Honey Wheat Bread & Rolls

The beauty of bread making is the same recipe can be turned into different styles of bread.  This weekend I made both a traditional loaf and made rolls for sandwiches.  This recipe is straightforward and the rise is pretty easy.

I am still having a problem though with the loaves in that my middle is not getting cooked as much as I want.  The rolls were great.  I also learned that you really need to make the rolls a little smaller than you think.  They expand a pretty fair amount in the oven.  If there are bread makers out there reading this post, please comment on what needs to be done to get a more consistent cook through the whole loaf.

Recipe (makes 1 loaf & 3 rolls)
Honey Wheat Bread & Rolls:

Ingredients
3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 packages active dry yeast
2/3 cup honey, divided
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky – just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. Add 1 more cup of flour and finish kneading.  Place in a greased bowl, coating the entire surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
Punch down, and divide into 1 loaf and 3 3″ round rolls. Place the loaf in a Pam sprayed 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, and the rolls on a sprayed baking sheet.  Allow to rise until dough nears the top of the pan and use the same amount of time for the rolls.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.  Enjoy!