Honey Whole Wheat Bread

The Recipe:

1 1/8 C (255 g) warm water

1/4 C (50 g) cultured butter (I make my own)

1/4 C (85 g) local honey

3 1/2 C (397 g) freshly ground whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1/4 C (28 g) nonfat dry milk

1 1/4 tsp (8 g) salt

(I do this in my bread machine on the dough setting)

In a separate bowl mix the water and the yeast (you may add 1 tsp white sugar to help the yeast out) and set aside until frothy, at least 5 minutes.
While waiting for the yeast to bloom, mix the remaining ingredients in the loaf pan of your bread machine, the bowl of your stand mixer, or a large bowl.
When the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the other ingredients and start the bread machine.
If using a stand mixer, or mixing by hand, mix the ingredients together until just combined and allow to stand for 20 minutes to hydrate the flour.
After resting, knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes if kneading by hand, or 5 to 7 minutes with the dough hook of the stand mixer.
Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and allow to rise until puffy and roughly doubled in size.
Once the bread machine finishes, or your dough has risen, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface and shape into an 8-inch log.
Place the dough into a lightly greased loaf pan (8 1/2" x 4 1/2") and allow to rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough has risen slightly above the side of the pan.
Near the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 350°F .
Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Remove the bread from the oven and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.

For a softer crust, brush the top with butter while still warm. Cool completely before slicing (this is the hardest part!)