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Basic Soft White Sandwich Loaf

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Basic Soft White Sandwich Loafgentl & hyers/edge

This is my best white bread for sandwiches, dinner rolls, cinnamon swirl or herb swirl breads, and toast. I developed it to match my childhood memory of my favorite bread, Silvercup, a soft, light, and airy bread like today's Wonder Bread, which made the best toast. This homemade version has the same texture but has a more yeasty and fuller flavor. In fact, this bread is like a brioche, with less butter and no egg. It has an even yet open crumb but is softer and lighter in texture. Part of the secret of its light texture is that, like brioche, it is made from an exceptionally moist dough. Lightly toasted and topped with soft scrambled eggs, it is nothing short of ambrosial. Michael Batterberry, publisher of Food Arts magazine, tasted this bread and said, "Mmmm. . . . This is what Wonder Bread, in its soul, really always wanted to be!"

TIME SCHEDULE
Dough Starter (Sponge): minimum 1 hour, maximum 24 hours
Minimum Rising Time: about 4 hours
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Baking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Makes: two 8-by-4-by-4 1/2-inch-high loaves (1 1/4 pounds/581 grams)

Dough Starter (Sponge)

unbleached all-purpose flour (use only Gold Medal, King Arthur, or Pillsbury): 2 1/4 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons (12 ounces or 341 grams)
water, at room temperature (70° to 90°F) : scant 1 3/4 liquid cups (14.3 ounces or 405 grams)
honey: 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (1.5 ounces or 45 grams)
instant yeast: 3/4 teaspoon (2.4 grams)

Equipment

two 8 1/2-in-4 1/2-inch loaf pans, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil
a baking stone OR baking sheet

Flour Mixture and Dough

unbleached all-purpose flour (use only Gold Medal, King Arthur, or Pillsbury): 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (about 11 ounces or 311 grams)
dry milk, preferably nonfat: 1/4 cup (1.5 or 40 grams)
instant yeast: 3/4 teaspoon (2.4 grams)
unsalted butter, softened: 9 tablespoons (4.5 ounces or 128 grams)
salt: 2 1/4 teaspoons (15 grams)
Optional: melted butter: 1 tablespoon (0.5 ounces or 14 grams)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    1. Make the sponge. In a mixer bowl or other large bowl, combine the flour, water, honey, and instant yeast. Whisk until very smooth, to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a thick batter, Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.

  2. Step 2

    2. Make the flour mixture and add to the sponge. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour (reserve 1/4 cup if mixing by hand), dry milk, and instant yeast. Sprinkle this on top of the sponge and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow it to ferment for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour blanket in places: this is fine.)

  3. Step 3

    3. Mix the dough.

    Step 4

    Mixer Method
    Add the butter to the bowl and mix with the dough hook on low speed (#2 if using a KitchenAid) for 1 minute or until the flour is moistened enough to form a rough dough. Scrape down any bits of dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

    Step 5

    Sprinkle on the salt and knead the dough on medium speed (#4 KitchenAid) for 7 to 10 minutes. It will not come away from the bowl until the last minute or so of kneading; it will be smooth and shiny and stick to your fingers. With an oiled spatula, scrape down any dough clinging to the sides of the bowl. If the dough is not stiff, knead in a little flour. If it is not at all sticky, spray it with a little water and knead it in. (The dough will weigh about 44.25 ounces/1258 grams.)

  4. Step 6

    Hand Method
    Add the salt and butter to the bowl and, with a wooden spoon or your hand, stir until all the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a lightly floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, enough to develop the gluten structure a little, adding as little of the reserved flour as possible to keep the dough from sticking. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. (This resting time will make the dough less sticky and easier to work with.)

    Step 7

    Knead the dough for another 5 minutes or until it is very smooth and elastic. It should still be tacky (sticky) enough to cling slightly to your fingers a little. If the dough is still very sticky, however, add some of the remaining reserved flour, or a little extra. (The dough will weigh about 44.25 ounces/1258 grams.)

