It’s funny how trends often set hold on our lives, especially on how we consume food. Now I’m not claiming to be cool or anything, but even I end up trend-following sometimes. One of the latest in the culinary realm has been the desire to avoid harmful seed oils (they're pretty bad 🚮) where possible and to replace store-bought basics with healthier homemade versions. This specific topic has been making the rounds in our health-conscious family and sparked lively discussions, particularly with my older brother. 🤣 👽🔨
Some background might frame a helpful context. He is a devout intermittent faster and has a rotation of a few different meals he enjoys as his bulk meal of the day; it’s usually some kind of nut butter/coconut oil fat bomb sandwich or meat-laden quesadilla. So sadly store-bought sliced sandwich breads and tortillas had to be cut out. As his birthday was coming up, I decided to bake up a batch of both for him to have suitable options for his dietary choices. It was definitely an appreciated surprise. 🫶
This sliced white sandwich bread is surprisingly easy to make with only 7 pantry-staple ingredients. Simply mix up the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, let it rise until doubled, shape it, stick it in a loaf pan, let it rise once more, then bake it off. It can be made in a few hours or left to rise in the fridge overnight before baking the next day. It turns out soft, tasty, and very substantial for sandwich-making, as it holds up well to hearty fillings even without toasting. It also keeps well refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for a month or more, but it won’t last that long. It’s so quick to make, you can easily make a loaf or two every week to have on hand for making all your family’s favorite sandwiches.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water, about 110°F
¼ cup warm whole milk, about 110°F
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one standard packet)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 🧈, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 ⅓ cups all-purpose or bread flour
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the warm water, milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
Fit the hook attachment to the mixer and mix in the butter, salt, and one cup of flour on low speed until the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in another cup of flour to mix in on medium speed.
Mix in the remaining flour and continue to beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the walls of the bowl, about 2-3 minutes.
Continue kneading the dough for another 5-8 minutes until it becomes smooth, soft dough that is slightly tacky to the touch. To know if the dough is ready, poke it and if it springs back and leaves an indent it is ready. Or if you tear off a piece and stretch it while holding it up to the light, you can see light through it without it tearing, it is ready.
Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl, coating all sides in the oil. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Grease a 9x5” loaf pan.
Lightly flour your working surface and punch down the dough once it has doubled. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Roll the dough into an 8x15” rectangle then roll it up into a 8” log and place it into the loaf pan.
Cover and allow to rise another 1-2 hours or overnight in the fridge. If proofing overnight, remove from the fridge about 2 hours before baking.
Lower the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the loaf for 30-35 minutes until it is lightly golden and sounds hollow when tapped on top.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before turning it out of the pan and slicing into even slices with a good bread knife.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freezer for a month.
This TREMENDOUS blog is built in Python entailing FOOD recipes cooked/baked by a ROBOT sentient! ~🤖 Disclaimer 👇
As an Amazon Associate, commissions may be earned from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com.
