I love homemade bread! For the past few years I had always made my own bread that was more like a giant bun that I would just lay onto a baking sheet. Often times I even made my whole wheat bun recipe but just left it as one giant bun that we could cut (my lazy mom shortcut). We enjoy that bread most often with soup or with margarine and jam.

I had never before made a sandwich loaf that we could actually slice and use for toast or sandwiches. For that, we would always just buy a loaf of whole grain bread from the store. Making my own bread is something that I’ve really wanted to be able to do. The loaves at the store are ridiculously expensive and many contain soy or canola oil (which we are trying to avoid now). I knew that making my own homemade bread would be much cheaper and healthier, so on the weekend I got right to making my own whole wheat sandwich bread recipe.

With a little love and patience, the result was this beautiful loaf.

Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

This loaf is proof that everything is better homemade! A low-fat whole wheat bread with a high rise that is perfect for slicing and toasting or using to make sandwiches. On the days that I decide to make a loaf of bread, I usually go ahead and double the recipe to have one to freeze and eat later on.

 Makes one 9 x 5 loaf

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 5 cups whole wheat flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

1. Pour the water into a large mixing bowl, sprinkle on the yeast and add the maple syrup. Stir to combine then let sit 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon, until smooth. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
3. Once the dough has doubled in size, add the oil and sea salt and stir to combine.
4. Add 2 1/4 cups more flour, a little bit at a time, stirring until the flour is combined and the dough is no longer sticky.
5. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of flour out onto a large clean surface. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, until smooth.
6. Place the dough into a large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
7. After the dough has risen, punch it down and knead it a few times to release any air bubbles. Shape the dough into an oval shape.
8. Place the dough into a 9 x 5 loaf pan, cover and let rise another 25 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F during the last 10 minutes of the rising time. Bake the loaf for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool a while before removing from the pan.

Note: It is imperative that you knead the bread for at least 8 minutes so that it will rise properly. Your arms will get tired, but just think of how strong you are getting! 🙂

Now we are enjoying delicious toast and jam for breakfast on these chilly fall mornings!

Yesterday I made two more loaves of this bread and froze them as well too, just to make sure that the recipe was perfect for sharing on the blog.

Now that I’ve made my own bread a few times, I anticipate trying out other whole grain flours to make different types of sandwich bread.

There is nothing like homemade bread! 🙂