  5. Step 8

    Both Methods
    4. Let the dough rise. Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough into a 4-quart dough-rising container or bowl, lightly oiled with cooking spray or oil. Push down the dough and lightly spray or oil the surface. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height of the dough would be. Allow the dough to rise (ideally at 75°to 80°F) until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

    Step 9

    Using an oiled spatula or dough scraper, scrape the dough onto a floured counter and press down on it gently to form a rectangle. It will be full of air and resilient. Try to maintain as many of the air bubbles as possible. Pull out and fold the dough over from all four sides into a tight package, or give it 2 business letter turns and set it back in the container. Again oil the surface, cover, and mark where double the height would now be. (It will fill the container fuller than before because it is puffier with air.) Allow the dough to rise for 1 to 2 hours or until it reaches the mark.

  6. Step 10

    5. Shape the dough and let it rise. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and cut it in half. Shape each piece into a loaf: begin by gently pressing the dough (or lightly rolling it with a rolling pin) into a wide rectangle; the exact size is not important at this point. (A long side of the dough should be facing toward you.) Dimple the dough with your fingertips to deflate any large bubbles. Fold over the right side of the dough to a little past the center. Fold over the left side of the dough to overlap it slightly. Press the center overlap section with the side of your hand to seal the dough. (If you have a lot of experience shaping, you may prefer at this point to rotate the dough 90 degrees-a quarter turn.) Starting at the top edge of the dough, roll it over three or four times, until it reaches the bottom edge of the dough: with each roll, press with your thumbs to seal it and at the same time push it away from you slightly to tighten the outer skin. As you roll and press, the dough will become wider. If it is not as long as the pan, place both hands close together on top of the dough and, rolling back and forth, gradually work your way toward the ends, gently stretching the dough. For the most even shape, it is important to keep a tight skin on the surface of the dough and not to tear it. If you want the edges of the loaf to be smooth, tuck the sides under.

    Step 11

    Place the loaves in the prepared loaf pans; the dough will be about 1/2 inch from the top of the pans. Cover them with a large container, or cover them loosely with oiled plastic wrap, and allow to rise until the center is about 1 inch above the sides of the pan, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When the dough is pressed with a fingertip, the depression will very slowly fill in.

  7. Step 12

    6. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F 45 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it, and a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven, before preheating.

  8. Step 13

    7. Bake the bread. Quickly but gently set the pans on the hot baking stone or hot baking sheet. Toss 1/2 cup of ice cubes into the pan beneath and immediately shut the door. Bake for 50 minutes or until medium golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 210°F). Halfway through baking, turn the pans around for even baking.

  9. Step 14

    8. Glaze and cool the bread. Remove the bread from the oven and set it on a wire rack. Brush the top of the bread with the optional melted butter. Unmold and cool top side up on a wire rack until barely warm, about 1 hour.

  10. ULTIMATE FULL FLAVOR VARIATION

    Step 15

    For the best flavor development, in Step 2, allow the sponge to ferment for 1 hour at room temperature and then refrigerate it for 8 to 24 hours. If using the hand mixing method, remove it from the refrigerator about 1 hour before mixing the dough.

  11. POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

    Step 16

    • If not using the dry milk, you can replace 1 cup of the water with 1 cup milk, preferably nonfat, scalded (brought to the boiling point) and cooled to lukewarm.

  12. UNDERSTANDING

    Step 17

    A greater amount of sponge dough starter (pre-ferment) offers a fuller flavor in this "plain" bread, so almost 50 percent of total amount of flour is used in the sponge, compared to the usual 30 percent of hearth breads.

    Step 18

    If using liquid milk, it is scalded to deactivate the enzyme in it that could make the dough sticky.

    Step 19

    Baking the bread at too high a temperature, would result in too thin a crust, which would cause keyholing, or caving in at the sides of the loaf. Therefore, this bread is baked at 350°F. It is also important for the bread to be thoroughly baked so that the crust is firm enough to prevent it from compressing. The loaves should not be cut until completely cool for the same reason.

