Perfect Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
Somewhere between my need to avoid unnatural food additives, my desire to cook and eat more like my grandma, and Joe and my attempt to live more frugally, I talked my husband into making our own bread. From scratch. It took months of convincing.
After a lot of discussion with Amy Clark from MomAdvice, I posted a request on my local FreeCycle board for a bread machine. Only a few days passed before an offer came in, and Joe went to pick up the bread machine.
And then it sat in our dining room for seven months, until the car crash forced us to become more serious about being frugal.
Alas, we are now committed to having a better, slower, more frugal lifestyle, and we are making our own bread.
Of course, when I saw we, I really mean that I’m lying on the couch with an ice pack while Joe follows the recipe I gave him, but that’s just as good as doing it myself, right?
Our first couple of attempts at homemade whole wheat bread were miserable failures. We ate them, but they were barely edible. Then we found the whole wheat bread recipe that Phoebe (who did not use a bread machine) had adapted from Crystal (who did use a bread machine). I mentioned Phoebe’s version in Things to Write Home About and printed it for Joe to try.
We made a few changes to reflect the ingredients we had on hand as well as our taste preferences.
We were eager to try our bread, so we smeared real butter on the warm bread and topped it with a dollop of my homemade apple butter. Oh my! It was comfort food at its finest.
Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
- 1 1/4 cups warm water (not hot or cold)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons dry nonfat milk
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- Layer in bread machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. In our machine, we put the yeast in the bottom, topped by the dry ingredients. We add the wet ingredients last, then shut the lid and turn it on using the Light setting.
That’s it.
I’m not kidding.
When the machine beeps, we open the lid and eat the most delicious and light wheat bread we’ve ever had.
Happily submitted to Share my Recipe Sunday, Mouthwatering Mondays, Homemaking Monday, Make Something Monday, Recipe Swap, and Make Do Monday
I will have to try this. Homemade bread is the best, but only sometimes, that is when you have a good recipe!!
Thanks for sharing.
I so want a bread machine! We love fresh bread. Sounds yummy! TFS and playing along today!
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Ohhh I like this recipe. I usually make white french bread but this wheat bread sounds sooo good! I bet its awesome with honey too lol
Is there anything that smells more like home than a kitchen with bread baking? Great links, thanks.
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Thanks for the recipe! I am SO not a bread maker.. but my mother in law is awesome at it!
Felicia’s last blog post..Make Something Monday: Free Potty Charts!
I am totally making this tomorrow! Just have to pick up a few things. Can’t wait!!!
Laura’s last blog post..A New Take on Burgers – Chili Burgers
Laura – I’m glad to hear it! The original recipe called for wheat gluten in addition to the flour, but we omitted it. I’m not sure how the addition of gluten changes the bread, but thought I should probably mention it.
Anissa – You should check your local FreeCycle group. They’re online at FreeCycle.org. Bread machines were in style about ten years ago, and everybody bought them. Many are sitting unused in closets, thrift stores, and in garage sales because people didn’t really use them once they’d gotten them. We use our free one all the time, at least 3 times a week.
I will DEFINITELY try this because we JUST got a bread machine a couple of days ago! Thanks for the recipe!
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Sounds delicious. I love homemade bread! (I wish I had a bread machine!)
Jerri’s last blog post..5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake
I wish I had a bread maker so I could do this! Sounds great! I love homemade bread!
Sounds delicious!
I think when you get used to your machine you won’t need Phoebe/Crystal’s recipe anymore. I use my machine all the time and hardly ever actually follow a recipe anymore.
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[...] – do you have a breadmaker you are not using? Here’s a recipe I’m going to try out on my senior mom just as soon as I pull mine out of [...]
I can’t get this recipe to work in my machine
Ours calls for wet ingredients first, I use bread machine bread & yeast and the bread still collapses every time. Today I’m going to try one last loaf & just put the dry ingredients first… I’ve got nothing to lose as I’ve already lost 4 loaves 
The premade box mixes work fine in my machine but nothing else – so far. Thanks for sharing the recipe and fingers crossed it works this time.
Regarding finding a cheap bread machines our local thrift shop always has at least 3 on the shelf and I saw many at yard sales this summer. Price ranging from $3-$15 depending on model. I got mine for $4.00
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