This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
I’ve had several requests for my Mom’s rye whole wheat bread recipe. Mom bakes it all the time and it’s the same bread I showed you on Instagram (@natashaskitchen). The rye whole wheat flour make it a healthier bread and I feel so good about giving a warm buttered slice to my 3-yr old son (he’s in line just as soon as it comes out of the oven!). As an added bonus and because I really want you to succeed in making this bread, I’ve also included a complete photo tutorial for this recipe. So read on!
Quick breads like the no-knead artisan bread are gorgeous and are a great choice for dinner parties but they are best eaten the same day they are baked. My mom’s bread is one that keeps well in the fridge or freezer without becoming crumbly (if that makes any sense to you).
This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread. Eat one and freeze the other. My mom usually bakes 6 loaves and if all five of her girls (I have 4 sisters) stop by, she’s usually left with one loaf at the end of the day.
Watch How to Make Whole Wheat Bread:
This recipe is an all-day project (lots of effortless rising time) so it’s worth-while to double or even triple the recipe and freeze the extras for weeks of enjoyment. You do not need a bread-maker for this recipe. P.S. If you don’t have rye flour, you can substitute with more wheat flour.
Ingredients for Rye and Whole Wheat Bread:
2 1/4 cups luke warm water
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup whole wheat flour *measured correctly
3/4 cup rye flour *measured correctly
3/4 cup better for bread flour *measured correctly
plus 2 1/2 cups better for bread flour *measured correctly
2 Tbsp canola oil plus more to grease counter and pan
*Watch our easy video tutorial on how to measure correctly
How to Make Rye and Whole Wheat Bread:
1. In a large kitchen aid mixer bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups warm water (about 100˚F), 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 Tbsp salt; stir to dissolve.
2. Sift the 3/4 cup wheat flour, 3/4 cup rye flour and 3/4 cup better for bread flour with 2 tsp yeast into the salted water. Do not discard anything left in the sifter (it’s the good stuff!); toss it into the batter. Whisk together until well blended. Let it rise on the counter uncovered for 3 hours, stirring the batter about once every hour. It will be bubbly.
3. Using the dough hook attachment add 1/2 cup Better for Bread flour until well blended, scraping down the bowl if needed. Blend in the rest of your Bread flour (2 cups) a heaping Tbsp at a time, letting the dough dissolve the flour in between each spoon (this takes about 20 min).
4. Once all the flour is incorporated, add 2 Tbsp canola oil. Let mix for an additional 20 more minutes on speed 2 with the dough hook or until dough is no longer sticking to your bowl. Note: after you add the oil it will look like it’s coming off the walls and then it will appear to get stickier, then towards the end of your 20 minutes, it will actually stop sticking to the walls as it mixes. Just let it do it’s thing and everything will work out ;). Remove dough hook and Let it rise in the bowl, uncovered, until double in volume.
5. Grease your bread pans, counter and fingers a little with the canola oil. Punch down the dough and transfer it onto the oiled counter
6. Pinch the dough in the center to form two sections with your hands. Grease your pan lightly with oil. Place dough into each prepared bread pan and mold the dough to the base of the pan (no gaps in the corners). Let it rise on the counter until 2 1/2 to 3 times in volume (about 1 1/2 hours). Bake at 360˚F for 55 minutes.
7. When done, brush the tops with butter as soon as bread comes out of the oven. Remove bread immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack. If you leave bread in the pans, it will get moist from the steam in the pan. Once bread is just warm, butter up a slice of soft and delicous bread and enjoy. You deserve it!
Mom's Rye and Whole Wheat Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups luke warm water
- 1/2 Tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup rye flour
- 3/4 cup better for bread flour
- plus 2 1/2 cups better for bread flour
- 2 Tbsp canola oil plus more to grease counter and pan
Instructions
- In a large kitchen aid mixer bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups warm water (about 100˚F), 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 Tbsp salt; stir to dissolve.
- Sift the 3/4 cup wheat flour, 3/4 cup rye flour, and 3/4 cup better for bread flour with 2 tsp yeast into the salted water. Do not discard anything left in the sifter; toss it into the batter. Whisk together until well blended. Let it rise on the counter uncovered for 3 hours, stirring the batter about once every hour. It will be bubbly.
- Using the dough hook attachment add 1/2 cup better for bread flour until well blended, scraping down the bowl if needed. Blend in the rest of your bread flour (2 cups) a heaping Tbsp at a time, letting the dough dissolve the flour in between each spoon (this takes about 20 min).
