Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread has a light, soft, and airy inside with a chewy crust. Makes a great sandwich bread and tastes fabulous toasted.
A little honey gives this bread just a hint of sweetness and brings out the earthy flavor of the whole wheat flour.
This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread so you can gift a loaf or freeze one for later use.
How To Make Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread
Proof the yeast. Add warm water and sugar to the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Mix the Ingredients. Use an electric mixer to mix together all the ingredients. This is best done with a stand mixer and a paddle attachment.
Knead the Dough. Knead for at least 8 to 10 minutes.
First rise. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
Divide the dough. Cut the dough into two equal pieces. Roll each one out into a rectangle and then roll up jelly-roll style. Pinch and tuck the ends under.
Second rise. Place each loaf in a greased loaf pan and cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Bake. Bake for about 30 minutes.
Recipe Tips
Be sure your warm water isn’t above 115 degrees when you proof the yeast. If it is, it will likely kill the yeast.
After you have proofed the yeast, it should be bubbly. If not, toss it out and start over with fresh yeast.
As with any homemade bread recipe, this bread is at its best when it is still warm from the oven. It will stay fresh tasting for 3 to 5 days in an airtight container. If it is getting stale, bring it back to life by toasting it.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
- Honey Oat Wheat Bread
- Sally Lunn Bread
- Jalapeno Beer Bread
- Homemade Buttermilk Bread
- Bacon Cheddar Cornbread
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Bread
Ingredients
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups bread flour
Instructions
- Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water together in a liquid measuring cup. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Pour yeast mixture into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer (use the paddle attachment). Add buttermilk, oil, honey, and egg. Mix just long enough to combine.
- Add whole wheat flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
- With mixer on medium-low, gradually add the bread flour.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. I like to tape a piece of parchment paper to my counter for easy clean-up.Knead dough for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Place dough in a well-greased large bowl, turnng to coat it. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each piece out into a 15×8-inch rectangle. Starting at the narrow end, roll it up. Pinch the ends to seal and tuck them under.
- Place each loaf in a greased 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until sounds hollow when tapped. If bread is getting too browned, loosely cover with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.Remove loaves from pans and let cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I had very good result with this recipe. I substituted coconut oil for butter, agave syrup for honey, used 2 1/4 tsp of active yeast and milled heritage Bordeaux Rouge wheat grains and it turned out beautifully. I wish I could add a pic or two.
I made this today exactly as is. It is delicious. It’s a perfect loaf of bread for sandwiches.
can I add more whole wheat and reduce all purpose and use vital wheat gluten and more water?
Hi Lee – Yes; I did this today. I used exclusively Whole Wheat Flour. For every 1 cup of Whole Wheat Flour; I added 1 tlbs and 1 tsp Vital Wheat Gluten. I did not add any extra liquid than what was called for above. The bread was absolutely outstanding! Fluffy and bouncy, not hard and dense.
You could play around with the amount of vital wheat gluten and determine if you wanted the loaf more dense (less gluten) or less dense (more gluten).