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 breads. 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 naans 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 acidic ingredient – vinegar and this one too worked very well. again 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.
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 gourmetco.in. this is a really good yeast brand.
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. thanks to divya of easycooking of letting me know about the availability instant yeast in india.
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 whole wheat 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 sandwiches, paneer bread roll and cheese chili toast with the atta bread.
if you are looking for more similar recipes then do check atta cake, pita bread, banana bread, whole wheat pizza dough, veg pizza recipe and whole wheat veg pizza recipe.
100% whole wheat bread recipe below:
wheat bread recipe
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 3 cups 100% whole wheat flour (atta)
- 1 to 1.25 cups water - i used 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 tablespoon curd (yogurt or dahi - dairy or vegan) OR 1.5 tablespoon vinegar
- some milk for brushing the top of the bread (dairy or vegan)
how to make wheat bread recipe
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.
- 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 for 22-25 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 10-12 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.
- 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, keep in the oven and bake bread for 22-25 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, ghee/butter/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.
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.
7. place the dough log in a greased loaf pan of 9 x 5 inches and let it rise for 40-45 mins.
8. the bread after the second rise.
9. make a 2-5 mm cross or slits on the bread and lightly brush with milk.
10. bake the whole wheat bread in a preheated oven for 220 degrees C for 22-25 mins.
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 baked bread rolls, cheese toast sandwich, bombay veg toast sandwich, stuffed bread pakoras, bread rolls with stuffed potatoes etc.
My bread came out heavy and dense so should I add more yeast? I used Fleischmann’s bread machine instant yeast: should I use more or less. I don’t have a loaf pan, would making small buns be better then? I’m baking in an o t g
Chandrani, no need more instant yeast. knead the bread dough very well. yes you can make small buns.
I used active dry yeast and had the same problem. The yeast worked fine though. Should I add more quantity and knead longer? Please suggest
akshaya, i will reply to your email.
Brilliant recipe. I followed it to the letter and it turned out perfect… the best loaf I have ever made. I will double the amounts next time and make 2 loaves!
thanks jane for the feedback and review on the wheat bread recipe. yes of course you can easily double the recipe.
Hii can I use apple cider vinegar in place of curd. … N how much quantity?
use 1.5 tablespoon apple cider vinegar.
I can’t thank you enough….you made my long time dream of making 100% wheat breads/buns at home come true.
I add 3 tbspn yogurt plus 1 teaspoon vinegar, reduced jaggery to 2 tspns and reduced yeast to less than 1 tspn….I prefer longer raise time…..thank you again
Welcome Akula. Glad to know the variation you made to the recipe. Thanks for your sweet feedback.
Thank u dassana for ur reply.
did u use regular 8.5×4.5×2.5inches loaf pan in ur 18ltr oven?Mini loaf pan means hw much is its dimension.for this flour quantity do i need two mini loaf pans?Sorry for asking too many questions.thanks in advance.
yes i used the regular loaf pan in the 18 litre oven. small loaf pans will have a length of 6 to 6.5 inches. yes you may need two to three loaf pans. no problem, you can ask queries. if i know the answer, i will reply.
Thank u.
welcome.
Hi daasann i want to try this bread.now i have instant yeast.last time tried with active dry yeast.it didn’t come out well. can i use Pillsbury chakki fresh atta or ashirvad atta?Read somewhere that it won’t give good bread.only homemade wheat flour gives best results.is that so?Please tell me.i want to try with Pillsbury atta.
From which online site u got mauripan instant yeast.i am not able to get it.i now have weissmill brand.so far pizza and bread sticks cane out well .
And one more thing,i don’t have bread loaf pan,i have oval shaped cake pan can i use that?Loaf pan that is found online is big not suitable for my 19ltrs oven .What should i buy for my bread making?
Thanks in advance.
harini, you can use pilsbury or ashirvad atta. i use 24 letter mantra organic chakki atta. any atta will work for that matter. the online site which i purchased mauripan yeast is closed now. you can use the weissmill brand. if it works for pizza and bread sticks, it will work for bread also.
a loaf pan is always better. in an oval shape pan the texture and the crust of the bread can get affected. you can make bread rolls (pav) and place them in the oval pan and bake. brush some butter or milk to get a golden color on top. i had an 18 litres oven and i used to use a loaf pan. keep the pan on the second last rack, so that there is enough space on top of the pan. a loaf pan is always better when making bread. you can even buy smaller loaf pans and divid dough into parts and make small bread loaves.
Hi dassana
I have tried your bread recipe For the first time it’s came out good but bread was dense and heavy, What should I do to make it perfect . All the ingredients was as per your instruction.
which yeast did you use. let me know. i can then guide. also did the yeast particles resemble poppy seeds (khus khus) or were of the size of yellow mustard seeds.
Hi I have tried aata bread twice and its top layer has become very hard. Can you suggest me how to make top layer soft.
shweta, keep an alumimium foil on top of the pan and bake the bread. or you can just use the bottom heating element and bake the bread. keep the bread in the center of the oven. if using both top and bottom heating elements, then avoid keep bread pan near the top element. hope this helps.
I used active dry yeast and had the same problem. The yeast worked fine though. Should I add more quantity and knead longer?
akshaya, i will reply to your email.
Hi Amit ji
Can I bake the bread in aluminium foil as I don’t have a bread mould?
Nikky, no you won’t be able to bake the bread this way. as aluminium foil won’t be able to hold the structure of the bread. it might also get burnt.
Hi Dasanna,
May I know the instant yeast brand that you use.
Thanks
Welcome Bhargavi. I use mauripan brand of yeast.