- Once all the flour is incorporated, add 2 Tbsp canola oil. Let mix for an additional 20 more minutes with the dough hook on speed 2 or until dough is no longer sticking to your bowl. Note: after you add the oil it will look like it's coming off the walls and then it will appear to get stickier, then towards the end of your 20 minutes, it will actually stop sticking to the walls as it mixes. Just let it do it's thing and everything will work out ;). Remove dough hook and let it rise in the bowl, uncovered, until double in volume (45 min).
- Grease your bread pans, counter and fingers a little with the canola oil. Punch down the dough and transfer it onto the oiled counter.
- Pinch the dough in the center to form two sections with your hands. Grease your pan lightly with oil. Place dough into each prepared bread pan and mold the dough to the base of the pan (no gaps in the corners). Let it rise on the counter until 2 1/2 to 3 times in volume (about 1 1/2 hours). Bake at 360˚F for 55 minutes.
- When done, brush the tops with butter as soon as the bread comes out of the oven. Remove bread immediately from the pans and cool on a wire rack. If you leave bread in the pans, it will get moist from the steam in the pan.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I don’t have a kitchen aid mixer. I have a Ninja Food Processor. What adjustments do I need to make?
Hi Linda. I would recommend kneading it by hand, you just need to incorporate the flour with a spatula at step 3 and then knead the dough by hand, until it’s smooth and elastic and just barely sticking to the walls of the bowl.
Location, Canada used kitchen aid , robinhood bread flour – followed the recipe to a T My dough was way too wet/ From having a little bit of experience baking breads, I try kneading it by hand with more flower. This helped.
Hi Brenda, Canadian flour has a different gluten/protein content than US flour and usually requires a little bit different measurement.
A bit more time and work to make this bread, but the results are worth it. Came out perfectly, Thank You for the recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that, Rick!
What is ‘better for bread’ flour? Is that a brand? Can I use all purpose flour instead?
Hi Dawn, it is a bread flour. There is no all-purpose flour in this recipe. I recommend using bread flour in this recipe.
Hey Natasha can I bake it in a 7 quart cast iron instead of a loaf pan?
Hi Ani! I have not tested that to advise. One of my readers said, “I bake it as a single artisan loaf in a preheated Dutch oven and it comes out with a fabulous crust.” I hope that helps. Let us know if you experiment with it.
Hi,
Any advice for kneading this recipe by hand?
Thanks,
David
Hi David, Yes you can do it by hand, you just need to incorporate the flour with a spatula at step 3 and then knead the dough by hand, until it’s smooth and elastic and just barely sticking to the walls of the bowl.
Thanks, Natasha. I’ll try it.
I’ve been making a whole wheat/rye bread for quite a while that includes a cup of milk (along with another cup of water), so I’m curious about this recipe.
And, one more question: do you use 1 1/2 tbsp. white or brown sugar for this bread?
Many thanks, Natasha,
David
It’s white sugar and the pics of the ingredients used are also added in the recipe. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, I have been following you for sometime now and have tried out several of your recipes, they all have been big hits with my family. I recently made your Mom’s Best Rye Bread and it turned out perfectly. I was wondering do you ever provide the nutritional information for the recipes you make? I do like knowing what the percentages are.
I wish I could say I have a favourite recipe of yours that I have tried, but honestly they are all great.
Yes, it is great to find someone who is as talented as yourself that wants to share their love for food and cooking and having recipes that work! I love watching you, you’re always making me laugh. That in itself is gift enough for me to always check in to see what you’re going to do next. Love it.
I’m a self taught cook and I have done quite well for myself and for my family of 5 over the years. Finding you has added such important element in providing good tasting and healthy meals for my family. Thank you for all you do from a Canadian follower.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this rye bread, Teresa! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. We are slowly working through all of our recipes to add nutritional info, but it is time-consuming as they have to be added one at a time. Most recipes have it added to the printable recipe card, though! Thank you for being patient!
I have made this recipe 3 times now and I cannot get the crust to turn very dark. This last time, I brushed the loaves with butter and let it bake the last 10 minutes that way. I also baked it at 400 convection – still pale crusts. How do I get a darker crust?
Hi Roger, make sure your oven is fully preheated. An oven thermometer helps to double-check. Another thing is to put the bread a little higher up on the next rack level. Lastly, I haven’t tested this in a conventional oven and not convection.
