Whole Wheat Bread | Wholemeal Bread (Atta Bread)

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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.

whole wheat bread slices on wooden board.

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.

Step-by-Step Guide

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.

sugar in water in steel bowl.

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.

tiny yeast granules on top of water in bowl.

3. Mix well and let the yeast proof for 10 to 15 minutes.

yeast mixed and frothed in bowl.

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.

wheat flour, salt, oil, curd in bowl.

5. Mix well with a spoon.

mixing whole wheat bread ingredients with spoon.

6. Add ½ cup of water in parts as you mix.

water on top of the ingredients in bowl.

7. Now begin to knead the mixture into a soft dough, adding water at intervals as needed.

dough being formed.

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.

neat smooth dough formed.

Proof Dough (First Rise)

9. Flatten the dough to fill the bottom of the bowl. Lightly brush the top of the dough with water.

dough spread with water in bowl.

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.

bowl covered with a kitchen towel.

11. After the initial rise, the dough should be nearly double in size like in the photo below.

atta bread dough doubled in size in bowl.

12. Use your fist to punch the dough lightly into the bowl, and knead again lightly.

wholemeal bread dough punched and  being kneaded again.

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.

neat ball formed.

14. Now form the dough into a log, and gently pinch the edges into a seam.

neat log formed from dough.

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.
dough log kept in a greased loaf pan.

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.

dough log doubled and increased in size in loaf pan.

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.

brushing atta bread loaf dough with milk.

19. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 25 mins. If using a convection oven, shorten bake time by a few minutes.

loaf pan in oven.

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.

golden and beautifully baked whole wheat bread in loaf pan.

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.

wholemeal bread loaf kept on wired tray.

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 PakoraBread Roll etc.

I love to make Veg Sandwich, Paneer Sandwich, and Cheese Sandwich with this atta bread.

whole wheat bread slices on wooden board.

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.

More Bread Recipes To Try!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

whole wheat bread slices on wooden board.

Whole Wheat Bread | Wholemeal Bread (Atta Bread)

Make the best soft Whole Wheat Bread or Wholemeal bread made with simple pantry ingredients. This Atta Bread is made with 100% whole wheat flour, yogurt and yeast.
4.88 from 222 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Leavening Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Cuisine World
Course Breakfast, Side Dish
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 12 bread slices
Units

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)

Nutrition Facts
Whole Wheat Bread | Wholemeal Bread (Atta Bread)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 132 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 0.5g3%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 1mg0%
Sodium 198mg9%
Potassium 125mg4%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 7IU0%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 0.3mg20%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.1mg6%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 2mg10%
Vitamin B6 0.1mg5%
Vitamin B12 0.02µg0%
Vitamin C 0.02mg0%
Vitamin D 0.01µg0%
Vitamin E 1mg7%
Vitamin K 1µg1%
Calcium 16mg2%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 37µg9%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 42mg11%
Phosphorus 117mg12%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Whole Wheat Bread recipe from the archives first published in December 2013 has been updated and republished on December 2022.

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Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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767 Comments

  1. Thank you, this recipe is perfect. Tried it for the first time and turned out wonderful.

    Instructions have been easily laid out, easy to follow recipe.

  2. Hi my oven just has a max temp of 200 degree Celsius, should I cook it for longer then?

    1. Hi I made the bread, but the loaf is too small, like a normal loaf cut in half horizontally. I followed your exact measurements.

      1. Looks like the bread dough did not leaven or rise well. The recipe shared here gives a regular sized bread loaf if the dough increases in volume in the both the first rise or the second rise. I hope this helps.

        1. Hello, I made it again and made sure the dough rises very well. Still the same result. Can it be because my loaf pan is 10.5*5.5 inches?

        2. Not sure about this one but I guess this may be the reason. Try increasing the proportions of the ingredients to fit in your loaf pan.

  3. I try to bake a whole wheat bread with insta yeast but some how it is dense and heavy. Do I need to change something. Look wise it is good.

    1. Mostly what is sold as instant yeast is actually dry active yeast. Instant Yeast has fine round granules like that of poppy seeds. If the size is larger it is most probably active dry yeast and it needs to be activated in a lukewarm sugar solution.

      If is is not activated, this will result in a dense and heavy bread. Also dry active yeast will take more time for the first rise and second rise than than instant yeast. Do check the description on the pack and the directions. This may guide you in letting you know the actual type of yeast in the pack. I hope this helps.

  4. Bread came out really well but the loaf was too small. If I double the recipe, quantity of yeast and sugar also to be doubled?

    1. Did you use the correct measuring cups and spoons. It is a regular loaf of bread and not a small one. If you double, the yeast and sugar will also double.

  5. Hello Dassana, I’ve been making my own bread at home for a couple of years now and it was good, but since I found your recipe with whole wheat I can’t do it otherwise! It’s simply perfect and delicious, thanks so much for sharing!!!5 stars

  6. One of the best recipes I’ve seen I’m going to make
    Can I add yogurt and vinegar too?

  7. Thank you for the fabulous recipe! Can I just substitute water with milk to get “milk bread”? Or will the recipe fail? I really wish to make whole wheat milk bread!

    1. The recipe will work. But I would suggest to add some water together with the milk. You could keep the proportion of milk more than water.

  8. I just made this recipe and it is delicious!!!!!!!!! My family can’t stop eating it haha so I guess I’ll make some more today or tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!!5 stars

  9. Hello Dassana

    I have a convection microwave oven from Amazon basics. It doesn’t have a baking mode. Is convection fine ? We do have with pre heat and without pre heat option in it . Which to use.? Please advise.

    1. The convection mode is the baking mode. The convection option is used for baking. The oven manual will have details on how to bake using the convection mode. Preheating has to be done before baking. I would request you to get an official from the company to show or demonstrate the workings of the oven and also do read the manual.

  10. Hi Dassana,

    I am a big fan of your recipes.

    Can sugar/oil/butter/ghee be completely skipped? Instead we can keep the dough in fridge for about 24 hours for proper yeast action.

    Thank you.

    1. Fat can be skipped. The dough has to first leaven at room temperature. After the first rise you can keep in the fridge.

  11. Is it possible to add honey instead of sugar? And will it change the outcome?
    Thanks

        1. It becomes poisonous. According to Ayurveda honey should not be heated. I never add honey to any of my baking recipes.

  12. Made the bread. It rose very well but after deflating it and kneading it lightly and leaving it for 2 hours before baking, it did not rise well so a kind of a dense bread was the result. Any comments would be helpful. Thanks4 stars

    1. If the bread rises well in the first round, it will rise well in the second round too. Denseness in bread most of the times is due to the brand of yeast used or the yeast not getting activated properly. Try to use a good brand of yeast. For dry active yeast the water temperature has to be warm. If is it cool, the yeast will not get activated and if it is hot, the yeast cells die. I hope this is helpful.

  13. Hi, Thanks for the recipe. I am looking for bread tin similar to yours. Could you pl let me know where did you buy it and price for same. If bought online, would you ne able to share the link?
    Thanks again

  14. Namaste Dassana,
    Thank you, I baked the Whole Wheat bread yesterday. Followed all your instructions and it turned out exactly as described. Very professional presentation of your recipes and the website as a whole. Much appreciated.
    Richest blessings.5 stars

    1. Namaste Lorna, glad to read your feedback. Thanks for the kind words and good wishes. Happy Cooking.

  15. Hi,

    Yesterday I tried this exact recipe but the outer crust of my bread turned out very hard even though inside was soft. Also when I tried to slice it it was breaking.
    Can you please tell me what might have gone wrong?

    1. Looks like the bread has not leavened well or was not kneaded properly. These can make the crust hard on top and it will break while slicing. I would suggest using a good quality yeast brand and proofing it well. Also knead the bread to a soft and smooth dough. I hope this helps.

  16. Hi,
    I don’t have a loaf pan. So, how should I fold and shape the dough to fit into a oven proof square shaped glassware?? Also, what should be the size of the glassware?

    1. You can make a round shape dough and place in the square pan. Check for boule bread on google or youtube and you will get to know the shaping of it. The size can be about 8 to 9 inches.

  17. Hello mam
    I tried your this bread recipe my dough was good n doubled in size I baked it in convection oven at 180 degree for 20 min but it turned out dense and crown became hard . Can u pls help me out why it became hard n dense.I use dry yeast . Thanks.

    1. Hi Arti, did the inside of the bread was hard as well or only the outer crust. Let me know.

  18. Hello Dassana

    I have been baking bread as per your recipe for quite sometime now. I must say that it’s the best one. Haven’t bought store bread from the time I started baking using your recipe. Thank you so much.

    Of late I’ve come across a problem. The bread is cracking along the crown, especially along the length of loaf tin. Unable to understand why this is happening. Can you pls throw some light on this?

    I’m using the same atta as you mentioned in one of your comments, with hydration of 80%, the tried with 75% and 78% hydration as well. Kneading for 10 mins and proofing is also adequate. I bake in gas oven at 220 for 23-25 mins. Unable to pinpoint where I’m going wrong.

    Would really appreciate if you help me out.

    Thanks in advance.4 stars

    1. Hello Sumedha, thanks for the feedback on the wheat bread recipe. While baking the bread, try reducing the temperature to 200 degrees celsius. This could be due to high heat in the oven, Also try to score (slash) the top of the bread with a knife. Could also be due to less moisture in the dough. So you can add some more water while kneading. I hope this helps.

      1. Thanks a ton for your prompt reply. Will try out soon baking at 200 degrees.

  19. 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?

    1. 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.

      1. 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.

        1. 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/

  20. 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?

    1. it must be the yeast. did the yeast solution proof well before adding in the dough?

  21. Hi

    I tried this recipe twice but the bread ended up tasting very bitter, any reason for why this could be happening?

    Thanks!

    1. 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.

  22. 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 them5 stars

    1. 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.

  23. 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

    1. 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

  24. 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

    1. 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.

  25. 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

    1. thanks seena for sharing the feedback on wheat bread. i will try to add the recipe of bagels in some time.

  26. 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.5 stars

    1. 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.

  27. 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?

    1. 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.

  28. 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 (-:5 stars

  29. How to make breads without yeast ? Any substitute to yeast coz v dont use yeast

    1. 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.

  30. 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..

    1. 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.

  31. 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 mode5 stars

    1. 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.

  32. 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?

  33. 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.

    1. 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.

  34. 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.5 stars

    1. 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.

  35. Hello Dasana,

    I don’t have an oven at home. Is there any other way to bake this bread ?

  36. Hi Dassana
    Thanks for an amazing recipe yet again. Bread turned out very well in my first ever attempt. 🙂 Can you please tell me it’s shelf life when stored in fridge?5 stars

    1. thanks dipalee. bread stay for a long time in the fridge. you can even freeze bread and it will stay more longer. 1 to 2 weeks will be good in the refrigerator and a month will be good in the freezer.

  37. 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

    1. Chandrani, no need more instant yeast. knead the bread dough very well. yes you can make small buns.

  38. I used active dry yeast and had the same problem. The yeast worked fine though. Should I add more quantity and knead longer? Please suggest5 stars

  39. 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!5 stars

    1. thanks jane for the feedback and review on the wheat bread recipe. yes of course you can easily double the recipe.

  40. Hii can I use apple cider vinegar in place of curd. … N how much quantity?

  41. 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 again5 stars

    1. Welcome Akula. Glad to know the variation you made to the recipe. Thanks for your sweet feedback.

  42. 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.

    1. 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.

  43. 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.

    1. 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.

  44. 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.

    1. 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.

      1. 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.5 stars

        1. 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.

      2. I used active dry yeast and had the same problem. The yeast worked fine though. Should I add more quantity and knead longer?

  45. Hi Amit ji
    Can I bake the bread in aluminium foil as I don’t have a bread mould?

    1. 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.

  46. Dear Dassana,
    Tried your bread recipe today and it turned out really well. I am trying it for the second time and this time it worked great. The first time, the bread was dense and raw in the middle. I thought it is mainly because of my oven conditions/yeast quality/atta variety. So I made a few changes.
    1. I live in California and the temperature at this time of year is not so steady. So I left the bread for all its rises in the oven with the oven-light on.
    2. I added apple cider vinegar instead of the yogurt and that seemed to work better.
    3. I cooked the bread for the first 15 mins with an aluminium foil and then later without foil. The bread also came out well cooked and soft.
    Thought I would share this here for others to benefit, in case they seem to experience any glitches. Thanks a lot again for the lovely recipe. My little one especially just loves it especially munching on the crust and I am sure there is no going back towards store bought bread 😀
    Just a quick question about additions to this recipe. Have you tried adding some flax seeds, oats or sunflower seeds to this recipe. Do you think it would hinder the rising process.
    Cheers and please do keep your wonderful recipes coming 🙂5 stars

    1. thanks a lot nithya for sharing these suggestions that worked for you. leavening bread does depend a lot on the temperature. in the indian climate, the bread dough leavens very well in a few hours. but yes if the climate is cool or cold, then the dough can be kept for some more hours. keeping overnight is a good idea and similar to sour dough breads that are made.

      making homemade bread is always better for the family as no additives and preservatives are added. i have sprinkled oats and sunflower seeds on the top, but never mixed in the dough. but i have seen recipes where oats or seeds are incorporated. after the first rise, you can add oats or seeds. then shape the loaf and allow for the second rise. it will work. but do not add too much of oats or seeds. hope this helps.

  47. Dear Dassana,
    Came across your recipe last week. I have been baking atta breads for sometime now, and I keep trying out new recipes from the net. Yours is the first one I tried which uses Indian atta (rather than European/American wholewheat) and so suitable to our needs here!
    I was bit doubtful whether 1 tsp yeast would be enough for 3 cups atta, bec most recipes ask for 2 to 2 1/4 tsp for 3-4 cups wheat flour. The first time I tried it last week, with one teaspoon yeast it did not rise well. But it tasted very good and sliced beautifully too. The ghee and yoghurt tasted v good. Today I baked it for the third time, and it was beautiful- soft, sliced well and very tasty! I used one heaped teaspoon of instant yeast (since I have a sachet which is 2 1/4 teaspoons, I used half the sachet). I kneaded for just 2-3 min and left it to rise in the first rise for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Made a nice sticky dough – 1 1/4 cups water – to reduce the kneading time! Used Fleischmann instant yeast.
    Thanks for the great recipe! Love it!5 stars

    1. thank sheila for this detailed comment. before developing this whole bread recipe, i did try a few recipes from the internet with the indian atta and i was not very happy with the results. 1 teaspoon of yeast is enough for 3 cups of flour. even i have seen more amount of yeast being added. in my experience 2 teaspoons of yeast make the dough have a strong yeast aroma. sticky dough always works well. even i keep the dough slightly sticky and it gives a nice moistness and softness to the bread when baked. glad to know that you liked the recipe.

  48. Hi Dassana.. Tried this recipe with gloripan instant yeast.. added to to the dough directly without proofing.. the dough rose well both times.. but didn’t rise in the oven.. I baked it in a microwave convection oven for 18 minutes and saw that it was undercooked so baked it for another ten mins.. but the bread was uncooked and had to throw it away.. please guide.. my toddler loves bread and I want to feed him only homemade bread and I’m desperate to get this right ????

    1. harini, next time avoid adding to the dough directly. if there is a good moisture in the dough, the yeast granules dissolve and sometimes they don’t. it has happened with me a couple of times. then i started mixing the yeast granules in lukewarm water (water can be at room temperature also) and then adding this solution the dough.

      i guess here to knead the dough very well – at least for 8 to 10 minutes. either here the yeast has not activated well or the water content is less or the dough has not been kneaded well. also could be that the temperature in your oven is on the lesser side. so try baking for more time. recently i had problems with my OTG and for baking one single cake, it used to take me about 1:30 to 2 hours. one cookie batch i baked for 2 hours. got it corrected with the company person and its working fine now. hope this helps.

      1. Hi Dassana,
        Im so glad to have seen your response. Will definitely implement your advice and post my experience. Thanks for such quick response.

        1. welcome harini. do let me know how the seeded bread goes for you. thanks.

  49. Hi…
    I followed the recipe upto the mark… Exact quantities and everything … Kneaded the dough as per your instructions but however the bread turned out to be dense and moist. I use a microwave oven and the maximum convection setting is 200 degree celsius. I kept it in a preheated 200c setting for about 30 minutes… And since it was not done i kept for another 10 minutes. Still no use. Please guide me as in what must have gone wrong.4 stars

    1. durga, denseness is due to the yeast not getting proofed or activated well. in india dry active yeast is sold as instant yeast by a few brands. so here use the method mentioned for dry active yeast. instant yeast are like poppy seeds and fine. whereas dry active yeast is similar to yellow mustard seeds. the water also has to be warm. if the water is hot, then the yeast cells die and if the water is not hot enough, the yeast does not get activated. also if the dough looks dry, then you can add some more water while kneading. hope these suggestions help.

      200 degrees celsius is fine. which pan you used? glass or metal? if baking in a glass it takes more time to bake as compared to baking in metal pans.

