Everyday Bread

Ingredients

2 cups (226g) King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour or King Arthur Golden Wheat Flour
1¼ cups (150g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour plus more for dusting
1¼ teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons (6g) instant yeast
2 tablespoons (42g) honey
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1¼ cups (284g) milk, warm (110°F) whole preferred

Instructions

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the dough hook, combine the flours, salt, and yeast. Add the honey, butter, and milk, mixing until no dry patches of flour remain and a soft dough forms. If mixing by hand, cover and rest for 15 minutes. If using a mixer, proceed to the next step.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until a tacky, springy dough forms, or mix on medium speed until smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 8 minutes for either method.
Return the dough to the bowl or transfer to a greased container, cover, and let it rise until puffy but not necessarily doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Use a bowl scraper to gently ease the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently deflate the dough and pat it into an 8“ x 12“ rectangle. Shape the dough into a log by bringing the short edges toward the center, overlapping them slightly. Flatten the dough into an even layer, then starting from the top, gently roll the dough towards you to form a log and pinch the seam to seal.  
Grease an 8 1/2“ x 4 1/2“ loaf pan. Spread the wheat germ on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer the length of the dough log. Wet a clean kitchen towel, then wring it out; it should still be pretty damp. Roll the shaped dough over the towel to moisten the loaf, then into the wheat germ, turning to coat. Place the dough seam-side down in the prepared pan. Cover and let rise until the loaf crowns about 1“ over the edge of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.   
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the loaf for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature is at least 190°F. If the loaf is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil and continue baking. Remove the loaf from the oven then turn it out of the pan and onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

2 October 2026: I made this bread for the first time today. It was a hit! I used golden wheat flour and reduced the amount of honey to 32 grams. (I used clover honey.) I mixed the dough by hand initially, then transferred to the stand mixer for kneading, and then kneaded a minute or so by hand on the counter before the first rise. First rise was in the oven (light off because it was a warm day) for 1 hour, 15 minutes. I formed the loaf and then let it rise again in the oven for about 30 minutes before removing it to the counter and turning on the oven. The time for the second rise was much faster than expected, only 47 minutes. Baked the loaf on rack 2 for 33 minutes, turning after the first 20 minutes. Perfect! I let it cool for about 15 minutes and then spread some salted butter on the top crust.