I’m quite the amateur bread baker). I let it rise a little extra in the loaf pan until it was nice and tall. No joke, this recipe is indeed extremely forgiving. This bread came out absolutely stunning after 21 mins in the oven. A crisp crust and a wonderfully flavorful, tender crumb. Thanks for the recipe, Dana, and thank you to all the reviews/comments that helped me along my way.

Can you use all whole wheat instead of mixed?

Hi!

I have two things here so far that are quite puzzling. So, your recipe states that the total time is 3 hrs 15 mins, but as Im going by the steps it turns out I should be resting the dough for 2 hrs room temp, 2 hrs fridge, and finally 1 hour before baking. That makes 5 hours rest time, am I misunderstanding something? Also, ingredient list calls for 3 and 3/4th cups of flour mixture. Then, after combining them as per instructions, there comes a part saying ” Add flour until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides – about 3 3/4 cups total”. So if we were to combine all the flour before then there should be none left? Im really curious now, Im going to have it rest 1 hour room temp, 1 hr fridge and maybe 30mins in the pan, see what happens. Looks amazing though!:)

Is the flax seed you mention in this recipe ground or whole? It looks like in the pictures you are using ground but the ingredients don’t specify.

By the way, I’ve been making this bread (instead of getting store-bought) for the past few months, and it is excellent!

Thanks!

Why step 5 (place a metal or cast iron pan with hot water in it)????

Dana, I am wondering why you have to refrigerate the dough. Why not just let it rise at room temperature, kneed, then rise again.

Thanks

I have made this bread twice the past week. I omit the flax, oats, and seeds, because I end up using it for French toast. Maybe next time I will make it with them all. I’ve noticed I have to add a considerable amount of extra flour for the middle of my loaves to get done and I have to cook it for about 45 minutes. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it is a combo of not using the flax seeds and maybe not kneading long enough? Any ideas? I do really love the flavor though. It’s the only home made bread I’ve ever tried and it is amazing!

Can I split this dough up and make rolls from it? If so, do I need to do anything different? Suggestion on what size rolls to make if that is doable? Need for Thanksgiving if it works. Please let me know. Many thanks.

Wanted to try to make homemade bread this week so I went with this recipe because it looked easy enough and had good comments (as usual)! Well I was not deceived! I used only unbleached all purpose flour and it did the job. I think I should’ve used a bigger pan though, because my bread reaaaalllly rised a lot in the oven and some parts in the middle are a bit undercooked (I was afraid to leave it longer because the top was getting pretty brown and hard). So I’ll be more careful next time but I’ll stay with this recipe!

After you add the initial flour and beat it you add 3.5 cups until it no longer sticks to the side. Is that 3.5 cups wheat or regular unbleached flour?

I have recently found your blog and have enjoyed it so much. Have you tried this bread yet with gluten free flour? Maybe even Bob’s blend?
Thanks so much!

I can’t wait to try this! It looks so good. With the AP flour the “whole grain” title is misleading though…

followed the directions to the letter. came out doughy. sadly disappointed

I have been making bread for over 20 years and today I made your recipe. It was both easy to make and very delicious.