I made this bread for the first time today when y wife said “go make some bread” . Your website is my go-to for any new recipe. I live in Canada so our flour is a bit different but my baker’s flour (milled by ADM here) worked out nicely. My dough after the 20-minute mix was not as firm as in the video but when I turned it out onto the floured counter, it worked nicely. The divided dough filled each pan 1/3 full. I proofed it in the oven with the light on and covered with a tea towel. It rose to a nice height in in about 30 minutes. I baked it on convection 375F. I inserted an instant-read probe thermometer after 40 minutes and it read 205F – done! I wish I could show you how it looked when I cut the end cap off – it was beautiful. With butter and honey on the fresh end cap, there is nothing better.
There’s nothing like homemade bread! I’m so glad you loved it, Roger! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I followed the recipe exactly, and have made many breads before, but after an hour of beating-the dough was still sticking to the pan. I even added extra flour. I let it sit and it doubled in bulk and I was able to get it into the pans so we will see if it bakes well after the final rise. I also felt that using the dough hook to mix in flour was too much trouble. Had to constantly scrap the bowl after each tablespoon addition. Maybe starting with a regular beater and then switching to the dough hook would have worked better.
Hi Marie, something to keep in mind is if you are using a different type of flour, it can have a different protein content which affects how much flour is needed. Maybe it just needed a little more flour.
Is “better for bread flour” just all purpose flour?
Hi Lina, it is a bread flour. There is no all-purpose flour in this recipe.
how can I make this bread by hand rather than with kitchen aid mixer? I really enjoy kneading dough.
Hi Marianne, Yes you can do it by hand, you just need to incorporate the flour with a spatula at step 3 and then knead the dough by hand, until it’s smooth and elastic and just barely sticking to the walls of the bowl.
Do you have any advice on how much Fresh Yeast you would use or does Fresh Yeast change any of the time you would let the bread rise.
Hi Kieran, I have only tried this with active dry yeast. If you happen to experiment with that and find the perfect balance, I would love to know how you like that.
How do I correctly defrost this loaf if I freeze it after baking?
Hi Julia, once you unpack the bread let it thaw in the fridge until it is no longer frozen (overnight for a loaf, and 2 to 3 hours for individual slices).
Would it be possible to reheat it so that it is warm and a little crispy?
Hi Julia, I bet that could work!
Yes, I imagine that will work.
Something must be wrong in the ingredient quantities.
Using the King Arthur weight chart (which you endorse), and using the “spoon & sweep” measuring method (which you also endorse), the totals are:
77g rye flour
85g whole wheat flour
390g bread flour
Giving a total flour weight of 552g
2¼ c water equals 533g
That results in a hydration of 96.6%, which is basically pancake batter…
Granted rye flour has a water absorption roughly ten times that of wheat flour, and I’m using regular bread flour, not whatever “better for bread” flour is, but still, normal sandwich bread is usually around 58% hydration.
Can you confirm those weights?
If not, can you explain the discrepancy?
Hi Neil, I would suggest using the spoon and sweep method for measuring since those flours will have varying weights. This is one of our older recipes and we are still working on adding gram weight measurements to the older ones.
I had trouble making this recipe due to the very high hydration rate and the very long mixing times. The end result was good, but not great and certainly not worth the time compared to other easier and shorter bread recipes I have made. After the 30 minutes of kneading the dough was still not pulling off the sides so I gave up and started to slowly add flour until it pulled off clean in the sides. That unfortunately took another 15 minutes. 45 minutes if kneading in the mixer is excessive. Interesting experiment but not an efficient use of time for the result.
How long do you let it cool? Just finished with 2 loves and not sure how long to wait till I can try it.
Great questions Jennifer! Sometimes we can’t wait to dig in and try it while it’s warm. Once it is cool to the touch you can cut into it. It also helps to place it on a cooling rack.
Hi, Natasha! I love this recipe! I make it almost every week!
I love it when it’s still warm and crispy.
I was wondering if it’s possible to freeze the dough before baking it, so I can bake it any time and have it fresh from the oven…
Thank you!!!
Hi Beatriz, I have not tested freezing the dough but you can freeze the finished product. My mom does that sometimes if the kids don’t come over and take all the bread home.
The first time I made this recipe the bread had excellent flavor but came out a little dry. The second time i checked the temperature and the breads were brown and 201 degrees My bread at 40 minutes at 360 degrees. This is a really good recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread recipe!