  50. Regular user of your recipes. cakes & pizza. A super duper hit in my family. tried this recipe. Followed it to the dot, but bread was very dense & didnt rise properly. Have a feeling that it was too much dough. I dont have a cup measure & use 1 cup= 16 table spoon conversion. is this ok? I dont know where I went wrong.5 stars

    1. thanks anand. 16 tablespoon is fine and makes for 1 cup. usually when bread becomes dense, most of the times the culprit is either yeast not proofed well or poor quality of yeast. in india dry active yeast is sold as instant yeast by a few brands. so here use the method mentioned for dry active yeast. instant yeast are like poppy seeds and fine. whereas dry active yeast is similar to yellow mustard seeds. the water also has to be warm. if the water is hot, then the yeast cells die and if the water is not hot enough, the yeast does not get activated. also if the dough looks dry, then you can add some more water while kneading. hope these suggestions help.

      1. Thanks Dassana! Will try. got a Cup measure as well. Are there any vegetarian yeast substitutes?5 stars

        1. welcome anand. standard cups and spoons do help when baking. by vegetarian if you mean that yeast is a living organism like fungi or bacteria, then there is no substitute. a method which is still used in india without using packaged yeast is making khameer by mixing flour, sugar, curd and baking soda or baking powder. this is kept overnight and then this khameer is then mixed with more flour and then kneaded to a dough. this is kept for some hours for the dough to rise.

          bread can also be made with this method. naans and bhaturas are made with this method without using any commercial packaged yeast. but in the making of khameer also the yeast and bacteria help in fermentation of the dough.

          i have shared a bhatura recipe made this way. you can use the same mixture and make the khameer. then make a dough with the remaining flour and keep for some hours (temperature specific) for the bread dough to rise. in cold climates it can even take half a day or a full day. in summers the leavening will be quick. then shape the dough in a loaf and again keep to rise for some hours.

          you can check the method here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/bhatura-recipe-bhature-bhatura/

  51. Hi Amit
    I m big fan of your recipes. All the recipes I tried have turned out to be perfect. I want to try bread this time but without using curd. Is there any other substitute for curd?pls suggest

    1. thanks kavita. you can use 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1.5 tablespoon vinegar.

  52. Hi. I tried out the recipe. The inside of my bread was underbaked and doughy. The sides and bottom did not brown as well as the top. Where am I going wrong?

    1. aarthy, when the bread looks doughy from inside, most of the times the reason is the yeast has not got activated well. so it could be due to the temperature of water not being warm or quality of yeast. if the yeast gets activated well, then 90% of the work is done in the recipe. then just the dough has to be kneaded well.

  53. Hi Dassana, my bread turned out ok. Can you please help me with 2 quick things:
    1. with all same measurements, it did not rise as yours. Mine was denser. Shall i increase quantity of yeast?
    2. Edges turned crisp and it was breaking while cutting.. Did I overbake?
    Thanks in advance. ????

    1. bhavana, you can increase the yeast quantity a bit. since the bread was breaking while cutting, its not due to over baking. its due to the dough not getting leavened well. i guess the yeast is at fault here. so try using a good quality yeast.

  54. I tried the step by step process and the bread came out very well. Only think is that it is very dense. My oven has the highest temperature of 200 degree centigrade so I had to bake at 200 degrees. Is the density because of that? Will this be ok if I add little more curd. Please advice

    1. density is due to the bread not getting leavened well. the reason of this is the yeast quality or the yeast has not proofed. whole wheat breads are usually dense, but not very dense. don’t add too more curd as the then the taste will be felt. try using a good quality yeast.

  55. Hello,
    may I know which brand of yeast you use, i tried this recipe but my dough did not rise, I think the problem was with the yeast I used.

    1. Niyatee, I am using Mauripan brand of instant yeast. it gives good result.

  56. Hi dear…

    First of all, a million thanks for ur great recipes. Every recipe that I have tried has been a hit… and I have tried many. My culinary skills are hailed and all thanks to u…

    But this one was bit tricky. My dough rose nicely both the times … my yeast was good, I kneaded for 15 minutes… the dough was smooth… but the dough didn’t rise during baking… I had pre heated convection for 15 minutes at 200 degrees and then baked the bread a time 180 degrees for 30 minutes… the top was nice brown but it tasted like raw chapati … the texture was quite crumbly… I used almost 3 tbs of curd… was that the reason? I had baked in a loaf tin… was it the yeast that was more? I had to discard the entire loaf… very sad at this failure… ur mango cake, banana cake, vanilla cake … choco cookies… ginger cookies… pizza … every recipe ha been a hit… what am I doing wrong in this bread recipe?

    I didn’t even taste any bread in the one I baked… please guide through…

    Many thanks and please keep up the great work!

    1. firstly thanks a lot anu for these kind words. now for the bread looks like something has gone wrong. 3 tbsp curd is fine and i do not think its the culprit. either it is less water in the dough or the kind of yeast you have used. i want to know if you used dry active yeast or instant yeast. with both the methods of leavening are different. do note that in india some brands are selling dry active yeast as instant yeast. do let me know so that i can help you.

      1. Thanks a lot for reverting back…

        I used dry active yeast which I proofed by warm water+sugar and frothing it… it frothed quite well also…I had made pizza the previous day with the same yeast and it tasted great…

  57. Hi Dassana,
    I am planning to try bread first time.. I brought instant yeast, which says that it needs just one rise.. What does it mean? Can you help me with any change needed in recipe..

  58. Hi Amit- thanks for answering my queries so patiently! I am excited to inform you that i used your recipe in the bread machine. Used 2/3rd Atta and 1/3rd Maida, but the rest of the recipe was the same. Simply put all the liquids, salt, sugar in the bread machine followed by maida and yeast (as per the bread machine instructions). The bread came out very good and soft. Thanks for this secret ingredient you had a brainwave about!

    Few Questions:
    1. The bread was dry the next day compared to a normal maida bread. Any ideas how i could prevent that the next time
    2. The crust was a bit harder than normal. Any idea why that could have happened?

    1. welcome. thanks for sharing your success with the bread machine. once the bread cools, then keep it in an airtight box or container. it won’t become dry. crust becomes hard when the too much heat comes from the top of the oven. i do not know how the bread machine functions here and where is the heat source in it. also if the bread is baked too much it will become hard from outside and will also become dry from inside. hope this helps.

  59. Hi if i want to bake in convention microwave at what temperature and for how many minutes do i bake?5 stars

    1. you can bake at 180 to 200 degrees celsius. timing i cannot say and the time changes from the capacity, size and type of oven. but generally in a convection oven the baking is quick. so it will take less time than what is mentioned in the recipe.

  60. Which curd do you use? Is it home yogurt(minus the whey- since i can see it is thick) or is it store bought yogurt?

  61. Hi!
    I tried making whole wheat bread for the first time using your recipe. While i was preparing it, everything seemed fine. Th3 dough rose twice ( once in the bowl and once in the pan). It doubled up in size. Then i brushed some milk on it and put it for baking. 20-30 mins later when i checked, the dough did not rise at all and the crust seemed not done. So i left it in for a couple of more mins. Once i eventually took it out, the bread seemed finished, but did not rise at all. I’m curious as to what would have caused the bread to not rise??!5 stars

    1. khushboo, did you preheat the oven before baking? when the bread goes in the oven, the oven has to be hot. also avoid opening the oven door many times. again what pan did you use? its best to use a loaf pan of the correct size. if the pan is too large, it won’t help in making the bread rise. ideally since the bread has risen before baking, it should rise while baking too. reasons for it not to rise can be less oven temperature, oven not preheated or the pan size.

  62. hi dassana! the atta bread recipe is great. got wonderful results with 24 mantra atta .thank u for this recipe & the Andhra mango one as well. armed with all the pickle ingredients i’m looking forward to preparing it.

    1. thank meveera for letting me know. most welcome. do try the andhra pickle and do let me know ????

  63. Hi I’m a regular viewer of ur recepeis n ur masala puri recepie come out very well thanks a lot
    For bread recepie I’m able to set my oven only to 200c should I increase the baking time n can u pls specify the flour to be taken in gms n water in ml
    Looking forward for ur response4 stars

    1. thanks kulsum. baking time varies with different oven models and types. in some oven even at less temp, the baking time can be less. so just keep a check while baking. if the top becomes golden, then tap the bread with your knuckles. if it feels hollow, its done. 3 cups atta is 360 grams. water is 250 ml which is 1 cup. you can add more if required.

  64. Dassana, Can we add vital gluten to this recipe to achieve better results?
    If yes then in what proportion?
    Thanks.

    1. you can add vital gluten. but i do not know how much amount as i have never used it.

    1. i have no idea as i have never used a bread machine. so unable to help you.

  65. Hi
    I just made this bread and turned out dense,my dough was not so sticky and also i feel it didnt rise well what can i do to get lighter loaf and also can we use the same dough to make bun too ?
    Thanks4 stars

    1. sindhu, could be the dough has not leavened well. thus it has not risen well. this problem is mostly due to the quality of yeast. use a good quality yeast. if you have used dry active yeast, then do make sure that the water is warm and not on the cooler side or hot. if the water is cool, the yeast won’t activate and if the water is hot, the yeast cells die. also knead very well. about 8 to 10 minutes. you can use the same dough to make buns too.

  66. Hi, I’ve tried this recipe a few times n it comes out really well. I have a couple of questions
    1. While using instant yeast also do we need to add sugar ,?
    2.can this be made with a combination of various flours?
    In that case would there be a change in the amount of yeast n water ?
    U tried it with 2 1/4 cup wheat flour n 3/4 cup ragi flour n followed the same recipe it came out well
    So could I do half ragi half wheat flour with the same proportions?
    Could I also add other flours?
    3. Can we add things like flaxseeds pumpkin seeds etc while mixing the dough ?
    Would be nice if u could put up a multigrain bread recipe if u haven’t already
    Thank you
    Looking forward to ur reply
    Shantal5 stars

    1. thanks shantal.
      1. some sugar does help in leavening reaction. so i would suggest to add some sugar. a pinch will also do.
      2. with ragi, i tried a couple of times. but the bread becomes heavy and dense if more ragi is used. so i would suggest to add 1/2 cup ragi for 2.5 cups of whole wheat flour. you can add other flours also. but do make sure that whole wheat flour is more as compared to other flours.
      3. yes you can add seeds like pumpkin and flaxseeds.
      4. i do plan to add a multigrain bread recipe in some time.

  67. For baking can I use a normal.cake tin or should I use only the loaf mould

    1. for baking bread, its always better to use a loaf pan. the texture of the bread can get affected if baked in a round cake tin.

  68. How can I test the effectiveness of instant yeast? I tried this recipe but the dough didn’t double in size after an hour. I am using falcon brand instant yeast and it’s within the expiry date.

    1. julie, what i suggest is that add the yeast is the sugar + warm water solution and let it sit for 10 to 12 minutes. if the yeast is active and effective, then the solution will bubble up and become frothy. however, do take care that the water should not even be slightly hot. it should be lukewarm. you can also use water at room temperature to check the yeast quality. but here you will have to keep the solution for some more minutes like 20 to 30 minutes.

      the recipe did not work well as i feel its due to the yeast not getting activated. a suggestion is to dissolve the yeast granules in water and then add it to the flour.

  69. Dear, Dassani Amit
    It my first time to make bread it came
    out perfect.No yeast smell.But I was confused when you said on a recipe list 1tsp of yeast., then on preparation you said on number 2 and 3 to add yeast. I just used 21/4tsp.
    it was ok. can you pease rectify for me that.

    Thank you
    Softy

    1. its just 1 teaspoon instant yeast. yeast is not added later. it looks confusing in step 3 and i will change it. 21/4 teaspoon yeast is too much. i am wondering why there was not yeast aroma. usually if more yeast is added then too much yeast aroma is felt.

      if using instant yeast, then just add 1 teaspoon
      if using dry active yeast, then just add 1/2 tablespoon.
      if using fresh yeast, then add 1 tablespoon.

      hope this helps.

  70. Hi!
    I am very fond of cooking and read recipes on the internet. Somehow your recipes work for me better than any other. I have tried many of them, but me and my mother are a fan of the banana cake, butter biscuits and the bread. It turns out fabulous and my little toddler loves them.5 stars

    1. Thanks Tush for your positive feedback on these recipes. Glad to know that you and your mother liked them very much. Do try some more recipes.

  71. Hi,
    How to check of my instant yeast is working?I’m using Falcon brand of dry instant yeast but when used in the above recipe the dough didn’t double in 45 mins. I live in mumbai and the weather is pretty hot right now. So that shouldn’t cause any issue with the rise. Could you let me know what might be the problem??

    1. julie, the dry instant yeast which you are using is basically dry active yeast. some brands do name dry active yeast as dry instant yeast and this causes confusion. dry active yeast needs to activated separately in warm water + sugar solution. the mixture will bubble up and become frothy. then this mixture has to be added to the flour along with the rest of the ingredients and then kneaded. if dry active yeast is added directly to the dough, the bread will be like a rock.

      instant yeast has granules which resemble poppy seeds (khus khus) and dry active yeast has granules which are slightly larger in size.

  72. Hello dear yesterday i made dis n that was good. Want to ask u that y bread is having a particular smell of yeast compare to ready made bread. What to do to avoid that smell. While baking i cover my bread with foil after 10 min because d upper layer become too hard.. Is it right .? plz help as u always ?

    1. Pradnya, readymade bread is made with fresh yeast. if you use a good quality yeast then that smell won’t be there. your bread has got baked too much. you can bake at a slightly lower temperature and don’t keep the pan very close to the top heating element.

  73. Tried twice yesterday, failed both times :(, i followed all the instructions, the dough rised double in the size bit when baked it went back to the original size, what cud have went wrong, pls help

    1. manjiri, what pan size did you use? the pan size should be correct or else the bread can fall flat while baking. also if the dough falls flat that it could be uneven kneading. the kneading is very important and it should be done for atleast 8 to 10 minutes.

      1. I didnt knead the dough that much, the shopkeeper told me the pan size is 8 by 4 but the pan looks bigger, will knead longer next time and will try a different pan, thanks 🙂

        1. welcome manjiri. thanks for the reply. usually any bread dough has to be kneaded very well. ideally when you stretch the dough, it should not break. that means the gluten strands have developed well. there is also a window pane test that can be tested on the dough. you can read more about window pane test on google. you can also knead in parts. eg add some water and knead. then give the dough a resting time for 3 to 4 minutes. then again add water and knead. so this way you can knead in two to three parts. usually i knead in one go. since i am so much used to making chapati dough, its easier for me ?

  74. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s the best! I have made 3 loaves in the past week. Lots of love from Malaysia5 stars

    1. thanks a lot abigail for this awesome feedback. glad to know. happy baking.

  75. Which mouldy is best for baking bread.
    I have silicone and its burn from down.
    Pls help

    1. metal pans are always good for baking. even a glass loaf pan works well. i don’t use silicon pans for baking. but i have used both metal and glass pans for baking and both give good results. though in a glass pan, the baking takes some more time as compared to a metal pan.

  76. Dear Dassana
    Can your whole wheat bread recipe be used – successfully – for baking on pizza stones?
    (e.g. the prepared dough is laid on the stones in a grill that has a cover – so correct temperature is maintained. However, no loaf-pan is used)

    Also, is the vinegar (or yogurt) is for achieving a specific flavor; or there are other reasons?
    Many thanks for your kindness, Uri

    1. uri, i am not sure if the recipe can work well on a pizza stone. you will have to give a try. vinegar or lemon juice is added for a bit of acidity that helps in the gluten development in the dough. thanks a lot.

  77. Hi dassana
    Can i use sour curd fr this recipe.. The thing ‘s curd ‘s 3-4 day old..orelse should iI stick with vinegar.
    Thanks sakshi

  78. HELLO Dassana
    This is my second time making bread, unfortunately i failed in both times.
    I didn’t expect it to be super fluffy like white bread but it was very dense unlike your picture.
    In this recipe, I used chapatti atta flour (Albaker brand), instant yeast(saf instant brand), yogurt and olive oil.
    I had high hopes in chapatti flour because it was finer than the previous flour i used.
    -I store my instant yeast in the freezer.
    -I used 1.5 cups of water yet it wasn’t sticky nor super smooth after kneading.
    -I baked it in 9.5×5.5 inches non-stick pan in 220 C oven for 25 minutes.
    -I forgot to brush the top with milk and didn’t slit the top as well.

    My questions are:
    Does it matter if the instant yeast in new or have been in the freezer for couple of months? and does the dough supposed to be soft and easy to work with after the first rise? because mine wasn’t that soft.

    1. fine. dough is supposed to be soft and very easy to work with. let the instant yeast come to room temp and then add in the flour. i guess the instant yeast did not proof well. you can also use lukewarm water and mix the instant yeast in it along with the sugar. then add this mixture to the flour and knead. hope this helps.

  79. Hii dassaana !!
    I really appreciate your recipes…..My daughter loves all whichever I have tried…..I like your simple yet effective way to prepare anything….
    I want to ask that what is the difference between baking soda and baking powder…..
    Thanks again for such a wonderful recipe5 stars

    1. Thanks Priyanka for your kind words. Both are different. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. Whereas Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, corn starch and cream of tartar. Baking soda is 3 times stronger than baking powder.

  80. Otg has two rods on top and two on bottom and we have settings to use eithet of top or bottom rods or both. Can you please tell me while baking bread which of the rods to heat??

    1. juveria, sometimes i use both the rods and sometimes only the bottom rod. if using the top rod then you will have to be little careful as the top of the bread gets browned quickly. if you want the top crust to be browned and crusty then use the top rod along with the bottom one.

