100% whole wheat bread or atta bread recipe with step by step photos – a recipe to give you a really good wheat bread with the ingredients you have at home.
this is a soft bread with a light crumb. the recipe does not have the typical denseness and heaviness which is found in 100% whole wheat bread. there is a special & secret ingredient in the recipe that helps in the gluten development.
i embarked upon this ingredient one day when i was making naan. typically the indian naan and bhatura have one ingredient that helps in the leavening process and gives a soft texture, even when the naans are made without yeast. i thought why not try using this ingredient in a bread. and it worked like a charm.
later while studying more about bread baking, i came to know that an acidic medium in limits, helps in gluten development. so no wonder that this ingredient worked. so before you ask me what is the secret… let me tell you – its curd or yogurt.
well the bread has a slight taste of yogurt, but really it does not matter. later i experimented with another two acidic ingredients – vinegar and lemon juice and these too worked very well. with vinegar the bread had a slight taste of vinegar, but we had no issues. as a vegetarian, you can use dairy yogurt and as a vegan you can use cashew yogurt or vinegar or lemon juice.
to make this bread, i have used instant yeast. i have mentioned the proportions of dry active yeast, as well in the recipe details and the method too. i brought the instant yeast from amazon.in and the brand is gloripan instant dry yeast.
with instant yeast the leavening and rising time is faster than compared with dry active yeast. you also don’t need to proof the instant yeast like the dry active yeast. you just add the yeast into the flour and knead the dough.
i kneaded the dough with hands just to show you the texture of the dough. you can use a food processor or stand mixer also to knead the dough. at times i use kitchenaid to make dough for white bread, brown bread and sandwich bread.
i have also used chakki ground(stone ground) organic atta. you can use any good quality atta to make this bread. i made veg sandwich, paneer bread roll and cheese chilli toast with the atta bread.
if you are looking for more similar recipes then do check:
wheat bread
INGREDIENTS FOR wheat bread
- 3 cups 100% whole wheat flour (atta) - 360 grams
- 1 to 1.25 cups water - 250 ml to 312 ml - i added 1.25 cups water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast OR ½ tablespoon dry active yeast
- 1 teaspoon regular salt or rock salt (sendha namak)
- 1 tablespoon regular sugar or unrefined cane sugar
- 2 tablespoon ghee or oil or butter
- 2 tablespoons curd (yogurt or dahi - dairy or vegan) OR 1 to 1.5 tablespoon vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- some milk for brushing the top of the bread (dairy or vegan) - optional
HOW TO MAKE wheat bread
preparing bread dough with instant yeast
- sieve the flour with salt or just mix the flour with the salt.
- add the 1 tsp instant yeast and just lightly mix.
- then add sugar, oil (or oil or butter) and curd.
- first just mix everything lightly and then slowly adding water in intervals knead to a smooth, soft dough.
- add more water if required. the dough should 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 30-35 minutes.
- remove and then lightly punch & knead the dough again.
- make a log of the dough and seam the edges.
baking wheat bread
- place it in a greased loaf pan for 40-45 minutes.
- cover and let it rise.
- preheat the oven at 220 degrees C for atleast 20 minutes.
- once the bread has risen in the loaf pan, keep in the oven and bake at 220 degrees celsius for 22 to 25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
- if the wheat bread begins to brown from the top, then cover with butter paper or aluminium foil.
- when whole wheat bread is still lightly hot, remove from the loaf pan and keep it on a wired tray to cool.
preparing bread dough with dry active yeast
- warm 1 or 1.25 cups of water.
- add 1 tbsp sugar and dry active yeast.
- stir and let the yeast activate.
- this usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
- sieve both the flour with salt.
- add the proofed yeast mixture, ghee/butter/oil and yogurt.
- mix all the ingredients first.
- then begin to knead the dough.
- add more water if required. the dough should be slightly sticky.
- continue to knead, till you get a smooth dough which when stretched doesn't tear.
- rub or brush water all over the dough and keep in a covered bowl to leaven for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- after 1.5 to 2 hours, remove the dough and punch and deflate it lightly.
- roll a single log of the dough.
- tuck the edges down on both sides of the bread loaf.
baking wheat bread
- place the bread in a greased loaf pan (9×5 inches) with the tucked edges facing downwards.
- cover the loaf pan and let the dough leaven for 40 minutes to 1 hour.
- preheat the oven at 220 degrees C for at least 20 minutes.
- once the bread has risen in the loaf pan, give a 2 to 5 mm cross or slits on the bread and lightly brush with milk.
- then keep in the oven and bake bread at 220 degrees celsius for 22 to 25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
step by step 100% whole wheat bread recipe
1. mix the whole wheat with salt and add in the instant yeast.
2. add in the yogurt and ghee or butter or oil.
