Make the sponge

• Whisk the warm water, warm milk and yeast together in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Stir in the whole wheat flour until combined.
• Cover and let it double in size at room temperature.

Add the remaining dough ingredients

• Add the honey, softened butter, lemon juice, remaining whole wheat flour and salt to the sponge.
• Beat with a dough hook, or mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 min.
• If needed, beat in more flour a little at a time until the dough is workable.

Knead the dough

• Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for 8–10 full minutes, or knead by hand on a floured surface.
• The dough is ready when it feels a bit tacky yet pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

First rise

• Lightly grease a large bowl with oil.
• Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat all sides.
• Cover and let it rise in a warm environment until doubled in size.

Shape the loaf

• Punch the dough down to release the air.
• On a floured surface, roll it with a floured rolling pin into an 8x15-inch rectangle.
• Roll it into an 8-inch log and place it in a greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Second rise

• Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it is about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.

Bake

• Bake at 177 °C for 36–40 minutes, until golden brown.
• If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil.
• The bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads 90–93 °C in the center.

Cool and slice

• Remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely before slicing.