Honey Wheat Bread : Ugly Duckling Bakery

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Making bread in your stand mixer is the easiest thing ever. Use it to make this homemade honey wheat bread, and you have the perfect sandwich loaf.

The 50% whole wheat flour will win over the adults. And its soft texture and slightly sweet flavor will make it a favorite of the kids.

loaf of honey wheat bread and slices on a cutting board.

Please note! Never give honey in any form (including this honey wheat bread) to children under 12 months old. Young kids are at risk from infant botulism, and baking is not enough to kill Clostridium spores.

Some bakers make beautiful sourdough boules every week, slashed into intricate patterns. And then there are those of us who have to make loaves of bread for the family’s lunch sandwiches.

Key technique: making bread in a stand mixer

The stand mixer is a great kitchen tool for making homemade bread. The mixing bowl of a stand mixer is the perfect size for bread-making. And your stand mixer can take over the work of kneading your bread dough.

Tip from the wise quacker: This honey wheat bread recipe shouldn’t challenge your mixer, but be aware that many home stand mixers do not have motors that can knead really stiff dough. Be kind to your mixer and switch to the dough hook attachment (below, right) when your bread dough starts to come together. You may sometimes have to knead your bread dough by hand if your mixer sounds like it is struggling.

a stand mixer paddle and dough hook attachment.

Recipe inspiration

There are a few things that make this bread special. The first is the use of a sponge, a technique adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s The Bread Bible. The second is my inclusion of wheat germ, which adds vitamins and minerals.

Tips and tricks

Making the sponge

The first step is to create a sponge starter in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer (Panel #1, below). I think of this as slowly waking up the yeast.

Sprinkle the top of the sponge with the flour, the instant yeast, and wheat germ (Panel #2). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm place in your kitchen for an hour or three. It will be bubbling up through the flour layer (Panel #3).

three panels showing the sponge starter, covering flour and wheat germ, and starter bubbling through.

Mixing the dough

Start by mixing the dough in your stand mixer on low speed with the paddle. When the bread dough starts to come together (see below), switch to the dough hook attachment.

the bread dough in the mixing bowl after initial mixing with paddle.

Add the salt and vegetable oil and beat on medium speed for about 10 minutes until it is elastic and stretches without breaking. The dough will be slightly tacky but not sticky. If the dough is too wet, add more bread flour, a tablespoon at a time, as you are mixing. If it is too dry, add a teaspoon of water.

Shaping

Shape the dough into a boule (Panel #1, below) and let it rise in the mixing bowl, covered with plastic wrap in a draft free place, until it is about doubled in size (Panel #2). This first rise will take about 2 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

If your kitchen is cool, you can create a warm place to proof your bread by heating up a cup of water in the microwave. Remove the water and put your bread in the microwave. Alternatively, you can heat your oven to 80 to 90 degrees and let the bread rise there. Just remember or put a note that there’s bread rising, so no one tries to preheat the oven!

two panels showing honey wheat bread rising in the stand mixer bowl.

Grease a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray and shape the dough (Panel #1 below). If you aren’t yet an experienced bread-baker, I’d recommend this youtube video on how to shape a bread loaf. Again let the dough rise in the greased loaf pan (Panel #2) in a warm spot in your kitchen.

two panels showing honey wheat bread rising in a greased loaf pan.

Baking

About 30 minutes prior to baking, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until your honey wheat bread reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees on a digital thermometer. It will make a hollow sound when you thump on the bottom of the loaf.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.

Storage

If you are going to eat your bread in the next few days, keep it wrapped in a plastic bag or an airtight container on your countertop at room temperature. Never store bread in the refrigerator, or it will dry out.

Bread can be kept for longer in the freezer. Just slice it and freeze it in freezer bags.

FAQs

Do I have to weigh my ingredients for this bread recipe?

It’s a good habit to get into to weigh your ingredients, but it’s not as critical for bread as it is for other baking.

Why does this recipe have so little yeast?

Unless you’re in a hurry (e.g. you’re a contestant on the Great British Bake Off), you can use less yeast and allow for longer rising times. Longer rising time, even an overnight rise like in my Ooni pizza dough recipe, results in better flavor. Longer rising times are critical for breads like French bread that are made of only flour, yeast, and salt.

Note, if you are on the GBBO or you just want bread quicker, you can double the yeast and use warm water to start.

This recipe was originally posted on May 6, 2021. It was last updated on September 17, 2022.

What’s next

If you make this stand mixer honey wheat bread recipe or have questions about how to make it or any other sandwich loaf in the archives, please leave a comment.

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