This braided honey whole wheat bread is hearty, chewy, and sure to please. From start to finish it takes one hour or less and is easier to shape than it might look.
100% whole wheat bread from scratch. One that's soft, fluffy, and sweetened just a tad with honey. From start to finish it takes one hour or less.
A homemade yeast bread so speedy, you can make it on a Tuesday after work and use it to make your Wednesday lunch sandwich before you even go to bed. And that, my friends, is gold.
Gold, Jerry, gold!!
Recipe ingredients
There's nothing too out of the ordinary going on with this honey whole wheat bread ingredients list, and at its base is white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour is still 100% whole wheat, just a different variety that's milder in flavor and lighter in color. You can use regular whole wheat flour for this recipe if you prefer something even a bit heartier.
The other ingredients are just as basic, including yeast, water, oil, honey, an egg, salt, and a little bit of baking soda. This bread is soft and rich, like a cross between standard bread and almost challah? The egg, honey, and oil really bring the tenderness, and it basically calls out for you to rip pieces off and eat straight-up, which is my usual behavior around a loaf of challah.
And don't be scared of the yeast. Getting the water at the right temperature is all you need to ensure everything rises just as it's supposed to. Just take note of which form of yeast you have. Two tablespoons of active dry yeast, as is called for in the recipe card, is equivalent to 4 ½ teaspoons of instant (or rapid rise) yeast.
Recipe instructions
Start by dissolving the yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl, and then add the oil and honey. Let everything it sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the yeast is frothy. You generally want the water to fall between 110-115°F so it's warm enough to activate the yeast, but not too hot that it kills it. While it may seem like overkill, I use an instant-read thermometer to take all the guesswork out of determining the water temperature.
Next add the egg, salt, baking soda, and three cups of flour. Stir to combine, then knead for several minutes. If you're using a stand mixer the bread hook is a great option to use here. The dough will likely be very stick still, so add additional flour, a little bit at a time, until it's just barely sticky. I usually add around ½ cup of flour during this step, resulting in a recipe total of 3 ½ cups of flour used.
After a quick rest (ten minutes), section out the dough into four equal sections. It's time to shape! You can see the bread being braided into a four-strand braid in the recipe video, but I've also linked to the King Arthur Flour bread braiding tutorial I find very helpful in the recipe card notes section below.
This honey whole wheat bread bakes at a relatively high temperature (425°F) and it only requires around 20 minutes or so of bake time. Let it cool on a wire rack and enjoy a multitude of different ways!
What's great about this bread is that it doesn't produce a mountain of crumbs when you slice through, so sandwiches are totally in the picture. It's just sweet enough to eat plain (remember those pieces I told you to rip off?) or zhushed up with a drizzle of honey, but it makes a wonderful peanut butter and jelly upgrade, too. It also freezes well!
Related recipes
This honey whole wheat bread recipe makes a fairly large loaf, so despite your best intentions you may be left with slightly stale excess. What I love to do in that scenario is to use it in this chai blueberry french toast bake instead of a personal french toast favorite, challah.
Swinging things decisively onto the savory side, Old Bay buns are another simple yeast-based bread recipe that doesn't take very long in the oven. A slight zip from the seasoning adds wonderfully to sandwiches or burgers.
Recipe notes
- Regular whole wheat bread would be fine to use instead of white whole wheat. If desired you can likely substitute in up to half all-purpose flour without issue.
- An instant-read thermometer is a surefire way to determine your water temperature if you're not great at estimating it by feel alone (like me).
One Hour Braided Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon active dry yeast, or equivalent of instant
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp warm water (between 110-115°F)
- ⅓ cup canola oil or other neutral-tasting cooking oil
- ¼ cup honey plus additional for topping
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/16 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 - 3 ½ cups white whole wheat flour, start with 3 cups
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Pour in oil and honey and give it a stir. Let yeast mixture sit for about five minutes to activate, or until yeast is frothy.
- Add egg, salt, baking soda, and 3 cups of flour and knead for a few minutes. Depending on how sticky your dough is, you may add up to an additional ½ cup flour if needed.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and portion out dough into four even sections. Shape as desired (I've linked to the King Arthur Flour tutorial I follow for making a four-strand braid in the notes section below).
- Once dough is shaped, place the loaf on a greased baking sheet and brush the top with honey and sprinkle oats, sliced almonds, or whatever you'd like over top.
