American Sandwich Bread

I don't usually make white bread. And, to be fair, the folks at America's Test Kitchen did provide instructions for a whole wheat variant. But I wanted to try the white flour version first and see how it came out.

It's a very nice bread overall. Mine did indeed come out light, tender, and sliceable as the recipe promised. However, it also came out much larger than the pictured loaf. It rose to an astounding height in the oven and was light enough that I cooled it upside down like an angel food cake for a while just so that it wouldn't collapse too much. (Not that I could turn it upside down in the pan like I would with the cake. Instead I turned it out and then let it sit upside down for a while since the top crust was a bit firmer than the bottom.)

Part of the problem may be that I misread the instructions and used an 8x4" (20x10cm) loaf pan instead of the 8.5x4.5" (22x11cm) pan the recipe specified. I still think it would've come out pretty tall even in the right pan, but it would've at least had a little more width and a little less height. Oh well... now I know for next time.

White Sandwich Bread

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2020

Ingredients

• 385g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 2 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 3/4 c. milk, room temperature
• 1/2 c. water, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Combine flour, yeast, and salt and make a well in the centre.
2. Combine the milk, water, butter, and honey and pour into the well.
3. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, working from the centre outward.
4. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and silky (10-20 minutes).
6. Round and place smooth-side-up in a bowl. Cover and set aside until fully risen (~2 hours).
7. Knock the dough back and press flat.
8. Letter fold, then roll up to form a loaf.
9. Place seam-side-down in a greased 8.5x4.5" (22x11cm) loaf pan.
10. Cover and set aside to proof for 60-90 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and gently moisten the top crust with a little water.
12. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30-40 minutes.
13. Cool in pan for ~10 minutes and then turn out onto wire rack to cool.

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Variations

Whole wheat Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

• 230g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 150g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 3 Tbsp. wheat germ
• 2 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 3/4 c. milk, room temperature
• 1/2 c. water, room temperature
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. honey