Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Whole Wheat Bread ~ Flashback Friday



I first posted this recipe for my everyday whole wheat bread back in 2010.  The recipe that came to me from my mom in law Pauline has been a staple in our house since we've been married.  I've adjusted the salt amount and measured the flour once more and am satisfied that you will find this a great everyday bread. It freezes well and makes fantastic toast.   
  • 4 1/2 cups lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  1. In a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons yeast to the lukewarm water and honey and allow to rest 10 minutes.
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 5 cups whole wheat flour
  • about 4 cups white flour or enough to make a smooth elastic dough
  1. Add the oil and salt to the yeast mixture, stir well.
  2. Add the flour one cup at a time stirring until you can't stir it anymore.
  3. Knead in the remaining flour until you have a smooth elastic dough.
  4. Put into a large bowl, cover and let double in bulk. . .about an hour.
  5. Divide into 4 loaves, roll in whole wheat if desired for an artisan effect and put into greased loaf pans.
  6. Let rise until double and bake in a 375 F oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 4 loaves



51 comments:

  1. This sounds delicious. I hope to try it soon...

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  2. This one looks great...I'll try it as well. As for your recipes...I find the same in regards to things I used to think "ordinary". Now they are "blog-worthy". LOL

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  3. I've tried several of your bread recipes & thanks to you, I'm getting better at breadmaking. Would love to find a good whole wheat bread recipe -- I haven't had much luck with these. Jan

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  4. Another delicious bread recipe..there is nothing like a wholesome bread baked in your own kitchen!

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  5. The picture had something on top of the bread, what is this?

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  6. How funny! When I got up this AM I wanted to put a loaf of my Mom's brown bread in the bread machine. I downsized the recipe for the bread machine, letting the dough mix and then I'll bake it in the oven. Your bread looks wonderful! Kathy

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  7. awesome ~~ I'm glad this reciper uses honey instead of refined sugar as I've had to elimate refined suagr from mt diet.

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  8. THanks to Kathy for mentioning downsizing and the bread machine. My first thought was "this would have been a great recipe when all six kids were home, but I don't need 4 loaves any more!" Dah! Make one!

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  9. Hi everyone - this looks great. Could someone let me know whether dried yeast is OK for this or do I need to get some fresh?

    Many thanks!

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  10. I popped over from Farm Gal Cynthia.

    I have taken a leave of absence from work and have time on my hands.
    I look forward to trying your recipes.

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  11. YUMMY! I'm scared to death to bake bread but who knows???

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    1. The best gift my husband ever bought me was a dough mixer 30 years ago and it is going strong. It has to be a strong motor......whatever the make and model. You put in the ingredients and let it do the work.

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  12. OH ..on top of the loaf is porridge oats. When I form the loaf I put porridge oats on the counter instead of flour and just roll the loaf in it before putting it in the loaf pan.

    Dried yeast is totally fine for this recipe.

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  13. About bread turning out. . I wonder whether it makes a big difference what kind of flour you use. I know that Canadian wheat is harder than the flour purchased in the states. Could that be part of the problem and also I wonder if altitude makes a difference. I'm sure it does.

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    Replies
    1. There is a difference in flour in the US......an American friend living in Lynden, Wash. buys flour at Canadian Costco........saying her baking has greatly improved.

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    2. An American friend buys flour in Canada, and says it works better for her baking needs than flour from the US.

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  14. What type of yeast - sorry, new breadbaker here. Thanks!
    Tanya

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  15. Some of the simple things sometimes turn out to be the best.
    I love it already.

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  16. Yeast ...
    Use active dry yeast or rapid rise yeast of you can use instant yeast. . just add the instant yeast to the whole wheat flour first.

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  17. Especially to Anneliese, Kathy, and Lovella,
    Just wanted to let you know that I've been visiting your blog site. You've helped me out a few times when I've wanted to compare recipes. Love it! My daughter Kim told me about your blogs site.

