American Sandwich Bread
"This comes from The New Best Recipe (published by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated), although I found it on http://annieseats.wordpress.com.
This got the seal of approval at my house - great for sandwiches!! I make two loaves every weekend, freezing the second for later in the week."
photo by sandesnow
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 8
- Yields:
-
1 loaf
- Serves:
- 10
ingredients
- 3 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup warm whole milk (about 110 degrees, I use 2%)
- 1⁄3 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 1⁄4 teaspoons instant yeast (1 envelope)
- 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine, softened
directions
- Mix milk, water, butter, honey and yeast together.
- Combine 3 1/2 cups flour and salt in bowl of stand mixer.
- Gradually add milk mixture to flour.
- Increase mixer speed to medium, mix for 10 minutes, until dough is smooth. (You may need to add extra flour to get dough to the right consistency. I always do.).
- Turn dough out onto floured surface, knead briefly to form a small, round ball.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat.
- To Proof: Original recipe suggests while you are making the dough, heat an oven to 200 for 10 minutes, then turning off. Place bowl covered with plastic wrap in oven to proof. However, I cover with a towel and use my warming burner. Let rise 40 - 50 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Turn onto floured work surface, gently roll dough into a 1 x 9 inch rectangle. Roll the short side into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seams closed. Place the seam-side down in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap or towel; set in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350. Placing a glass dish with boiling water inside.
- Bake 40 -50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 195°.
- Brush with melted butter, cool on wire rack.
- To freeze: Cool completely, cover with plastic wrap or foil. Place in freezer bag. Thaw on counter overnight.
Questions & Replies
-
How do I keep my bread going stale overnight?
Reviews
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I followed the instructions precisely but baked yesterday in a bread baking machine on Soft, medium brown. The bread came out beautifully and tasted great. However, this morning I was very disappointed because my beautiful soft fluffy loaf was stale . How do I keep the bread staying fresh longer? I did slice and keep in a sealed plastic bag. ??
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This is an excellent bread. I followed the recipe exactly and was very pleased with the end product. Will for sure be making this again for sure. Great way to use up honey that has crystallized. (microwaved it until returned to liquid form) Thanks! This recipe is a keeper. Recipe doubles great!<br/>Update: Used this recipe again on the request of my hubby and kiddo's. Have to say it again, great recipe. I uploaded two images as well. Before putting the loaves (I make two at a time) went into the oven, I split cut the loaf lengthwise and drizzled a bit of butter to make it a butter top. Then baked as normal. Really like this recipe. Thanks again! -
This is a superb sandwich bread recipe!! (and I make a lot of bread!) I used a bread machine to prepare the dough, and then punched it down, shaped it, and placed it in a baking tray. (It was easy to work with, and I didn't even need to flour the work surface.) I let it rise again, and baked it for 23 minutes at 375 F. It rose really well, and kept its shape. My daughter arrived unexpectedly, and I gave her the loaf to take home, and made another loaf. We both enjoyed the bread imensely, and this is going to be a staple in our household! Thanks so much!! :) -
excellent sandwich bread! nice balance of fluffy and doughy. a slice you can really sink your teeth into and have something to bite on! one note, i haven't needed the extra flour during kneading. -
This recipe makes a fantastic loaf! It is the one bread we all like to take to school and work for sandwiches. The boiling water in step 10 really helps keep it all moist when baking. I use my ABM to mix the dough, continue at step 8, and still get great results.
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Tweaks
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From the ATK family cook book: **Sub Bread Flour: 3 1/2 cups- 19.25oz **Wheat version: Toast 1/4 cup wheat germ in dry skillet until fragrant: 5min. Reduce flour by 1 1/2 cups, sub with 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ. **Oatmeal-Raisin: Omit warm water from milk mixture. Bring 3/4 cup water to boil in small pan, stir in 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats (do not use instant oats) and cook until softened slightly, about 90 secs. Reduce flour 3/4 cup and add cooked oats to flour mixture. Toss 3/4 cup raisins in bowl with 1 tbl flour, knead into dough once removed from mixer. **Buttermilk: Sub buttermilk for whole milk and heat to 110 deg. Increase first rise to 50 minutes - 1 hour. To make buttermilk sub: 1 cup whole milk and 1 tbl vinegar or 1 tbl lemon juice. **Honey-Bran with Sunflower seeds: Sub 1/4 cup wheat bran for 1/4 cup flour. Increase honey to 1/4 cup. Add 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds to mixer during final minute of kneading.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
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