A foolproof recipe for the softest, most tender and delicious Whole Wheat Bread that’s easy to make with my step-by-step photos and secret (but super simple!) ingredient. I am sure you will love this homemade Wholemeal Bread (or Atta Bread) made with the usual bread baking staples.
About Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
This soft and tender whole wheat bread has a similar fluffy consistency as your favorite White Bread,, but with the yummy flavor and health benefits of whole wheat.
How is it possible to make such a magical loaf? After much trial and error I finally stumbled across the secret ingredient that’s key for the softest crumb.
Similar to Naan and Bhatura, my wholemeal bread recipe includes yogurt (or curd). The creamy, slightly acidic consistency of the yogurt creates a delightful texture every time! Plus, yogurt is rather mild in flavor, so you get that full earthy taste of wheat you love.
And YES, this recipe can be made vegan-friendly! The acidity of yogurt is what creates the great rise for a super soft crumb, but this can be easily replicated. Simply swap with vegan almond yogurt or cashew yogurt, or even just lemon juice or vinegar.
I have tried making the bread with cashew yogurt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar and they all work well.
Below are my step-by-step photos and instructions for making the best whole wheat bread from scratch. I use my hands to knead the bread, but feel free to use a standing mixer with a dough hook instead.
This Wholemeal Bread recipe works wonderfully with any kind of baker’s yeast. Be it instant yeast (or rapid rising yeast), dry active yeast or fresh yeast.
Remember to proof dry active yeast or fresh yeast in lukewarm water. And also note that the leavening time or the time taken for the dough to rise will be more when using these two types of yeast.
Note: To make this wholemeal bread, I have used instant yeast (rapid rising yeast). In the recipe card below I have mentioned proportions if using dry active yeast or fresh yeast.
How to make Whole Wheat Bread
Proof Yeast
1. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a standing mixer, add ½ cup of water and 1 tablespoon of raw sugar. The water can be room temperature or lukewarm.
However, if using active dry yeast or fresh yeast, then be sure to use lukewarm water.
Wondering which yeast to choose? The leavening and rising time of instant yeast is faster compared to dry active yeast. You also don’t need to proof the instant yeast like the dry active yeast, but I still show you the full proofing method to help if you are using dry active yeast.
2. To the bowl add 1 teaspoon of instant yeast (rapid rise yeast).
If using dry active yeast, add 1.5 teaspoons. Swirl the bowl around or stir with a spoon to help the yeast dissolve in the water.
3. Mix well and let the yeast proof for 10 to 15 minutes.
Make Wholemeal Bread Dough
4. Now to the frothy yeast water mixture, add 3 cups of whole wheat flour (360 grams), 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of your favorite neutral flavored oil (or butter or ghee) and 2 tablespoons of yogurt (curd).
For a vegan-friendly loaf: Use either 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, or 2 tablespoons of almond or cashew yogurt in place of dairy yogurt.
5. Mix well with a spoon.
6. Add ½ cup of water in parts as you mix.
7. Now begin to knead the mixture into a soft dough, adding water at intervals as needed.
8. The dough will be slightly sticky at first, but it will be fine after the initial rise. If the dough looks dry, however, you can add some more water.
Work in 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough looks too sticky (is actively sticking to your hands), then sprinkle in a bit of flour.
Knead very well for a total of 8 to 10 minutes to get a supple, pliable and soft dough. A slightly sticky dough is fine.
Proof Dough (First Rise)
9. Flatten the dough to fill the bottom of the bowl. Lightly brush the top of the dough with water.
10. Place a towel over the bowl, and proof the dough for 30 to 35 minutes if you have used instant yeast.
For dry active yeast, give a time of about 1.5 to 2 hours for the dough to double in size.
