Making homemade brown bread is much easier than you think! This Super Simple Wholemeal Bread recipe uses just 5 ingredients, does not require any special equipment, and takes only 20 minutes hands on time – but delivers excellent results every time!
A lifetime of breadmaking experience!
I have been making bread since I was very young. My mum made all her own bread when I was growing up, and I have so many happy memories of helping her.
She would let me do some stirring and would give me a small piece dough to knead (while she kneaded the rest!) and sometimes I would be allowed to make some fun shaped bread rolls!
I grew up assuming making your own bread was normal and easy! It was not until I was older that I found out that other people bought their bread… and thought making homemade bread was difficult and time-consuming.
I’ll admit the process of making bread, from start to finish, is not the quickest… but this Super Simple Wholemeal Bread only involves 20 minutes actual hands-on time and is most definitely easy peasy!
How to make homemade wholemeal bread – the easy peasy way!
This really is a very easy recipe and only involves 5 basic ingredients.
All you need to do is mix up wholemeal bread flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and water. Then, knead the bread for 10 minutes, before leaving it to rise for 45 minutes. Next knock the air out of the bread, shape into an oval and leave to prove for another 45 minutes. Finally, slash a few slits in the top and bake for 30 minutes.
Hardly any work… and your reward is the smell of fresh bread wafting through your house and the delicious taste of homemade bread, still warm from the oven.
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
Only basic equipment required!
This super brown bread recipe requires no special equipment. All you need is a large bowl, a wooden spoon, a baking tray and a knife.
Because this wholemeal loaf is shaped as a bloomer, you don’t need any special bread tins either – any kind of baking sheet / baking tray will do!
What to serve with homemade brown bread?
This delicious wholemeal bread is wonderful served straight from the oven, on its own or just with a bit of butter.
Alternatively, it’s delicious with all your favourite spreads… and amazing made into a sandwich with your favourite sandwich fillings!
But my favourite way to serve homemade brown bread is with a delicious homemade soup, such as:
- Easy Peasy Vegetable Soup
- Easy Leek and Potato Soup
- Immune System Booster Soup
- Spicy Parsnip Soup
- Easy Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup
How to store homemade wholemeal bread
To keep it fresh, once cold, store the bread in an airtight container.
How long will homemade wholemeal bread keep for?
Homemade bread typically does not last as long as shop-bought bread (because there are no additives!). Properly stored, homemade wholemeal bread should keep for up to 4 days. Though it’s at its best in the first 2 days.
Can you freeze homemade wholemeal bread?
Absolutely. This homemade brown bread freezes beautifully. Once cold, put the whole loaf into a sealed plastic freezer bag and place in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Alternatively, you can slice the loaf of bread first and defrost an individual slice or two at a time – this makes the defrosting much quicker and means you only need to defrost as much as you need each time, meaning less food waste. You can either defrost individual slices at room temperature or use your toaster to speed things up. (And this Super Simple Brown Bread makes AWESOME toast!)
(Funny story… growing up Mum would almost always freeze the fresh bread straight away. It became a running joke in our family that, even though Mum made fresh bread 2-3 times per week, we only ever got to eat bread from the freezer!)
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Super Simple Wholemeal Bread
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 baking tray
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 500 g strong wholemeal bread flour (see Note 1)
- 7 g fast action dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 350 ml lukewarm water
Instructions
- Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly. Add the olive oil and mix again. Slowly add the water, stirring constantly. Mix until you have a dough. It will be a bit wet and sticky but it will get much smoother and less sticky after kneading.
- Knead for 10 minutes: put the dough on a floured surface and stretch it away from you with the heel of your hand, fold it over, rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Kneading looks complicated but basically it is just all about stretching the gluten in the dough, so just make sure you do lots of stretching and it will be good enough to make a nice loaf of bread.
- Shape the dough into a ball and put it back in the bowl you used for mixing. Leave it to rise for 45 minutes at room temperature, covered lightly with a piece of oiled clingfilm.
