This high protein whole wheat sandwich bread has the softest crumb and a slightly chewy crust. It is light and fluffy, not dense and heavy as all-whole-wheat breads can often be. Each slice has 105 calories and 6 grams of protein. The recipe makes two loaves of bread and freezes nicely.
This is my go-to high protein whole wheat sandwich bread, a recipe I've been making for years now, and it's lived on this blog for a decade. I have recently made some tweaks to it, including reducing the proofing intervals from three to two and reducing the amount of vital wheat gluten it uses, which would sometimes result in a chewy crust. For that reason I wanted to reshare it with those of you who believe unreservedly in the joy that an act as simple as baking bread can bring.
Homemade breads are usually far better tasting than anything you can buy, and this one is all that and so much more. It's very light and low-calorie, and you get two loaves for around -- or less than -- the amount of flour you'd typically use for a single loaf. That's because the vital wheat gluten helps the dough rise really high and gives the bread a very fluffy, light texture when baked. It's not just the perfect whole wheat bread, but it's the perfect bread if you are watching what you eat.
The first time I made this high protein whole wheat sandwich bread I used a cup of vital wheat gluten in it, and while the crumb was divine, it sometimes caused the crust to get very chewy. This time I've cut down the wheat gluten in half. I tried going lower but wasn't very happy with the rise and texture of the bread, so I really recommend keeping it to at least half a cup for the best results. This way you get the best of both: a soft crumb and a crust with the slightest bit of chewiness.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this whole wheat sandwich bread
- It's fluffy and soft, the perfect high protein whole wheat sandwich bread. Most whole wheat bread recipes, no matter how light they promise to be, turn out too dense for my liking and harden up within a day or two. This bread will keep nicely in the refrigerator after the first day for about a week, and you can freeze it too. Slice it, warm it, and it tastes as fresh as when you first made it.
- It's easy to make. You will need to knead this dough to develop the gluten, but you will also get spectacular results for that work.
- It's light. You get two loaves for just over three cups of flour, and each slice has more protein. So if you're watching what you eat this is the perfect bread for you because you'll be getting more for fewer calories.
- It's all whole wheat. Which makes it really good for you. And if you like seeded breads, you can add seeds to it to make it even healthier, higher in protein, and delicious.
Why vital wheat gluten?
For those unfamiliar with vital wheat gluten, this is a natural protein found in wheat and it is especially valuable in baking wholegrain breads because it helps them build structure-- in simpler words, it helps them rise. I've explained the role of gluten in bread-baking and the gluten content of various kinds of flours in this old post on my Whole-wheat French Bread.
But to do a quick recap, here's the reason whole wheat bread doesn't rise as well as a bread made with all-purpose flour or bread flour: gluten occurs in the grain's endosperm and all-purpose and bread flours are made by milling the endosperm which automatically gives them a high gluten content. Bread flour, especially, has a very high gluten content, making it ideal for breads (but not cakes).
Whole-wheat flour contains not just the endosperm but also the wheat germ and bran which are the outer coatings of the wheat kernel and are devoid of gluten. Since ounce for ounce whole-wheat flour has less milled endosperm in it than more refined flours do, it has a lower gluten content. Adding a bit of vital wheat gluten into the mix helps the bread rise higher and also improves the texture of the whole wheat bread, keeping it from becoming too dense.
While it is entirely possible to make an all whole wheat flour bread without the vital wheat gluten, and I'll share that recipe with you as well in the near future, this bread is way lighter and softer than any whole wheat bread recipe I've ever tried, and it remains my favorite.
Ingredients for high protein whole wheat sandwich bread
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast.
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (use sugar or agave nectar as substitutes)
- ¾ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
- 1 ½ cups nondairy milk (I used oat milk)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vital wheat gluten flour
- 3-4 cups whole wheat flour
How to make high protein whole wheat sandwich bread
- Add yeast and maple syrup to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the lukewarm water and mix well. Set aside for five minutes until the yeast froths to indicate it's alive. Add the vegetable oil and milk to the yeast, then dump in the vital wheat gluten flour and two cups of whole wheat flour.
