In your stand mixer bowl, whisk together warm water, honey, and dry milk powder until dissolved.

Add the white whole wheat flour and mix on low speed until no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. The dough will look shaggy.

Cover the bowl and let it sit for 20 minutes. This is your autolyse.

Sprinkle the instant-yeast and salt over the rested dough.

Drop in the softened butter pieces.

Using the dough hook, mix on medium-low speed for 8-10 minutes. The dough will come together and become smooth but will never look as silky as white bread dough. That's normal. See kneading.

It should feel slightly tacky, pull away from the bowl sides, and pass a basic windowpane-test (you can stretch a small piece thin enough to see light through it, though it may tear slightly).

Lightly oil a large bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place it seam-side down in the bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel.

Let rise in a warm spot (75-80°F) until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours.

Grease your 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray.

Gently deflate the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. A bench-scraper helps here.

Pat or roll the dough into a rectangle roughly 8 inches wide and 12 inches long.

Starting from a short end, roll the dough into a tight log, pinching the seam to seal.

Set the loaf seam-side down in the prepared pan, tucking the ends under if needed.

Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp towel.

Let rise until the dough crowns about ¾ inch above the rim of the pan. This takes 45-60 minutes at room temperature.

About 20 minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the pan on the center rack and bake for 15 minutes.

If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil.

Bake for another 20-25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 190-195°F (88-90°C).

Remove from the oven. Let the loaf rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack.

For a softer crust, rub a stick of butter over the top of the hot loaf.

Shape the dough into an 8x12-inch rectangle.

Roll tightly from the short end to build surface-tension.

Pinch the seam to seal.

Place seam-side down in greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Divide dough into 3 equal pieces using a bench-scraper.

Roll each piece into a 12-inch rope.

Braid the ropes together, tucking ends under.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet (not in loaf pan).

Grease the loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray.

Place shaped dough seam-side down in the pan.

Bake at 375°F for 35-40 minutes until internal temp reaches 190-195°F. Use an instant-read-thermometer to check.

Shape dough into an oval boule instead of a log.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Scoring|Score the top with a sharp knife or lame.

Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.