- After 45 minutes, take the dough out of the bowl, knock the air out of it and shape into an oval loaf shape. Put it on an oiled baking sheet and cover lightly with the oiled clingfilm. Leave for another 45 minutes to prove.
- After 30 minutes, preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F and continue to prove for the remaining for 15 minutes.
- Slash the top of the loaf a few times and sprinkle it with flour. Cook the bread in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven and check it's done by carefully turning it over and tapping the bottom. If it's done, it will sound hollow. If it's not done, pop the loaf back in the oven for 5 more minutes and check again.
- When it's done, place the cooked loaf onto a wire cooling rack (use your grill rack, if you don't have one!)
Notes
- Make sure you use wholemeal flour designed for making bread. This is usually sold as ‘strong wholemeal flour’ or ‘wholemeal bread flour’.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Jack Hay says
Dear Eb
I’m a great fan of Easy Peasy and many of your recipes have found their way into my ‘recipe book’ with thanks.
Re wholemeal bread, your recipe is simple and correct.
I have been making wholemeal bread for a few years, and enjoy various versions – olive bread being one if them.
Over time I have picked up various tips which have been tried and tested, and approved by family.
Re wholemeal bread, adding an egg (mixed with the water) softens the texture, also a tbsp of honey has its own dynamic.
Another possibility is a teaspoon of vitamin C (lighter) or include 100gm of white bread flour in the recipe (instead of wholemeal).
Eb Gargano says
Thanks for your tips / adaptations – they sound great! I wanted to keep this recipe super simple, so I haven’t added any ‘extras’, but I totally agree with you that adding olive oil / honey / white bread flour are all great adaptations. I’ve never tried egg in wholemeal bread (though I have in sweet / enriched white breads) – I’ll have to try that one! Eb 🙂
MRS M ROBINSON says
This is the best wholemeal bread recipe I have ever made. I ought to have read everything here on the website and I would have frozen half the loaf as it’s too much for one person but that doesn’t take anything away from what is an easy, tasty loaf of bread. Marvellous and so very easy to make. I am 71 and suffer with arthritis but managed this quite well!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thank you so much for this lovely review! Great to hear you liked it so much 😀
Mrs P says
Is it possible to add nuts/seeds to this bread, or do you perhaps have a recipe for that?
Eb Gargano says
Absolutely! I don’t have a separate recipe for that, but I would recommend adding 40g nuts or seeds to this loaf before the second prove. Walnuts or pumpkin seeds work particularly well.
Carol Clendinen says
have not baked but need temp in numbers that senior can understand as brought this flour from Scotland to try brown bread. thank you!
Eb Gargano says
Sorry I am a little confused. I have given the oven temperatures for all 4 major oven types in the recipe: 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F. Do you use farenheit or celcius? If farenheit, then the temperature is 425F. If you use celcius then the temperature is 220C (or 200C if fan assisted). Alternatively, if you have a gas oven, then set it to gas mark 7. Hope that helps!
Kerith Esterhuizen says
This recipe is so easy to make and makes a great size loaf. Next time I make it I will add more than a teaspoon of salt as it needs more for our palette. And I may add cheese. Will definitely be one I make again.
Eb Gargano says
Great to hear! Thanks for this lovely review 😀 Salt is a very personal thing, so I totally understand why you might want to tweak that. And I love the idea of adding cheese 😀
Val says
Thank you for this great recipe, Eb.
When I followed this recipe today, my husband suggested the same as Kerith, he said a little more salt would help bring out the flavour.
Many years ago, I took a course on yeast cookery, and we were taught by a guy aged 72 yrs, and he had been in bread baking since he was 14 yrs (!). His addition was to include black treacle, just a spoonful, which gave a little more flavour, but also colour, to this delicious bread.
