Homemade Wheat Bread (Aunt Kathy's Recipe)

Homemade wheat bread made with 100% whole wheat flour, but it's actually soft! This simple homemade bread has a hearty flavor and chewy texture of a whole wheat bread, but it's soft in texture like white bread.

Good Morning everyone!!! Yesterday was my little guy's 7 Th Birthday and he had such a great day. We had a Sponge Bob Party and took him to the Devils Bowl Raceway. It was really loud but Carson had such a great time. We only stayed about 2 1/2 hours because he asked what time it was and his dad told him 9 PM. He said that's my bedtime can we go home now?

I told him there is no school tomorrow you can stay up really late, he said I'm tired and I want to go home and go to bed. Poor kid I think 2 hours was his max time for racing. He loves to just kick back in bed and watch TV. Carson is our only kid that we don't have a hard time getting to bed. 

Today is Potluck Sunday and lately I've been bringing dessert's to the potluck. Well today I am changing things up a bit and bringing Aunt Kathy's Homemade Wheat Bread.  Aunt Kathy isn't my aunt, but she is Stephanie's Aunt Kathy from Fun Food's on a Budget and that is  where I got this wonderful bread recipe from. 

This recipe caught my eye when Stephanie said its 100% wheat bread with a soft white bread texture. I had to try it because every loaf of wheat bread I ever baked was dense and grainy. 

My kids wont eat a really heavy thick bread. I have made this bread twice already and it comes out really soft every time. This recipe has become our favorite homemade wheat bread recipe. Let's get started on the recipe. 

Add sugar to warm water (about 110 degrees) stir in yeast, and add shortening by spoonfuls to allow it to soften. Cover until yeast is dissolved. Add flour and salt, and knead for 5 - 10  minutes or until you have a somewhat sticky but pliable dough. 

Add the dough to bowl that has been coated with oil. Turn the dough over once to coat both sides. cover dough and allow to rise until double in size (about 40 min - 1 hour). 

 Punch down dough and turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. 

Shape into two loaves and place into two greased loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise until the dough is about 1/2 inch above the loaf pans. When I bake bread I like to roll the dough out and then roll up like I do when I make cinnamon rolls and pinch the ends to seal. Place each loaf into a greased loaf pan. 

I place mine in the oven with a glass bowl of warm water on the bottom shelf under the bread. I leave the oven light on and the bread rises beautifully. That is the method I use when I bake bread or rolls. I have also included a link on how to shape bread before you place it in your loaf pan. Click here to view the video.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Slide the bread out of the loaf pan and check if the bread is golden on the bottom and sides. If not return the bread into the oven and cook an additional  5-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately remove the bread from the bread pans and lay the bread on their sides on a cooking rack. 

Aunt Kathy's Homemade Wheat Bread

2 - cups warm water (about 110 degrees)

1/2 - cup sugar

2 - tablespoon instant or active dry yeast

1/2 - cup shortening

1 - tablespoon salt

5 1/2 - cups whole wheat flour or as much flour you can knead into the dough

Add sugar to warm water (about 110 degrees) stir in yeast, and add shortening by spoonfuls to allow it to soften. Cover until yeast is dissolved. 

Add flour and salt, and knead for 5 - 10  minutes or until you have a somewhat sticky but pliable dough. 

Add the dough to bowl that has been coated with oil. Turn the dough over once to coat both sides. cover dough and allow to rise until double in size (about 40 min - 1 hour).   

Punch down dough and turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Shape into two loaves and place into two greased loaf pans. 

Cover and allow to rise until the dough is about 1/2 inch above the loaf pans. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Slide the bread out of the loaf pan and check if the bread is golden on the bottom and sides. If not return the bread into the oven and cook an additional  5-10 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately remove the bread from the bread pans and lay the bread on their sides on a cooking rack. 

Recipe yields: 2 loaves