If you haven't heard of sprouted wheat bread, it's time to get familiar! This loaf is easy to make, tender with a slight almost nutty sweetness. And it's packed with goodness too!
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Much as I don't make it nearly as much as I would like, I do love homemade bread. Not just the wonderful smell as it cooks and taste, but the process as well. We have a few favorites like Japanese milk bread and lemon thyme focaccia but I'm always looking for more to try.
When I came across sprouted bread I knew I had to try it, for being that bit different if nothing else. But the delicious flavor also won me over, too.
What is sprouted bread?
Sprouted bread is bread made from sprouted grains. Using sprouted grains might seem like a bit of a new trend, but this style of bread actually has Biblical references.
Ezekiel bread is based on a centuries-old tradition of making bread with a mix of sprouted grains, lentils and seeds.
You can make sprouted bread from a lots of different grains and legumes such as rye, spelt, millet, oats, barley and soy. Some recipes have you start by sprouting all the ingredients yourself, and at some point I plan to give that a try.
Here, though, I've kept it relatively simple using sprouted wheat flour and just a little oat bran (that's not sprouted but is whole grain) for added flavor and texture.
My recipe draws particularly on this King Arthur Flour recipe and tips from Nourished Kitchen. The result is an easy and deliciously flavorful loaf.
I'll admit, this loaf could maybe have risen just a little bit more to be less rectangular-looking. But the appearance is a little deceiving as this tastes wonderfully light.
It has a slightly chewy texture, but in a good way. It pairs perfectly with cheese as well as other typical lunch or sandwich toppings.
Is sprouted bread gluten free?
You can make sprouted bread from different grains which may be gluten free, but this particular bread is made with sprouted wheat flour. Being wheat, it is not gluten free. That said, while it still wouldn't work for those with allergies, some with mild gluten sensitivities find sprouted bread easier to digest.
Is sprouted bread good for you?
Sprouted bread is made with whole grains and so is certainly healthier than white bread. However it is also arguably better for you than whole wheat bread.
Sprouted wheat is higher in protein and fiber, lower in carbs and has a lower glycemic index. As I mention, it is believed it may be easier to digest which means your body is better able to get the nutrients out of the bread as well.
How long does sprouted bread last?
One challenge with many homemade loaves is they don't really last. This one is definitely better than most and stays relatively moist for a few days if stored properly.
It's best stored in either a bread box or wrapped at room temperature. If you want to store it for longer, it is best to freeze it either as a whole loaf or sliced so you can take out a smaller amount as you need.
We were all pleasantly surprised by how good this sprouted bread tasted. It's not often you find that magical combination of being good for you, not too heavy and with a fantastic flavor, at least without lots of ingredients. This bread is relatively simple but oh so delicious, and definitely a loaf we'll be making more often.
Try these other bread recipes:
- Sourdough rye bread
- Spelt rolls
- Caramelized onion sourdough bread
- Fig and walnut bread
- No knead olive oil rosemary bread
- Plus see more side dish recipes in the archives.
Tools and ingredients for this recipe:
If you can't find sprouted flour in store, you can buy sprouted wheat flour online. I'd recommend you use a loaf pan to bake this. The pan I use here is old and I don't know the brand, but this loaf pan looks like a good option (and I have used, and really like, other Wilton pans).
See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store.
Sprouted wheat bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup water lukewarm
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dried yeast
- 2 ¼ cups sprouted wheat flour
- ¼ cups oat bran if you don't have oat bran, you can pulse oats in a food processor until fine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Dissolve the honey in the warm water then sprinkle the yeast over the top. Leave it to bubble up.
- Meanwhile, combine the sprouted wheat flour, oat bran and salt in a large bowl.
- When the yeast mixture is foamy, add it to the flour along with the oil. Mix well then leave to rest around 10 minutes (this lets the flours better absorb the liquid).
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead around 5 minutes then put in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth or cling wrap/film and leave in a warm place to double in size, around 1 hour.
- Oil a loaf pan (see notes re sizing) then gently knock back the dough, form into a log and put in the oiled pan. Leave to rise again until the dough comes up to the top of the pan, ideally slightly over (around 1 hour again).