Val (UK)
Eb Gargano says
Salt is such a personal thing – it doesn’t matter how much salt I say to add to my recipes, some people will always say it’s too much and others will say it’s too little! With bread I try to stick to fairly standard amounts. But you are the expert in your own tastebuds, so if you think it needs more salt, by all means add more salt! Wow – 58 years baking, that certainly beats me… I started baking bread when I was 4 (My mum made all our bread when I was growing up and I loved to help!) I’m 44 now, so that’s only 40 years 😉 But I agree with him, treacle is a great addition to bread. I’ve kept things super simple in this recipe, as it’s specifically designed to appeal to people who want a super simple recipe, but by all means add a spoonful of black treacle – or any other adaptations you fancy! And if you like black treacle in bread, you should definitely try my Guinness and Treacle bread >>> https://www.easypeasyfoodie.com/guinness-and-treacle-soda-bread/
FM says
We made this recipe to the letter and were rewarded with a beautifully light and airy loaf with a gorgeous flavour. I can see myself making this every weekend from now on.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so good to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
Lavinia says
Hello,
I loved making this recipe with my 3 year old daughter! Thankyou 🙂
Can you recommend the best way to store this without freezing please?
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so good to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
To keep it fresh, once cold, store the bread in an airtight container. Homemade bread typically does not last as long as shop-bought bread (because there are no additives!). Properly stored, homemade wholemeal bread should keep for up to 4 days. Though it’s at its best in the first 2 days. Hope that helps!
M. Green says
I’ve tried a couple of different recipes, and your recipe for wholemeal bread is fantastic, so easy to follow your instructions, I’ve made several loaves now and every loaf has come out wonderful, I also love the fact that I can freeze it, and it still comes out of the freezer tasting great, and thank you for sharing your tips e.g using cling film with oil to cover the mixture when it’s proofing 🤗
Eb Gargano says
Aw – yay, that is so wonderful to hear! Thank you for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀
Janet Hunter says
Never made bread in my 79 years but tried this recipe and it was perfect.
Many thanks .
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
Sharon Jordan says
The recipe was very easy to follow, took a bit of a long time with two 45 minutes proving but it was well worth it what a gorgeous tasting loaf. I will definitely make it again. Thank-you
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
Sarah says
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have never made bread before but tried it today and am very impressed with the results! It was easy to make, delicious and I will be making it again😋
Eb Gargano says
Aw – yay, I am delighted to hear that! Thank you for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀
Lucy says
i want to try to make this but i have a lot of stomach issues that mean i can’t have oil of any sort, is there anything i could use instead of the olive oil?
Eb Gargano says
You can swap the oil for butter, if you can tolerate that. Simply rub the butter into the flour as if you were making pastry (or blitz the flour and butter together in a food processor). If you can’t tolerate butter either, then simply leave the oil out altogether. Instead of oiling the baking sheet you could either use butter or dust the baking sheet with flour instead. Hope that helps – and let me know how you get on!
Emily says
I’ve never mastered bread and after a few paltry attempts, I was put off from trying again for a while… but then, I saw your recipe, and thought, “yeah, surely even I can manage that”… So I tried my hand at baking bread again. I’m terrible at following recipes. My creative streak always pushes me to go rogue. I read some of your readers’ comments and took some of their ideas: I went for the 100g strong white bread flour substitute, and only had dried yeast which needed to be activated first with a bit of sugar, so I put all the wet ingredients together prior to mixing in with the dry. I also added a handful of seeds and nuts at the end of the knead, so gave the dough a bit of extra time to prove, with the extra weight of the seeds, and the slower acting yeast. It took much longer than 25 mins to bake. More like 45 mins. Though I added water to the bottom of the oven to try and get a crust, I don’t know if this slowed down the bake, or whether I just have a slow oven. Also, I used oil rather than flour to knead, so I guess this will have increased the liquid content. I’d be interested to hear your views. I’ve read tonnes of forums about the principles, but there’s nothing like hands-on years’ experience. In any case, I really enjoyed it, and will continue to keep trying to perfect my bake. Many thanks for luring me back into bread with such a simple, and now that I’ve tried it, certifiably tasty recipe 🙂
Eb Gargano says
Great to hear my recipe got you back into bread-making and with such great results! In my experience bread making is part science, part gut instinct and part trial and error. A basic bread recipe like mine in this recipe is pretty foolproof, but once you start tweaking and changing elements you are adding in a whole load of new variables that will all affect cook time and the finished loaf. What I would generally advise is only change one variable at a time, that way it’s a bit more of a ‘controlled’ experiment. And if you know the science, you know what *should* happen, so you know roughly what to expect… but there really is no substitute for testing it yourself in your own kitchen with your oven (because ovens are one of those variables – they are all individual with their own quirks!) and once you’ve got that part down, you can then test out another variable… and the more you do this the more of a gut instinct you get. That being said, it sounds like you must already have a pretty good gut instinct to be able to change that many variables all at once and still get a really good result – so well done to you! Let me know what you try next 😀
Christine says
Very easy recipe to follow.
