100% whole wheat sandwich bread with sponge method

A soft, flavorful loaf made entirely from whole wheat flour. The sponge (preferment) technique is the key — it gives the whole wheat flour time to hydrate and the yeast a head start, overcoming the challenges that make most whole wheat breads dense and dry.

Yield: 1 loaf | Prep: 20 min | Rise: 3.5 hrs | Bake: 38 min

Ingredients

Sponge (mix first):

• 240ml (1 cup) warm water (110F)
• 80ml (1/3 cup) whole milk, warmed
• 7g (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
• 260g (2 cups) whole wheat flour

Dough:

• 63g (3 tbsp) honey
• 43g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 5ml (1 tsp) lemon juice
• 173g (1 1/3 cups) whole wheat flour
• 7g (1 1/4 tsp) salt

Instructions

1. Make the sponge: Whisk water, milk, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in 260g whole wheat flour. Cover and let double, 60-90 minutes.
2. Mix the dough: Add honey, butter, lemon juice, remaining flour, and salt to the sponge. Knead with a dough hook on medium 3 minutes until pulling from sides, then 8-10 more minutes until smooth.
3. First rise: Cover, rise 1.5-2 hours until doubled.
4. Shape: Punch down, roll into an 8x15-inch rectangle, roll into an 8-inch log. Place in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.
5. Second rise: Cover, rise 45-60 minutes until dough crests 1 inch above the rim.
6. Bake: Preheat to 350F. Bake 36-40 minutes. Tent with foil if browning too fast. Done at 195-200F internal.

Tips

• The lemon juice strengthens gluten in whole wheat dough and improves crumb structure
• Honey counteracts the slight bitterness from wheat bran
• For a lighter loaf, replace 1 cup of the dough flour with bread flour (making it about 70% whole wheat)
• Whole wheat bread dries out faster — store in a sealed bag or freeze for up to 3 months