100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread as Soft as White

I have been experimenting with whole wheat bread recipes and this is the one! It is as soft as white making it perfect for sandwiches. This recipe is adapted from one I found on My Healthy Green Family.
Most of my recipes are old and have been handed down through my family but this blog is also an online recipe book for my daughters (one lives in NYC, one in Gibraltar and the last one is still here in town but travels all over) where they can access my recipes wherever and whenever they want.
I cannot resist cutting warm bread straight out of the oven, the end piece with some butter is my favorite! I wonder, however, if cutting the bread so soon releases some of the heat and keeps the bread from continuing to cook from residual heat and thus making the bread softer as a result...just a thought. So you have my blessing when it comes to cutting your loaf straight from the oven!

3 C whole wheat flour
1 heaping teaspoon rapid rise yeast
1/8 C honey plus 1/4 T
1 1/2 t butter, melted and cooled to room temp.
1/2 t kosher salt

Soak 1 1/2 C flour in  1 1/4 C water then cover with dish towel for 30 min.

At the same time, mix 1 heaping teaspoon of rapid rise yeast, 1/4 T honey and an 1/8 C warm water (just barely warm...too warm will kill the yeast...room temperature will work too). Do not over mix. Place dish towel on top for 30 min.

Melt butter and let cool.  Combine the soaked flour with the yeast mixture and then add the butter 1/8 C honey and the salt.
I used a dough hook but you don't have to and incorporate 1 1/2  C flour. Knead with dough hook or by hand for 5 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes knead 5 more minutes. If you were using the dough hook turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes and then let rest 5 minutes. Knead gently for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable.
Place the dough in a greased bowl with the greased side up and cover with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place  until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Remove dough and punch down. Knead a little and roll out dough with a rolling pin into a 7x14 rectangle. Roll up jelly roll fashion tightly with no air pockets and pinch the edge together. Tuck under the ends and place in a greased loaf pan shaping to fit. Cover with damp dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled and rounded nicely over the top for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 before getting the dough and bake for 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow and is just golden brown on top. Remove from pans immediately, run a knife along the edges to loosen from the sides and turn out. Brush the top with butter and cool on wire rack.