- Mix until all ingredients come together, then add the salt. Continue kneading the dough, adding half a cup at a time and then, as the dough gets dryer, just a tablespoon at a time. On a low humidity day here in the DC area I needed about 3 ¼ cups. You might need more flour depending on where you are and the weather around you.
- Once you have a pliable, smooth but not sticky dough, continue to knead it further for 8-10 minutes. The kneading will help the bread rise really well, so don't take any shortcuts. If doing this in a stand mixer, which makes this way easier, knead at medium-low speed, around 4 in a KitchenAid.
- Once the dough looks like it does in the picture above, remove it to a clean, unfloured surface and knead briefly by hand before shaping into a smooth ball. Oil the bowl and place the dough back in it, coating the top with some oil or cooking spray to make sure it doesn't dry out. Cover tightly and set aside for 45 minutes to an hour during which time it should rise quite a bit, more than double.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, punch it down and knead it briefly again. The dough should be smooth. Divide the dough ball into two pieces and roll each into a rectangle with a rolling pin, keeping the breadth slightly smaller than your loaf pan.
- Roll up each rectangle of dough into a cylinder and tuck in the ends. Place the loaves, seam side down, in oiled loaf pans. Cover loosely (I use clean plastic shower caps) and set aside in a warm place for about an hour for the dough to rise.
- Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking another 30 minutes.
- Let the loaves cool on a baking rack for about an hour before you unmold them. Continue cooling on the rack before slicing.
Recipe FAQs and troubleshooting
Any whole wheat flour is fine, but I would recommend using either a white whole wheat flour or durum whole wheat flour, both of which give a lighter, softer crumb.
Yeast are single-celled fungi and are living organisms. Kept around too long, or in unsuitable conditions, yeast can die and if that happens your yeast will not bloom or bubble when you add it to lukewarm water. Packages of yeast usually have a use by date, so be sure to check that before you use it.
Another reason the yeast might not bloom is if you used water that was too hot. The water you add to yeast should be warm but comfortable to the touch--between 100 and 110 degrees on a thermometer. Water that's too hot will kill the yeast, rendering it useless for the bread.
A whole wheat dough needs to be kneaded really well for a great texture and flavor as well as for the rise. If you don't knead the dough long enough, you might not get as good a rise.
Also, don't overproof the bread dough--that could cause your loaves to fall flat in the oven. Stick to the recommended times, going only slightly longer if necessary.
I wouldn't usually score a sandwich bread, but I did in this case because in the past, especially when I was using a whole cup of vital wheat gluten, the bread would sometimes form a skin on top when baking with a large air bubble underneath. Having baked with the smaller quantity of vital wheat gluten for a while I feel comfortable saying that you don't have to score the bread if you don't want to.
The bread will keep wonderfully at room temperature for a day or so, after which you should place it in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for 3-4 days. Warm before eating. For longer term storage place in a freezer safe bag and freeze. You can also slice the bread before freezing.
That really is a great recipe, and if you still want to follow it, you will need to make just need a few tweaks: if you add a cup of VWG you will need less flour--around 2 to 2 ½ cups. The rest of the process is the same but the bread made with more VWG will rise much higher and you'll also have more protein per slice. I do recommend scoring the bread if you use more vital wheat gluten.
More delicious sandwich bread recipes
High-Protein Whole-Wheat Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- 1 Bowl or stand mixer
- 2 loaf pans
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sugar)
- ¾ cups water (warm)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral oil (I used olive. Avocado or any vegetable oil is fine)
- 1½ cup nondairy milk (warm)
- ½ cup vital wheat gluten flour
- 4 cups whole wheat flour (you might not need all 4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the yeast, maple syrup and warm water in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside for the yeast to bloom, about five minutes.
- Add the milk, oil, vital wheat gluten and 2 cups of whole wheat flour to the bowl. Mix thoroughly, then mix in the salt.
- Continue to mix in the flour, a quarter cup at a time and then, as the dough gets dryer, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky. I needed about 3 ¼ cups this time, but on more humid days I've needed as much as 4 cups.
- Continue kneading the dough for another 10 minutes. You should have a really smooth, supple dough. Form the dough into a ball. Oil the bowl and place the ball of dough in it, coating the top with some oil or cooking spray so it doesn't dry out.