Very pleased with result.
Tasted delicious.
I will be making again, much nicer than
shop bought bread.
Eb Gargano says
Aw – yay, that is so wonderful to hear! Thank you for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀
Jack says
I’ve been getting into bread making and really want to follow this recipe! Just had a couple of questions.
Firstly, if I wanted to let this prove overnight in the fridge instead of the counter, which proofing stage does this replace, and then can I resume the recipe as normal?
Secondly, I bought a casserole dish that I’ve done some bread in and was wondering if I could use this to bake it and how that might effect the times?
Thanks!
Eb Gargano says
OK, so before I answer this question I should say that baking bread is part science, part gut instinct and part trial and error! A basic bread recipe like this one is pretty foolproof, but once you start tweaking and changing elements you are adding in a whole load of new variables that will all affect cook time and the finished loaf. And so, as I haven’t personally tested this specific recipe with either of the changes you propose, I can’t answer categorically. I can give you some suggestions, but it’s no substitute for getting in the kitchen and testing. I would also advise – with any bread recipe – that you only change one variable at a time, that way it’s a bit more of a ‘controlled’ experiment!
Personally I would do the first prove in the fridge, so instead of leaving the dough for 45 minutes at room temperature, you’d cover the bowl and let it rise slowly in the fridge for around 8 hours. When you’re ready to continue, take the dough out of the fridge, let it come back to room temperature, then continue with shaping, the second proof, and baking as the recipe states.
As for cooking in a casserole dish, keep the temperature the same. I would suggest you pre-heat your casserole dish for 30 minutes, as this helps the bottom of the loaf cook better. Obviously take a lot of care when putting the bread in the casserole as it will be extremely hot. Then, bake the bread with the lid on for 20 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue for another 10–15 minutes to brown the crust. Because the environment inside the casserole dish is very steamy, you may find it needs slightly less cooking time than this. But every oven and dish is a little different, so you may need to do a little experimentation to hit on the perfect cook time. And the “tap the bottom” test is still the best way to know for sure if your bread is cooked to perfection!
Good luck wit your experiments, and let us know how you get on 😀
Eileen says
If I divide into 2 smaller loaves, what same cook time? Or can recipe be halved?
Eb Gargano says
Yes, the recipe can be split into two smaller loaves or halved. The cooking temperature stays the same but it will take 20-25 minutes, not 25-30 minutes. Enjoy – and let us know how you get on!
Jane Lanahan says
Loved your recipe for simple granary loaf of bread, I did add a few chopped Walnuts, will definitely make it again. Thank you so much. Xx
Eb Gargano says
Aw – yay, that is so wonderful to hear! Thank you for such a lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀
Allison Graham says
Hi! I’m really excited to try this. Is it okay to use a mixer with a dough hook for 10 minutes instead of kneading by hand?
Eb Gargano says
I can’t see why this wouldn’t work in a mixer with a dough hook. However I very much doubt it will need the full 10 minutes, as usually a mixer kneads bread a lot faster than kneading buy hand. Does your mixer come with a hand knead to dough hook conversion guide? If so, I would follow that. If not, I would guess at about 2 minutes. Here’s the official advice from kitchen aid >>> https://www.kitchenaid.co.uk/faq/kneading-time-and-speed which says ‘Kneading with a KitchenAid mixer for 2 minutes is equivalent to kneading 10-12 minutes by hand. KitchenAid does not recommend kneading bread dough for more than 2 minutes at Speed 2’