11. After the initial rise, the dough should be nearly double in size like in the photo below.
12. Use your fist to punch the dough lightly into the bowl, and knead again lightly.
Shape to a Loaf and Proof Loaf (Second Rise)
13. Work the wholemeal bread dough out of the bowl and onto a clean work surface. Roll into a ball.
14. Now form the dough into a log, and gently pinch the edges into a seam.
15. Place the dough log into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. Cover again with a kitchen towel and let rise.
- If you have used instant yeast – leaven for 20 to 30 minutes.
- For dry active yeast or fresh yeast – set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour or more depending on the temperature conditions.
16. While the dough leavens, preheat the oven for 20 minutes at 220 degrees celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit).
If using a convection oven or oven with a fan, then preheat at 200 or 205 degrees celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes.
Score and Bake Whole Wheat Bread
17. Make a ¼ inch cross or slits on the bread. This helps the steam escape as the bread bakes, and creates a tender and soft loaf.
18. Lightly brush the top of the loaf with milk (dairy or vegan). You can even brush with some oil or butter or ghee.
This is an optional step but it definitely gives a lovely golden color and also a perfectly chewy crust and moistest crumb.
19. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 mins. If using a convection oven, shorten bake time by a few minutes.
20. Bake the whole wheat bread dough until the top crust is golden.
Remove the bread from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes to cool. Then gently tap on top of the loaf: if baked properly, the bread should should hollow.
If the bread does not sound hollow, put it back in the oven to bake for a few more minutes.
21. While the wheat bread is still hot, carefully remove it from the pan (using oven mittens/gloves) and place it on a wire rack to cool.
The bottom of your loaf will get soggy if you leave it in the pan for too long!
Let the Atta Bread cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy homemade whole wheat bread sliced with butter, ghee, jams, peanut butter, or any of your favorite spreads.
You can also use this wholemeal bread or atta bread to make various recipes like sandwiches, Bread Pakora, Bread Roll etc.
I love to make Veg Sandwich, Paneer Sandwich, and Cheese Sandwich with this atta bread.
Storage
Once cooled, wrap in a cling film or keep in a bread box at room temperature for up to one week. If you live in a warm or hot place, refrigerate the wheat loaf.
To freeze, place the whole wheat loaf in an airtight bag after wrapping in cling film, and keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
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Whole Wheat Bread | Wholemeal Bread (Atta Bread)
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat flour (regular whole wheat flour or chapati atta) – 360 grams
- 1 cup water divided, depending on quality of flour, can add upto 1.25 cups water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast or 1.5 teaspoons dry active yeast or 1 tablespoon fresh yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt or edible rock salt or pink salt
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar or white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons oil or softened butter or ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 tablespoons yogurt (dairy or vegan) or 1 to 1.5 tablespoon vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 to 3 teaspoons milk (dairy or vegan), for brushing the top of the bread, optional
Instructions
Proofing yeast
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a standing mixer, add ½ cup of water and 1 tablespoon of raw sugar. The water can be room temperature or lukewarm.But, if using active dry yeast or fresh yeast, then make sure to use lukewarm water.
- To the bowl add 1 teaspoon of instant yeast (rapid rising yeast).If using dry active yeast – add 1.5 teaspoons of it. Swirl the bowl around or stir with a spoon to help the yeast dissolve in the water.
- Let this mixture sit for 10 to 12 minutes until the yeast activates.
Forming Whole Wheat Dough
- Next to the frothy yeast water mixture, add the whole wheat flour, salt, preferred neutral flavored oil (or butter or ghee) and yogurt.
- Mix with a spoon.
- Next add ½ cup of water bit by bit and begin to knead for 8 to 10 minutes or as needed.
- Knead to a soft, supple and smooth dough. A well kneaded dough which when stretched should not tear.
- Add more water if required while kneading. The dough can be slightly sticky.
- Brush some water all over the dough and keep in a deep wide bowl covered with a lid or kitchen towel for 30 to 35 minutes if you have used instant yeast.If dry active yeast or fresh yeast has been used – keep in the covered bowl to leaven for 1.5 to 2 hours or more until the dough doubles.