    I also thought you should know that you three are very dear to me. From the time I was a young married woman joining your ranks at CHC, you have blessed me with your examples of gracious, fun and godly women. Thanks for that influence in my life.

    This year I determined to make all the special seasonal Mennonite dishes. I started the year off right with Anneliese's pozelke. Both Bruce and I enjoyed our mom's and grandma's amazing Mennonite cooking and baking all our lives. When I was little, Oma and her twin sister, Tante Anna, would come from Chilliwack and Abbotsford, to our house in Burnaby and bake for a few days at a time for our family. Those were always the best of weeks, and the freezer was full of baking when they left.

    Thanks to you all for sharing your recipes and your hearts here at Mennonite girls can cook. You have been inspiring!
    Marianne

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  18. Thanks for the yeast info - will try today!

    Tanya

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  19. I made this bread yesterday and it is the best bread that I have ever made. I substituted multi-grain flour for the whole wheat (to please my teenagers) and it was great. I used instant yeast, so the rise times, I adjusted accordingly. This is now my "go to" bread recipe! Thanks, Lovella (I mean, Pauline) for handing down your family recipe to us!

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  20. Lovella I've been reading about soaking your whole grain flours before baking bread. Have you heard of that or tried it? What do you think.

    anon1

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  21. Oh and (very scattered today) have you ever substituted leftover porridge in your bread baking? I have a large container of cooked steel-cut oats in the freezer. I was thinking how I would adjust for it. Stone cut oats are rather expensive so I want to be as careful as possible not to have a flop. If I was to use some in Pauline's recipe, what would you suggest for quantity and changes?

    anon1

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  22. anon 1 . ..good questions.. I do think I have made bread with the whole wheat flour soaked in buttermilk first. .I'll have to try to find that recipe. As for using cooked steal cut oats, I haven't done that but I'll submit your question to the rest of the girls to see if anyone else has.

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  23. I made it today - wonderful recipe - wonderful bread!!!

    Tanya

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  24. anon1 - I don't know the answer to your question, but I put (leftover) cooked oats (porridge) into my bun dough once and it was the stickiest dough ever to handle. Very frustrating experience. (they tasted good in the end)

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  25. I love this blog, the diversity of each days recipes is a somthing I treat myself to ech day

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  26. Have you tried subbing wheat gluten instead of the white flour? Also, how do you half or cut the recipe down for just 1 loaf, I suppose I could freeze the other 3 lol

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  27. As an experienced bread baker, I was just in the mood for something like this. So I cut the recipe in half and started out. I had plenty of whole wheat flour, but realized I was gonna be short of white! So I added some white wholewheat (King Arthur) but not enough! Found some Dark Rye and added that! Needed more! Remembered I had some white self rising flour in the freezer which I added.
    Got the food processor out to mix up the gooey whole grain with the white self rising. Some spins and its looking good! So I raised it and it was just perfect, made some rolls and one loaf. The rolls tasted wonderful, and I am sure the loaf will too. I doubt I could ever re-create it, but we will enjoy it as is. Next time I will make sure I have what I need before I start mixing. I love your recipes and your life attitudes.

    Jo in MN

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  28. I am doing something wrong. I have made this recipe twice and both times turned the second rise flows over the edge of the loaf pan and the whole loaf flattens. Any ideas?

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  29. Teresa, I am so sorry you had such a disspointing result both times. I wonder if your flour is soft. I know that Canadian wheat is harder than some other wheats.
    The dough should be stiff enough to hold it's shape when you form it into a ball for its first rise.

    Try adding a teaspoon or two of gluten to your next batch of bread. It might help to make the dough elastic. The fact that your loaves are flattening indicates a lack of elasticity which gluten helps.