  81. I used multigrain flour instead of whole wheat & it worked perfectly well. Thank you for the easy recipe.5 stars

  82. Hello mam I always follow u r recipes n all r too good .Today I made this whole wheat bread. That was nice n soft but loaf has hollow inside so I couldn’t cut that all r breaking .where was I wrong what should I do ? Plz plz suggest .

    1. pradnya, after the first rise, the dough has to be tightly rolled or tucked and then placed in the pan. the log has to be properly made. if there are any gaps in the log, then in the second rise, the gaps will become too hollow and even after baking. you can see some youtube videos to get an idea how the dough is rolled and tucked into a log.

    1. without yeast the entire method changes. for this recipe yeast is required.

    1. jagriti, i have mentioned all the details in the recipe card, if dry active yeast is used.

  83. Hi,
    I always follow ur recipes and love the way u write every thing in detail. One request, cn u provide the recipe for gluten free bread.5 stars

    1. thanks sweety. i will try to add a gluten free bread recipe. though let me tell you it is not easy as i did try a couple of times making bread with millet flours and the breads did not turn out well. i have noted down your request but it will take me some months to add the recipe.

      1. Thnx a lot for such a quick reply. I will be eagerly waiting for the recipe.4 stars

  84. Hi Dassana, thank you for simplifying the art and science of bread making. I tried it but didn’t get the final rise…probably I didnot shape the liaf right…I made buns! and did not do any slashing on top….just want to check with you have you tried cold oven method any time to get the oven spring? Do you think it will be more effective? Also what do you suggest…putting the loaf in lower rack and turning on only the lower grill in OTG…can I use borosil glass loaf pan ?
    An year back I had contacted you via GPlus asking which oven to buy…I just want to inform you I bought Murphy Richards 52lt and I’m in love with it…baked healthy cakes with whole wheat, oats, jaggery using only baking soda…I don’t like to use baking powder as it contains aluminium and some millet cookies…5 stars

    1. thanks a lot akula.

      i have not tried cold oven method any time. so i do not know if it works or not. i usually place the pan in the second lower rack or the top rack if making buns or a small loaf of bread. i keep both the heating elements on. i feel this helps in even baking.

      you can use borosil pan, but it takes more time for baking in a glass pan as glass is not a good conductor of heat as compared to metals.
      i remember you had asked. even i purchased a new oven some months back, but went for bajaj 35 litre oven, as the morphs richards 52 litre was too large for my kitchen 🙂

      you can buy aluminium free baking soda. even i am using that. you will get to buy on amazon.in

  85. Hi, baked this bread yesterday and it turned out very good! thanks ! my first ever successful bread! memorable experience!

  86. Hi dear, your recipe is very well written and very easy to follow. I bake breads often. Bread dough need a Hot Oven temperature, but on MW+CONV oven, the maximum convection temperature is 200.
    I wish to add a tip to solve this issue. When preheating the oven, keep an IRON tawa (not the non-stick type) over a raised rack and preheat to 200. Then open the oven door and place the pan of dough over this tawa. The tawa will ensure the high temperature, while the raised rack will allow the airflow. Hope this will help all those who face issues of dense dough due to oven temperature. Thank you dear. Do keep up the good work ?5 stars

    1. thanks a lot neelz for this detailed suggestion. it will surely help the readers. thanks again.

  87. You are super awesome. I added leftover oregano and chili flakes from dominos in the flour and my mixed herbs whole wheat bread just came out of the oven now. Whole house smells yummm…. thanks a lot. I swear by your recipes !!!!5 stars

    1. thanks charuta for this feedback. i am sure the bread must have turned out superb with all the oregano, chili flakes and herbs added in it.

  88. Hi,

    I followed the recipe exactly as it was given by you. Both the rises were perfect but the moment it went inside the preheated oven the dough subsided. The bread came our well, it was soft but it looked more like a loaf cake. I must thank you for the wonder yogurt/vinegar suggestion. Bread was not dense at all but I am disappointed at the subsidence. Can you help?

    1. ayesha, if the second rise is too long or has been over done, the bread will collapse. so looks like in this case the bread was over proofed. also you can check some videos on shaping the loaf. if the loaf is not shaped well, then also the bread will collapse. check some videos on youtube and by practice you will get shaping the loaf right.

  89. Hi?
    Do we need to keep the dough for the rise for a longer period during winter?

    1. yes, during winter the time taken for both the rises will be more. you can even keep in a warm place.

  90. Hello mam, Made this bread few days back using ‘Pillsbury gold’ atta and it came out well. Both the texture and softness was good. Thank you very much. I’ve few strange queries, kindly pardon me.
    1. In your white bread recipe the temperature mentioned was 190°Celsius, but here for whole wheat bread 220°Celsius is given. Why is that difference? Does wheat bread requires more temperature for baking?
    2.I’m using a Kenwood 25litre OTG., Can I open the oven door in between without switching off the main switch while it is still running?., ie while placing the loaf pan after preheating or to check whether it is done etc., etc.,? Kindly reply. Thanks in advance.

    1. thanks benny for the review on the whole wheat bread recipe. your queries answered below:

      1. most breads are baked at moderately hot temperature – 180 degrees celsius to a hot temperature – 230 degrees celsius. so you can bake at any of these temperature range depending on the size, capacity and type of oven. the white bread was baked in a convection oven (microwave oven with convection mode). the highest temp in the oven was 200 degrees celsius. so i baked at 190 degrees celsius. also in any convection oven, the baked good bakes faster and quicker. so its better to reduce the temperature by 10 to 20 degrees celsius when baking in a convection oven. that said, you can bake white bread at 200 or 220 degrees celsius in a regular oven or OTG.

      2. you can open the door, when the OTG is on. i also open the door when the OTG is on.

  91. Hi. Thanks for the recipe . It tasted very good. It was a little dense. Cooked well but dense. Can you suggest something to make it fluffier? Thanks again!5 stars

    1. welcome deepa. try kneading the dough very well. it takes atleast 7 to 8 minutes for the dough to be kneaded well. also a little sticky dough is fine. so some more water can also be added.

  92. Hi Dassana,

    Tried this whole wheat bread and it came out well. Thanks for the recipe.5 stars

  93. Hi dear…. I always tries ur recipes and coming good… But unfortunatly today this bread recipe didn come nice….outside become brown and inside dough didnt cook welll… I dont know what happened… Please help me… I want to try it again… Any advice??

    1. which brand of yeast did you use and also which type of yeast. meaning instant or dry active yeast. if you have used dry active yeast, then the yeast+sugar solution should bubble up and become frothy. looks like the yeast did not activate well. also did the dough rose properly in the first and second rise?

      1. Thanks for reply… I used instant yeast.. That also i kept in warm sugar water.. May be becayse of tHat?but dough rised good. I placed dough in baking loaf and just pressed to make it even, may be, it was the cause,,,

        1. fine. the dough need not be pressed in the baking loaf. but that should not be the cause. also the dough in the loaf pan should be allowed to rise. did you allow the dough to rise the second time, before placing it in the oven. if not, then this could be the cause.

  94. Hello Dassana
    Have been making the atta bread regularly . There is one problem that I am facing . The bread has a slightly bitter after taste . Where do you think I am going wrong ? Wold be grateful if you can help me rectify this problem .
    Renu

    1. hmmm. i make both bread & pav quite regularly with atta and have never got an bitter after taste. all i can say is that it could be due to the quality of yeast. other than that no ingredient is added in the bread which is bitter. what i can suggest is try adding less yeast. for eg you can reduce by 1/4 teaspoon. then see the difference. i hope this helps renu.

  95. Hi dasana, I never had problem with baking amazing cakes with your recipes. However this one turned out very dense and not completely cooked! Wondering where it went wrong! I had used active dry yeast and proofed it into frothy liquid. The only difference I can think of is that my dough was a bit stickier than I’d have preferred(I added bit more flour to remove stickiness). It raised well both times and I baked itay 220 deg in oven for about 24 minutes. I didn’t have a loaf pan so used normal square cake pan. I am going to try once again because it tasted very good and my kid loves to eat bread!! What changes would you suggest? We couldn’t get instant yeast so that’s not an option!5 stars

    1. nimitha, i guess it due to the pan. since you have mentioned that the yeast proofing was frothy and the dough had risen well both times. so i do not think it could be due to yeast proofing. if you do not have a loaf pan, then you can make buns or rolls and place in the cake pan. you can shape them round or square or any fancy shape you want.

  96. Hello chef m Shreya ,
    what can we do if we do not have yeast . can we ferment it like dosa batter?

    1. shreya, the method is different when yeast is not used. a mixture of some flour, baking soda, curd and water is mixed and left overnight. then this mixture is mixed with remaining flour and then kneaded to the dough. this dough is then allowed to ferment for some hours. i know the method, but have never tried making bread with it. some readers have tried and have got successful results.

  97. Hi,
    I really need to know the minimum amount of oil that I can add to this and if there is any substitute to be used in place of that.
    Your recipes are wonderful and have helped me recreate magic in the kitchen in spite of my food restrictions. Hope you can help here as well.4 stars

    1. amrita, instead of oil veggie purees can be used. but the only issue will be the flavor and taste of the bread will change. you can skip oil. oil does help making the bread soft, but even if you skip, then no issues. i have even made pav and breads without oil as a times i have forgotten to add them. just keep the dough slightly sticky and knead very well.

  98. I made pav with ur recipe and it turned out amazing..it’s a simple recipe…si easy to make..thanku so muc for sharing..

    1. welcome binal 🙂 glad you liked the wheat bread recipe. thanks for positive views.

  99. hi dear,
    dont have oven, but I just want to make brown bread as I dont like the store bought ones, please let me know if I can steam this bread, and for how long, I would like to try it with 1 or 2 cups of flour so what would be the measure of yeast. Please respond tks.

    1. with steaming the recipe will change. you can check this pav recipe which is made in a pressure cooker to get an idea on stove top baking. a thick bottomed and deep pan can also be used instead of pressure cooker – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pav-recipe-in-pressure-cooker/

      in this recipe for 1 cup flour, you can use 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast and 2 cups flour, you can use 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast.

  100. Dear Dassana
    Thanks a lot for everything . Was satisfied with the bread today . Could have bread after so long because of you ! Just wanted to check if I can do Pav with the same recipe ? And can one add raisins seeds etc to the same recipe ?
    Thanks
    Renu

    1. thanks renu and nice to know. i feel good the recipe worked for you. you can add various seeds like sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and even dry fruits like raisins. and you can make pav with the same recipe. even i make at times.

  101. Bless you Dassana
    Thanks again . Yes it’s instant yeast and also it’s granules (sorry had not opened the packing ) . So I follow the first method and shall get back to you am sure with good results .And yes am avoiding anything packaged.Thanks
    Renu

    1. thank you renu 🙂

      yes do follow the first method. and knead the dough very well. good to know you are avoiding packaged food. sometimes the instant yeast granules do not dissolve in the dough. i have faced this problem a couple of times. so what i do is i dissolve the yeast granules with the water & sugar and then add to the flour along with the oil/ghee/butter and salt. let me know if there are any issues. and take care.

  102. Dear Dassana
    Am really impressed and touched by your prompt reply . I was given this block of KF instant yeast by somebody and want to make your recipe of atta bread . My concern is since it’s a block how am I supposed to measure1tblsp and how to use it . Should I follow the 1st or the second method to make the dough rise well . The solar dry yeast did not rise at all during my previous attempt . Would be very grateful if you could guide me as I am a cancer warrior and not allowed readymade processed breads. Am not allowed sugar too so can I use jaggery instead ?
    Thanks
    Renu

    1. thanks renu. can you slice or break the block. i was using a block of fresh yeast and i could easily slice it and measure. is it fresh yeast or instant yeast. if using fresh yeast, use 1 tablespoon and if using instant yeast, use 1 teaspoon. both fresh yeast and instant yeast are different. fresh yeast can be in the form of block. instant yeast is in the form of fine granules, so i am figuring out how it can be a block. for fresh yeast, you have to follow the second method and for instant yeast, follow the first method.

      you can add jaggery. a pinch is also fine. the yeast cells feed on the sugar and hence sugar is added. but the starches are also sugar compounds, so in some recipes they don’t add sugar and the yeast cells feed on the starch sugars. if you want you can skip the jaggery entirely.

      avoid ready made anything be it bread or any other food product as they use a lot of preservatives and additives which are detrimental to health.

      i wish you all the best in your healing and i hope the universe guides as well as helps you. take care.

  103. Hi
    Can I use block of fresh yeast to make this bread and if yes how much ? I did make it with solar yeast but the result was far from desirable
    Thanks .
    Renu

  104. Hi Dassanana,

    I made this is in convection on 200 degree for 18 mins. It turned out good!

    Thanks for the easy recipe.

    1. thanks aesha for sharing the temp and the time. it will help readers. also thanks for the feedback on the atta bread recipe.

  105. Hi Dassana,
    I have tried this whole wheat bread recipe several times, but i always notice that although till the 2nd rise the dough rises perfectly well, the bread dough does not rise in the oven. What could be the reason.??
    Btw Thank you for all your lovely recipes and really appreciate your humility inspite of being on top of the game..

    1. thank you parvathy for the kind words. coming back to your query, ideally if the bread rises well both the times, then it should rise in the oven too. could be that the temperature in the oven is less. also the oven has to be preheated for minimum of 15 minutes. when the bread pan goes in, the oven has to be hot. try baking at a higher temperature in your oven. you can increase the temperture to 15 to 20 degrees more than what is mentioned in the recipe. also calibrate your oven to check the temperature. on google, you will get to know the calibration method using a thermometer. if the temperature shows less or more than what you have set, then you may need to call the company service person. hope this helps.

  106. Hi Dassana…I am a regular visitor… I tried this recipe and it did come out well…Thanks for these easy and yummy recipes!!! 🙂

  107. hello…
    i tried this recipe today using active dry yeast. but i found tht my dough did not raise enough. after both steps it was same. i used yeast of some indian make. can u suggest what might hv gone wrong.
    thank u5 stars

    1. the yeast has not proofed well or the quality is not good. thats why the dough has not risen enough. you can buy good quality yeast from online baking stores.

  108. hello, I made the bread and it was baked, but after cutting the bread i felt that its not baked properly from inside basically the middle part, also it felt lil sour

    1. sourness could be due to yeast. you can keep the bread again and continue to bake it in a preheated oven. if the top starts getting too browned, then cover with an aluminium foil.

  109. Can you please provide the name and brand of instant yeast used as the link you provided does not open

    1. its mauripan/gloripan brand. same company but for instant yeast, they label as mauripan and for dry active yeast as gloripan.

  110. I have prepared d dough for baking bread..can dis diugh be used for whole wheat pizza also…given in dis recpie yoghurt is addex nd in pizza recpie ira not added

    1. if you use this bread for pizza, it will taste like a bread pizza. you can use this dough. but the taste and flavor that comes from pizza bread will be not there. hope this helps.

  111. I tried this recipe today . It was found good . One thing why it raised from the centre probably bec I did nt cover it . moreover I kept it raised for two to three hrs bec I had to go somewhere…moreover it came out very good but it got cooked in only 10 min ..is it ok …moreover it got breaky when I cut it into slices..may be bec I did it when it was hot ..PlZ reply me …5 stars

    1. thanks amber. did you use the microwave oven. 10 minutes is a less time to baek. breads and cakes should always be cooled down before slicing. otherwise they break, when sliced when they are hot or warm.

    1. use 200 degrees and it will take approx 30 to 35 minutes. though time may vary.

  112. Hi Daasana, Thanks for the recipe ! Since it was the first time I was making the bread the result was goood.!! Howevr there were some issues with it…which i want to tackle before i make it next time !

    1. The bread I made was very dense and , there was uneven cooking with outer cooking too quickly and inner bread remaining little bit under-cooked . I used the Solar Dry Active yeast .. which step did i get wrong.

    2. Another issue I had was that the taste of the bread was little bit sour . Is it the taste of yoghurt or did i add too much yeast to my bread ?

    Hope you can help me with it, thanks in advance.5 stars

    1. welcome ankit. your queries answered

      1. denseness could be due to the yeast not proofing very well. most of the times denseness of the bread is related to the quality of yeast or the yeast not getting active. the mixture should be bubbly and frothy. the water should be lukewarm and not hot or at a slightly cool temperature. here is how the solution should look after proofing – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/garlic-bread4.jpg

      2. the sourness of yogurt is not felt in the bread. the sourness is due to too much of yeast.

      hope this helps.

      1. Thanks for the help. Will go easy on yeast next time.

        I tried your 100 % wheat pizza recipe , and it was the best homemade pizza i ever had. Everything was so perfect, thanks for it.

        I have few things to ask regarding the bread as well as the pizza base, hope you can help me. Firstly if i double the recipe should i also double the yeast quantity or not. Also, if i want to store the pizza dough for 2-3 days , will it stay fresh or not.

        Thanks in advance.5 stars

        1. welcome ankit and thanks for the feedback on the whole wheat pizza.

          you can easily double or triple the recipe. the quantity of yeast will also double or triple. you can refrigerate or freeze the dough. refrigerated the dough stays good for a week and freezed can be a month.

    1. you can i suppose. i do not have a bread maker. but from what i have read and seen, basic recipes can be made in the bread maker.

