High-Fiber Bread Recipe: 4.7 Grams of Fiber a Slice
A slice of white sandwich bread carries 0.8 grams of fiber. A slice of supermarket whole-wheat bread carries 1.9. This loaf carries 4.7 grams a slice — about six times the white bread.
The trick is not the flour. Whole-wheat flour alone would give about 2.4 grams a slice. The other half comes from what is mixed into it: oat bran, wheat bran, ground flax, chia and sunflower seeds.
The short version
- 4.7g of fiber a slice, 127 calories and 4.9g of protein (16 slices a loaf)
- That is six times white bread (0.8g) and more than double store-bought whole wheat (1.9g)
- Flour supplies about half the fiber; the brans add 26% and the seeds 21%
- Soaking the brans and seeds first helps keep the loaf from baking up dry and crumbly
- Two slices is 9.4g — a third of a 28g day before anything goes on top
Where the fiber comes from
Every ingredient, with what it adds to the whole loaf, from USDA FoodData Central:
| Ingredient | Amount | Fiber in the loaf |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-wheat flour | 3 cups (360g) | 38.5g |
| Wheat bran | ½ cup (29g) | 12.4g |
| Ground flaxseed | 4 tbsp (28g) | 7.6g |
| Oat bran | ½ cup (47g) | 7.2g |
| Chia seeds | ½ oz (14g) | 4.9g |
| Sunflower seeds | ¼ cup (35g) | 3.0g |
| Active dry yeast | 1 packet (2¼ tsp) | 1.9g |
| Whole loaf | 75.7g |
Divided into 16 slices, that is 4.7 grams each. Wheat bran is the most efficient addition by far: half a cup weighs less than an ounce and adds 12.4 grams. Ground flax and chia do a second job — they hold water, which keeps a bran-heavy crumb moist. For how the two seeds compare, see chia seeds vs flaxseed.
Why high-fiber bread usually turns out dry
Bran and seeds soak up water that the flour would otherwise use. Add them dry to a standard whole-wheat recipe and the dough is stiff, the rise is weak and the loaf crumbles. The fix is to give them their own water first: the brans, flax and chia sit in warm water for ten minutes before the flour goes in. By then they have swollen and the dough comes together soft.
Expect a tackier dough than white bread. Resist adding more flour until it feels like a smooth, slightly sticky ball; extra flour is what makes a dense brick.
Compared with store-bought bread
| Per slice | Fiber | Calories | Fiber per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread | 0.8g | 77 | 1.0g |
| Whole-wheat bread | 1.9g | 81 | 2.4g |
| Multigrain bread | 1.9g | 69 | 2.8g |
| This loaf | 4.7g | 127 | 3.7g |
Store-bought figures are USDA’s generic values for a standard slice; individual brands vary, so check the label on yours. This loaf’s slices are thicker, which is why the calories are higher — but per calorie it still carries the most fiber.
The recipe
High-Fiber Whole-Wheat Bread (4.7g Fiber a Slice)
Ingredients
Method
- Soak: stir the wheat bran, oat bran, ground flax and chia into 1 cup of warm water. Leave for 10 minutes, until thick.
- Wake the yeast: stir the honey and yeast into ¾ cup of warm water and leave for 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy.
- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture, the soaker and the oil, and stir to a shaggy dough. If dry flour remains, add water a tablespoon at a time, up to 2 tablespoons.
- Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by hand (5 to 6 in a stand mixer) until smooth and slightly tacky. Knead in the sunflower seeds at the end. Do not add extra flour to stop the tackiness.
- Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 to 1½ hours, until roughly doubled.
- Shape into a log and place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise 45 to 60 minutes, until the dough domes about an inch above the rim. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until deep brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. If the top browns too fast, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then on a rack for at least an hour before cutting into 16 slices.
Notes
Frequently asked questions
Can I make it without wheat bran?
Yes — replace it with more oat bran. The loaf will be softer and a little lower in fiber, since wheat bran carries more fiber per gram than oat bran.
Can I use all-purpose flour?
You can replace up to one cup of the whole-wheat flour for a lighter loaf, but every cup swapped takes fiber out. The numbers above assume all whole wheat.
How do I store it?
Wrapped, at room temperature, for a few days. For longer, slice it and freeze; slices toast straight from the freezer.
Is this bread suitable for a bread machine?
The recipe is written for hand or stand-mixer kneading and a loaf pan. A machine can work on its whole-wheat setting, but the soaking step and the tacky dough may need adjusting to your machine.
For other ways to get fiber into breakfast, see high-fiber breakfast ideas and high-fiber breakfast muffins. How whole-wheat flour compares with other grains is in high-fiber grains.
Get the free Fibermaxxing Starter Kit
A 7-day plan, 5 tested recipes & a fridge cheat sheet — straight to your inbox.
No spam, just recipes. Unsubscribe anytime.
Emma Hartwell
Emma Hartwell is the home cook and recipe developer behind Fiber & Fork. After years of dealing with sluggish digestion and endless afternoon energy crashes, she rebuilt her kitchen around one simple idea: hit 30 grams of fiber a day without eating a single boring meal. Every recipe on this site is cooked, photographed, and taste-tested in her own kitchen — beans, lentils, whole grains, and vegetables turned into food you'll actually crave. When she's not stirring a pot of something cozy, Emma is testing new ways to sneak fiber into desserts her family can't tell apart from the 'real thing'.
