Brown Bread Recipe at Home: Healthier Than Store-Bought

By InstaCuppa Editorial · May 2026 · 8 min read · Last updated: 26 September 2026

Brown Bread Recipe at Home: Healthier Than Store-Bought

Store-bought brown bread in India often has maida in it. Some brands also add caramel colour to make it look browner. The only way to know is to read the label. This brown bread recipe at home lets you choose every flour yourself.

This recipe uses real atta — 60% of the total flour — with a small amount of maida to help it rise. No artificial colouring. No preservatives. Just real ingredients.

Is Brown Bread Made of Maida or Atta?

Most brown bread in India is made of both atta and maida. We read 22 brown bread labels from India on Open Food Facts on 26 September 2026. 15 of the 22 had maida in them. Only 7 were made with atta and no maida. On most packs, atta came first and maida came second.

So yes, most brown bread does contain maida. But it is not "all maida". On the 6 labels that printed both flour amounts, atta was about half of the flour (50% to 57%). Only 2 of the 22 labels listed maida first. Only 3 added caramel colour.

How to Read a Brown Bread Label

• Look at the first ingredient. Indian rules say ingredients must be listed from most to least, by weight (FSS Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020). The first flour is the main flour.
• "Wheat flour (atta)" or "whole wheat flour" means atta. "Refined wheat flour (maida)" means maida. Both names can sit on the same pack.
• Look for a percent next to atta. If a pack talks up an ingredient, the same rules say it must print how much is in it. "Atta (32%)" means 32% of the dough, water included.
• Look for "colour (150a)" or "caramel". That is caramel colour. It makes bread browner. It does not add any fibre.
• "Whole wheat" on the front is not proof. Two packs named "whole wheat brown bread" still listed maida.

What Is Pure Brown Bread?

Pure brown bread is bread made only with atta, with no maida at all. Its label lists whole wheat flour (atta) and no refined wheat flour. 7 of the 22 packs we read were like this. Real brown bread gets its colour from the bran in atta, not from a colour bottle.

Brown Bread Kis Se Banta Hai?

Brown bread atta, maida, yeast, paani, cheeni, namak aur tel se banta hai. Kai brands caramel colour (150a) bhi daalte hain. (In English: brown bread is made from atta, maida, yeast, water, sugar, salt and oil. Some brands also add caramel colour.)

Ingredients

• 240g atta (whole wheat flour)
• 160g maida (all-purpose flour)
• 5g instant yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery powder
• 1.5 tbsp oil or butter
• 230ml warm water (add up to 25ml more if the dough looks dry)

Method

1. Add water and oil to the bread pan first.
2. Mix atta and maida together, then add to the pan on top of the liquids.
3. Add salt and sugar at opposite corners of the flour. Keep the salt away from the yeast, because salt can slow the yeast down before mixing starts.
4. Make a small well in the centre of the flour and add the yeast.
5. Select the Basic or Whole Wheat program. Medium crust. Check the dough after 5 minutes of kneading. If it looks dry and stiff, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
6. Let it complete. Remove and cool for 30 minutes before cutting.

No Bread Maker? Bake Brown Bread in an Oven

You do not need a bread maker. The same dough bakes well in an oven or OTG. King Arthur's 100% whole wheat loaf uses almost the same flour (397 g) and water (227 to 255 g) as this recipe (King Arthur Baking). Here is the oven method, based on that recipe.

1. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Knead until the dough is soft and smooth.
2. Cover the bowl. Let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours, until puffy.
3. Press the air out. Roll the dough into a log and put it in a greased loaf tin (about 8.5 by 4.5 inches).
4. Cover and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, until the top is about 2.5 cm above the rim.
5. Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 35 to 40 minutes. Cover the top loosely with foil after 20 minutes if it browns fast.
6. The loaf is done when the centre reads at least 88°C (190°F) on a food thermometer. Cool it fully before you slice.

Not sure which machine suits you? Read bread maker vs OTG for Indian baking.

Why the 60:40 Atta:Maida Ratio Works

Pure atta bread in a bread maker often comes out too dense. This is not because atta has less protein. Atta has 10.6 g of protein per 100 g and maida has 10.4 g, so they are almost the same (IFCT 2017, codes A019 and A018). The difference is the bran. Atta has 11.4 g of fibre per 100 g. Maida has only 2.8 g.

Bran soaks up water that the gluten needs. It also gets in the way of the gluten strands. So the dough holds less gas, and the loaf rises less. A 2021 lab study found that this water binding by bran did most of the harm to bread volume (Renzetti et al., Foods, 2021).

Gluten is the protein that forms stretchy strands to trap yeast gas. More gluten = better rise = softer bread.

The 60:40 ratio gives you enough atta for nutrition and fibre, while the maida provides enough gluten for a proper rise. You can adjust to 70:30 if you also add vital wheat gluten (1.5 tsp). For a loaf with no maida at all, see our guide to 100% atta bread that actually rises.

Be honest with yourself about the numbers. Many store packs are already about half atta. This 60:40 loaf is only a little higher in atta. The real gains of homemade bread are no preservatives, no colour, and full control of the flour.

Comparison: Homemade vs Store-Bought Brown Bread

FAQ

Sources

1. Open Food Facts, brown bread products (India) — 22 brown bread labels with an ingredient list, read on 26 September 2026. 15 contain maida, 7 are atta only, 2 list maida first, 3 add caramel colour (150a), 13 list preservative INS 282. Labels are added by users and can change.
2. Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 — ingredients listed in descending order of weight; the percent of an ingredient must be shown when the label emphasises it.
3. What's in our bread? — Centre for Science and Environment, 2016. 84% (32 of 38) bread samples in Delhi had potassium bromate or iodate; IARC classified potassium bromate as possibly carcinogenic in 1999.
4. Bread study outcome: CSE welcomes FSSAI's ban on potassium bromate — CSE, 21 June 2016. FSSAI removed potassium bromate from the approved additives on 20 June 2016.
5. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 — ICMR-NIN. Wheat flour, atta (A019): protein 10.57 g, total fibre 11.36 g per 100 g. Wheat flour, refined (A018): protein 10.36 g, total fibre 2.76 g.
6. Renzetti S. et al. A systematic comparison of wheat and oat bran fractions and their effects on dough and bread properties — Foods, 2021 (PMID 34681360). Water binding by bran, not steric hindrance, drove the loss of bread volume.
7. Classic 100% Whole Wheat Bread — King Arthur Baking. 397 g whole wheat flour, 227-255 g water; bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes to at least 190°F in the centre.