  113. I tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out so amazingly well. The recipe is so precise and perfect. Thanx!

  114. Hi, Daasana! Thanks for your reply and thanks for this wonderful and easy recipe! I made second batch today. It still delicious! The loaf I made only will last for two days in my house..My family love to eat bread everyday! For the second batch I used olive oil and my bread was lighter compare the first batch I made. About the wheat bran, I am not sure whether they sell them at the nearby store. I will surely use it if able to find it. On the other hand, if I want to mix the whole wheat flour with maida flour/all-purpose flour, how many cups should I use it for this recipe? Thanks!

    1. welcome siyamala. you can easily increase the proportions and double the recipe. if you have a large oven, you can make two loaves at one go. at times i add 1/2 cup of maida to 2.5 cups of atta. this is the ratio i follow often. though you can also add 1 cup maida to 2 cups atta. if you use 1/2 cup of maida, then do add the vinegar or curd. if you use 1 cup of maida, then no need to add vinegar or curd.

  115. Hi! I would like to know what is the temperature for the butter and even when I use instant yeast should I warm the water first to mix the dough? When you say we can use loaf tin with lid when should I use to cover it? Is it during the second rise or during the baking? Thanks!5 stars

    1. temperature of butter is at room temperature. for instant yeast, no need to use warm water. lid is used during baking and not during second rise. you need to grease the lid also before baking.

  116. Hi! I have just made the bread yesterday. It was my first time doing one. I was glad it turn out pretty well. It was quite dense though. I am not sure why..I did use the same yeast brand that you used (mauripan). May I know how many minutes do we have to knead the dough before and after the first rise?5 stars

    1. denseness can be due to the quality of flour and the percentage of gluten in the flour. some bran in the flour makes it less dense. so you can add additionally some wheat bran – about 1 to 2 tablespoons. you have to knead the dough very well. 7 to 8 minutes before. after the first rise, 1 to 2 minutes.

  117. Perfect. .. wow … few days ago breads were in news for its cancerous ingredients. .. now no worries, I can make fresh bread at home. Thank you.

  118. hi I tried the wholewheat bread it was not at all soft followed the recipe as it is specify the yeast brand that u use I used dry yeast I have tried twice.

    1. arati, which brand you used. also did the yeast proof well. most of the times the bread won’t be soft, if the yeast has not been proofed well. did you make a separate warm water + sugar + yeast solution. for dry active yeast, you have to proof them separately and then add to the flour. i have used mauripan instant yeast.

  119. If I don’t want to add the cereal or grain, do I have to reduce water or adjust other ingredients? Thanks.

  120. Hi the bread was well baked but when I cut into it it became crumbly can I add a cup of plain flour or there is an other solution for this

    1. rupashi, i have already replied to your comment. link here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/100-whole-wheat-bread-atta-bread/#comment-505765

      did you increase the other ingredients too after adding plain flour. also which brand of yeast did you use. bread is crumbly either due to the yeast not getting proofed properly or not kneading the dough well. you can add plain flour, but if you add an extra cup apart from the 3 cups of whole wheat flour, then you have to increase the other ingredients proportionately. to keep the recipe same, add 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of plain flour.

  121. Dassana, love your Recipies and have tried several of them. I seem to be having some problem with the whole wheat bread though. Followed the steps exactly. Used Blue bird brand active dry yeast and activated it and was bubbling up nicely. The dough doubled in volume after the first proofing. Used a 9 by 5 inch pan. After the second proofing the dough had risen fully till the top of the pan. Baked it for 22 mins. The bread was little bit dense (not very dense) and was only half the height of the pan. So the slices look elongated and not nice squares. After making toasts in sandwich maker the crust becomes hard. Where could I have gone wrong?

    1. when the dough rises, you will get a dome shape in the bread slices, which does not give a square shaped bread. to get a square shaped bread, you have a use a lid on the pan. you do get loaf pans with lids. crust should not become hard. i make this whole wheat bread often for sandwiches. so i never had any issue with the crust becoming hard. hence unable to pinpoint what must have caused this issue. some heaviness is always there in a whole wheat bread. it cannot be light and airy like that of a bread made with maida or all purpose flour. hope this helps.

  122. Hi.. I try to make all your recipes and they turn great☺️ I tried this cake for the first time and it turned great but when I started to cut it all the pieces started coming out? My mother recommended to add about a cup of plain flour. Is it okay or should I use less . But the bread turned out to be great. It was evenly baked. Thanks a lot5 stars

    1. thanks rupashi. you tried which cake? for the bread did you add more water after adding 1 cup of plain flour. also the other ingredients will increase proportionally.

  123. There’s a discrepancy in the first rise duration. Step by step says 35 mins, but in your detailed recipe you’ve mentioned 1.5-2 hours. Could you please let me know.. Thanks 🙂

    1. ruchira, there is no discrepancy. the 35 mins first rise is if using instant yeast and the 1.5 to 2 hours first rise is if using dry active yeast. in the stepwise pics, i have shown the method with instant yeast. whereas since not everyone will get instant yeast, i have mentioned the method separately in the recipe card, if using dry active yeast. hope this helps.

  124. Hello Amit,
    Can you please tell me a good brand of yeast, as i tried to make this receipe and it was a complete disaster… The loaf didnt rise both times and so i went ahead with the baking bit. It turned out half cooked and no rise watsoever. I think there may be an issure with the quality of the yeast as i followed the reciepe to the T. Please help.

  125. Hi.. I just wanted to know if we can do the first rise in the refrigerator overnight.. Actually 18 hrs would be convenient for me.. Should I decrease the amount of yeast.. Any tips..

  126. Nice easy recipe. See that you have not included gluten.

    would also like to know if you have tried retarded fermentation or artisan no knead bread?

  127. hi.. i have made this bread twice.. both times it came out wonderful.. thanks to you.. can we make braided bread, stuffed bread and stuffed braided bread with this recipe?

    1. nice to know aarthi. for braided breads, maida or all purpose flour suits better as you can easily make the braids. i am not sure if whole wheat flour will suit to make braided breads. but you can make stuffed bread or buns.

  128. Hi
    Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I tried it in convection microwave and the max temperature is 200. So,as you suggested in one of your comments, I baked it for 30 mins.It looked perfect,the color was brown at the top ,exactly as it is shown in the pic. But,when I took it out of the oven, bottom part looked uncooked and white in color. So, I inverted it (upside down) in the loaf pan (though it didnt sit properly in the pan) and baked it for another 20-mins. But again,it didnt bake well.(the top layer,this time bottom,was getting harder fast) And, even while slicing, I couldnt make thin slices .I had to make fat ones. Where could I have gone wrong? I kneaded the dough for a little longer time after the first rise.Can it be an issue?

    1. which pan you used for baking and what size. in the convection mode of a microwave oven, there is no heating element at the bottom – meaning heat does not come from the bottom. so the base does not get well browned if you use a glass pan. a metal pan will help in browning the base to some extent. even if the base does not look browned, it does mean that its not cooked. its cooked, but just that there is no browning that has happened. when you inverted again and baked, the top got baked too much. in most microwave ovens, the heating element is on the top. so the top side gets done faster and over browned than the base and sides. slicing was difficult, as the bottom layer got harder. kneading the dough is not an issue. the issue here is the heating direction in the oven. hope this helps.

  129. Hi I tried ur recipe. My bread crust was hard after 20 min although cooked from inside but dense and heavy. I used vinegar. Moreover, it fall apart ( broken pieces) while toasting. Can you tell where I went wrong. Few questions more: what happens if water is more in dough? I used instant yeast can I increase the time of first proofing if the dough does not double?

    1. denseness and heaviness can be due to the quality of yeast. which brand of instant yeast you used. in indian markets what is sold as instant yeast is basically dry active yeast. dry active yeast need to be proofed/activated separately in warm sugar solution and then added to the flour. if more water is there in the dough, it is not an issue. sticky doughs bake well.

  130. Hi Amit,

    I think I might have over-kneaded my dough as I saw the images later. Would that be an issue?

    1. yes. it can affect the texture of the bread. i just hope that the bread texture comes out well.

      1. Thank you! The bread turned out really nice.

        I have one more query..
        Can we use fresh yeast? The one you get in solid form? And in what quantity?

        1. Thank you!

          I am in love with this recipe. It is so easy and I am glad you shared it. Now I bake fresh bread for my family all the time, they love it! 🙂

    1. with baking soda or baking powder, the leavening is not very effective. hence they are not added generally in bread recipes.

  131. I was longing for this recipe . Thank you
    Can I use olive oil to replace the ghee or butter5 stars

  132. Hi,

    Is it feasible to bake this in pressure cooker’s dry heat?

    Looks interesting, eager to try out this recipe

    1. are you posting any hyperlink with the message. if yes then the message goes to spam. we always check spam, but your message is not there. but this message of yours we have received. so we are getting your messages.

  133. And thanks a lot.. It is a beautiful recipe.. It has giveb me the confidence to continue my bread baking attempts…

    1. thankyou so much aarthi for your positive words glad you liked our recipe from our blog and wish you all the best 🙂

  134. I have made the brown bread same way but the dough did not rise and so i baked it lake that only
    But as it didnot rise it is not madeproper

    1. the dough has to rise. if the dough has not risen, this means the yeast was not activated well or the quality of yeast is not good. the yeast solution should always become frothy and bubbly before you add it to the flour. hope this helps. also try to use a good brand of yeast.

  135. Hi.. Can we reduce the amount t of oil to 2 or 3 tsp? Or is it a very important ingredient.. Will affect the texture much.

    1. oil is required. it will affect the texture. you can reduce to 1 tbsp or 1.5 tbsp.

  136. Can I bake this in pressure cooker? If so timings please. I saw your pav recipe baking in pressure cooker. So I want your guidence

    1. yes you can make this atta bread in a pressure cooker. timing can be around 35 to 50 minutes. i am guessing the time. since bread is baked as entire loaf, it may take more time. do check after 30 minutes.

  137. In my microwave the highest temp is 200 degrees. So for how long I need to bake?

  138. Hi… I tried this twice…and both times it was perfect like the photos till the second rise.
    It rose to an inch above the pan.
    But when i started baking at 420F, both times the crust was very hard… The first time i kept it for 25mins, so the second time i set it for 20 mins… But crust was brown only in about 10-12mins and when i tapped it sounded hollow… I immediately took it out, and got it out of the mold the bottom of the loaf was very soft and in about 30seconds it sank in. I cut a piece.. It wasnt cooked so i put it back into the oven for another 8-9 mins… But the crust got harder and the inside didn’t cook properly. I am new to baking… Can you please help me make the necessary corrections pls!4 stars

    1. perhaps your oven temperature has a higher range than 420F. meaning the temperature is more than 420F inside the oven. you can try baking at 392F. due to the high temp, the crust is getting done but the inside dough is not getting baked. i think this should help.

  139. I have been looking for a simplistic recipe like this for a while now so thank you. I have a couple of questions though i.e.

    1. do we need to add sugar?
    2. what do you mean by seam the edges?
    3. is there any specific proportion of other grains we can safely add without the risk of making a mess out of it? i.e. multi-grain
    4. how many grams of atta in a cup?
    5. can i make this in a otg?

    thanks in advance

    Brijesh

    1. thanks, your queries answered below:

      1. the yeast feed on sugar.
      2. seam meaning joining the edges.
      3. keep at least 75% of whole wheat flour in the recipe. so that the bread turns out soft.
      4. 1 cup of atta is 120 grams.
      5. yes you can make in an OTG.

      hope the answers help you.

  140. Hi,

    I am going to try this for the first time, so please bear with ym questions. As much as I love to cook, I am not a baker yet 😀

    I have a convection microwave with Silicone bread pans. How should I work with this combination?

    Also, where can I find baking supplies in Bangalore?

    Thanks!

    1. no problem. silicon pans can be used only in the convection mode of microwave oven. do not use it in the microwave mode. with silicon pans the bread will take a longer time to bake and you will have less browning in the crust. for baking supplies in bangalore you can check adams company at richard’s square.

  141. hi , i made this bread and for first time the taste was good but the shape was not great n also i cut that immediately n it was all totally a big mess as i was a first time baker. today i prepared this n this is my third batch and its ready to go into the oven. the second batch was totally amazing n i gave one to my friend. thank you so much for this recipe n all your good work.my husband is in all praise of me n thanks goes to you alone. i live in the uk and though i had good oven i never tried baking at all n after seeing ur blog it just impressed me n now i am into new cooking. thanks a lot.5 stars

    1. welcome sony and thank you. in baking usually there are initial mishaps. but as they say practice makes a man or woman perfect, so it is with baking. the more you bake the more better you will get in baking. you can bake easily artisan breads, variety of cakes and cookies. baking is therapeutic too.

  142. Hi.I made this bread with 2 cups of wheat flour and 1 teaspoon of gloripan instant yeast.My bread is having a very bad yeast smell and flavour.Its a new pack of yeast.Is 1 teaspoon instant yeast too much for 2 cups of wheat flour.What will be the right quantity?

    1. 1 tsp of instant yeast is too much for 2 cups of flour. you could have added 1/3 to 1/2 tsp of instant yeast. generally for 3 to 3.5 cups 1 tsp of instant yeast is fine.

      1. Alright.I”ll try with 1/2 teaspoon yeast next time.Thanks for the reply

  143. Hi,
    I tried making this bread yesterday with my homemade yeast…the dough rises well in the first rise and in the loaf pan too…but when i baked it the bread was not cooked evenly…and the top also became very hard…can u tell where i went wrong?and i baked it for 30 mins with 200 degree C…
    Thanks in advance

    1. when you leaven breads with homemade yeast, you have to leaven it for a longer period of time like 3 to 5 hours (depending on the temperature conditions). this could be the reason that there is unevenness in the cooking. the top also has become hard due to this reason. next time you can keep for a few more hours. the dough should feel light. if the dough feels heavy, this means that the leavening has not happened well.

  144. Hi,
    What is the shelf life of this bread? Will it stay for 2 days? Am gonna try it soon.

    1. yes kavya if you refrigerate should last upto 3-4 days. surely try and let us know how it was?

  145. This is THE BEST 100% whole wheat bread recipe I’ve tried. I like it better than King Arthur Flour’s recipe for wheat bread.

    This one is easy and the butter and yogurt make it light and crumbly.
    Thank you for sharing it !5 stars

    1. very pleased to know this thankyou kellyn for your kind and positive words. glad you liked the whole wheat bread recipe.

  146. Hey there,
    I tried your white bread recipe, followed the instructions properly. The overall result was good except i felt it had not risen very well, where do u think i went wrong?
    Thanks in advance
    M

    1. could be the quality of yeast or the proofing has not been done well. so could be either of the reason.

  147. Hii.. My family have many diabetics so can i substitute sugar with sugar free , if not den what would be the best way to reduce sugar.. Thanks for the recipe its very nice..

    1. skip sugar. don’t add any sugar. i would suggest you to try your hands on whole grain breads like buck wheat flour, rye, millet flours like jowar/bajra/ragi etc. brown rice flour can also be included. you can also try whole grain sour dough breads.

  148. Hi… Thanks for detailed instruction, I did try this recipe, though i was happy with the output, i found my bread was not a bit harder to my liking… i baked for 25 mins at 200 degrees (max for my oven)…not sure where i was wrong…
    can you let me know how can i get softer output – thanks in advance4 stars

    1. softness in the texture can be due to the yeast proofing and proper leavening of the dough. i feel the baking time is fine. the yeast has to be of good quality and in its shelf life. also the dough should double up. in winter season, it takes more time, so you can keep the dough for a couple of hours more for the first rise.

  149. Hi Dasanna, I am willing to prepare bread but without yeast, what could be the best substitute of yeast readily available in india. Pls do help by letting me about it.

    1. there is no substitute of yeast. some recipe use baking soda also. but when i tried such a recipe it was a thick loaf with no lightness and softness. there is a way to make bread using natural yeast starter. this is similar to the way naan or bhaturas are traditionally. one reader kaur harsmirat had tried making bread this way. you can check these comment threads, where i have mentioned the method. any issue you can always comment back.

      1. https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/white-bread-easy-white-bread/#comment-459799
      2. https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/100-whole-wheat-bread-atta-bread/#comment-460475

  150. Hi, I am always impressed with all your recipes, and from now on want to try my hand on your whole wheat breads.
    Kindly suggest me , the container that i should buy, there are so many on websites, some black non stick, some straight ones. I am really confused.
    I need Market size bread, which can be cut and used in sandwich makers .

    if possible please send a picture, size and brand name(if any).

    Regards-
    Poonam

    1. thanks poonam. i have a metal loaf pan and i had purchased it locally from a shop. avoid non stick ones. just buy a proper metal based baking pan. the baking pan is what you see in the pics.

      1. hi
        it is so difficult to get a bread loaf pan in my market in Delhi, really sad, but baking is so uncommon that the shopkeepers dont keep bread moulds, all i could see were circular and square cake pans, out of 10 shops, not even one had a loaf pan… kindly advise me- length, breadth and height in cms., so that i can order online. I am really desperate to try a bread recipe of yours. Please help

        1. i always thought that delhi must be having loaf pans easily available. the dimensions are 8 x 4 x 2.5 inches for 3 to 4 cups flour used. i checked online and they are very expensive. you can buy here from this link, below. on this link the prices are reasonable. there is an aluminum loaf pan also. they have their shop in delhi – https://ccdsshop.com/index.php?route=product/search&search=loaf%20pan

          don’t go for non stick pans. buy aluminium ones.

