Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread

Original recipe from The Baker Upstairs

Makes ONE loaf

Sponge:
1 C water
1/9 C honey
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 2/3 C flour

Bread:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/9 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1+ cups whole wheat flour

After it’s baked:
1 tsp butter, melted

Mix together warm water, yeast, and honey. stir in the white bread flour until evenly combined. Let sit for 30 minutes, until risen and bubbly. Mix the melted butter, remaining honey, and salt into the sponge. Stir in 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour. Knead in enough flour until the dough is smooth and tacky but not overly sticky. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough in the bowl and spray the top of the dough with cooking spray. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour). Once risen, punch down the dough and form into loaf. Place into a greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, and allow to rise until the dough has topped the pan by one inch (about an hour).

Bake at 350º F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Brush the tops of the loaf with 1 teaspoon melted butter to prevent the crust from getting hard. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Let cool completely before storing in plastic bags.