- Cover the bowl and set it aside in a warm spot. After 45 minutes it should have more than doubled.
- Remove the dough and punch it down, then form into a smooth ball. Divide into two pieces. Roll out each into an approximate rectangle, then roll each rectangle into a cylinder. Tuck the ends into the bottom and place the loaves in two oiled standard (6 cup) loaf pans, seam side down.
- Cover loosely (I use clean shower caps) and set aside in a warm spot for another hour or until they dome over the loaf pans. About 15 minutes before the bread has finished proofing, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Place the loaves into the oven and bake 10 minutes. Turn down heat to 350 degrees and contine baking another 30 minutes.
- Cool on a rack for about about an hour, then remove the loaves from the pan and continue cooling on the rack.
Recipe notes
- For loaves that rise even higher you can make this bread with 1 cup vital wheat gluten, as I had in the original recipe. The crust is chewier, but the bread tastes great and toasts wonderfully.
- Before you bloom the yeast make sure you check the date on the package of yeast to make sure it's not expired. Also make sure the water you use is warm but comfortable to the touch (between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Make sure you knead the dough, by hand or in a stand mixer, for the full 10 minutes. This will give you the best rise and texture.
- Don't overproof the bread dough. Stick with recommended times and go only slightly over if necessary. Overproofed bread can fall flat in the oven.
- The bread will keep wonderfully at room temperature for a day or so, after which you should place it in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for 3-4 days. Warm before eating. For longer term storage place in a freezer safe bag and freeze. You can also slice the bread before freezing. Thaw and reheat.
Lauren
I just found your blog and I am so excited! It seems like you have lots of valuable information to share and that bread recipe sounds good!
Jay
Wow...wat a wonderful selection of recipe..awesome..
first time here...amazed at your recipe collection..
Am your proud 501 nth follower now..:)
Do stop by mine sometime..
Tasty Appetite
A Vegan Goddess
I am making this bread..today! Well, actually maybe tomorrow but either way I can't wait. Homemade bread is one of life's simple pleasures. Everyone should enjoy it daily. : )
Zoos always make me cry.
Vaishali
Richa, that sounds like the perfect way to watch these gorgeous creatures without destroying their lives.
Nanda, yes, it's tiring indeed. Hope you find the vital wheat gluten-- some online retailers including Amazon do ship it.
Samarpita, it is true that Knut was close to the man who raised him. But the zoo never intended to return him to the wild or give him a real life-- had they wanted to, they could have weaned him away from human contact and prepared him for the wild. There are many stories about animals born in captivity being successfully released into the wild-- offhand I can think of that lion cub bought by a couple at Harrodd's, and there are many other instances. Also, Knut eventually did show aggression to humans in his later years, which proves he was never meant for this sort of life.
Martina, Thank YOU. It makes me want to laugh and cry when zoos ask for money to "help the animals." If they really wanted to, they'd just shut down.
Anthony, I saw the Cove too, and it is a truly heartbreaking movie, especially that scene of the dolphin slaughter. Shameful what we are capable of.
anthony stemke
I thoroughly agree with you about zoos, even the ones that look like have no cages. Feel bad about those places with dolphins after seeing a documentary from the man who first commercialized dolphin worlds, and then came to absolutely regret popularizing them.
Yes, bread good. Look into Wheat Germ as an adjunct also.
Thank You.
Dr. Nanda Kumar
Never was a fan about this polar bear version of the Truman show. Knut's passing made me sad. I'm tired of animals living and eventually dying just for pure entertainment sake.
That bread looks so gorgeous! I've been hunting for vital wheat gluten flour in my neck of the woods. No luck so far but I wont cease nor desist. I'm determined to bake this bread!
Martina
Dear V,
Bread - Looks Fabulous!! I plan on making it this weekend, thank you.
I am absolutely teary-eyed (again) as I write this note because it seemed that nobody cared when I told them of Knut's death. Thank you so much for speaking-up about this seriously disgraceful treatment of animals.