  151. Tried it today. However, i guess i added too much water. What can i do to correct it? Will it still bake well?4 stars

    1. just add some more flour and knead again. a slightly sticky dough is fine. if the dough is loose and thin due to too much water, it won’t have a proper shape while baking.

  152. Hi , I tried lot of recipes from ur blog.
    All are wonderfull.I m trying to make whole wheat bread with fresh yeast but don’t know about proofing of yeast and how much i use?5 stars

    1. thanks manvi. you can add 1 tbsp fresh yeast and the proofing is done exactly like the way we proof dry active yeast. only the rising time of the dough, both the times will be quick.

  153. Hi Dassanna

    Thanks for the great receipies..each of them is a favourite in my house.
    Tried the bread yesterday. Outside teh oven it raised, in the oven i left them for 20 minuutes and the top did not even turn brown. Left for another 5 minuted, still there slight improvement but could feel that cake is not baked.
    Inside it was moist.

    even after second rise my dough was sticky..but i managed and levened it..
    Can you advise me where i was wrong pls..

    Thanks5 stars

    1. welcome sivani. the oven temperature varies with brands and models. so no two oven will have the same temperature. the temperature also need to be calibrated. meaning one can keep the oven at 180 degrees celsius, but when you calibrate with a oven thermometer, its 150 degrees celsius. so more time needs to be given for baking. since the top has not become brown, it means that the cake has not baked. depending on the oven temperature the cake might take 20 to 35 minutes for baking. stickiness is not a problem.

  154. Hi dassana… Ur recipes r really delicious.. I tried so many recipes it turned out perfect.. Today I tried this bread it was perfect…. And I baked it in cooker, it turned out excellent.. Thank u sooo much.. And the way u explain is really superb .. Easy to understand… Thank u dear

  155. Hey.
    I want to use fresh yeast for this recipe and not active dry or instant.
    Can I do so?
    What is the conversion factor for instant/active dry to fresh yeast?

  156. Hello… !!

    Please Help…..!!!

    I tried to make this bread about 6 to 7 times but was not successful even once making it.

    Every time there was no rise in the dough so bread was not fluffy at all.
    I tried changing yeast, warm water for making dough, keeping whole day in sun but none was successful.

    So Please Help…!!!!4 stars

    1. looks like the issue is with the yeast. did you use instant yeast or dry active yeast. instant yeast can be added directly to the flour. but for dry active yeast you need to proof it in warm water till it becomes bubbly and frothy. you can check this recipe and see steps 3 and 4 for the proofing process.

      1. I tried proofing both yeast I had but they were not forming any bubble… And in my city I am not able to get any good yeast.

        Please some other ways if you have any…

        1. the issue is with the yeast then. either the water temperature is too warm or cold. it should be in the range of 40.5 to 46 degrees celsius/105 to 114 degrees fahrenheit. proofing is only required if you use dry active yeast or fresh yeast. with instant yeast, proofing is not required. the time taken for the bread rising is also less. the quality of yeast should also be good. try buying instant yeast online. from indian brands, you can use bluebird and muksha which are fine.

  157. Hey Dasanna! Absolutely love your blog! I learned makin muffins n cakes thru your blog..
    n now i want to try my hand at breadmaking..
    I was once told that for baking breads,you need gluten powder.. can you please shed a little light on how much gluten powder to use? And also if you can.. can you please share a whole wheat bread recipe involving gluten powder?… thanks!

    1. thank you esha. the vital wheat gluten or gluten powder helps in improving the texture of the breads made with whole wheat flour. for 3 cups of flour, you can use about 2 to 3 tbsp. i will see if i can get gluten powder here in india and then post the recipe.

  158. I made this bread with home made yeast but I didn’t know the time the temperature for convection mode in microwave as I don’t have an oven. So mine one was hard from outside and also it broke up while cutting. Is there any method for cutting the bread and what temperature should I set in a microwave. Also I used same proportion as yours .

    1. amazed to see you really taking the effort and making the bread. way to go harsimrat 🙂

      the same temperature you can use as mentioned in the recipe or you can bake at 180 to 200 degrees celsius. the oven has to be preheated for atleast 15 minutes before you keep the loaf pan inside. i hope you kept the bread for 1:30 mins to 2 hours for the first rise and for the second rise, its 45 mins to 1 hour.

      how was the texture from inside? let me know. if the bread is baked well and has the right texture than cutting is not a problem, but easy. just like slicing a bread. remember to slice the bread once its cools completely. if you slice when hot or warm, it can crumble and fall in pieces.

      1. My crust was getting harder so I baked a little bit less. Also I was so enthusiastic that I cut it after five minutes only and so it broke up into pieces. The proofing was done well and I am satisfied with that. I wanna buy a new baking pan so what should be its size for your recipes. I wanna tell ypu when I made homemade yeast it didn’t took the same time as I mentioned before it was just 5-6 hours (I kept it overnight). Thanks a ton for replying and increasing my confidence.

        1. okay. buy a regular size loaf pan, meaning the size of regular bread packet that we get in stores. you will get them online too. so the dough with homemade yeast takes less time. i thought it will take more time. try some more bread recipes a couple of times and when you get the knack of baking with homemade yeast, then move to different types of bread like pizza, buns, rolls, sweet breads etc. most welcome harsimrat 🙂

  159. The recipe is awesome Dassana, thanks a lot! I however flattened out the dough after the first rise and then spread sesame and oats on it, sprayed oil, and then rolled it into a log, seaming the edges and placed it in the loaf pan for the second rise. The bread turned out evenly browned and with no cracks on top, compared to the first time I made it without rolling. Just a tip for my fellow fans of your blog!5 stars

    1. thank you aparna. and also thanks for these tips. they will help all the readers who try this recipe.

  160. Great recipe. Indeed the bread was soft and fluffy and didn’t feel heavy like other 100% whole wheat breads. It looked small coming out of the bread machine but that’s because the recipe is small. I’ll make 1.5 of the recipe next time. Thanks!5 stars

    1. thank you nicole for this positive review. yes the recipe is small and just makes for 1 loaf 🙂

  161. Hi!

    Can I use maple syrup instead of the sugar in the recipe? Also can I skip the salt as I have a 11 month old baby too who’d love to munch on it.
    I was thinking of baking in my airfryer.

    Loved the description on the page!5 stars

    1. yes maple syrup can be used. but don’t add honey as honey gets toxic on being heated. yes you can skip the salt. happy baking.

    1. thankyou arti we are glad the atta bread worked for you and for people on diet 🙂

    1. i use 24 letter mantra organic chakki ground atta for chapatis, paratha as well as bread that i make at home. i have tried with other organic brands also and they have also worked well. i use this brand, as this is the only one that has packs of 5 and 10 kgs. with this flour, the chapatis come out very well, which was not the case with the other brands. the chapati would be kind of hard, but the bread used to come out well.

  162. You are a genius. I have never come across such healthy wonderful recipes which are explained scientifically…I came across your website today. I just have one question – have you ever made sour dough bread? It is said to be very healthy alternative and probably the one whole wheat bread that even gluten sensitive people will be able to eat…If you ever try this, please post it here. THANK YOU so much for sharing your knowledge with all of us.5 stars

    1. thanks akula for your kind words. i have not made sour dough bread. but i tasted once. we didn’t like it. so after that i never gave a thought of making it. but if in future i make it, then i will add the recipe.

  163. Thank you for sharing the recipe, I have tried it 2 times.. However, there is one problem, no matter how much I maintain the ingredients correctly, I do not get fluffy bread.. The bread I get does not rise a lot to match the market bought bread.. Please suggest.4 stars

    1. what brand yeast you are using. the yeast could be at fault here. either the quality of yeast or the yeast proofing is not happening properly

  164. Hey,

    I tried making this bread and even though the bread did rise outside, it did not rise inside the oven at all. It was not cooked properly, was really wet and dense. Could this be because I use an OTG or some other reason? Should I add baking powder to make it rise?

    Sorry for the botheration!

    Thanks a ton for the recipe! 🙂

    1. hi prachi, i think the bread was not leavened well. when the bread looks dense and wet after baking and you see uneven cooking in the texture similar to chapati atta dough, then it means that the yeast did not proof well. its not due to the OTG. no need to add baking powder or baking soda, if the yeast proofs well.

      1. Thanks a ton!

        Funnily enough, I did follow all the steps in the recipe. And even after adding the dry active yeast, left it at a humid place to rise for 2 hrs. And it did rise, but not a lot. So, where am I going wrong? Should I add more yeast the next time or increase the proofing time?5 stars

  165. Hi! I really want to try this recipe but I was wondering how long it would keep if I used vinegar and brushed with olive oil instead of milk. Thanks!

      1. The break turns out great! But does not last for a week, the bread gets moldy after 4 says. The same happened even with the banana cake :(. Need guidance for longer shelf life!!

        1. i keep in the fridge and the bread stays good for a week if made with vinegar. banana cake stays more than 7 days in the fridge. they do not get mouldy. are you keeping them out or in the fridge. if you keep out and the temperatures are hot and humid, then both the bread and cake will get moldy. in a dry cold temperature you can easily keep them outside for a couple of days.

        2. Thx, will keep in fridge and see. I had kept both out, stored in box. I stay I hot, arid desert area with near zero humidity.

        3. logically deducing, lemon juice can be used. but you will have to give a try. i suggest to use 1 tbsp.

  166. Thank you so much! I’ve always stuck to making soda bread instead of “real” bread so this was the perfect recipe to get me started. I added flax seeds and sunflower seeds to the mixture. I also created some steam in the oven which made the crust really nice.
    Some questions… The bread hardly rose at all outside the oven. All the rising seemed to happen inside. Any ideas on why this happened (the final result was great in any case!).
    Secondly, I’d like to add another flour – will Ragi go well with this?
    Thanks again 🙂5 stars

    1. thanks tannaz. i have made soda breads a couple of times, but i have not liked their texture. but they are fine enough for a quick bread with some soup or a curry. difficult to say why the rising did not happened outside. if yeast was the culprit, then the bread would have not risen while baking too. i guess it may be the temperature or the altitude. in high altitude it takes time for the bread to rise. if adding ragi, then add 1/2 cup with 2.5 cups whole wheat flour. you can even try with 1 cup. but i would suggest you to first try with smaller quantity and then increase. i did make an all ragi bread with little wheat flour and it was a disaster. so i suggest to add small amounts.

  167. Hello..thanku fr yummy recpies u share wd us.Ur answers alwys help.one question plz can i bake breads in microwave? Love your cooking.Thanku!!

    1. if you have the convection option in microwave, then you can bake cakes or breads. in the microwave option, you cannot bake breads. there are some recipes of cakes that work in the microwave option, but i am not sure about breads. any bread recipe that can be made in a microwave option has to be tried and tested.

      1. Thank you for the response..but one more doubt can we steam breads in pressure cooker rather.
        Also I have tried your basic chocolate cake recipe but everytime I do my cake doesn’t rise well.What might be the reason?
        Can I buy the measuring spoons from online,are they good enough??Plz consider my queries.
        I follow only your website bcoz I love it immensely. Thanks once agn..Your new fan in the town. 🙂

        1. thanks a lot nitha. breads can be steamed in the cooker, but the recipe will be very different. recently i made pav in cooker. not steamed them but baked them. they turned out as good as the oven baked ones.

          less rising in the cake could be due to the quality and shelf life of baking soda. so if any recipe uses only one ingredient like baking soda or baking powder, then test the freshness by mixing 1/4 tsp baking soda with 2 tbsp vinegar. it should fizz and bubble immediately. i had got the measuring spoons locally. i would suggest you to buy steel ones as they are good and last for a long time. you can buy them online.

  168. Hello! I have tried many of your recipes and they have been just great! One question about the bread. Can I make buns from this recipe instead of loaf bread? Thanks for the wonderful website

    1. welcome priya. yes you can make buns. thanks for sharing your positive review on recipes.

  169. Hi, Thanks for the lovely recipe. I tried to make it today, but got confused somehow and ended up adding 1 package of yeast (11 gms) to the mix. Can I still go ahead with making it or do I need to start all over again? Also, can if I start again, can I just store the flour and yeast mixture for something else?

    1. which yeast did you use. if instant yeast, then 11 grams converts to 3.5 tsp of instant yeast and its too much. what you can do is freeze the yeast+flour mixture and use it as a starter to make other breads or even naan, bhatura or any other indian breads which uses yeast.

  170. I am just amazed Dassana, you r so prompt with your reply. Thank u once again and keep up the good work, at least for amateur cooks like me.

  171. Thanks Dassana…. I have never worked with fresh yeast before so could you please guide me on that, as to how to mix it with the flour.

    1. welcome chetana. fresh yeast you have to mix it in warm water. just follow this recipe with the amount of sugar and water. add fresh yeast instead of dry active yeast.

      1. Hi Dassana just one confusion on this comment. fresh yeast needs proofing???

  172. Can I use fresh yeast instead of instant yeast or dry active yeast. If yes then how to go about using it and the proportion too.
    Thank u….

  173. How should this recipe be made in a bread making machine?
    Should I pay extra attention to a particular step or ingredient?
    Is the process of making bread different, if made in a bread machine?

    Thanks!

  174. I am a great fan of your site and I tried baking eggless wheat bread.. It came out well but the middle was moist. though the top and bottom turned out well. the bread just does not turn out dry and porus in the middle portion. Please tell me where i went wrong and how to rectify that. Love your various posts and May God bless you for this lovely work.

    Maha.

    1. Thanks maha. The bread has not got cooked from the center. So it has to be kept for some more time in the oven for baking.

  175. I have tried your bread recipe. Your step by step detailed explanation makes the recipe very simple to understand and make. Thanks. Appreciate your efforts in putting up all these recipes and guiding amature bakers like me. Thankyou .5 stars

  176. Hi! I have been trying your recipes for quite sometime and they turned out superb .thank you for such elaborate explanation.today I m baking wholewheat bread which slot in otg should b used for baking bread.also how to store remaining dry active yeast.thank you.

    1. thanks neha. i usually keep in the lower second rack as the oven is not big. the loaf pan takes up the space. but if you have a big OTG, you can keep in the center rack. i store all yeast in the fridge, be it dry active yeast or instant yeast.

  177. Hi Amit,
    I tried the whole wheat bread recipe and it came out in complete perfection. Thanks to the wonderful perfect recipe. I never knew baking bread would be this easy. Thanks a lot!5 stars

    1. thanks for the positive feedback sahana. baking is easy but just that some practice is required.

  178. hi i made wholewheat bread in the same way as you shown but it is very fregile means it break down even during cutting very easily and i am not able to roast it as a bread. in same way i made bread with maida and it is nice….what i should do for wholewheat bread.i use shaktibhog atta. should i use little bit of baking soda and baking powder5 stars

    1. okay. the bread has become very crumbly. this could be that the dough has to be kneaded well, atleast 10 to 12 minutes. also the leavening time can be increased for the bread to rise well. crumbliness could also be due to the quality of atta. there must be less gluten in the atta. try switching to some other good brand and see the results.

  179. Hi.. thank you.. ur recipe was very detailed n simple to follow especially for a novice in baking like me.. i followed every step except for the second rise i kept it for almost 4 hours. My first attempt seemed OK, the crust came off well, i put a butter paper mid way to avoid it getting dark brown, after keeping for the time suggested, i didnt know it was done or not as i couldnt make out the hollow sound as u mentioned. Salt tasted less and the bread was breaking from all over.4 stars

    1. thanks fatema. 4 hours is a long time for the second rise. just 45 minutes is enough. could be this is the reason for the bread texture. when you keep the butter paper, always check after 15 minutes. oven temperatures are not same in all ovens. so in some ovens the bread may take less time and in some more time. salt can always be adjusted as per your taste. you can even sprinkle some salt from above and bake. also when you use salted butter or mayonnaise or any other spread/chutney on the bread, you won’t feel the lack of salt.

  180. I loved the recipie found it quite easy and simple to make !

    I tried it and it came out well ! The problem wit my bread was I could smell the typical yeast smell from the bread which made me quote uncomfortable !
    How can this be solved

    1. yeast smell depends on the qaulity of yeast. try reducing the amount to 1/4 tsp next time if you use the same brand of yeast.

  181. Hi Dassana,
    I wanted to try this bread recipe. For how many minutes should the dough be kneaded after mixing all the ingredients?
    Also my loaf pan size is bigger than the one mentioned in the recipe. If I have to double the recipe, will yeast quantity also be doubled?

    1. the kneading has to be done very well. the bread should have an elasticity. meaning take a small dough portion and stretch it and it should not break. knead for 8 to 10 minutes. you can easily double the recipe and the yeast quantity will also be doubled.

  182. Hi Dassana, I’ve successfully baked my first loaf of bread today, thanks to your foolproof recipe and exact measurements! The wheat bread turned out just perfect! Want to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for posting such a vast array of recipes – I’ve tried many of your sabzis, parathas, pulaos and each dish has contributed towards making our family mealtimes joyous and memorable. May God bless you with good health, prosperity and lots of happiness…

    Regards
    Neeti5 stars

    1. thanks neeti for sharing positive review on recipes. glad to know that you liked the recipes. thanks again for your prayers.

