Published: Updated: by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links
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Simple 5-ingredient whole wheat bread. You just don’t get easier than this no-fail and no-knead recipe! Hearty, wholesome, nourishing and delicious!
You know, I always wanted to be the kind of person who makes their own hummus and bakes their own whole wheat bread. So I’m pretty chuffed that I have become this person!
So now I can feel all wholesome and earth-motherish. Well, at least I would if I had some kiddos other than my two cat babies.
Recently someone was saying to me that they’re ‘eating clean’ now.
And ‘eating clean’ is quite the popular phrase in diet culture. But depending on which diet camp you’ve found yourself, ‘clean’ can have vastly different meanings. Like for some it means eating plenty of meat but cutting out grains and processed foods. And of course that is not at all what it means in the vegan community.
But anyway, I am not a fan of labelling foods like this because it’s a value judgement, like ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Which some can take to extremes and it can lead to eating disorders (not good).
But that being said, lately it can be hard to find a loaf of bread in the store that doesn’t have a heap of junk in it. There is one particular loaf of wholewheat bread that I bought, and we just didn’t get around to eating it (or throwing it out).
However, it was just as perfectly fresh 3 weeks after purchase as it was on the day I brought it home from the store. Hmmm.
So I do like to make some whole wheat bread myself, and when it’s as easy as THIS, then there’s no reason not to! Also check out our other super easy bread recipes, our vegan white bread, vegan soda bread and vegan focaccia.
How To Make Whole Wheat Bread
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
I have literally never come across a recipe as easy as this. It’s just 5-ingredients, and you don’t even have to knead it.
In fact, kneading is out with this recipe. You just throw some whole wheat flour, instant yeast and a little salt to a mixing bowl.
Then mix maple syrup with warm water and then add the wet ingredients to the dry.
Mix in to just combine (no kneading! I’m not going to tell you again you super-keen kneading fan), move it into a greased loaf pan (a little parchment paper on the bottom is also a good idea), cover it and leave it to rise for 20 minutes.
It does all its rising before it even hits the oven. So the height it is when it goes in is pretty much the height it is when it comes out.
Put it into the oven and bake for 40 minutes. And bingo you have freshly baked bread!
Who Needs A Bread Machine?
I mean really I don’t think it could be easier even if you used a bread machine. Well, I’ve never used a bread machine so I can’t really compare, but with a recipe as easy as this, who needs a bread machine?
Well, don’t quote me on that, maybe I’ll get one, one of these days. I do like nifty little appliances.
And the BEST thing about baking your own whole wheat bread is your whole house smells delicious and you get to eat it warm from the oven.
Serving Suggestions
I mean really if you don’t feel like cooking, just make a loaf of this (it barely counts as ‘cooking’ it’s too easy), and serve it with a huge salad, maybe some roasted garlic hummus and avocado and various other toppings and dinner is done and dusted!
Of course it goes immensely well with any homemade soups too! So if you’re having a delicious vegan potato leek soup or vegan tomato soup or vegan lentil soup for dinner, then this is going to be awesome for dipping.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is very versatile and has worked great when we’ve switched up the flours. We have tried this recipe as follows and all have worked out great:
- 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3 cups all purpose flour
- 4 cups all purpose flour
Make It Gluten-Free
It even works with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. I find that adding a tablespoon or two of olive oil (at the same time as the other wet ingredients) makes the gluten-free version come out softer.
Storing Tips
It’s best when very fresh (the day of making it) but it will keep for a couple of days in a closed container and it also makes very delicious toast!
You can freeze it, and that’s best done on the day of baking to lock in the freshness. If you freeze it on the second or third day then you can use it for toast straight from the freezer.
Want Some Toppings For Your Whole Wheat Bread?
- Homemade Vegan Butter
- Homemade Peanut Butter
- Homemade Cashew Butter
- Homemade Almond Butter
- Simple Vegan Guacamole
- Creamy Avocado Hummus
And for more breads, check out our vegan cornbread, vegan banana breadand our easy vegan dinner rolls!
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Easy No-Fail Whole Wheat Bread
Easy 5-ingredient whole wheat bread. You just don’t get easier than this no-fail recipe. Hearty, wholesome, nourishing and delicious!
4.87 from 672 votes
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Course: Appetizer, Side
Cuisine: Vegan
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 116kcal
Author: Alison Andrews
Ingredients
- 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour (520g)
- 1 Packet Instant Yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Maple Syrup
- 2 cups Warm Water (480ml)
Instructions
Add the flour to a mixing bowl with the yeast and salt and mix together.
Dissolve the maple syrup in the warm water and then add to the dry ingredients.
Mix – don’t knead – until you have a sticky well combined dough.
Transfer to a greased 9×5 loaf pan. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper if you think there will be any chance of it sticking.
Cover and leave to rise for 20 minutes.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
After 20 minutes* when the dough has risen, bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Absolutely BEST when fresh, but will keep for a day or two in a closed container. After which you can make the most delicious toast.
Video
Notes
- Weigh your flour for the most accurate results.
- Maple syrup can be replaced by another sweetener such as agave nectar or other syrup.
- If your dough hasn’t quite risen as high as mine in the picture at the 20 minute mark then leave it a couple more minutes, sometimes it takes a couple of minutes longer to get to the perfect height, but don’t leave it too long or it will rise too high and then you’ll get a muffin top loaf!