Within the last year, I read an article discussing how much of a financial struggle it was to feed Knut now that he was grown and no longer the 'big attraction'. I am absolutely sickened by thoughts of what may have really caused his death. I've been to many countries and would never set foot in a zoo even though I was strongly encouraged to go to 'help support the animals' by paying an entrance fee. I knew I could not emotionally handle seeing the animals trapped, often enduring horrrible conditions, in any case stressed beyond natural limits.
So, thank you again for acknowledging the passing of a magnificent creature with a name. Knut.
Samarpita Deb
While I am totally against zoos, the whole concept of depriving animals of their natural habitat being so revolting, I would say, Knut was an exception. The stress is acute when an animal has been brought from the wild and kept in an enclosed space. But having been born in captivity, and being hand raised by a human, Knut was an exceptional case. I am not even sure if he would have been happy out in the wild, esp, considering the fact that when his interaction with humans was stopped, he was known to wail.
Seaworld is monstrous in its atrocities so the lesser said about it, the better.
I will have to try your other sandwich bread asap (don't get wheat gluten here).
Richa
That bread looks perfect!!
As for animals in small spaces..dont even get me started..
And as far as being able to see a real dolphin/whale, atleast here in the northwest there are dolphin and whale watching tours whenever the pods migrate. The boat tour cost to you, is similar to your seaworld ticket, but the cost to the animals .. very very different. And the dolphins do some fun tricks and jumps around the boats to show off!
Now wouldnt you want to see a happy animal playing around in its natural habitat rather than in a tiny pool or cage.
Vaishali
Torwen, yes, he probably lived better and longer than a hen raised in a factory farm, but that's just a question of degree. In the end, a life in captivity is nowhere near as good as a life of freedom.
Manasi, yes, the gluten is the hero here or else the bread would be dense and heavy instead of soft and spongy and light.
I appreciate what you're saying about SeaWorld, but is there any good reason we have to actually see a real dolphin or a whale? There are places in the world one can go and see these creatures in their natural habitats, but if one can't, what's so bad about just seeing them in pictures? There are millions of wondrous species and creatures in our world that most of us will never ever see, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that because there are other ways to satisfy our hunger for learning about them. The way I see it, curiosity is a great thing but we need to draw the line when it begins to encroach on other creatures' freedoms.
Priya, Debra, Thanks 🙂
Debra
Your bread looks amazing..
Blessings, Debra
Raw Vegan Diet
Priya
Loaf looks absolutely wonderful and prefectly baked..
Manasi
Lookit the loaf! was the vital wheat gluten responsible for that awesome dome? Tooooo good!
It is awful to read about Knut ( or any other animal who has to suffer like he did - eg: the Tiger attack in San Diego zoo abt 2-3 yrs ago, was it the tiger's fault that some silly punk wanted to dangle himself over the fence? sheesh, have some sense man! The poor tiger had to pay for her life because a brainless git did what he did - that is my opinion)
One more thought: I see what u mean by whales kept captive in sea world etc, but I sometimes do think of it this way, had it not been for sea world, here was little or no chance I (or my old parents / in laws) would have seen a whale or a dolphin, selfish much?
torwen
Dear Vaishali,
let me first tell you that I distaste zoos, really and wholeheartedly. But to say Knut lived a miserable life ... compared to animals raised for the slaughterhouse, I think, he lived a way better life. And because of his fame probably better than many other polar bears in zoos.
And you are absolutely right, stop going to zoos and rather go for a walk in the woods. You will discover many strange animals there, too 🙂
Vaishali
Radioactivevegan, no it's not a dumb question, and aquariums are just as horrible as zoos. I don't know of specific instances of mismanagement because I haven't followed the issue very closely, but I do believe a fish would rather swim in a wide-open body of water rather than inside a tank, however big. Also horrible are circuses and places like Seaworld that trap animals and other creatures and train them to do stuff they were not meant to.
radioactivegan
This is probably a dumb question, but I've heard a lot of people talk about how bad zoos are for the animals living there. What about aquariums? Obviously the fish and other animals are restricted inside their tanks, but I don't know how that affects them. Do you know if living conditions for the animals there are any better or different from zoos? I'd appreciate any insights you can give me on that one. Thanks!