- Towards the end of the rise, preheat oven to 350F/175C.
- Bake the bread in the preheated oven approx 30-35 minutes until it is hollow to tap and golden on top. You can cover the top with tented foil if it is browning too quickly.
- Let the bread cool around 5 minutes before removing from the pan and transferring to a cooling rack. You can optionally brush to little butter on the top of the warm bread to give a slight sheen and to soften a little.
Notes
Nutrition
Remember to pin for later!
Jade
This is the third time I’ve tried to make bread with sprouted whole wheat flour. This recipe seems promising but my dough was very sticky, it did rise both times perfectly but then when cooking it became deflated and flat on top. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong 😩
Caroline's Cooking
So this type of flour doesn't develop gluten quite as well as a strong flour like bread flour, for example, so it will tend to be a little flatter. However it can also rise and flatten for a few other reasons - sometimes not quite enough flour, or it's slightly underbaked in the middle. If it's very sticky, it sounds like it might be worth adding just a touch more flour.
Christiana
This bread is incredible! Reminds me a lot of the whole wheat bread we made growing up. But this is healthier due to being sprouted. Sometimes I use half spelt and half wheat (both sprouted). I've made this so many times. I got an 8-qt stainless steel bowl just so I can quadruple the recipe and make enough for us for the week, instead of using store bought bread. I also make cinnamon swirl bread, and it's wonderful. Last week we made pizza crust with it, using one loaf worth of dough to make 3 pizzas.
Also last time I made it, I added a bit of gluten flour to it and took out the same amount of sprouted flour to even it out. I think it made it a little more sturdy, not as easy to tear, which is what I was hoping for.
Anyway, can you tell I love it?? :p
Thanks for the recipe!
Caroline's Cooking
That is so wonderful to hear, I'm glad to hear you have been enjoying it and playing around with the flours a little too. (I love doing that with breads too, once you get one you basically like to try some tweaks.) Thank you for sharing!
Bella
The taste of this bread was absolutely incredible. I used 1 cup bread flour and 1 1/4 cup sprouted wheat flour. I kept the rest of the ingredients the same. My rise definitely did take longer. The only issue was that even though the bread developed a beautiful crust and rose up lovely, it cracked in the middle on both sides. I know it was not your recipe at all so could you please tell me what the reason for this could be.
When I mixed the dough initially it was quite sticky and I had to add extra flour to knead it. Should I have let it rise as a sticky dough and then mixed in more flour after the first rise. Could this have been the issue? Any tips are greatly appreciated as I would love to replicate the look and texture of your bread. Thanks!
Caroline's Cooking
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! So the cracking could be due to a few things. Sometimes it is because the moisture level is too high, or also if too low. It could have been in part from using the part bread flour - that will develop gluten more than the sprouted wheat and so the bread will probably expand more as it bakes. This does give a less dense bread, which can be great, but the crack is maybe the side effect. I would suggest if you use the same combination again, try a couple things - if it's sticky, you can still add a little extra flour but try to only add a little and work with it. Make sure you un-stick your hands so it helps the dough stay stuck to itself more. Then before baking, score the top of the loaf so you at least get a crack where you want it.
Bella
Thank you Caroline for the great tips! I will try again and post an update 🙂
jack
I got King Arthur sprouted wheat flour, measured out everything, mixed, kneaded, let it rise for 1 hours, however, it didn't rise, I did preheat the oven to 130, then shut it off, covered it, NADA, a big lump of dough?? what to do,, seemed to me the dough was too dry?
Caroline's Cooking
It's hard to say exactly what the issue could be from that but a few possibilities - have you used yeast from the same packet recently to know it is active, and did it bubble up before you mixed? Are you saying you tried to have it rise in the residual heat from the oven but that didn't help? If it seemed dry, then it may be it needs just a little more water (I'm not sure if you measured by weight or volume, but volume in particular can vary and even weighing, not all flours are exactly the same). You could also try adding a little extra yeast to help it rise slightly faster. The sprouted wheat can be a little more reluctant to rise but it should at least rise enough that you can notice.
