Sandwich Bread

Before the remodel, I had been baking bread for about 2 months.  This white sandwich bread recipe is our favorite and quite easy to make.  After it is cooled, it is excellent with butter and honey or made into a sandwich.  This recipe makes one loaf and is from my book "The New Best Recipe" by Cooks Illustrated (the recipe book I use the most!).

Photo By: Jason Hedlund

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

2 tsp salt

1 cup warm whole milk (about 110F)

1/3 cup warm water (about 110F)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 Tbsp honey

1 envelope (about 2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast

Directions:

(1) Adjust oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 200F.  Once the oven temperature reaches 200F, maintain the heat for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven.

(2) Mix 3 1/2 cups of flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Mix the milk, water, butter, honey, and yeast in 4-cup liquid measuring cup.  Turn the machine to low and slowly add the liquid.  When the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopped the machine 2 or 3 times to scrape the dough from the hook, if necessary, about 10 minutes. (After 5 minutes of kneading, if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the remaining flour, 1 Tbsp at a time and up to 1/4 cup total, until the dough is no longer sticky.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead to form a smooth, round ball, and 15 seconds.

(3) Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat lightly.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in warmed oven until the dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.

(4) Gently press the dough into an 8-inch square that measures 1 inch thick.  Starting with the side farthest away from you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself.  Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed.  Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan.  Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes.

(5) Keep one oven rack at the lowest position and place the other at the middle position, then heat the oven to 350F.  Place an empty baking pan on the bottom rack.  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan.  Pour the boiling water into the empty pan on the bottom rack and set the loaf on the middle rack.  Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted at an angle from the short end just above the pan rim into the center of the loaf reads 195F, 40 to 50 minutes.  Remove the bread from the pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature.  Slice and serve!