- Bake until crust is golden brown (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from oven and drape aluminum foil loosely over top of the loaf. Place back in oven and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until the bread is cooked through. The bread is done when the outside is firm to the touch and a tester inserted into the thickest part of the bread comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition DisclaimerDough adapted from Taste of Home 40-Minute Hamburger Buns.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
Honey bread is one of my favorites so I'm so happy see this recipe! Give me this loaf of bread and a afternoon and I call it a good time! 😉
Alyssa says
Absolutely, Pamela! Let's split it! 🙂
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I love how quick this is and also how fancy it looks.
Alyssa says
Thanks Dannii! Quick and (easily) snazzed up definitely sums up this bread! 🙂
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
Just printed and making this today! I am a carb addict and this looks like just the thing to feed my craving.
I too am the same about braids. I use to love to put them in my daughters hair. That was until she got taller than me and he hair is so long, it is a major strain on my arms. I know, I am a total wimp. I will braid a loaf of bread any day 😀
Alyssa says
Carb addict here, too! (and sore arm commiserator). And I definitely know what you mean about braids. My problem is that I'm never happy with the result, so I end up taking the braid out of my hair and redoing it multiple times. Hence the super sore arms haha!
marcie says
This bread is beautiful, Alyssa! There's nothing better than fresh baked bread for me, and the braid is just so fun. This really does look soft and fluffy, and I want to make some ASAP! Pinning. 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Marcie! I so agree...I can't really be trusted around freshly baked bread. This was one of those recipes where pretty much immediately I put a good chunk in the freezer to prevent myself from making it disappear a liiiittle too quickly. Nevermind that I thawed it out the next day. 🙂
Renee@Two in the Kitchen says
I absolutely love homemade bread baking in the oven. This looks like a great recipe!
Alyssa says
Thanks Renee! Baking my own bread always makes me feel so productive. 🙂
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
Whole wheat goodness in one hour is the most amazing recipe I've seen all week! And yes, more than one slice is required!
Alyssa says
Thank you, Deb! I'm with you on multiple slices...it's too good not to!
anna@shenANNAgans says
I'm pretty sure you had me at 1 hour from start to finish! But then again being able to make it on Tuesday night & Wednesday lunch was a pretty big drawcard too. Ive got to admit I never really got the breadmaking bug, but your tempting me here girlfriend.
Alyssa says
Thanks so much Anna! Those were two big draws for me too. And be warned - this recipe set off a homemade breadmaking bug in me as well...but there can be far worse things I suppose? 🙂
Danielle says
This bread looks so gorgeous! I love any bread recipe that takes less than an hour, they're my favorite.
Alyssa says
Thanks Danielle! I agree - quick homemade breads are the best!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
I literally gasped out loud when I saw your first photo! Seriously. Gorgeous photos! This bread looks SO delicious and I need it in my life!! Pinned. 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks so much Tina for the kind words! This has been one of my favorite recipes on the blog - it's SO tasty and looks a lot more involved than it actually is. And thanks for the pin! 🙂
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Wow, this is gorgeous Alyssa! I am a sucker for homemade bread but I've never tried making a braided version before - yours looks perfect! Love that it only takes an hour too - pinning 🙂
Alyssa says
Thank you Kelly! I love homemade bread too but usually save it for weekend days when I have plenty of time for it. I love that this version only takes an hour! And thanks for the pin! 🙂
Arpita@ The Gastronomic Bong says
Beautiful Bread! I always wanted to try a braided bread but I am too intimidated by it.. 🙂 Definitely gonna try this. Thanks for sharing!! 😀
Alyssa says
Thank you Arpita! I always thought braided bread would be super difficult, but this was surprisingly easy! King Arthur Flour's tutorial is fabulous!
Lynette says
One hour bread from start to finish? Whoa. A miracle In bread form. I can wait to try. Great post!
Alyssa says
Thanks! It's delicious - I bet you'd love it!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Can't believe this bread only takes 1 hour! I love that! Is there anything in the world better than freshly baked bread warm out of the oven? I live for it! In college, I worked out at a gym that was connected to a bakery, so the whole time I was working out I was smelling baking bread. Was torture!
Alyssa says
Thanks girl! And GEEZ the smell of baking bread wafting into my workout zone sounds torturous!! Nothing like capping off a nice workout with eating half of a baguette! Haha that would so happen if I were in that situation.
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
I think that warning about your bread being addictive is for me and me alone because I would eat the entire gorgeous loaf.
Alyssa says
You and I both, Jocelyn! 🙂
Sues says
This is some seriously beautiful bread!! I can't blame you for wanting to braid everything from now on; it can totally be your new thing 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Sues! And I love that idea!