Sourdough Honey Whole Wheat Bread

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.

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.

This is sort of a compact loaf!

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.

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!