This is not really a recipe.  It's more a description of how I make bread and that varies each and every time.  This is the basic story.

I made bread yesterday.  My bread recipe has been steadily evolving over the last seven years, starting with a rich challa and slowly becoming a hearty wheat.  My problem with most whole wheat breads is they tend to be bitter, heavy or strangely tasteless.  My recipe is slightly finicky, but full of flavor and we are in search of flavor!

Day 1: Make the chef – The chef is a basic yeast batter that will ferment, creating a rich yeasty flavor and light texture.  I place two cups flour (usually one white and one whole wheat, but it varies, if I am low on white, I add more whole wheat and vice versa) in the bowl of my KitchenAid Mixer – If you don't have a stand mixer, use a large bowl.  Dissolve 1-2 tablespoons of honey or 2 heaping teaspoons of brown sugar in a cup of warm water.  Add the yeast to the water and let soften and activate for 5 – 10 minutes.  When the yeast begins to foam, pour into the flour and mix vigorously.  It should have the consistency of thick batter, add a little more water if you need to then cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature at least overnight or up to 4 days – at this point you can refrigerate for up to a week.  If you walk into your kitchen and smell fermentation, it’s time to bake the bread.

Baking day: bring the batter to room temp.  If you have a Kitchenaid, fit it with the hook and start mixing at low speed, if you don't, fit yourself with a wooden spoon and begin mixing at slow speed.  Slowly add about a cup of flour, I mix white and wheat about half and half, usually just alternating which bin I scoop from.  Add one egg.  More flour, add ½ cup warm water mixed with ½ cup warm milk.  More flour. Close to the end, add about a tablespoon of kosher salt.  Not too much or you'll stunt the yeast. 

When the dough is nice and springy, cleaning the sides of the bowl (or too thick to stir), but still sticky, turn it out onto a floured board and knead for a few minutes.  When I get a chance I'll post a video of my kneading style, but the thing to remember is you are stretching the dough and folding in air, not working out your aggressions or beating the hell out of it.  Those crazy people who tell you to work out your anger on bread dough should be kept out of the kitchen and away from the knives.  This is food for you and your family, put a little love into it and save the aggression for weeding the flower beds.

When the dough is nice and springy, or you are too tired to go on, place the dough in a well oiled bowl, loosely cover with plastic, place in a warm, draft free spot and let it double in size about an hour and a half to two hours.  At this point you can refrigerate the dough and it will rise slowly, about a day – bring it back to room temp before the next step.

When the dough has doubled, place it back on your work surface, with enough oil to keep it from sticking and form it into two oblong (or eldritch) pieces and place in oiled loaf pans.  You can also make one large, round loaf or lots of small buns.  Cover loosely and let rise until it has once again doubled and place in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until when you tip the loaf out of the pan and thump the bottom it sounds hollow.

Let the bread cool for a few minutes in the pans and then tip out onto a cooling rack.  Let the bread cool completely before cutting.  Do not give into the tempting smells and cut it while it is still warm unless you intend to eat the entire loaf in one go – if that's what you want, go for it, but if you cut a warm loaf it will allow too much moisture to escape and the bread will be dry on one side and strangely gummy on the other. The loaf will be ruined and you will be sad. 

Wrap tightly in plastic to store.  I usually freeze one loaf (this bread freezes beautifully and cuts easily with a sharp knife, don't pre cut it!) and eat the other over the week.

This recipe drew inspiration from Baking with Julia's Country Bread and my Grandma Thelma's Buns.  The woman was famous for her buns.