  183. The bread tutrned out to be good , thanks for sharing the recipe. if i wish to reduce the bread to half then what would be the quantity of yeast to be added n also the other ingredients. Thanks

  184. I came across this recipe and made bread last weekend. It was the very first time i was making bread at home and it was just AWESOME. I followed the recipe exactly and now my family wants me to make bread every Sunday. So I am going to do so now 🙂 Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe along with minute instructions. Thanks again.5 stars

    1. welcome sudha. glad to know this. thanks for sharing your experience and positive feedback.

  185. I found this recipe a few months ago, while looking for 100% whole wheat recipes that don’t take forever to make (no time for sponges and such), and now I make it every weekend. I double the recipe so we can eat one loaf fresh, and then slice and freeze the rest for toast and sandwiches over the week. I use local Moroccan ingredients (and local honey instead of sugar) and it turns out great every time. Thanks for a great recipe!

    1. welcome leela. thanks for letting us know. i am sure it will help other readers also.

  186. fanominal. i came across this recipe searching the net for substitutes of the sodium-filled whole wheat bread at commercial grocery stores and bakeries. some required molasses (which i was too lazy to go out and buy) and white flour (even though it’s called whole wheat bread for a reason). this recipe saved my life. i made it today, it was fun and a great thing to do if all you want to do is stay around the house. my new go-to recipe; i am never buying whole wheat bread again!5 stars

    1. thanks you hans. great to know. i agree some recipes on the web call for ingredients which are not that easily available at home.

  187. I am very happy with your site but I need some help from you
    1. I have prepared a muffins as u told but in the middle it’s not cooked well.
    2.I want to prepare potato patties please h
    elp.
    3. I prepared cake many times but in middle it’s not cooked well but outer layer is brown
    Please I will be very grateful if you help me.5 stars

    1. thanks nilakshi.
      1. bake the muffins for some more minutes.
      2. check this potato tikkis or patties made in indian style – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/aloo-tikki-aloo-pattice-recipe-made-from-leftover-potatoes/
      3. it seems that the oven temperature is more hot than required. thats why the outside is cooking faster than the inside. just cover the cake or muffins with the aluminium foil and bake for some more time. you can also consider reducing the temperature by 10-20 degree less than the temperature you have used.

  188. Ok, thank you Dassana, the bread came out fine, however I feel it is not as fluffy as the one in the pic above….but as you too have mentioned it will get better with practice… Thanks again…

  189. Hey Dassana, I am currently following your recipe above, however, I am confused…as in the pictorial instructions it is said that we proof the loaf twice..but the instructions mentioned in the end speaks only about proofing once for 1.5-2hrs…. Please clarify….thank you and definitely, your recipes are simply superb…

    1. welcome urmi. its mentioned in the instruction. that the loaf is allowed to rise twice. any bread loaf needs to be allowed to leavened twice. first after kneading the dough and second after shaping and placing the dough in the loaf pan.

  190. Hi Dassana,

    I made this bread following your instructions. I used dry yeast. The bread tasted good, but it was not completely dry as we get in bakery. It was slightly moist. The top and bottom of the bread loaf was cooked completely. So can U tell me where do I have to make changes in this.

    Thank you.
    Deepa5 stars

    1. welcome deepa. the heat must be high in your oven. so the top and bottom have got done and inside is still moist. when this happen then cover the top with aluminium foil.

  191. Hi Amit
    Thanks for recipe. Came in handy for first tym baker like myself.
    My bread loaf came out beautiful but dense. I used bakers yeast- a very good quality and also tested it by pouring in water to check bubbles.
    Should i use more yeast for the fluffy bread pl?
    Thanks
    Sonal

    1. no need to add more yeast. the quantity of yeast mentioned in the recipe is enough. by baker’s yeast you mean fresh yeast? let me know.

  192. Great taste and texture. Only issue was the top got a little burnt, next time I will try covering it with tin foil.5 stars

    1. thanks joelle. when you see the top getting browned faster then just cover it with the aluminium foil.

  193. Hi,

    Got this recipe from my sister and was waiting to try it. I tried it today using instant yeast (good quality yeast, bought yesterday), texture came out pretty well but the bread was dense and not fluffy. I used 1/3 quantity of all ingredients. Few Questions:
    1. Does the water content in the dough matters?
    2. Should one give good amount of time on kneeding, both the times?
    3. Is it okay to leave dough for more time for proofing as against what is mentioned in the recipe?

    Keep up the good work!

    Thanks.5 stars

    1. i would suggest to follow the full recipe.
      1. yes water content matters.
      2. the kneading only has to be done very well initially. after the second rise, the dough just has to be lightly punched or lightly kneaded.
      3. the doubling time depends on the temperature conditions. in a hot and humid climate, the dough will double up faster than in a cold dry climate. once the dough has doubled up, then no need to keep it for a longer time.

  194. Hello Amit
    I am a complete novice at cooking. My parents are going out of station and i need to cook for myself for the next three months. Baking a whole wheat bread is the most healthy open i have thought. But i don’t want to buy a microwave. I have googled and found a few options, breadmakers, toaster over, convection OTG, etc. But i don’t know a thing about them. Please advice me on the best option among electric ovens available in India and also the time and temperature settings i need to follow. I will be very grateful for your reply.

    Thanks in advance.

    1. hi ankit, if you plan to do a lot of baking than OTG is a good option. convections ovens are oven which have a fan in them. whereas in OTG, a fan is not present. most microwave ovens have the option of baking in a convection mode. meaning they can be used to bake like a convection oven. microwave ovens also have a fan. i am using philips 18 litre oven. its a basic OTG. but now philips has discontinued this piece. this is an old oven and actually belonged to the landlord, who did not need it. so i started using it. i did check some oven in a an electronic store. i saw both OTG and convections ovens (not microwave). the issue with convection ovens is that they bake faster and quick. so you have to reduce the temperature or time. otherwise they ate good. breadmakers are only useful in baking breads. but if you want to make cookies, pizzas or cakes or grill food then you need an oven. i don’t know what is toaster oven.

      you can go for an OTG. i have heard morphy richards is good through some friends. i also researched online and found out that hamilton beach is also nice one, but expensive. but since you are going to use it for yourself, then you can buy a less expensive one.

  195. Hi , I went through your recipe it uses dry yeast .can you please tell quantity of fresh yeast instead of dry variety

  196. Hi Amit,

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am keen to try it soon. Having tried another recipe, there was a mention of using liquid glucose to moisten and soften the bread, specially for whole wheat. Could you tell me when and how can liquid glucose be added while making a whole wheat bread ? Also, can I incorporate it in your recipe ? Additionally, can I substitute water with diluted milk (milk and water) in your recipe ?

    Thanks,
    TD

    1. welcome. you can use liquid glucose, but i don’t know when liquid glucose is added as i have never used it any bread recipe. you can have a mixture of both water and milk in this recipe.

  197. Hi, i am first time visitor to ur site and stuck on seeing this recipe. I own a convection oven. Where should i place the loaf either on low rack or high rack. Pics of ur bread are making others like me to try.5 stars

    1. in my OTG, i usually place them on the rack above the crumb tray or in the middle rack so that there is even baking. do try this recipe. its a good one.

  198. Hi
    I’m in love with you site. You have such an amazing recipes. I’ve tried so many things. This bread recipe is great. But I did a mistake by taking 2/3 cup for wheat flour measurement. Though the recipe wasn’t a flop but it was dense. I want to know how can we differentiate between instant yeast and active yeast? Because my packet says instant yeast. But it didn’t rise in the time given by you. I’ve to keep it overnight.5 stars

    1. thanks neha. less amount of flour and other ingredients more would make the loaf have more flavors and could be yeasty too. which brand you used. let me know. i have seen some indian brands selling direct active yeast as instant yeast, but actually it is dry active yeast. dry active yeast granules are more bigger in size than instant yeast granules. instant yeast granules look like poppy seeds/khuskhus. the bread has become dense as the yeast did not proof well. you should not require to keep it overnight. yeast granules proof and multiply in warm water in 10 to 15 minutes. either the water was too hot or cold or the yeast was not a good one.

  199. I made this, but the bread looks like overcooked (cooked for less than 20 mins) and stuck in the pan. I scraped the corners but can’t take it out of the pan. What to do?3 stars

    1. which pan you used. also quite possible the dough has not leavened well. thats why the sticking issue.

  200. Is it 2-3 cms deep slit or something else? I have tried twice but it is not similar to baked bread in the pics…4 stars

  201. Hi again !! i forgot to mention that i tried mixing a bit of home made caramel colour (which i use for baking black forest sponguefor that dense dark brown colour) with water before kneading the dough..it gave me a nice brown colour which we get in the brown breads frm the market ! So just thought of sharing ! 😀5 stars

    1. thanks shraddha for sharing this great tip. i think in the market breads they do add caramel color. but i have a feeling its artificial and not natural.

  202. Hi dasanna ! First of all a big thanks to you for posting such wonderfull recipes..u r doing a gr8 job !! I ‘ve been trying to bake bread since a long time but i always used to end up with a chwy heavy raw loaf of bread with sour smell of yeast ! But never lost hope and i kept trying..as cooking is my passion..last nite i tried ur recipe with exact measurements u mentioned…i was jumping like a kid when i took out the bread from the oven..it came out just perfect ! Everyone in my family jjjust loved it..i served it in the breakfast today with tea..thank u so much ! Keep those wndrful recipes coming !
    Love, shraddha

    1. thats great to know shraddha. ask me, i have baked whole wheat breads and buns for many times and every time i would get a chewy dense texture. all the time i would try to add something or the other or change the method. but never worked for me till i tried this recipe. like you i keep on trying and trying till i get a decent and good enough results 🙂

  203. WHich brand of yeast you use? the link u have mentioned gourmet.com ? I clicked on it but it is showing out of stock.

    1. its the same brand on the link mentioned. its been out of stock for a long time. i have purchase 4 to 5 packets last time, so i still have them.

    1. nat, keep in the fridge. just allow to rise for the time mentioned in the recipe. don’t keep it overnight.

  204. I just made this recipe and it is great! My dough doubled in size during each proof (using quick acting yeast) but the final product did not rise like the photos above. I baked at 220 for 23 minutes. My yeast is brand new and good quality. Any suggestions?4 stars

    1. possibly the proofing time must be high. try reducing the time and see. when pressed lightly, the dough should have a indent and spring back slowly. so when the dough gets to this stage, then stop proofing and proceed with the next step. don’t keep for longer.

  205. I had made whole wheat bread before but always came out very dense and heavy. But this is amazing..thank u so much for sharing the recipe….I made this today and my husband and daughter love it….its come out nice and soft4 stars

  206. im desperately looking and searching a yeast free recipe because im allergic with it and it has to be a wholemeal/multigrain vegan. which i can cook in my kenwood breadmaker.

    i made once with the baking soda and baking powder it turned out to be tasty but very crump-y and easy to break in sandwiches.

    anyone please help me to find the solution for using some binding in the bread like flax seed mixture or psylium husk mixture in it?

  207. Hey! I baked my first bread with this recipe today and the bread rose well and looks good too after baking it. however, it smells and tastes very yeasty. What could I have done wrong?

    1. jayasri, the smell of yeast could also be because of the quality of yeast. it should not have the taste of yeast. did you added more yeast?

  208. Excellent easy to make recipe for a homemade bread …can be made in routine . My first attempt was successful n I’m encouraged for future bread baking ….do let know if I can take 1 cup water for yeast n use little milk for kneading..Instead of taking 1.25 cup water for yeast. I want to use milk to change the dry texture of bread5 stars

  209. Hi I tried lots of bread recipes but I was not satisfied but yours is very simple and easy to follow. I tried it and me and my husband both liked it. Thank you so much☺

  210. Hi, Had posted my comment couple of hours back but do not see it anymore.
    I followed this recipe and the bread came out good. In fact, I used some of its dough to make mushroom cheese Calzone. Thanks a lot!

    1. i did not see your comment before smitha. thanks for the feedback. mushroom cheese calzone sounds yum.

  211. Hi Dasanna, I have just now finished following your recipe. It is first resting stage. I used rock salt and sifted the flour. Obviously, the rock salt was left on the sieve. I was wondering why rock salt and not sea salt? Please do reply. I will surely keep you posted on the result of my baking and following your recipe.
    Thanks!
    Smitha

    1. hi smitha, there is no particular reason for not using sea salt. i always use rock salt for all the cooking and baking i do. i don’t use sea salt. but you can make the loaf with sea salt also. do let me know the results.

  212. Hi,I made this bread ,came out well but the center uncooked! What went wrong?shd I increase the timing to 30 or 40 min.pls help.thanks in advance4 stars

    1. center uncooked meaning you have to bake it more. so just keep the bread in the oven and bake for some more time. oven temperature are different as per their make and models, so the baking time varies from oven to oven.

  213. Hi Dassana..sometimes word fail to thank you for your attemps for sharing the receipes.
    Well I tried the bread for the first time n it came out well…but I had few questions to ask..
    First what is the different types of yeast u r talking we generally able to get tht dry yeast from markets what’s the difference n is the outer of the bread is really hard or again I missed some step..plz share…n thanks a ton again n keep posting…

    1. thanks avita. there are three types of yeast available in the market. what we generally get in india is dry active yeast. but in some cities you will also get instant yeast. the other kind of yeast is fresh yeast and this is usually available in the bakeries and even in cities. the outer crust of bread is not hard.

  214. Hello Dassana,

    I have tried your daal bukhara and it has turned out so great, every time! And since then you’re recipes are on my bookmarks! So first of all, thank you so much for sharing all the recipes that too, pure veg. and eggless. 🙂

    Now this was my first experience at baking bread, i followed the steps and followed the exact same measurements except for dry active yeast (I used 1 small pouch). I haven’t got eh fluffy and nice breadlike texture that you have in the picture.. 🙁 I’m going to try baking again.. But I was wondering if you could have some tips for me! 🙂

    Thank you again!
    -Tulsi3 stars

    1. hi tulsi, thanks for sharing the feedback on dal bukhara recipe. good to know the bread also baked well in the first experience. one of the most important thing in bread baking is the yeast proofing if using dry active yeast or fresh yeast. once this is done correctly, then the rest of the process is easy. kneading is also important. a well kneaded bread gives a good texture and crumb. also the time taken for the first rise and second rise is another factor that will determine the texture of the loaf. its best to use good quality yeast. i have had few failures in baking bread. the only reason being poor quality of yeast.

  215. Here are some modifications we make using flour we grind ourselves:
    SINGLE-RISE FRESH GROUND WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

    Place Kitchen Aid bowl in oven.
    Turn oven to 350 for 2 minutes and then turn off.
    Grind 4 1/2 cups of wheat berries to flour
    In small bowl or cup, measure 1/3 cup olive oil
    In small bowl or cup, measure 1/3 honey
    In small bowl or cup, measure 1 cup flax seed meal
    In small bowl or cup, measure 1/3 cup chia seed, 1/3 cup sunflower seed
    plus 1/2 cup caraway seed.
    Place all 4 small bowls or cups in the oven with the mixing bowl to warm
    Cut 1 large lime or 2 small limes in half and squeeze for juice in a cup
    When at least 3 1/2 cups of flour have been milled, warm 2 1/2 cups water
    in microwave until water is warm but not hot.
    Remove Kitchen Aid bowl from oven
    Add 1/3 cup gluten flour
    Add 2 packets of yeast
    Add 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
    Stir well
    Add 2 1/2 cups of warm water
    Stir until no dry flour remains. This is called a “sponge”. Protein chains form.
    Place back in oven and heat at 350 for 1 minute and turn off oven.
    Set timer for 16 minutes
    Liberally grease bread pans with coconut oil
    Put about 1/3 cup flour in pans and coat sides and bottom well. Remove excess.
    After the 16 minutes, place the mixing bowl with the “sponge” on the counter.
    Add the contents of the 4 small bowls or cups from the oven.
    Add 1 teaspoon salt
    Add lime juice
    Stir with spatula and scrape sides clean.
    Place bowl in Kitchen Aid install dough hook
    Run on slow and slowly add 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
    When flour has been added, set timer for 11 minutes.Let the machine knead using dough hook.
    After 11 minutes expires, quickly add about 1/8 cup flour and stop machine.
    This flour will help keep dough from sticking to bottom of the bowl.
    Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough and cut it in half
    Remove one of the halves and form it into a size to accomodate the bread pans
    Place it in one of the floured breadpans
    Repeat with the remainder of the dough
    Place both loaf pans into the oven
    Heat to 350 for one minute and turn off oven
    Set timer for 25 minutes and check to insure bread is AT LEAST 1″ over the pan
    If not, let it rise until it is at least 1″ above the pan.
    Remove both pans from oven
    Heat oven to 350 degrees
    Bake for 34 minutes.
    It should need to cool to complete it’s cooking but hot bread is delicious.
    Just don’t push down on the bread knife. While it’s hot, it’s very easy to crush.4 stars

    1. thanks jimmy for taking the time to write the complete recipe and sharing it. this will help the readers as well. thanks again.

  216. Came out just perfect!! Thank you! My first attempt at baking a bread, and that itself was a big success. I’ll be baking this every week now. No more store bought bread 🙂5 stars

  217. I am keen to try this. I would like to know if we can add gluten to this recipe? Will it give a better result? If yes, then how much? Also, I have made some garlic rolls earlier with maida and I observed that it takes about 4 hours to double nicely. Since this is wheat, can I leave it to rise for the same time? Also, should we leave for first rise and second rise for the same duration or can the second rise be for a shorter time?

