The classic honey + whole wheat flavor combo is so good in this bread! It's delicious sliced and slathered with your favorite spread, or as the base for a sandwich. Plus, the honey helps to keep it fresh for extra long!

I love the flavor of a honey whole wheat bread. The sweetness from the honey and the distinctly nuttiness of the whole wheat flour are so delicious together. This loaf delivers on both, and is leavened completely with sourdough!

In addition to giving this bread its signature sweetness, the honey helps to keep it fresh and moist for noticeably longer other loaves. In a plastic bag, sliced and at room temperature, it will stay fresh for 3-5 days. Longer than that, you can either freeze it, or just give it a quick toast before using.

This is on my shortlist of must-make sourdough recipes. It’s on my regular rotation. We finish a loaf and already I want another one.

I made this on a whim, because I had more whole wheat flour than all purpose and didn’t feel like that warranted a grocery trip.

What a fortuitous flour situation that ended up being because this bread has changed my life.

It’s good sliced and slathered with butter, toasted with a generous smear of peanut butter or jam, or (my favorite!!) the perfect base for ham + turkey sandwiches.

The first thing I did with this bread the first time I made it was slice it and make a ham sandwich with it. Ham, Swiss, lettuce, mayo. I don’t have a sandwich scrapbook (umm… why not?) but let me tell you that if I did, this would be in it. It maybe would be the cover.

I could not get enough of it.

The Dough

This dough comes together quickly and easily in a stand mixer.

You'll add the wet ingredients and mix, then add the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on low speed with the dough hook attached and let it run until it all comes together - this will take a minute or two. Once it's all mixed together, keep the mixer going for 4-6 minutes to knead.

Then, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and do the first rise.

Bulk Fermentation

Keep in mind this bread is mostly whole wheat flour, which means it will ferment faster than loaves made with all purpose or bread flours. In my kitchen, it usually takes 6-7 hours. This is a couple of hours less than a regular sourdough loaf takes for me.

It also won’t double in size. Be on the lookout for bubbles in the sides of the dough (a glass bowl is helpful here!), and it should look significantly puffed up.

honey wheat dough after the bulk fermentation — *Here's what the dough should look like after the first rise - lots of bubbles and a good rise, though it won't double.*

Shaping

Shaping dough for any kind of bread that's baked in a loaf pan is fun and low-stakes! The sides of the pan support the bread as it bakes, so there's not much pressure to get the tension just right.

Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With lightly floured fingertips, press and stretch it into a rectangle. Starting at one of the shorter sides, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the ends to seal, then fold under the loaf. Place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

The Second Rise

The second rise will also probably not deliver very impressive growth. It will take 1 ½-2 hours, at the end of which, it will look puffed up (again), but won’t be doming above the rim of the bread pan like some sandwich loves do.

shaped loaf in loaf pan — *Before the second rise.*

loaf after the second rise — *Before the second rise.*

This is sort of a compact loaf!

Important Note About The Rise

This is a dense loaf thanks to the honey and whole wheat flour, and won't have a robust rise. HOWEVER, you should still see good fermentation during both the first and second rises.

If your dough isn't doing much in the time frame listed in the recipe, let it go longer before moving on to the next step.

As always, rise times with sourdough will vary greatly based on the season, the temperature of your kitchen, the activity level of your starter, etc. Go by visual cues rather than exact times!

The Bake

Toward the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and brush the top of your loaf with water. Sprinkle with rolled oats and score down the middle.

honey wheat loaf sprinkled with oats and scored down the middle

Try to do it straighter than I did.

Or don't, it will be delicious either way.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, until it's browned to your liking and cooked through.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert to release and cool completely on a wire rack.

Or slice into it warm. Who could resist??

Then go forth making the best sandwiches you've ever had!

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5 from 5 votes

Sourdough Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Keep in mind this dough does not follow the usual sourdough progression of doubling in size + rising to the rim of the loaf pan, so you’ll have to rely on some different visual cues, and your heart.

Makes 1 loaf.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Proof Time10

Total Time11

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Servings:

Author: mandyjackson

Ingredients

220 grams (1 cup) water
78 grams (¼ cup) honey
65 grams (¼ cup) active sourdough starter
8 grams (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil
260 grams (1 ¾ cup) whole wheat flour
150 grams (1 cup) all purpose flour
9 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
For topping: 1-2 tablespoons rolled oats

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the water, honey, starter, and oil until combined. Add the flours and salt and turn the mixer on low speed. It will take a minute or two for the ingredients to come together. Once they do, continue kneading for 4-6 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and looks smooth rather than shaggy. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest for 6-7 hours, until you can see bubbles in the sides of the dough (if you’re using a transparent bowl) and it looks significantly puffed up. Note it will not double in volume!
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Press into in a rectangle with lightly floured fingertips - just enough so the dough doesn't stick. Roll into a log, pinch the seam and edges to seal, tuck the ends toward the seam, and place the loaf, seam side-down into an oiled 9-by-5 inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and rest 1 ½ - 2 hours, until the dough fills out to the edges of the pan - keep in mind it won’t grow tall enough to reach the rim of the pan.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of the loaf with water and press the oats onto the top. Score straight down the middle. Bake 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and loaf is cooked through.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert to release. Cool completely on a wire rack. Bread will stay fresh for 3-5 days at room temperature in a plastic bag.

Notes

For a more flexible schedule, you can do the second rise in the fridge for 12-24 hours. No need to bring the loaf to room temperature before baking - just continue with the recipe as written.

Rise times -