This Easy Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread recipe gives you a soft yet sturdy loaf of delicious bread that's easy to slice and is perfect for sandwiches and toast!

half a loaf and slices of half whole wheat bread on a cutting board with a knife

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Ingredients You Need
How to Make Half Whole Wheat Bread
Tips & Tidbits
More Bread Recipes to Try
📋Recipe

Want to make some fabulous homemade sandwich bread? This super simple 50/50 white and wheat bread hybrid is my go-to recipe. It turns out awesome every time!

I love baking homemade bread - not only because it's so delicious, satisfying, and makes the house smell amazing - but also because I often wonder what's lurking in that sliced bread we get at the grocery store.

I mean, when I make homemade bread, it lasts about 2 to 3 days - tops - before it gets stale and/or starts to get - you know - fuzzy. Yet that store-bought sliced bread can last for a few weeks without a problem. Hmm...

Besides all that, I also really, really, really want to love all those 100% whole wheat, whole grain, sprouted, no-white-flour-in-sight breads that are supposed to be so much better for you. They're just not my thing, though.

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for (U2!) in a recipe for white sandwich bread. The loaves are either too dense, so soft and fluffy that they smoosh when you slice them, or they get too crumbly when toasted.

Well, move over, white bread, because this half-and-half bread is the answer! The texture is perfect (sturdy yet soft), and it slices beautifully (even thin slices)!

And the flavor? Outstanding! It's ever-so-slightly sweet from the honey and light brown sugar, and you get some of that whole wheat goodness without it being too wheat-y.

It's the perfect wheat bread for white bread lovers like me!

loaf of half whole wheat bread with four slices of bread next to it

Oh, and by the way, I can't remember where exactly I got this recipe (it's been a couple of years, and I didn't write it down). So if anyone knows where it came from, please let me know so that I can give proper credit. Thanks!

Ingredients You Need

Water
Milk
Vegetable oil
Honey
Light brown sugar
Salt
All-purpose flour
Whole wheat flour
Rapid rise / instant yeast
Cooking spray

How to Make Half Whole Wheat Bread

two images showing the steps to make homemade half whole wheat bread

two images showing the steps to make easy homemade half whole wheat bread

two images showing the steps to make half whole wheat bread

Tips & Tidbits

This recipe uses rapid-rise yeast (also called instant yeast or quick-acting yeast), which allows you to just add it to all of the other ingredients.
- If you want to use active dry yeast instead, you will need to reactivate it first. Change the temperature of the water to 110°F and add the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then proceed with the recipe.
Let the dough rise in a warm place (ideally 75° to 85°F) that is away from drafts. Also, keep it away from your pets (it can make them really sick if they eat it!).
- Rise times given are just guidelines and can vary based on the environment in which the bread is rising (e.g. if your house is cooler, it may take longer than in a warmer house). Always go by the look of the dough rather than the time.
No stand mixer? Do it the old-fashioned way and knead the dough by hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Your arm muscles with thank you!
You can use either a 9x5-inch or an 8½x4½-inch loaf pan. The 9x5-inch pan will give you a wider, less-tall loaf, while the 8½x4½-inch pan will give you a slightly narrower and taller loaf.
If you have a bread machine, you can also use that to make the dough. Place all of the ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and use the "dough" cycle. Once complete, remove the dough from the bread machine and proceed with the recipe.
- I have also successfully run a complete basic bread cycle with this dough in my bread machine, baking and all, and it turned out great!
This bread freezes beautifully. To freeze a whole loaf, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap it in aluminum foil. To freeze slices, wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap and then place the wrapped slices in a freezer bag. When well-wrapped, it should last up to six months.

If you're a beginner bread baker, this is a great recipe to start with!

I hope you try this Easy Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!

More Bread Recipes to Try

If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

📋Recipe

Easy Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread

This Easy Homemade Half Whole Wheat Bread recipe gives you a soft yet sturdy loaf of delicious bread that's easy to slice and is perfect for sandwiches and toast!

4.80 from 24 votes

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Author: Michelle

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Rise Time: 2 40

Total Time: 3 25

Servings: 16 slices

Estimated Calories: 93

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (120°F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole wheat flour
1 (¼-ounce) packet rapid-rise yeast (also called instant yeast or quick-acting yeast), or 2¼ teaspoons if you have a jar of yeast
cooking spray

Instructions

In the order listed, place all of the ingredients (except the cooking spray) in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Using the lowest speed, stir until no more dry flour remains, about a minute. If needed, stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 to 4 minutes. This will not be a very sticky dough. Note: I usually never need to add more flour or water to this dough. After the 3 to 4 minutes of kneading, if the dough is too dry and is not coming together, add water, a tablespoon at a time. If it is too wet and loose, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
Lightly spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Shape the dough into a ball (just do this with your hands without any additional flour) and place it in the bowl. Spray the top lightly with cooking spray.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1½ to 2 hours.
Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Using your fingers, shape the dough into a rectangle about 9x11 inches in size. Be sure to press out any air bubbles that you see in the dough.
Tightly roll up the dough longways, and then pinch the seam together.
Fold the short sides in onto the seam; pinch all of the seams together.
Place the dough seam side down on your floured surface and, using your hands, gently shape the loaf by patting in all of the sides until it is a uniform shape and will fit in the pan.
Spray a bread pan lightly with cooking spray. Place the dough, seam side down, into the pan.
You can use either a 9x5-inch or an 8½x4½-inch bread pan. The 9x5-inch pan will give you a wider, less-tall loaf, while the 8½x4½-inch pan will give you a slightly narrower and taller loaf.
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap (you want the dough to be able to rise above the top of the pan), and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough has risen to 1 inch (no more) above the top of the pan, about 30 to 40 minutes.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the dough. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cooked through. The loaf should have a hollow sound when you thump the bottom of it (be careful when doing this...that bread is hot!). If you'd rather check the internal temperature, it should be 190° to 210°F at the center of the loaf.
Immediately remove the bread from the pan, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool completely.

Notes

Rise times given are just guidelines and can vary based on the environment in which the bread is rising (e.g. if your house is cooler, it may take longer than in a warmer house). Always go by the look of the dough rather than the time.
No stand mixer? Knead the dough by hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 to 15 minutes.
You can also use a bread machine to make the dough. Place all of the ingredients in the pan in the order listed and use the "dough" cycle. Once complete, remove from the machine and proceed with the recipe.
If you want to use active dry yeast instead of rapid-rise yeast, you will need to reactivate it first. Change the temperature of the water to 110°F and add the yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then proceed with the recipe.

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