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  30. I love your recipies!!! You ladies are my go to site for everything!!!
    Funny thing for my family is I am a night owl, so everything gets baked at night so they all fall asleep dreaming of things to come!!! And I get to sample and really sit in awe of the bounty for a few moments before one of the kids stirs and walks in saying, "Mom is the bread done yet?" and we sit and have a fresh piece with our home-made butter and jam before sending them back off to bed.
    A note on the second rise, if it is over flowing in the pan check 2 things. . . how much dough are you putting per pan?(what size is your pan? Mine were the only ones at walmart at the time and they are actually 2 lb. loves) Are you letting it rise too long? (If it is rising to long then you will have a loaf when cut into with big bubble holes on the inside.)
    Hope all is well with you ladies!! Thank you form the bottom of my heart for all that you put into this wonderful site!

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  31. Will it work to bake more than one loaf at a time in the oven? I usually make buns and have just recently been making loaves and only put one in at a time, but thought maybe I could speed the process up a bit.

    Maxine from SK

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  32. Maxine... yes... do bake all four loaves at the same time.

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  33. hi there- usually make my bread in a bread maker but want to bake some "real"bread with my girls. do i have to use white flour as well or can i use all whole wheat flour?

    Fran
    from...Canada

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  34. Hi Fran,
    You could certainly use 100% whole wheat flour. I would add a teaspoon of powdered wheat gluten to it ...but even if you don't it will turn out. .just not as light.

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  35. For whole wheat bread you definitely need western hard wheat flour. I grind the wheat grains just before baking for best nutrition.I'm 75 yrs young and have baked bread for many years!
    Arthritis makes kneading impossible so I use the dough cycle in the bread machine and then form the loaves to bake.

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  36. Can I use my kitchenaid dough hook to knead this?

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    1. Yes ...you sure can. That is how I knead mine.

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  37. Can you use all white flour? My husband is super picky and doesn't like whole wheat bread (much to my dismay). Wondering if it will turn out ok using only white flour.

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  38. For your American readers-- Canadian flour is made from hard red spring wheat, which has the right combination of the types of proteins and glutens. Bakers want the strength but also the elasticity and in a good year Canadian wheat has a good combination.
    Gluten is comprised of two protein groups: glutenin and gliadin. Glutenin contributes to the elastic character of gluten while gliadin contributes to extensibility. A balance between elasticity and extensibility is necessary for superior baking performance. (Source: http://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/fact-fait/gluten-eng.htm)

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  39. I've had great success with Bronze Chief whole wheat flour from Montana. It's made from hard red spring wheat and is non-GMO, unbleached, certified chemical free. I've been making all my own bread for the last 18 years and I've tried many whole wheat flours. Bronze Chief is the best whole wheat flour I have ever used, bar none.

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  40. I think I've been using this recipe for my "toast bread" since you posted it in 2010! Yummy! My only question is, after I bake it the loaves are nice and crisp on the outside and have a tight top (not sure how else to descibe). But after I have allowed them to cool completely and the bagged them and frozen them, the tops become slightly wrinkled and no longer tight - just a small disappointment, but definitely doesn't affect the taste.

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  41. going to try this bread recipe but half it. I live in BC and would like to know what brand of flour you use. Love the recipes you ladies share with us.

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    1. I use Robin Hood but have bought lots of different Canadian brand flours and with all of them I have had success. Robin Hood also makes a bread flour that I have occasionally purchased too.

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  42. Another fantastic flashback Lovella!!! These recipes are certainly worth repeating and this one looks delicious.

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  43. solution for Lorrie: the bread is still too fresh to be bagged and frozen. it is the moisture that gives it that 'wrinkly' appearance when thawed. If you let it sit overnight before you freeze it you will have much better results. I learned this trick when from working in a small town family bakery - which is now run by the fourth generation! LH

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  44. It turned out amazing!!! Thank you for this recipe! I love many of the recipes I get through e-mail from Mennonite Girls!!!

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  45. Just made this bread again - I think of it as "Pauline's Bread".I doubled it and had 8 beautiful large loaves. Thanks for a great recipe Lovella!

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    1. Thank you Kathie! It is still our favourite go to for bread as well!

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