Courtesy of Tricia Johnson, Basalt

My young children like a soft crust on sandwiches and bread with a mild flavor. Using white whole wheat, which has all of the whole grain goodness but is less
bitter than traditional red whole wheat, I developed a recipe that’s relatively fast and can be worked by hand — and my children love to help with it. If you want to
develop the flavor a bit more, put the dough in an oiled bowl, let it rise by a third and punch it down. Then form it into loaves and let it rise a second time. Regular whole-wheat flour works well here, too.

Yield: 2 loaves

1 cup water
1⁄4-1⁄3 cup honey (depending on desired sweetness)
11⁄2 cups milk
11⁄2 tablespoons active dry yeast (two 1.4-ounce packets is fine)
4 tablespoons oil
4 cups white whole-wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2 teaspoons sea salt

Either in a saucepan on the stove or in a glass dish in the microwave, heat the water and honey until the honey is dissolved. Add milk and heat just until tepid.

Transfer liquid to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Liquid should be warm, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top of the liquid and set aside for about
5 minutes. The yeast will bubble and foam on top. Add oil to the liquid. As you stir with a spoon (or the dough hook if using a mixer), add flours and salt gradually until the dough forms a ball.

By hand: Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Resist the urge to add too much flour. The dough should become smooth and
elastic, not dry.

With a mixer: Using the dough hook, stir on medium-high for 5 to 6 minutes. Add flour in small portions if the dough is too sticky, but be careful not to dry it out.

The dough should become smooth and elastic. (See note at beginning of recipe if you’re planning on doing two rises.) Generously oil two loaf pans. Divide dough in half and form pieces into loaves.

Place loaves in pans. Cover them with a dishtowel and set aside in a warm, draftfree place for 30 to 45 minutes, until dough has almost doubled in size.

Place a pan of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Place loaf pans on center rack of oven, reduce heat to 400 degrees and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crusts are golden and the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. Cool in pans for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then turn out the loaves onto a rack and cool completely before slicing or freezing.