Buttermilk Honey Wheat Bread is yet another recipe from the game “what’s left in the pantry?” However it was created, it is this soft, tender crumb with a lovely flavor of honey and wholesomeness of wheat flour. In a word, it’s delicious.

How the recipe came about is the fact I had buttermilk leftover from making biscuits sitting in the fridge way too long. So I decided to play with hydration rates and make a nice loaf of bread. I kneaded it by hand until it was smooth and elastic. It didn’t take long, perhaps 6 minutes or so.

Naturally, I did learn something important! Cover your bread during baking with aluminum foil midway through if you are baking with an enriched wheat bread and see it browning too much. Or better yet, don’t be stupid and bake it at or above 400F (200C) like you do with lean doughs. Trust me on this. You’ll see by my example below. I wasn’t thinking and popped it in at 400F the entire time.

Despite the slight suntan, the buttermilk honey wheat bread was super delicious. Therefore, I decided to share the recipe and my learned experience about how the sugars added to bread will brown the bread faster than the inside of your bread bakes. Remember, enriched breads bake best between 325 – 375F (160-190C) and not at higher temperature like you do with lean doughs.

Lastly, I suggest using scales for baking bread. I didn’t have a lot of success at bread making until I started weighing ingredients. Sure, I could make a great bread or two, but those arbitrary varied cup measurements of many recipes often lead to dense, unpleasant bricks, not loaves of bread. For excellent texture and crumb, I highly recommend a scale as all flours weigh differently and scoops of flour can be overly packed or not filled enough. With that caveat in mind, let’s begin.

Honey Wheat Bread

This is a soft and slightly sweetened whole wheat bread. Made with buttermilk to create a tangy flavor and an airy crumb to the bread, you won't know this delicious bread is healthier for you than the traditional white breads.

Print Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes minutes

Cook Time45 minutes minutes

Rest Time3 hours hours

Total Time4 hours hours

Servings12

Calories 187.4

Ingredients

• 1 ⅔ cups (250g) whole wheat flour
• 1 ⅔ cups (250g) white flour
• 1 ¼ cups (300mL) buttermilk
• ¼ cup (84g) honey
• 1 large (50g) egg
• 2 tbs (30mL) oil
• 2 tsp (7g) yeast
• 1 tsp (5g) salt

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix flours and salt.
• Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk, oil, honey, egg and yeast.  Stir with the handle of a spoon until a dough forms.
• Turn onto a clean work surface and knead for 10-15 minutes or until dough is elastic and stretches easily without tearing.
• Cover and rest 1- 2 hours or until double in size. 
• Lightly grease and flour a 9×5" loaf pan (23x13cm.)
• Press dough into a rectangle slightly smaller than 9×13" (23cmx33.) Roll up the rectangle from the shorter side. Place seam side down in pan.
• Sprinkle top lightly with flour and cover with cling wrap.  Let rest 60-90 minutes or until dough is to the top of the pan or slightly over.
• Preheat oven to 350F (190C.)
• Bake for 30-35 minutes. Check halfway through. If it is browning too early, tent with aluminum foil. Center of bread should reach 190F (88C.)
• Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

Notes

The dough is risen and ready for shaping when roughly double in size and when pressed with a finger, an indention will stay.  If indention bounces back, continue to rest dough, checking every 15 minutes. If dough collapses, it is over proven. Catch it earlier next time.

An important note on dry yeast: Instant dry and active dry yeasts are not the same.  If using active dry yeast, you must activate the yeast according to the manufacturer’s instructions in order for the dough to rise properly.  You typically need to activate or “bloom” the yeast by adding it to warmed liquid for several minutes. 

Instant dry yeast can be added to the dry ingredients and typically does not need to be activated prior to use.  However, some brands of dry yeasts still require adding warm liquids, so be sure to read the label. Rapid, quick and fast acting dry yeasts will rise much faster than instant and active dry yeasts.  For best results, always read and follow the instructions provided on the packet as the rising time varies widely between manufacturers. 

Nutrition Facts

Honey Wheat Bread

Serving Size

 

1 slice

Amount per Serving

Calories

187.4

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

3.7

g

6

%

Saturated Fat

 

0.7

g

4

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.7

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1.3

g

Sodium

 

215.4

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

31.7

g

11

%

Fiber

 

2.8

g

12

%

Protein

 

6.6

g

13

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

* Calories provided as a courtesy and not guaranteed.