Name: Recipe for Basic Whole Wheat Bread
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (including rise time)
Yield: 14 (1 slice) servings
Cuisine: Bread
Ingredients: 1 1/2 water; 2 applesauce; 2 liquid sweetener of choice; 1 1/2 lecithin granules; 1/2 barley malt flour, 1/8 teaspoon citric acid, or 1 crushed vitamin C; 1 1/4 salt; 3 3/4 white whole wheat bread flour; 1 active dry yeast

Four slices of bread, an orchid, apples slices, and blueberries.

Bread Build the Perfect Sandwich or Accompany a Meal

This bread recipe is easy to make using the dough cycle on a bread machine. The healthy, whole wheat dough makes for a hearty sandwich bread—perfect for morning toast, school lunches, or even dried for croutons or stuffing! Alternatively, the dough can be used for burger buns, pocket breads, bread sticks, and other treats.

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

Recipe courtesy of

Heather Leno

Prep Instructions

Yield: 14 (1 slice) servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes (including rise time)

Recipe Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons applesauce
2 tablespoons liquid sweetener of choice
1 1/2 teaspoons lecithin granules
1/2 teaspoon barley malt flour, 1/8 teaspoon citric acid, or 1 crushed vitamin C
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 3/4 cups white whole wheat bread flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast

Combine all ingredients in your bread machine’s pan.
Turn to dough cycle and start. The dough should form a ball and not just stick to the sides of the pan. If it sticks, add another tablespoon or two of flour, one at a time.
When the dough has risen to the top of the pan, start the mixing cycle over and let it reduce the dough to a ball again.
Pour out dough onto a lightly floured surface, punch down, and knead to remove air bubbles. Form into a loaf, tucking the edges under and making a smooth top. Place loaf in a nonstick bread pan. Cover with a very light cloth or piece of parchment to let it rise.
Put a pan of hot water on the bottom rack or floor of your oven. Turn oven to 375°F.
When dough has risen fully double, check to see if it is ready by poking it carefully with your finger. If it leaves an indentation, it’s ready for immediate baking (overproofing will cause it to fall and get heavy on the bottom of the loaf).
Mist top of loaf with water and place in oven. Mist quickly again after 3 minutes. Bake approximately 35 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and let cool on a wire rack.