Soft Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
In my college town, there was a local family restaurant that served little honey wheat loaves alongside bowls of soup. It was one of the simplest, cheapest meals, but it’s a meal I still think about from time to time. Gotta love that nostalgia from the college years.
They also brought out little cups of warm homemade vanilla pudding when you arrived. Between the pudding, the bread, and a bowl of soup, you felt taken care of before you’d even finished eating. That place had a way of making hospitality feel simple and I think it helped cement my love of homemade bread.
This honey wheat sandwich bread brings a little of that feeling into my own kitchen. It’s soft, lightly sweetened with honey, and made with a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour. The milk and butter give it a tender crumb, while the whole wheat adds a little heartiness.
It’s lovely alongside soup, toasted and buttered for breakfast, or sliced for an everyday sandwich. And a warm slice with butter? That might be my favorite way to enjoy it.
A few tips before you begin
Keep the dough slightly tacky. It shouldn’t feel dry or stiff, so resist adding too much flour as you knead.
Let the dough tell you when it’s ready. Rise times will depend on how warm your kitchen is. Look for the dough to double during the first rise and reach about an inch above the pan before baking.
And give the finished loaf time to cool before slicing. I know that’s the hardest part, but it helps the crumb set so you get soft, clean slices.
Homemade bread doesn’t need a special occasion. Sometimes a loaf on the counter and a pot of soup on the stove are plenty of reason to make room around your table.
Soft Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
Makes one 9×5-inch loaf
Ingredients
¾ cup warm water
½ cup milk
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons honey
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1–2 tablespoons additional water, if needed
Melted butter for brushing the finished loaf, optional
Instructions
Warm the water and milk together to 100–110°F. Stir in the yeast and honey. Let sit for 5–10 minutes, until foamy.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
Work in the softened butter, then knead by hand or with a dough hook for 5–8 minutes, until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. If the dough feels dry or stiff, add the additional water a little at a time.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until doubled.
Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Gently press the dough into a rectangle, then roll it snugly into a loaf, pinching the seam closed. Place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
Cover loosely and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until the dough reaches approximately 1 inch above the rim. Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden brown and the center reaches approximately 190°F. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil.
Let the bread cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Brush the top with melted butter, if desired. Let cool for 1–2 hours before slicing.