3. first mix well and then knead into a soft dough adding water at intervals. the dough will be slightly sticky but after the initial rise, it will be fine. if the dough looks dry, then you can add some more water. if the dough looks too sticky, then add some more flour. knead very well. kneading for an overall 8 to 10 minutes.
4. keep the kneaded dough in a wide bowl and just lightly brush water all over it.
5. keep covered for 30-35 minutes. the bread dough after the first rise.
6. later punch and lightly knead the dough. make a log of the dough and seam the edges.
making wheat bread
7. place the dough log in a greased loaf pan of 9 x 5 inches and let it rise for 40 to 45 mins.
8. the bread after the second rise. before baking preheat the oven for 20 minutes at 220 degrees celsius. if using a convection oven or oven with a fan, then preheat at 200 or 205 degrees celsius for 20 minutes.
9. make a 2 to 5 mm cross or slits on the bread and lightly brush with milk. brushing with milk is an optional step. you can even brush with some oil or butter or ghee.
10. bake the whole wheat bread in a preheated oven for 220 degrees celsius for 22-25 mins. if using convection oven or an oven with a fan, then bake at 200 or 205 degrees celsius or reduce the time of baking.
when the wheat bread is still hot, remove from the pan and keep it on the wire rack to cool. once cooled, serve the bread or wrap in a cling film or keep in a bread box. serve wheat bread whenever required. you can also use this atta bread to make various recipes like bread pakora, bread rolls etc.
Hi, I tried your bread recipe. It wasn’t a total failure but it was quite dense. I followed all the steps as you mentioned. Is it supposed to be dense. Not quite soft like the market bought one. What did I miss?
when the bread turns dense, one of the main culprit is the yeast. either it is the quality of yeast or the yeast has not activated well enough. which yeast did you use? in the market what they sell as instant yeast is actually dry active yeast and it needs to be activated separately. if it is added directly to flour, the yeast will not activate and the bread will be dense. let me know.
Hi Dassana, Thanks for your reply. I used Bluebird instant dry yeast. And I mixed it directly into the flour. Maybe next time I will proof it first. Also, the dough was not as sticky as it shows in certain videos.
Can you please give metric measures for this recipe. Sometimes cup measures are not accurate and I have seen that metric measures are always better with no room for errors.
hi runa, thanks for replying back. the bluebird instant yeast needs to be activated in a warm water solution to which sugar has been added. i have used bluebird yeast many years back and the bread texture even after activating the yeast would not be soft. later i switched to using instant yeast and the results were good. the dough can be slightly sticky, but not too much. i will be taking better photos and update in the recipe. i bake often and make different types of bread. i will update the measurements in grams. thanks.
you can consider buying this instant yeast (link below) which i use and it is really a good one. i keep in the freezer for a longer shelf life.
link here – https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00K5IJIMS/
I tried this recipe, but the crust got crisp and the bread got soggy and sticky and was not dry and light at all. What must have gone wrong?
it must be the yeast. did the yeast solution proof well before adding in the dough?
Hi
I tried this recipe twice but the bread ended up tasting very bitter, any reason for why this could be happening?
Thanks!
hi sharanya, did you use the exact measurements. bitterness cannot be due to whole wheat flour. vinegar or lemon juice is not bitter. butter, curd and ghee can be bitter if gone rancid. too much of yeast will give a very sour taste and not a bitter taste. if you have used oil, then which oil? sesame oil can make the bread taste bitter if used. hope this helps.
Hello very nice recipe I want to ask that can I add milk instead of water or half both of them if yes what should b ratio of them
you can add milk or both milk and water. same proportion of milk ie. 1 to 1.25 cups. add milk in parts and knead. if using both milk and water, then add half cup each of milk and water. later if the dough looks dry, then you can add some more water and knead.
Hi Dassana
Am excited to try this recipe. I want to try it in my bread maker machine and I saw in your earlier comments that you had said it could be made in it with the whole meal bread setting.
The concern is that in my bread machine the whole meal bread recipe they have provided is 5p percent maida and 50 percent aatta. So do you think this recipe will work under the setting? It’s the Kent machine.
Thanks
hi tara, it should work. or for the first time, you can use the same recipe and add 2.5 cups whole meal flour and 0.5 cups all-purpose flour (maida). i have made bread using this proportion too but in the oven and it works very well. regards – dassana
Hi!
I am a novice and want to try the wheat bread recipe.
One doubt – after pre heating the OTG at 220 degs for about 20 mins, the following baking is to be done at what temperature?
Cant wait to try, particularly after reading so many thumping reviews.
Thanks,
Regards,
Col. Anil Gogate
thank you. the bread is baked at the same temperature of 220 degrees celsius. i have mentioned this point in the step by step photo details at step 10. if you use convection oven or oven with a fan, then reduce the temperature to 200 or 205 degrees celsius or reduce the time of baking. hope this helps.
