Our favorite Honey Whole Wheat Bread is soft, chewy, with the most delicious buttery crust. This article includes plenty of step-by-step process photos, tips, and directions to help you succeed.
ACTIVATEYEAST: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm milk and warm water. Neither should be hot or they could burn the yeast. Sprinkle the yeast over top the liquids and then the sugar on top of that. Give everything a quick stir and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until yeast is foamy. If the yeast doesn't foam up, it is dead (either bad yeast or too hot of milk/water) You'll want to dump everything out and start again.
WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR AND HONEY: Pour in the honey and the whole wheat flour. Use the beater blade to stir just until the flour is moistened. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes.
BUTTER: Meanwhile, as the mixture sits, melt the butter in the microwave. Let the butter cool back to room temperature (it's important it's not hot or even warm!) and then stir in the 1 tablespoon of salt. Set aside.
FINISHINGDOUGH: Once the dough has sat for 10 minutes, swap to a dough hook. Start by adding in 4 cups of the bread flour/white flour (See Note 1 -- add flour gradually, you can always add in more!). Mix in the butter and salt mixture; use a spatula to scrape all of the butter and salt from the bowl into the dough. Stir on low speed (speed 2) until mixture is all combined and gathers around the dough hook (about 2-3 minutes). If dough is still sticking to the sides, begin adding the last 1/2 cup; adding only 1 tablespoon at a time as needed. Avoid adding extra unless it really is too sticky (sticking to the sides of the bowl instead of nicely gathering around the dough hook).
KNEADING: Once dough has gathered around the dough hook, increase the speed to medium (speed 4-6) and mix for 10 minutes. Don't walk away; your stand mixer might dance off the table. (If you don't have a stand mixer you can knead the dough by hand for about 10-12 minutes).
FIRSTRISE: Grease a large bowl with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Once dough has finished kneading, knead with your hands to shape it into a large even ball of dough. Place the dough in the bowl and turn the ball to coat in the oil. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and place the bowl in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
SECONDRISE: Remove the damp cloth and punch into the dough to release the air. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts (I recommend a food scale to make sure you've got the same amount of dough in each half). Shape dough into two loaves (See Note 2) and place them in greased 8x4-inch bread pans. Cover the pans with a damp cloth and let them rise in a warm place for another 1 hour or until about doubled in size.
BAKE: Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Right out of the oven, brush the tops of the loaves with butter. Let bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing (the bread is still cooking even out of the oven). Slice and serve.
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Notes
Note 1: You can use either bread flour or regular white, all-purpose flour (slightly different textures -- both great!). The amount of flour you're adding in can vary wildly based on humidity, altitude, etc. and even how you measure it! (I spoon the flour in a measuring cup and level the top with the back of a butter knife). Add flour slowly just until the dough is no longer sticky -- you don't want the dough to be dry which will result in denser/dryer loaves that don't rise as nicely.Note 2: You can roll the dough out with a rolling pin and then roll it up into a cylinder, or shape it with your hands and roll it into a nice even cylinder. If the dough is being difficult to work with and not stretching, let it rest 10 minutes and then try again. This gives a chance for the gluten to relax a little.