Measure out 2 ⅛ cups (498 grams)(498 mL) of water.

Heat up half of that water, and leave the other half cold.

We want to dissolve our honey or sugar in the hot water and then return the mixture to lukewarm temperature.

So take half of the water and microwave it for 1 minute. Or heat it on high in a saucepan for 2 minutes.

Dissolve 4 tablespoons (100 grams) honey or sugar in the hot water, and stir it well. Use the hot water to get all of the honey from the spoon.

Then add the cold half of the water back to the honey or sugar water, and stir it well.

Now we have a mixture of fully dissolved honey or sugar at a lukewarm temperature. This is ideal for yeast activation.

Add 3½ teaspoons (14 grams) active dry yeast to your honey or sugar mixture, and stir it well.

Wait 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.

Meanwhile, decide whether to use butter or vegetable oil in your bread.


If you like butter, choose salted or unsalted butter.

If your butter is salted, then you need to decrease the amount of salt that you add later.

Either way, melt 6 tablespoons (80 grams) butter in the microwave for 45 seconds. Or melt it on low to medium heat in a saucepan.

After the yeast has activated for 5 minutes, add the butter quickly to the yeast mixture and stir well.

If you like vegetable oil instead of butter, add 4 tablespoons (50 grams) of vegetable oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.


In another bowl, add 3 cups (452 grams) whole wheat flour.

Add 3½ cups (458 grams) all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill).

Add 2 teaspoons (14 grams) salt, and mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.


Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring with a spoon to keep your hands clean. At this stage, the dough will make a huge mess, if you stick your hand in. For extra leverage, you can use a wooden spoon upside down, or purchase a dough whisk or a pastry blender.

After the dough is too hard to work with your spoon, finish mixing with your hands.


The weight of the dough should be around 1570 grams. Don't worry if your weight is different. Divide by two, and break up your dough to get equal loaves. That means approximately 785 grams.

If you don't have a scale, do your best to divide the dough visually into two equal parts.


Knead each ball of dough for at least 50 times, by repeatedly pushing the dough into itself with the palm of your hand or with your fist. It's like you are trying to mix all the ingredients in a solid object. Try not to introduce any air bubbles into the dough.

At this stage, the dough will start to stick to itself more than to your hands. It will start to develop a memory, such that if you push it flat, it will try to return to its previous shape. That memory, or springiness, is what will keep the bread from collapsing after it rises in the oven. If you don't knead the bread enough, then it will not have any strength, and it will collapse after it bakes.

Don't hurt yourself. Pay attention to your, hands, wrists, elbows and back. This is an opportunity for stealth yoga. Kneading dough is a physical workout. If you feel pain anywhere in your body, then change what you are doing. A loaf of bread is not worth an injury.


As you knead the dough, it should become clean, smooth and stretchy.

If the dough is too wet, it will be messy -- sticking to your hands and the bowl. It will not become clean and smooth. In this case, add ⅛ cup (14 grams) of all-purpose flour, and knead the dough again.

If the dough is too dry, it will crack and crumble, no matter how long you knead it. It will not become clean and smooth. In this case, add 1 tablespoon (16 grams) of water, and knead the dough again.

Whether you are correcting overly-wet dough or overly-dry dough, make sure that you knead for 25 to 50 times before you try to make any more corrections. The dough will respond slowly to your changes, so give it some time and muscle.


Write down the current time, so that you know when you started the first rise (the first proof that your yeast is doing its job). Coat your blob of dough with oil, and put it in an airtight container for 2 hours -- or until the dough doubles in size. On a cold day, this could take 3 or 4 hours. The dough will rise faster in a warmer environment. If you don't want to finish the bread today, then seal the dough in an airtight container, and put it in the refrigerator for 12 to 48 hours, until you're ready to do the second rise. The first rise will proceed very slowly in the refrigerator.


After your dough has doubled in size, de-gas the dough, by kneading it for a minute.

Make a cylinder shape and put it into a greased bread pan.

Tips: If you don't have a bread pan, you can use a metal mixing bowl, or even a saucepan. Just make sure to remove any parts that could melt in the oven. Hardware stores often have disposable aluminum bread pans that can be re-used.

Cover the pan: with cling film; with any lid that will fit; with laminated fabric; or with something else to make it airtight.

Wait 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size again. This could take several hours.


Preheat oven to 375 F.

Write down your start time, for reference.

Bake for 36 minutes, being sure to set an alarm. Set another alarm for 25 minutes.


At the 25 minute mark, put aluminum foil loosely over the top to prevent burning of the crust.

After 36 minutes, take out the bread and cover it again with the foil. Keep it wrapped so that it doesn't dry out as it cools.


Wait until fully cooled before cutting. This will take a couple of hours.

You will end up with two 716 gram loaves with about 18 slices in each loaf.