Jack
I goofed, I used the wrong type yeast, got the 'active yeast' worked like a charm, mixed it all up, let rise, baked it in a silicone pan, baked to a golden brown, damm tasty, next batch i am adding molasses and walnuts. Thanks for your time and this great recipe.
Caroline's Cooking
Oh glad to hear you figured it out and then it worked for you! I agree it's a lovely tasting bread, and those additions for a future loaf sound tasty, too.
Wendy
I am new to sprouted wheat and have been trying to find a recipe that can be used as both bread and rolls. Yours looks perfect, except can I leave the honey out as I can not eat it? Thank you
Caroline's Cooking
I'd suggest if you want to omit the honey maybe add a little maple syrup or even a little molasses, I think the slight sweetness is worth having flavor-wise, but you could omit it as well.
Margie
Just curious if this recipe could be used with sourdough starter included?
Caroline's Cooking
Yes I imagine it would work, you would just want to swap out a little of the liquid and flour volume for the sourdough that you add. The one thing is I wouldn't suggest relying completely on the sourdough as raising agent, this is a denser bread as it is and so I think you will still want to use yeast. But the sourdough will add a layer of flavor.
Jack
Can i do this in ny bread making machine.
Caroline's Cooking
I don't have a bread machine myself so haven't tried but as I think I mention on another comment, I imagine it should work.
Ruby
I followed this recipe to a T, and it came out flawless. Thank you!
Caroline's Cooking
That's great to hear, glad you enjoyed!
Susan
I love this bread. I’ve been experimenting with whole wheat and rye breads since the start of the pandemic and recently found some sprouted wheat flour. This is by far my favorite recipe! Simple and delicious.
Caroline's Cooking
I'm so glad to hear you have been enjoying it!
Stephanie
I rarely write reviews, but this bread is so easy and delicious. I ended up adding sunflower and walnuts because I am trying to replace store bought bread for my toddler with homemade. I eat low carb and my husband is part time low carb. He couldn't believe I made it and my toddler had two warm slices this evening with butter... so I guess he approves! This will definitely be my go to bread recipe for him! It's a winner!
Caroline's Cooking
That's great to hear it went down so well! And sounds great with some seeds and nuts too - it's very much the kind of recipe that you can add things in to.
Terri
Can this recipe be doubled. I would love to make 2 loaves at a time?
Caroline's Cooking
Yes, you could certainly double the recipe then divide into two loaves - just double everything in the recipe.
Susan Dillard
I was wondering if I should cover the dough while letting it rise. I typically do, but the recipe did not mention it. It seems to dry out on top.
Caroline's Cooking
Yes, it is better to be covered while rising, thanks for mentioning I will add that in.
Elvina
Can I use rapid rise yeast? If so do I just throw it in with with the dry ingredients? Are rise times different?
Caroline's Cooking
Yes you can, and yes just add with the dry (I've just updated the recipe notes to say in case others have the same question). Rise time may be slightly quicker but hard to say for sure, it's worth just keeping an eye on it.
Fred Rogers
Great recipe! I tried 3 variations of the recipe and they were all perfect.
First, I added 1 tbsp of molasses. It gave the bread a slightly darker richer look, but did not alter the texture at all. Next experiment, I tried 3 tbsps of honey instead of 2, and it was even tastier and not too sweet. Finally, I tried 1¼ cups of sprouted flour with 1 cup of bread flour. (I know bread flour is not ideal, but I was just experimenting.) Once again the light texture and softness of the bread held up. In all instances I used my Welbilt breadmaker to knead and rise the dough. Then I took the dough out of the machine and let it rise in a warm place for another hour, then baked it in the oven. Every variation turned out masterful. In all three I used ¼ cup of regular rolled oats without pulsing, instead of oat bran. The oats dissolved with the baking. For Thanksgiving, I plan to make rolls out of the dough.
Caroline's Cooking
Glad to hear that you enjoyed and I love that you've tried a few variations on this as well - it's always fun to take a recipe and put your own twist on it.