    1. hi nivedita, you can add gluten. but i won’t be able to help you with the measurements as i have never used gluten. you can check the pack for details. usually they do mention how much needs to be added. if you use instant yeast, then you can use the time mentioned in this recipe. 4 hours is too much of time. you can keep 1 hour or 1 hour 15 minutes for the first rise and again 45 minutes for the second rise. the doubling of the dough also depends on the temperature conditions. in a warm and humid climate, it will take less time.

  218. Hi Dassana 🙂

    Your recipe is too good. My first attempt at bread making was a disaster. But this one worked like a charm!
    My only concern was the bread was not light enough. I’m not sure if that’s how wholewheat bread turns out when made at home or the yeast hadn’t proofed enough.
    Anyways I’m gonna try it again with a better quality yeast and also try proofing it for a little while longer.

    Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe! 🙂

    1. thanks for the feedback harshitha. this recipe of bread does not give a dense texture. but otherwise if additional gluten is not added, then the bread has a dense texture. whole wheat breads are not light like the maida/all purpose flour ones. so is this bread. it is light compared to the whole wheat breads but not light like the maida bread. yes do try with a better quality yeast. a good quality yeast makes a lot of difference in the final texture of bread.

  219. hi ,thanks for sharing healthy bread recipes. i am using prime instant dry yeast. so i hv mix with flour directly as per ur recipe. shall i proof yeast outside n proof for 10 min. n add?5 stars

    1. okay. then it should double. either the yeast has passed its shelf life. you can just check the yeast by dissolving it in lukewarm water and a bit of sugar. for 1/2 tsp of yeast, you can take about 1/2 cup lukewarm water and 1/2 tsp sugar. if it bubbles up after 10 to 15 minutes, then it means that the yeast is good. if not, the yeast is expired. if the yeast is good, then next time, you can proof the yeast outside and then add it.

    1. hi mohini, dry active yeast needs to be activated and then proofed in warm water. whereas instant yeast need not be activated in water. you can directly mix instant yeast with the flour and other ingredients.

  220. Hi Dassana,

    I used instant yeast and followed the procedure u have given. Even after 2 hours there is no second rise. Any indication on how long I have to wait?

    1. meera, possibly because the yeast is not of good quality. it should double up within a hour.

  221. hi ,i tried ur recipes its v .good but still i hv query that while baking itdid not rise . pls i want to know where i went wrong.5 stars

  222. your recipe for home bread making is very encouraging. I have Panasonic automatic bread machine. In UK I have been getting excellent result with strong whole wheat champion chappati atta no.2 which is medium, not fine.
    In India I have tried all brands of chappati atta available but the results are not satisfactory. By adding extra gluten the result is still not satisfactory. Which chappati atta which has got more gluten would you recommend. When I use 50% wheat and 50% maida the result is better but not as good as in UK. They say that in Indian wheat Daudkhani atta has maximum gluten.
    Your help will be appreciated.
    Thanks.
    Mudrika Buch.

    1. Welcome Mrs. Mudrika Buch. i only use organic atta. mostly it is organic chakki ground atta. so i cannot say about other varieties. the organic atta which i have used, has always given me good results, both in this bread as well as in cakes.

  223. its comes out superb. Pls keep updating all recipes. But my bread is not rising 3rd time while baking. Why? Otherwise it’s perfect. Pls let me know where I am wrong.

    1. asha, yeast must proof properly or change the brand of yeast. use a good quality yeast.

  224. Hi,

    The dough didn’t rise as stated in the recipe even when one tbsp of dry yeast was added. It remained that of the same size.1 star

    1. the yeast has not got activated properly, thats why the dough did not rise. the water temperature has to be correct., about 40 to 42 degree celsius. if the water is on the colder side, the yeast does not activate. if its on the hotter side, the yeast dies. the water should be warm and should feel warm when touched.

  225. Hi, My oven has the max temperature of 200c what should be the time period for this temperature. and is there any way we can figure out that the bread is done. nd thanks for the recipe.

    1. thanks nikhil. you can make at 200 degrees C also. it will take 30-35 minutes or even more. i am just guessing the time. the bread when done should sound hollow when tapped with your hands and it should brown from outside.

  226. hi, very good recipe. tried and bread came out very well also but the color didn’t come on the top. it was white. i made long loaf as i don’t have loaf pan. i kept the loaf on middle shelf.

    1. thanks rashmi for the feedback. if you bake for some more minutes then top color will be brown.

  227. hi d,I tried your recipes.and they are very nice.pictorial presentation helps to make the recipe easy. Can you please tell me what temperature to bake whole wheat bread in morphy richards 24 rss otg and what shelf to place the bread loaf while baking.

    1. thanks. same temperature as mentioned in the recipe. and either keep on the center rack or on the second last rack.

  228. Your recipe is really simple n it looks perfect.. Can I use aashirvaad 100%atta flour? Will it rise and will it be soft??5 stars

    1. thanks bhuvana. yes you can use aashirvaad atta flour. the rising depends upon the quality of yeast and the proofing.

  229. Thank a lot dassana for this wonderful recipe, my oven has maximum temperature range of 200°c , is there any way I can get my bread right, using only convection or only grilling without microwave feature involved

    1. yes you can bake it with the convection method alone without using the microwave feature. 200 degrees celsius is a good temperature for baking. however in ovens operating in convection mode, the baking is quick and fast due to the fan. so for any recipe baked in an OTG or electric oven, i would suggest to reduce the temperature to 10 or 20 degrees less. eg if a recipe calls for 200 degrees celsius, then you can bake at 190 or 180 degrees celsius.

  230. 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

  231. 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 bread4 stars

    1. welcome. the top part could be due to the pan kept near the top heating rod or an excessive temperature in the oven.

  232. Hello again…thanks for this easy recipe…i would want to know how long can we keep the bread…

    1. welcome anamika. since we have added dahi/yogurt in it so try to use within 3-4 days.

  233. 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?5 stars

    1. 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/

  234. 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 🙂5 stars

    1. 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.

  235. 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.5 stars

    1. 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.

  236. 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?

    1. 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.

  237. 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 receipe5 stars

  238. 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

    1. 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.

      1. Yeast was good.. I think kneading part could be a wrong one.. Will try again.. Thanks

    2. 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. 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.

  239. 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?

    1. 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.

  240. 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?5 stars

  241. 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?

    1. 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.

  242. Hi Dassana,
    Thanks for a good recipe. I made the bread today in my new oven Optima. The taste was good, but the bread got burned and I had to remove it before the full time. Hence the bread was sticky. Can you please suggest how to avoid the bread / cakes from being burnt in the oven.
    Thanks
    Ansuya

    1. welcome ansuya. the bread got burnt from top or bottom? which elements you heated when baking. the top or bottom or both?

      1. Hai Dasanna,
        The bread looks delicious and the recipe simple and easy to follow, tempting me to bake one though for the first time. I have a OTG of 18 lts capacity with high temp upto 250 degree c . I want to know if it is suitable to bake the bread. since it is small oven should i be using both the upper and the lower heating rods or only the lower ones. even while baking the cake the surface tends to burn while the bottom remains raw. please advice

        1. even i have the same capacity in my oven. use both the heating rods. i always do for baking bread and cakes, almost everything. also keep the loaf pan on the rack below the center one. the second last rack. if you see the bread getting browned quickly, then just cover the top with a aluminium foil or butter paper.

        2. Hi, I had sought clarification from you long back on oven type and placement of the pan in the oven, but managed to bake the bread only today. The bread turned out edible but little dense. I followed your recipe exactly so I don’t know what went wrong. The dough rose beautifully while proofing both initially and after rolling out into the tin. I had placed the tin in the middle rack. How long should the dough be kneaded before letting it to rest.
          But I think it was not bad for a first timer. Thanks once again for such a simple and wonderful recipe

        3. not bad deepa for the first time. you will learn more as and when you bake. you will get to know how the loaf will turn our by the feel and texture of the dough. the dough has to be kneaded really well. the gluten strands should form in the dough. with hand it should be about 7 to 10 minutes. also depends on the pressure of your hands and how quick or slow one is kneading the dough.

  243. hi dassana,
    i tried this receipe twice. first i added more water so although i had good frothy yeast with me the bread sank during baking. i have microwave convection oven and use active dry yeast. second time i tried when it was very cool here. the yeast did not froth properly. so the bread did not rise well and was very dense. can you tell me what temp we need to take the water at for proving the yeast? i read from other sites that it should be around 50 degrees c. it is true? i keep in oven itself for proving after heating some water in microwave. This way the white bread receipe of yours worked well during the rainy season…please suggest…4 stars

    1. hi jayashri, the temperature for activating dry yeast is between 40 to 46 degrees C/105 degrees F to 115 degrees F. this is only for activating the yeast cells. they get activated and multiply at a lower temperature than mentioned above. don’t keep the bowl of water in the microwave oven. keep outside, since the microwave radiations can destroy the yeast. i usually warm water on stove top in a small bowl and the then keep it outside. also cover the bowl once you add the yeast. don’t keep it open.

  244. Hi… I hv been experimenting with WW bread for sometime now & ur recipe is one of the best I’ve tried so far… When I make maida bread I kneed it for almost 10-15 min depending on the quality of maida.
    But here I wasn’t sure how long to kneed the dough… & every time I added a tbsp of water the dough would absorb it & become dry but soft…
    Would like my bread a little more lighter. Thx in advance.

    1. welcome Vanessa. the kneading time is as same as kneading a chappati/roti dough. the amount of water required will depend upon quality of the atta. so one can adjust there easily. if you make a slightly sticky dough then the texture will be softer.

  245. Hi, I followed the recipe exactly the way you have mentioned. The taste is good but it turned out a little hard and dense. Any particular reason??

    1. either it could be due to the yeast not proofing properly or the quality of atta. depending on the type of wheat used in the making of flour, the gluten content can be less or more.

  246. Aatta bread came out very well.good in taste and shape.But why its heavy and not lite?more over it crumbles.but trying for the 1st time,it tastes much better than the one we buy.it was just like bakery bread to see.

    1. thanks saradha for the feedback. atta bread when made without added gluten always turn out dense. this recipe does give a light textured atta bread. of course, still the lightness and softness compared to maida or all purpose bread cannot be compared with this one. again the quality of the flour and the bubbling of yeast are also important factors to get softness and lightness in bread.

  247. Hi D,

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am a terrible cook and make a habit of burning even instant noodles – I do survive each day somehow and cook for my family. I was very unhappy with the different shades of brown, the brown breads from the store are – mostly indicating that they may be using food coloring as well. To bake it at home by following such easy instructions is a relief. I will not say it was perfect – the bread was a little dense – probably because I used multi-grain atta – but its good and i know what has gone into it, so thanks again for the wonderful recipe that even a cooking disaster like me could follow and repeat.5 stars

    1. thats great to know ranjani. artificial coloring agents are added in store brought breads. plus there are additives too. its always better to make your own bread at home. at least you know whats gone into it. i sometimes make white bread too. and even the homemade white bread is far far better than the ready made ones. multi grain atta will give a slight denseness.

  248. Hi,

    I was looking online for the recipe for whole wheat bread and came across this. I am going to make it the dry yeast way. Can we use honey instead of the sugar? how much should we use in that case?

    Thanks!

    1. you can add honey. but better to avoid. since as per ayurveda, honey becomes toxic when heated. so my suggestion is to avoid honey. even i did not know this fact. but from a few months, i am reading ayurvedic books and thus came to know about this.

    1. if your oven has the convection mode then you can bake in the convection mode of the microwave oven.

    1. vaneesha, i have never tried this bread recipe with lemon juice. i suggest to stick to the recipe for best result.

  249. Hi Dassana ,

    First and foremost kudos for an awesome name!!
    Another kudos for awesome job on creating this blog.
    Can you tell me recommend another brand of dry instant yeast that is easily available in the market.

    1. there is red star and mauripan. i think these are the only instant yeast available in indian market. but for dry active yeast, you will get many brands.

  250. Wow!!! A perfect whole wheat bread. Love the colour and texture…can’t wait to try.. I have two questions
    1) if using a borosil glass loaf pan, do we need to reduce the baking temperature, as my quick bread lemon loaf ( baked at 180 ) got burnt at the bottom.
    2) Should we heat both the elements while cooking bread in OTG? I saw that you have answered this query, still I am little confused as I always heat the bottom element only for baking cakes and they turn out good.

    1. thanks sindhiya, i keep the temperature to 180 degrees celsius when baking with a borosil glass loaf pan. i always keep both the top and bottom heating elements on. when i have kept the bottom heating element on, the cake gets browned from the base, but no golden color from the top.

  251. Hey! I was thinking if I could use multigrain atta instead of 100% whole wheat. The multigrain atta which I have contains ragi, soyabean, chana along with wheat.

    Waiting for your reply.
    Thanks

    1. welcome mansi. yes you can use. but the texture will be different. the bread could be little dense but healthy.

  252. Hi. Just wondering, the butter- is it softened or melted? Is it also possible to use a bread maker?

    1. i have added ghee. for butter, it has to be softened and at room temperature. you can use a bread machine. though i have not tried it.

  253. Thank you tremendously for this recipe! I made it last week (two loaves at a time) and it came out perfect. I used apple cider vinegar and found there was a faint taste of acidity, which wasn’t bad, but I am redoing them today using yoghurt.

    The texture was very nice and it sliced fantastically. I’ve already shared with a few friends. Definitely keeping this recipe. One question: Have you ever tried to make mini breads or buns with the recipe? I wonder how long I would cook those.

    Cheers4 stars

    1. thanks for the feedback. there is a faint taste of the vinegar in the bread. i have not tried making mini breads or buns with this recipe. i think the dough will work. depending on the size of the buns, it should take 25 to 35 minutes at 220 degrees celsius.

  254. Hi
    I made whole wheat pav recipe from ur blog and it turned out very soft n yummy.. now I want to make whole wheat bread but my convection has 200 degree temp as max.. what to do now?

    1. thanks for the feedback on the pav recipe. you can easily bake bread at 200 degrees celsius in your microwave oven in the convection mode. it might take the same amount of time or just a bit more, as browning and baking is faster in a microwave oven due to the fan.

  255. hello Dassna Amit
    I made this bread and it turned out very nice . thanks for the wonderful recipe , was searching for wheat bread recipe and got one on your site,now i make it nearly everyday. thanks once again.5 stars

    1. welcome bina. nice to know that you liked the bread recipe so much. do try some more recipes from the blog.

  256. Hi,
    I was going through the reciepe but there’s a problem i don’t have an oven at my place.
    how do i make make it using microwave?
    Reply fast i want to learn it before diwali n surprise all my family people and friends that an engineer can also cook.
    Pleas ASAP!
    Really.

    1. bhupi, you can not make it in microwave but can make it in convection mode.

  257. Hi. I made bread today using this recipe. The bread loaves taste a bit bitter. Any idea why would that happen?

    1. was the curd bitter? sometimes curd does develop a slight bitter taste. may be it due to that.

  258. Hi Dassana,
    I tried this. it turned out very good. thanks for the recipe. I reduced the yeast and increased the rising time.

  259. Hi Dassana

    What be 1 cup = how many grams…would it be 100 gms?. I have “Prime ” Yeast. So can i use 1 tsp of that?

    1. 1 cup is 250 ml by volume. it will be around 130 to 140 gms. prime yeast is dry active yeast or instant yeast?

  260. Hi dassana
    Thank you for posting such a simple super recipe and you’ve made me feel so proud .my first attempt to bake a bread was a real hit
    THANKS for making my dream come true5 stars

    1. have already replied to your earlier comment. its feels good, when what you make for the first time becomes a success. am really glad 🙂

  261. Hi dassana
    It has been my dream to bake a bread for a long time and with the help of your recipe I’ve Done It. Thank you sooo much for posting such a simple super recipe and you’ve lifted up my spirit
    Its really nice to see you reply to each and everyones comments5 stars

    1. thanks safeera for your feedback. good to know that the bread recipe helped you.

  262. Good day Dassana,
    I love all your receipes and what you are doing to educate us.But I have interest in making bread in future and selling to the public.
    What kind of bread can I make that will be more profitable to me considering the cost incured on purchasing eggs,flour etc
    Can a eggless and wheat flour bread be profitable?
    I have interest in doing sometin unique so I love the slice fruity bread.can it be commercially profitable considering all the ingridents bought in maaking it

    1. all the best for your business. you have to see which market you are catering too. generally the bread we get outside are eggless. whole wheat and multi grain bread are popular. i think the business is profitable.

  263. Hello Dassana, thanks for the wonderful recipe. This is my first try in baking plain bread. The taste was good. Only one issue I had. Although the proofing was good, the bread did not rise enough after baking. I did not get a good square shape loaf pieces. Would you know where I went wrong? And guide me please.

    1. okay. did you preheat the oven and for how long. and which pan you used.

  264. hi dassana,
    i’ve been wanting to make this whole wheat bread at home, but my oven does not make it happen somehow.
    what OTG do you use? does it have to meet specific requirements?