Hello… I tried this whole wheat bread with a few seasonings added for flavour and it turned out amazing… I want to try whole wheat bagels… would u be able to help out with the recipe of that please
thanks seena for sharing the feedback on wheat bread. i will try to add the recipe of bagels in some time.
I baked the bread as per ur recipe and it turned out great. Yummy infact.
Just the cooking time was 30 min. May be difference in the OTG.
THANKS FOR AWESOME RECIPES.
thanks jigna for the feedback and rating on wheat bread recipe. the time taken is always different depending on the type and size of oven. so it may take less or more time for the bread to bake.
most welcome and happy cooking.
hi ,
thanks for the recipe honestly as my 8 yr old is not allowed maida flour at all. well, there are 3 tin size available in market, 5 inch, 6.5 inch and 11 inch, which fits perfectly or which do you advise to buiy as per above measures?
thanks. 8.5 inches is the commonly used size for a bread loaf pan. 11 inch makes for a large loaf whereas 6.5 inches is a smaller sized loaf. i always use 8.5 inches sized pans while making bread. hope this helps.
I just found this blog and I think I’m in love. I love how you gave a vegan replacement for yogurt.
This, and other things I’ve noticed show that you really care about your readers (-:
thank you marilyn 🙏
How to make breads without yeast ? Any substitute to yeast coz v dont use yeast
to make bread without yeast, a starter has to be made with curd, flour, baking soda or baking powder. this is fermented overnight and then added to the dough. the dough is then kept at room temperature till it doubles or triples. there is no substitute to yeast. hope this helps.
Thanks for this much awaited recipe…
Query 1:I have Morphy Richards 40 litre otg …The ‘bake’ mode in my ofg heats up only the bottom element..
‘Convection mode’- Heats up Top ,Bottom and Fan…
Please let me know which setting should I keep and time and temperature and which tray as well please..
Query 2:I want to buy a good quality aluminium bread loaf pan in india…Can you please guide me on this..(To save time is it possible to bake two loaves together..How can I buy two bread pans based on the size of otg).
Question is so lengthy…But please don’t ignore..Also please don’t display my email id while posting … Thank you..
welcome.
1. you can use both baking mode or convection mode. with convection mode the top of the bread loaf may get browned more and become crusty. with baking mode the top won’t get browned much. so if you want to get a golden browned top, then towards the end of baking change the mode to convection mode. keep the pan in the second last rack or in the center rack. time will depend on your oven. so you will have to keep a check. for temperature it the same temperature as mentioned in the recipe.
2. i got the loaf pans from a local store. you can buy them online too. check amazon.in and they have aluminium loaf pans. yes you can bake two loaves together. in a 40 litre OTG two regular sized bread pans can easily be placed.
3. i never ignore queries from readers. i always try my best to answer them. don’t worry. your email id is not displayed.
Hi I have an OTG so I would like to know the setting for baking bread as I am a beginner for bread baking, should I use convection mode or any other mode
use the baking mode of the OTG and bake the bread. using the baking mode, preheat the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. after preheating place the loaf pan in the center rack or the second lower rack and bake the bread.
Hi, thank you very much for such an excellent recipe. My question is I have a breadmaker at home and would like to make this in the breadmaker. Should I follow the wholemeal bread setting or the white bread setting?
welcome. follow the wholemeal bread setting.
Hi dassana. I use a lot of your recipes and am very happy with the results. In this one I did not notice the step by stap and used only the written instructions. Unfortunately there is no mention of brushing milk on the bread before baking. OS my bread is now baking and I m sure it ll dry. I just wanted u to know that it needs the edit for this step. I m a fan, so keep doing the Greta job u always do.
thanks radha. don’t worry the bread will be fine and won’t be dry. i make breads often and i don’t use milk at all times. sometimes i just keep the bread in the oven without brushing milk. i will update this point in the recipe card. somehow i missed adding it. but brushing of milk or water or melted butter on top of bread loaf dough is an optional step and can be skipped. hope this helps.
This is the first time ever I baked bread. It came out well except for a little hard crust. Since I used convection oven, I baked at a temperature of 170° at 35 mins. After the first 15 min of baking I covered the top with an al foil to prevent too much browning.
thanks gowri for the feedback. in convection ovens since the baking is quick, the crust gets too browned and thus hardens. next time you can bake at 165 degrees celsius. its good you covered with the foil or else the top would have got more browned and hard. right from the beginning of baking also you can cover the top with a foil.
Hello Dasana,
I don’t have an oven at home. Is there any other way to bake this bread ?
you can bake in a pressure cooker. you can even make bread rolls and bake them. follow this method o how to bake in a pressure cooker – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pav-recipe-in-pressure-cooker/