Myra Barg
I will use my stand mixer with this bread what attachment will I use I'm knew in baking bread how long will I process the mixture do I still need to knead the dough?
Caroline's Cooking
You should probably have a dough hook, this is most likely best for this.
Myra Barg
I followed your instructions I don't know where I did wrong my bread turned out very dry and the outer crust is so hard the following day from the fridge.
Caroline's Cooking
Sorry to hear it didn't quite work - if it was dry then that sounds like it may have cooked too long. Unfortunately there are always a few variables (some ovens run a little hot, occasionally the pan can speed things up too) so always worth keeping a close eye towards the end to check how it looks, if already sounding hollow etc slightly earlier. Also it's a debated topic, but I don't recommend keeping bread, at least homemade, in the fridge as it does seem to go stale quicker.
Kate Gard Cooke
This looks really doable thank you Caroline but I wonder why Fred didn't cook his loaf in the bread machine too? I'm choosing a bread machine currently and specifically would like to make an alternative to Everfresh sprouted wheat and rye breads in going plastic-free - its consistency is deliciously almost cakelike, which yours looks rather like too. .Would welcome thoughts on breadmakers, thanks.
Kate
Caroline's Cooking
I'm afraid I can't comment on someone else's methods and I don't have a bread maker myself either to have any particular views on which is the best nor using it with this recipe. But if you do try, would be great if you were able to share for any others who may wonder the same.
WENDY J DONG
Can i put these ingredients into my bread machine?
Caroline's Cooking
I haven't tried it, but I imagine it should work.
Megan
Absolutely love the flavor of this bread! I’ve tried making it twice and both times it doesn’t cook in the middle or rise well, although the outside is cooked well. I tried a higher heat and baking it longer the second time and still no luck. I’d love to make it because the flavor is amazing for such healthy ingredients! Any suggestions?
Caroline's Cooking
Sorry to hear that. The sprouted wheat does have a great flavor I agree, but it's heavier and certainly doesn't rise as much which is probably what is making it that bit more likely to become dense in the middle. Did it definitely have enough time to rise before you baked it? It may need longer than the hour, depending on the temperature in particular. It might be worth giving it a bit longer than you have been, particularly for the second rise. You could try adding a little more yeast to help give it a bit more lift. The other thing is the place in the oven - generally the lower middle is about the best place to get an even rise. Hope it works out!
Adey Makonnen
I look forward to making this bread often because it’s so much better for you than ordinary bread. You didn’t mention the size of the bread pan. I used a 9 in x 5 in pan, was that correct? My bread didn’t quite rise as much, should the pan have been smaller?
Caroline's Cooking
Oops, I see I didn't specify so have updated just now. As you'll see I mention, 9x5in works, but ideally you want the slightly smaller size (8 1/2 x 4 1/2in) for this as it does make a slightly smaller loaf. Glad you enjoyed!
Anu
Hi.. I'm a newbie with sprouted wheat flour. You have mentioned in your recipe to knead for 5 mins. Is that enough for kneading with hand? I read everywhere which says knead for 10 to 15 mins. Pl let me know. Thank you
Caroline's Cooking
This kind of flour doesn't tend to knead quite as much kneading so a little less is typically fine. Once it stops feeling too sticky and becomes smooth on the outside that's enough.
Anu
Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. I'll definitely try this recipe & let you know. 🙂
Heidi Barnard
I have been using the KA recipe but want to try yours. In KA, it gives option of kneading with stand mixer. What is your recommendation for dojng this with your recipe?
Caroline's Cooking
Yes you certainly could knead this with a stand mixer - you will want to use a dough hook and only knead it with the mixer about half the time you would by hand.
Sharon
This sprouted bread is so delicious with a hearty stew or a creamy rice soup.
Caroline's Cooking
Yes indeed, it would be great with those.
Amy Chung
Great recipe! I'm always looking for alternatives when it comes to bread. Love it too much to completely cut it out of my diet. Will give this a go on the weekend!
Caroline's Cooking
I know what you mean, I do love it too and this is a lovely way to have slightly different flavors and a bit more goodness in there.