- After the initial rise, the dough will be double in size. Remove and then lightly punch and knead the dough again.
- On a clean work surface roll the dough into a neat ball.
- Make a log of the dough and gently pinch the edges into a seam – meaning tuck in the edges at the corners.
- Place the prepared dough log in a greased 9×5 inches loaf pan with tucked edges facing downwards. Cover with kitchen towel again.
- Cover and let it rise the second time for 20 to 30 minutes if you have used instant yeast.For dry active yeast or fresh yeast – set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour or more depending on the temperature conditions in your city or town.
Baking wheat bread
- Preheat the oven at 220 degrees C/425 degrees F for at-least 20 minutes.
- Once the bread has risen in the loaf pan, make a ¼ inch cross or slits on the bread. This helps the steam escape as the bread bakes, and creates a tender and soft loaf.
- Keep the loaf pan in the oven and bake at 220 degrees C/425 degrees F for 22 to 25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
- While baking, if the wheat bread begins to brown too much from the top, then cover with parchment paper or aluminium foil.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes to cool. Then gently tap on top of the loaf: if baked properly, the bread should should hollow.If the bread does not sound hollow, put it back in the oven to bake for a few more minutes.
- When the bread is still hot, remove it from the loaf pan using oven mittens/gloves and keep it on a wired tray to cool.
- Let the Wholemeal Bread loaf cool completely before slicing it with a serrated knife.
- Enjoy homemade Whole Wheat Bread sliced with butter, ghee, jams, peanut butter, or any of your favorite spreads. Or use the Atta Bread to make your favorite sandwiches or snacks from bread.
- Store bread in the fridge for about a week or the freezer for about a month.
Video
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Whole Wheat Bread recipe from the archives first published in December 2013 has been updated and republished on December 2022.
Thanks for the reply,can I use 1 egg instead of curd or can I use both ,my husband is curious!.my kids had the bread toast today so I am planning to make at home regularly .thanks
yes replace the curd with one egg. no need to add curd.
Thanks for the recipe,it came out very well soft too,but the top part was hard why?thanks ,I am really happy to bake ww atta bread
welcome. the top part could be due to the pan kept near the top heating rod or an excessive temperature in the oven.
Hello again…thanks for this easy recipe…i would want to know how long can we keep the bread…
welcome anamika. since we have added dahi/yogurt in it so try to use within 3-4 days.
Hi Dassana
Thanks for such a wonderful explanation. I tried the recipe and the bread turned out to be really well. Its too good to get a whole wheat bread recipe that uses ingredients which are easily available in all the kitchens.
Cn we not follow the same recipe to make pav?Or is it compulsory to add all purpose flour?
welcome sweta. thanks for sharing your positive feedback. for pav dough is more softer in texture than the bread dough. if you make pav with 100% whole wheat flour using this recipe, the pav will be dense. the texture of pav is always light and fluffy. i have shared whole wheat pav recipe but in that recipe also, i have used equal amount of maida – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pav-recipe-indian-pav/
excellent n simple recepie the bread was ultra soft n tasty
thanks kamal
itz realy gd to understand…thanks soo much.
welcome imran
Hey Amit,
Thanks for this recipe!
My daughter only eats bread from Hot Breads (the Indian Bakery) and we like to use that bread too because it does not have any preservatives. We moved away from that bakery and also because there are no preservatives sometimes the bread catches fungus the next day.
So, I thought I will give it a try. I used 1/3 the amounts you mentioned to make an experimental batch. I will say I got 75% success. It tastes good. The only thing is I need it a bit lighter. So, I will try again. This time I will used a bread mould/pan.
Will let you know 🙂
welcome paresh. i agree with your opinion that we should use food without preservatives. home cooked food is always better. you can add about 3 to 4 tbsp of all purpose flour also. it will give some lightness to the dough.