- Prep time includes the 20 minutes spent rising.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.5g | Protein: 4.5g | Fat: 0.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 74mg | Fiber: 3.6g | Sugar: 0.8g
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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About the Author
Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Skye saysThank you so much for sharing this. Although my bread didn’t rise as much as pictured, it looked moist on the inside (yet to try it)! Been trying to get that right. ^-^
I’ve added unsweetened apple sauce instead of maple syrup.Cheers,
SkyeReply
- Heather says
This is an absolutely fantastic recipe, thank you for sharing. I made a few small modifications that worked well:
– Increased salt by 1/4 tsp
– Let dough rise 40 minutes
– Before putting bread in the over, I covered the top with a light egg wash (yolk and white), a bit of fresh ground salt, poppy seeds and psyllium husk.This bread is so easy, so cost-effective and an instant family hit. Thanks again!
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- KTL says
I made this recipe without the maple syrup for my 9 month old daughter it was great. Do you think I can add apple sauce to sweeten it up?
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- Alison Andrews says
You would need to be careful with your quantity or add more flour to compensate because adding more wet ingredients without balancing with more dry ingredients could make the bread too mushy.
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- Allison says
This was the easiest bread recipe I have ever made! Thank you! Next time, I’ll add a little more salt coz my loaf tasted like it needed a bit more for flavor, but I loved it. So many 100% whole wheat loaves can be so dry, this is light and fabulous. I shared your recipe on my blog, Never Say Die Beauty, and linked to your recipe. Hope that was OK
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi Allison, that’s awesome to hear that you found it so easy. I saw the post on your blog and the pictures look great! Thanks for posting! 🙂
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- Stephanie Sebjornsen says
I followed the recipe but my dough seemed dry so I added a little more water. Hope that won’t spoil the result? I’ll let you know how it goes ?
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi Stephanie, I’m sure it will be fine! A little flexibility is usually a good thing, maybe there was a little more flour and that’s why it needed more liquid. Hoping it works out great! Let us know. 🙂
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- Tiffany Barrow-Torres says
Hello im going to make this today i was wonder i have a jar of yeast how much do i put in i dont have packets of yeast.
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi Tiffany, you can use 1 Tbsp of instant yeast.
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- KSca says
Im confused, is it 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast or 1 TBSP instant yeast? The recipe says something different from this comment, so want to clarify! Thanks, K
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- Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says
Hi! It’s 2 1/4 teaspoons if you use Instant Dry Yeast. If you use Active Dry Yeast you will need more.
- Maya says
Was looking for a simple bread recipe, the kind that goes with curry and some spicy spreads. Nothing better than this one. It’s just perfect.
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- Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks for posting Maya! 🙂
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- Kelly says
Awesome recipe! I made it last night with spelt flour… delicious for breakfast. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
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- Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear it worked well with spelt flour! Thanks for posting! 🙂
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- L. A. says
This was so easy to make! I love the crust on the outside of the bread and the texture of it, too. However, it seemed to really lack flavor. I put some salt on along with vegan “butter’ which helped a little, but it definitely could use a flavor “boost.” Maybe if I toast it, that will help… Still though, it is just a terrific recipe and a good way to get over the fear of baking bread!
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi, glad you liked the recipe, you could try using more salt in the recipe as other commenters have done. 🙂
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- Esther says
I half the portions (not the yeast) and replaced with coconut sugar and yet it still taste great!
Thanks!
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- Katie says
Thank you for the great recipe!I’ve been making this bread every 2-3 days for my family of 5 and they love it! We’re not vegan but my kids have a lot of food allergies to different animal proteins so I often search for vegan recipes and I’m so glad to have stumbled upon this one and will be back for more recipes. I do have to let it rise quite a bit longer but my yeast is probably nearing it’s end so I think that is why. Otherwise no adjustments and perfect every time! Thanks again!
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi Katie, I’m so glad to hear that it’s been perfect every time. Thanks for sharing about the increased rise time too, I think different climates, and different yeasts can cause a slower rise time, but that is helpful info. Thanks for posting! 🙂
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- Melissa says
Can this recipe be made in a bread machine?
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi Melissa, I have no idea, I don’t have a bread machine so have never tried it like that.
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- Becky Pluister says
my Daughter is transitioning to vegan after being a vegetarian for 2 years. Her Ultimate weakness is bread and one of the main reasons she hasn’t gone vegan yet is that all the vegan breads she has purchased are awful, I truly hope she likes this one.
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- Nicola says
My bread was cooking for about an hour and a half and still came out raw in the middle 🙁 any ideas why??)
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- Alison Andrews says
If your bread rose properly before going in then I can only think it was your oven temperature, have you ever tested it with an oven thermometer? Otherwise I have no idea, I make this all the time and it’s always perfect. Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you.
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- Nancy says
I found and made this recipe today. I love it! It was so easy to make and tastes delicious. My bread did not rise as high as shown here but it was still great!
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi Nancy, so glad you liked it! Next time you make it try leaving it to rise for a few minutes longer so that it’s really risen well before you bake it, if your room is cold it can take a little longer sometimes to rise all the way. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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- Rachel says
Hi, I tried this bread today. I let it sit for the recommended 20 minutes however it didn’t seem to rise at all. After the 40 minutes in the oven it had risen however it was still looking under-cooked and doughy when I cut it open so I popped it in for a little longer, however it was still too raw. There were no air bubbles at all and it was very very dense. I have just bought new yeast which is nowhere near expiry and am using wholemeal wheat flour which is suitable for bread. What am I doing wrong?
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- Alison Andrews says
Hi Rachel, I am really sad to hear that it didn’t work out! There can be reasons for this, if your water was cold or if it was too hot, it can kill the yeast. It needs to be warm, and not hot, and of course not cold. Did you definitely use the right kind of yeast? It is also possible that you got a bad batch of yeast. If the room is quite cold it can take longer to rise, but you should have seen quite a bit of rise in 20 minutes and then could have left it for a bit longer. But if the dough doesn’t rise hardly at all, it’s not going to make a good bread, which is why you found it very dense and also why it took longer to cook.
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4.87 from 672 votes (239 ratings without comment)