    1. i use philips OTG. not any specific requirements. you can even bake in the convection mode of the microwave oven. just reduce the temperature to 15 or 20 degrees less than what is mentioned and preheat the oven for about 15 minutes.

  265. Hi Dassana,
    I’m really keen to try your recipe. I have some experience with baking bread, but only overseas. I have a couple of questions to ask you. Hope you can help.
    1. I am using the same atta we sue to make rotis at home. It is a whole wheat atta from the chakki. Is that good to use?
    2. I have some dry active yeast from Bluebird and it says to use 25gms of yeast (which is the entire packet) for 500gms of flour. Is that correct? As per your recipe, (for 750gms of flour) I would just need 1/2 tbsp, right? And that I assume would be about 7-8gms?
    3. Lastly, I have an aluminium tin, the kind in which icecream is set. It is about 3.5 inches in width, 8.5 inches in length and 4 inches in depth. Do you think this would be suitable to bake in, or should I use a little less flour so that it fits neatly?

    I will wait to hear from you. I am really looking forward to trying this recipe for my parents.
    Thanks.
    Jasmeet

    1. hi jasmeet, my answers below.

      1. you can use the ground chakki atta.
      2. follow the recipe and use half tbsp of the bluebird dry active yeast. i have used blue bird before and would not follow their measures. 25 gms of yeast is near about 3 tbsp, which is too much of yeast for 500 gms flour.
      3. if the tin is heat resistant and is safe to use in the oven, then you can use it. but i still i would suggest to buy aluminium baking tins or pans. they are good and have a long life.
      4. you can also use a oven proof glass baking pan. when i did not have aluminium baking pans, i would bake breads in a rectangular glass baking pan.

      1. Hi, I’ve already tried the recipe the times but the dough just doesn’t rise… 1.I’m using the food processor to knead it
        2.used half tbsp of bluebird dry active yeast
        3.rest all measurements according to your recipe
        4.aluminum tin
        5.ashirvad Atta
        Please please please help me cause I really want to bake bread at home… I’m on the edge of giving it up…

        1. the yeast is not get activated. either they are just dormant or dying. this can be due to too low heat in the water or the water being too hot. the water has to be warm. you should see bubbles and a frothy mixture in the yeast solution. if not, this means the yeast is causing the issue. the dough is not rising due to these reasons. blue bird brand works. since i have also used blue bird at times. the temperature of the warm water should be 40 to 46 degrees C/105 degrees F to 115 degrees F. if possible, you can use a thermometer to check the water’s temperature. hope this helps.

  266. Hi Dassana ,
    I am a fan of yours. I bake breads at home in my microwave with the help of your posts. Thank you so much. I baked bread with ashirwaad multi grain atta .They taste good. But what should i do to make them little lighter .Should i add little maida to make the dough?? Is there any other option?5 stars

    1. thanks sharda. multi grain atta will give a bit of denseness as there are legumes and lentils flours in it besides wheat flour. you can add some maida to make the bread lighter. there are commercially available gluten enhancers and even vital wheat gluten. i have never used these. these also help in making the breads soft and light.

  267. Hi Dassana ,
    I tried this recipe and the aroma of freshly baked bread in whole house was magical. That apart..bread turned out really nice..have baked it twice now..and ppl have asked the recipe..thanks a loaf 😀5 stars

  268. Hi!When I bake any bread in my electric oven becomes dry. What could be the reason.have you faced such problem and how do you manage it.

    1. i have never had this problem. perhaps there is less moisture in the bread. try adding some more moisture to the bread dough. also bake in the center rack with both the top and bottom heating elements on.

      1. Dasanna, I have read this post many times and finally decided to go ahead and bake. Thank you! About drying up, a saucer with a little water beneath the lowest rack should help. I don’t have an OTG myself but I read this in a Reader’s Digest publication sometime ago.5 stars

        1. thanks for the info. i have heard about this method. but it was mentioned that this method helps to give a crusty layer. still i will check if this is the case.

  269. My bread truned out to be hard. Not very hard but a little bit. And the bottom and sides of the break were overbaked as compared to the top of the bread !! Should i sprinkle some flour on the greased in order to avoid this over baking as it is done in case of cakes !!! Also my bread didnt rise that much after putting it in oven !!! What could be the reason ??

    1. i think the dough has not leavened well. which brand of yeast did you use and which pan. meaning a metal loaf pan or a borosil pan. if you grease the pan very well, then no need to sprinkle flour.

  270. Hi Dassana. Thankyou for this recipe, which looks simple. I’ve a 10.5 (length) by 3.5 (breadth) inches bread loaf pan. Can you please help me with the measurements for this pan? How can i modify the recipe? Thanks.

    1. the pan is a longer in length. i have baked in a 8 inch x 3.5 inches loaf pan. instead of making a loaf, you can make dinner rolls or pav/buns and place them in a tray. the pav/buns can be placed in your loaf pan. after shaping, keep about 1 inch gap between the buns and allow them to rise for the second time. then bake them.

  271. Hi D, love all your recipes. Trying to be on a Paleo diet now, is there any way to make a gluten free, low carb bread? Please let me know. Any other gluten free recipes will be much appreciated, your blog has the safest recipes, no flops!

    1. hi sa, you can make gluten free breads. there are gluten free bread flours available in the market. these are imported in india and hence expensive. you can make breads easily from these flours. i did try making ragi bread and multi grain bread at home without wheat flour, but they become dense and had not a good texture. here i just used ragi flour and multi grain flour exclusively, but the results were not good. after that i did not try making breads of millet flours. my safest bet is to make rotis/bhakris with these flours. there is a gluten free section on the blog. you can have a look here – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipe/gluten-free/

  272. I am eagerly waiting the bread at home,but i didn’t found proper recipe.I thought it will be good. So can I use cake dish instead of oven. plz answer me.

  273. Hi Dassana. I tried this recipe but used jaggery in place of sugar. Though it turned out well, can you please let me know if it is better to use jaggery in syrup form or grated/ powdered form. Thanks.5 stars

  274. Hi ,
    I found this recipe so good n bought otg. As I m new in baking stuff . I have few questions.
    . Pan should be on 1 st rack or second.2. Greasing is require before putting loaf into pan.
    3.should I put foil on the loaf n the last one is on which mode I should bake this bread??
    Thanks .
    Vibha

    1. – i keep the pan on the middle rack.
      – yes you have to grease the loaf pan.
      – if the bread starts to brown quick, then you can place a foil on the pan.
      – i guess in OTG, there is only one mode. the one i have has only one mode.

  275. Hi Dassana! The BreAd looks just perfect and yum. Can’t wait to try. Just had 2 queries.
    1. Can I use this recipe to make in a bread machine?
    2. Can I use the normal atta that we use for rotis…pilsbury atta?

    Thanks.

    1. you can use normal atta. i have used organic atta. you can try making the bread in a bread machine. i have never tried. i think it should work.

  276. Hi Dasanna,
    i must compliment on your patience! you have answered each & every querry! 🙂 i tried the recipe, the proofing was good but after keeping it in the oven it sank! 🙁 please suggest where have i gone wrong? i desperately need to get this right as the bread tasted really great!

    1. for how long did you keep after kneading it and shaping the loaf. this can also be due to the baking time or the oven temperature. the oven has to preheated well before you keep the bread. many readers have tried this recipe with success. i also make often. after baking the bread sank or when you kept in the oven. the size and shape of the pan also matters.

  277. hi. thanks for this awesome recipe. i have a query. can we replace water to knead the dough with milk?5 stars

  278. Hi,
    Your recipe looks interesting . I am going to try out. I was looking for a good recipe for whole wheat or atta bread and believe it or not this morning the same thought of using curd entered my head. But now that I have this recipe,I am going to try it out.
    I have a question though .The cup measurement that you have used is it a 240 ml cup, 250 ml or 210 ml cup. The reason I ask you is because with the change in the flour measurements the yeast and curd will also undergo change

    1. thanks parimala. i use american cups. 1 cup = 250 ml. i have updated this information in all posts. thanks for asking. if you have any other query then feel free to ask. happy baking.

    2. I wanted to try your recipe but please tell the amount for the cup in grams.i will be using 1800g,wat will the approx amount for other ingredients?if i use vinegar,can I store the bread in the refrigerator for 2 weeks?thanks for replying

      1. gavnisha, 1 cup whole wheat flour is about approx 128 gms. 1800 gms is close to 2 kgs. thats a lot of kneading 🙂 1800 gms is about 13.5 cups approx. so you can just proportionately increase the other ingredients. if using vinegar, the bread can be easily stored for 2 weeks.

  279. This looks like the easiest recipe for bread. I have 2 questions. For how many days does this bread stays fresh? and can I freeze it for longer use? Thanks

    1. you can freeze the bread for some days. since yogurt is there in the bread, i would not advise freezing for a long time. when milk products or eggs are added to breads, they should be consumed in a few days and not kept for weeks or months. the bread would stay good for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and about a week in the freezer.

  280. Hi Dassana,
    Tried this bread today, (My first try with baking bread), but unfortunately, my bread wasn’t cooked properly. It was doughy inside. I baked it for around 30 mins. It did seem hollow when tapped. I am not sure where I went wrong. And I had to use almost 2 cups of water for 3 cups flour to get a bit sticky dough. I knead it after the first rise, but lot long enough, as you asked to knead it lightly,I did that. Any ideas where I might have gone wrong?? Or any suggestions to give it another go would be highly appreciated.
    Thanks

    1. doughy means the bread has not been baked well. what temperature you baked and which oven. you could have baked for some more time. the temperatures vary from oven to oven. so as a guideline there can be a difference of about 5 to 10 mins here and there in the baking time. did you keep the bread for the second rise?

      1. Thank you for your response. I have a gas oven and I baked it at 220 degree C, as per the recipe. I did keep the bread for the second rise. I used instant yeast. For how long the dough has to be knead in this method? Does the kneading time effects the bread?

        1. the bread dough has to be kneaded very well. gluten strands have to be formed in the dough. yes the kneading time affects the texture of bread. for this porportion atleast about 6 to 8 mins. a test is to take a small piece of dough and stretch it. if its stretchable and does not break then the bread is ok to go for the second rise. you can also check this post which mentions some more pointers – http://www.thekitchn.com/bread-baking-tip-how-to-tell-w-156772

        2. Hi Dassana,
          Thank you so much for your response. I would give it a second try and see how I go this time.
          I have another question for you. Its about egg-less baking. My parents are pure vegetarians, so I am always looking for egg-less recipes. What can be used to replace eggs in baking, if we don’t want to change the rest of the ingredients? Can that be done with something easily available? Or do we need to make a lot of changes in the recipes(with eggs) like ingredients and baking time,etc??
          Your advice would be much appreciated.
          I am really new to baking. Just trying my hands on it. It would be great to get some good tips from you on this.
          Thanks

        3. hi harjeet. fruit purees, yogurt, flax seed powder, milk, cream, condensed milk, silken tofu and mixture of vinegar + baking soda + buttermilk are some of the ingredients that are used as an egg substitute. personally i have used fruit puree like apple puree, pumpkin puree and banana puree and they give a good texture to the cake. i have also used flax seed paste, yogurt and the combination of vinegar + baking soda + buttermilk. both of these make the cake nicely moist as well as a light texture. if you don’t want to make any changes to the recipe, then i would suggest you to add yogurt or a fruit puree like apple puree. other fruits give their own flavors and you may or may not like the taste. apple puree or apple sauce is a safe bet. other best ingredient is to use yogurt or dahi. use fresh dahi and not sour one. 1/4 cup of apple puree or yogurt is equal to 1 egg. use these substitutions for cakes have just about 1 or 2 eggs. if there are more than 2 eggs in the cake recipe, then condensed milk works well.

        4. Thank you so much for your advice. I would definitely try some of these and would get back to you if in doubt.
          Regards,
          Harjeet

  281. Perfect bread recipe baked em n it came out so perfectly.. shortly will be posting in my blog wit ur link.. waiting to try more from baked goodies..5 stars

    1. thanks kalpana for the feedback and the future posting and linking back. do try some more baked goodies.

  282. Hi dassana ,

    My bread is in the oven as I write this. Thanks for the recipe.

    A question though; the temperature is 200 or 220

    Thanks once again5 stars

    1. its 220 degrees C. but you can even bake at 200 degrees C. hope the bread turned out good.

  283. hi Dassana can v make this receipe vthout yeast ?is there any other option. actualy v r pure jain so v cant use yeast pl suggest.

    1. hi sonal. i know of certain breads like naan that can be made without yeast. i will have to do some research and find out if a bread loaf can be made without yeast. i have never tried making the regular breads without yeast. there are beer breads and soda breads, but again they taste different and not like the regular yeasted bread. so i will have to actually test a recipe and then only i can tell you if bread can be made without yeast.

  284. Hi Dassana,can we bake this bread in a conv.microwave..if yes,please let me know the steps. Thanks!

    1. yes you can make the bread in convection mode in the microwave. first pre heat the oven at 180 degrees for at least 15 mins. then you bake the bread at 180 degrees C for about 30 to 35 mins. if the top starts to get brown quickly, then cover the top with aluminium foil or butter paper.

      1. Hi,
        Why do we need to decrease the baking temperature for this bread from 220 degrees C of a conventional oven to 180 degrees C when using the convection mode of microwave Dassana?

        1. in a microwave oven which uses convection mode for baking, there is a fan which circulates the hot air which results in even cooking and browning. but this also shortens the cooking/baking time. so most of the recipe which require more time to be baked in a regular electric oven takes less time to bake in the convection mode of the microwave oven. so either you reduce the baking time or reduce the temperature by 15 to 20 degrees C. in this bread recipe, to achieve an texture which is as good as one baked in the electric oven, i have mentioned 180 degrees C. i have baked breads at 180 degrees C in the convection mode and it works perfectly. you can also bake at 200 degrees C.

  285. Hi dassana,
    This recipe is super perfect .I was searching for a perfect Whole wheat bread and this recipe helped me a lot ..First time(day before yesterday) i got doughy bread when i took the bread at 30 minutes and i just wanted to try again today and baked it for 45 minutes and it is good …
    I searched and found that tapping the bottom or using thermometers are the best way to find the bread is baked ….
    I am very happy making my own bread …I will be posting it very soon in my blog with the link back …
    Thanks for the perfect recipe …R u a professional baker by the way …Just very curious …4 stars

    1. thanks a lot priya. i am glad the recipe worked for you. i also tap the bread to see if its done or not. i have some professional baking experience from my home science classes.

  286. Loved your recipe Dassana. I tried out Multigrain bread taking tips from you recipe and it came out amazing. Your blog is very inspiring for new bloggers like me. Thanks again !!5 stars

    1. there is no yeast replacement. for making authentic breads at home, you have to use yeast – fresh, dry or instant.

  287. A big thank you for this recipe. I have searched umpteen recipes for good, light, flavourful whole wheat bread, but this recipe is truly the best. I made it last night, as per your recipe and bread turned out beautiful. My family loves it!

    The use of curd or vinegar made life easy for me because I don’t have access to vital wheat gluten. I would like to post this on my blog soon, with due credit to your blog of course. Thank you for your hard work!

  288. sorry,i seemed to miss the step.thank you.approx how long would you knead the dough?

    1. no issues ashwini. i re checked the whole post twice thinking i missed something. actually the dough has to become soft and elastic. so approx about 4-5 minutes.

  289. Thank you so much for this recipe dassana, even I bake bread at home but with all purpose flour and I have been looking for this recipe for so long…I baked it last night and came out very well 🙂
    Can I post it in my blog, which is very new?

    1. hi divya. firstly thanks for the feedback. you can post it in your blog. no issues as long you give the credit link. but you have not mentioned your blog name in the website field. let me know.

  290. Hi Dassana,
    Looks really good.just one doubt,you haven’t kneaded the dough before the first rising.Is it not required?

    1. i have kneaded the dough ashwini. the dough has to kneaded very well before the first rise. i have mentioned also in the step by step recipe as well in the recipe details. i wonder if the instructions are clear or not?

  291. i love this bread dassana. will try it out some time soon. i have bookmarked to bake quite a lot, just not getting enough time in one go since the move 🙁

  292. I love fresh bread! Do you have much of a tradition in India for sourdough bread using natural yeasts from the air to form a flour and water starter? The bread tastes divine and stores better too.

  293. This looks great Dassana.I m definitely going to bake this.The texture looks perfect.

      1. Hi Dassana,
        I wanted to let you know that I am going to try your recipe for whole wheat atta bread.

        I find your recipe easy to follow and plus you have given proportions as to how to make using instant yeast.

        Thanks a lot5 stars

        1. Hi dassana,

          I have successfully made you recipe. Though I had one issue the upper crust was quite hard.
          Could you please tell me how do I make it a bit Soft.

          Thanks a lot.5 stars

        2. the upper crust can become hard due to slow baking or if you have kept the loaf right on top of the oven.

        3. Hi, I made the recipe and followed the instructions, I baked the bread for 25 minutes and when I cut it, it was a bit soft, like I think didn’t bake entirely. Is there a way to fix it?? Or do I need to throw this??

        4. just put the bread back in the loaf pan and again bake in a preheated oven till its baked properly. you can also cover the top of the bread with aluminium foil or butter paper, if the top begins to brown too much. don’t throw the bread. you can also make a bread pudding with the bread slices.

        5. after the first rise and the punching process i tried kneading the dough it was very sticky wat to do?