Thank you for this excellent recipe. 100 o/o whole wheat bread is not available where I live, but Atta flour is. I have tried many times to simply substitute Atta flour for white in a variety of recipes but it never turned out really well. Your recipe is the best one I have ever used. After the first loaf, following the recipe exactly, turned out so well I made burger buns, long rolls and raisin bread with just a bit more honey than the original recipe. I will be trying pizza and baguette next. I recently got a new gas oven which has inspired me to do much more baking, and your recipe has made my experience even more rewarding. Thanks again.
welcome carole. thanks for sharing positive feedback on all the bread recipes you made using this basic atta bread recipe. i am sure it will inspire more readers to try this recipe.
Hi Dassana. Do you have the nutrtional content for this bread?
melissa, i don’t have.
hey..
i am new at baking and tried making this yesterday…i followed the instructions but i didnt see the dough rise too much in the mould and also it remains completely raw from inside, even after being in the oven for 30 mins…could you possibly suggest where i went wrong?
possibly, the yeast did not rise well. if the yeast doubling is not good, then it affects the final texture of bread. try to use good quality yeast. red star and gloripan/mauripan are good ones and they are available in india too.
Hi dassana, is it important to use rock salt only, can we not use regular table salt. And what are improvers, how to use it in this receipe
sudha, yes you can use regular salt. i have never used improvers.
Thanks so much , i tried it today and it came out so well. Thanks so much.
welcome sudha
I don’t know where I got wrong as I have followed recipe step by step. Bread seems good but when I cut a piece there were dough crumbs in between. Outer crust was yum. Please help me
i think the yeast did not froth well. thats why the dough crumbs in between. or it can also be the dough was not kneaded well. so can be due to these reasons.
Yeast was good.. I think kneading part could be a wrong one.. Will try again.. Thanks
welcome shivali
Hi ,
Can u pls clarify my below doubts
1. When should I cut the bread into pieces
2. How can I store the bread? Do I need to refrigerate? Pls let me know for how many days I can use this..
Thank you
1. once the bread is cooled down completely, then slice them.
2. once the bread is cooled, i keep the bread in a bread box. now depending on the climate condition, i keep it out or in the fridge. in the indian winters, i keep out for 12 hours and then keep in the fridge. in summers, i keep in the fridge. as curd is added, better to consume this bread in 3 to 4 days.
Hi. Dassana. I am making ww bread since last one year using bakery wet yeast. The test is very good . procedure is almost same. This time I used improver and the denseness was much less. even one can add 1 cup maid a with 2 cups of ww flour. I do experiments & improvise myself. My querry is can we use aluminium mould or nonstick metal mould in convection mode.does it harm the microwave system?
thanks dr mr rafique for sharing these tips. i know about improvers, but not yet used them. adding maida, also i know. i have tried adding maida and it works well. yes you can use aluminium mould in convection mode only. i do not know about non stick ones as i have not used them. but i have used aluminium baking pans in convection mode in my microwave oven. but still better to check first. sometimes i have read, microwave rays work even in convection mode. so if the pan starts arcing (electrical rays), then the oven is faulty. but i have baked in aluminum pans in the convection mode and not had any issues.
Hi! I made this over the weekend. Gone in less than a day! Cant believe my 3yo girl was so much in love with it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and the very detail steps. I have a question… Would this recipe work if I use all purpose flour?
welcome yasmin. thanks for sharing your experience. yes you can use all purpose flour or you can check this white bread recipe:
https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/white-bread-easy-white-bread/
Hie dear… This is such a tempting bread recipe.. I really want to give it a try.. Can I bake in convection mode in microwave.. If yes then at what temp n for how much time?
ruchi, you can bake in the convection mode of the microwave oven. temp will be 200 degrees celsius and time will be 30 to 35 minutes. in microwave convection mode, due to the fan, the top gets browned faster and a hard crust can be formed. so after 10 to 15 minutes of baking, cover the bread with a butter paper or aluminium foil and then continue to bake.