Wholemeal tin loaf
Vegetarian
A soft, everyday 100% wholemeal sandwich loaf, kneaded to a strong dough and baked in a tin for even slices with a light, nutty crumb.
Wholemeal tin loaf is a British bread from United Kingdom, ready in about 3 hours 40 minutes and made with whole-wheat flour and instant yeast. It serves 16 and is rated easy to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rest
- 2 h 45 min
- Total
- 3 h 40 min
- Serves
- 16
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 117
Method
Step 1
Mix the flour and water and leave 20 minutes (autolyse) — this softens the bran so the dough rises better.
Step 2
Add the yeast, salt, honey (opens in a new tab) and butter (opens in a new tab) and knead 10–12 minutes by hand (7 minutes in a mixer) until smooth and stretchy. Wholemeal won't give as clear a windowpane as white dough, but it should stretch thin before tearing.
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 3
Cover and rise for about 1 hour until doubled.
Step 4
Press the dough into a rectangle, roll it up tightly from the short end, pinch the seam and place seam-down in a greased 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin (opens in a new tab). Cover and proof 45–60 minutes until it domes about 2 cm above the rim and a poke springs back slowly. Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 220 °C (fan 200 °C).
Step 5
Bake 30–35 minutes until well browned. Turn out — the base should sound hollow and the centre read 93–96 °C.
- 35 min
- 220°C · fan 200 °C; drop to 200 °C after 10 minutes if browning fast
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Food thermometer (opens in a new tab)
About this dish
- Origin
- United Kingdom · Commonly attributedTin-baked wholemeal is a British home-baking staple; similar loaves are made everywhere.Also popular in Ireland, AustraliaMore food from United Kingdom
- Dish
- Breakfast · Lunch · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Oven-baked, Fermented
- Taste
- nutty, mild
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Low-carbWithout the optional extras: No added sugarWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style - Good for
- Everyday · Freezer-friendly · Budget-friendly
- Cook more with
- Whole-wheat flour · Instant yeast · Butter
- Techniques
- Baking · Kneading · Fermentation
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
- Contains: Wheatfrom whole-wheat flour
- Contains: Glutenfrom whole-wheat flour
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
117 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 51 g · recipe makes 16
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 14%
- Carbohydrate 73%
- Fat 13%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 117 kcal | 228 kcal |
| Protein | 4.3 g | 8.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 22.7 g | 44.2 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 19.2 g | 37.5 g |
| Sugars | 0.1 g | 0.3 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 3.5 g | 6.8 g |
| Fat | 1.8 g | 3.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.8 g | 1.5 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 3 mg | 5 mg |
| Sodium | 227 mg | 444 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0.6 g | 1.1 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 118 mg
- Calcium
- 13 mg
- Iron
- 1.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 44 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 9 µg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 24 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- Optional ingredients are not included: honey.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- A tablespoon of vital wheat gluten helps if your wholemeal flour is low in protein.
Common mistakes
- Making the dough too dry — wholemeal needs more water than white flour.
Serve with
- Sandwiches, toast, or with soup.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days in a bread bag; freeze sliced.
Reheating
- Toast from frozen.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 20 min
Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).
First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 20 min
About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.
Final proof · about 50 min
Poke test: the dent springs back slowly and only partly. Springs back fast = needs longer; doesn't spring back = over-proofed, bake now.
Bake · about 35 min at 220 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Cool · about 1 h
Cool on a rack before slicing — the crumb is still setting; cutting hot bread makes it gummy.
- Start to finish: about 4 h 5 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
The dough
| Ingredient | Role | Weight | Baker’s % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-wheat flour | Flour | 500 g | 100% |
| Water | Water | 350 g | 70% |
- Total flour
- 500 g
- Hydration
- 70%
- With milk, eggs…
- 70%
- Wholegrain
- 100%
Hydration = water ÷ flour × 100. Milk is about 87% water and eggs about 75%, so they’re shown separately as “with milk, eggs…”.
- Soft, slightly sticky dough (65–75%) — open crumb; most rustic loaves.
- 100% wholegrain — absorbs more water and gives a denser, nuttier loaf.
If something goes wrong
Dense, heavy loaf
Likely causes
- Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
- Under-proofed
- Old or dead yeast/starter
- Too much wholegrain flour without extra water
What to do
- Knead to the windowpane stage
- Proof by the poke test, not the clock
- Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
- Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
Gummy or wet crumb
Likely causes
- Under-baked
- Sliced while hot
- Hydration too high for the flour
What to do
- Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
- Cool completely on a rack before slicing
- Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
Spreads flat / no oven spring
Likely causes
- Over-proofed
- Weak shaping (no surface tension)
- Oven not hot enough
- Too much water for the flour
What to do
- Shorten the proof; bake when the poke springs back slowly
- Shape tightly so the skin is taut
- Preheat fully (30+ minutes; with a stone or Dutch oven, 45)
- Lower hydration or use bread flour
Collapsed or sunken middle
Likely causes
- Oven door opened too early
- Too much leavening or sugar
- Under-baked centre
- Over-proofed yeast dough
What to do
- Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
- Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
- Test the centre before removing
- Proof less
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Crust too hard or thick
Likely causes
- Baked too long at too low a temperature
- No steam at the start
What to do
- Bake hotter for a shorter time
- Add steam for the first 15 minutes (tray of boiling water, or a covered Dutch oven)
- Cool under a tea towel for a softer crust
Big holes or tunnels
Likely causes
- Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
- Air trapped while shaping bread
- Uneven proof
What to do
- Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
- Degas gently and shape tightly
- Proof covered in an even, warm place
Dough didn't rise
Likely causes
- Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
- Kitchen too cold
- Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
- Starter not active
What to do
- Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
- Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
- Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
- Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
Over-proofed (sour smell, collapses when scored)
Likely causes
- Too warm
- Too much yeast
- Left too long
What to do
- Knock back, reshape and proof again briefly (yeast doughs)
- Use less yeast or a cooler proof
- Set a timer and check early with the poke test
Dry or crumbly
Likely causes
- Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
- Over-baked
- Too little fat or sugar
What to do
- Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
- Check 5 minutes early
- Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source
Reviews & corrections
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