  13. THE DOUGH PERCENTAGE

    Step 20

    Flour: 100%
    Water: 66.3% (includes the water in the butter and honey)
    Yeast: 0.74%
    Salt: 2.3%
    Butterfat: 15.9%

Reprinted from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum. Copyright (c) 2003 by Rose Levy Beranbaum. With permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
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  • Cette recette est excellente. Je l’utilise depuis plus d’un an et je fais deux pains à chaque mois, toujours avec une fermentation longue. Je l’ai fais avec de la farine d’épeautre et de blé, dans une proportion de 50% et c’est un succès à tout coup.

    • Anonymous

    • Quebec , Canada

    • 4/22/2020

  • have made this bread at least 5 times in the last month. It is indeed Wonder Bread as it should be. Light full of flavor and disappears quickly. I have taken to replacing 20% of the total flour with a sourdough starter in the first stage (make sure that you adjust the water in the first stage accordingly). Grated that the times have been longer but with the shortage of yeast on the shelves right now it is great. An added plus is that the bread stays fresher longer.

    • joebreadbaker

    • Trenton, NJ

    • 4/15/2020

  • La recette est simple et le résultat est excellent. Je l’ai fait quatre fois à ce jour et le résultat est toujours parfait. J’utilse de la farine tout usage et de la farine de blé biologique dans une proportion 2/3, 1/3. Le pain est goûteux et croustillant.

    • mausergca6881

    • Quebec

    • 2/28/2019

  • Made this precisely according to the recipe. It came out much better than any other recipe I've tried. The dough is quite soft, but I sprayed non stick cooking spray on my hands which made it easy to handle. I'll be making this weekly. I use a very large loaf pan, so I made one large loaf instead of two. Next time, I too, will make the sponge the night before.

    • kwillan

    • Sunny Florida

    • 8/1/2016

  • Hi, It will be my first time doing leavened bread, God willing. I don't have dry milk powder; would you please clarify at which step the lukewarm scalded milk would go in (sponge or dough?). Thanks! :-)

    • saliheen

    • 2/21/2016

  • Great for sandwich, great for toast, freezes well and the texture and taste is awesome!The only bread recipe you will ever need if you follow the directions! Thanks Rose!

    • mdmchanel

    • 1/18/2015

  • I have tried many, many recipes for "sandwich bread" and this one by far is the best in every way. The taste is amazing, it stays fresh for at least three days or more, and it toasts beautifully. I made the starter and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. I followed the recipe exactly except for the oven set up... I sprayed the oven instead and didn't use a sheet pan and it still came out awesome. No need to look any further.... this recipe is a keeper!

    • mdmchanel

    • NYC

    • 1/18/2015

  • Love this recipe. I use a Pullman pan. It yields one loaf with this pan. Has such great flavor and texture. Will definitely be making this instead of store bought.

    • Cousinitt

    • Midland, tx

    • 4/7/2014

  • I tried to follow the directions assiduously, but that isn't what happened. I let the sponge sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours, made the dough the next day, but then made fried chicken for the first time, so it rested for 90 min, not 20. I let it rise the first time for 2 hours, but it was not doubled. Then, for another hour. By then it was midnight and I stuck it in the refrigerator. The next day, I let it warm for 30 min (instead of 1 hour), then baked it. It looked like it rose then fell a bit overnight. Still, the taste was fantastic! The most awesome loaves of bread I have ever made. I didn't even want to share it with friends. I can't wait to make this recipe again. By the way, I froze one loaf and it froze really well.

    • Tanjent

    • Oakland, CA

    • 3/6/2014

  • This is perfect white bread. Follow the directions and you will be thrilled. I really love how her recipes are so precise so they turn out every time.

    • AmyCWelsh

    • Austin, TX

    • 1/8/2014

  • Great bread! I followed the recipe exactly - and left the sponge in the fridge to ferment for about 15 hours. I didn't use any extra flour, but I did lightly oil my hands while working with the dough. The dough was a bit sticky, but not so much that I couldn't work with it! Turned out delicious - soft, moist, perfect. Cooking time was about 10 minutes less than the recipe.

    • Anonymous

    • Cambridge, Ontario

    • 2/14/2013

  • Wow, the smell alone was worth the effort but the taste is incredible, too! I grew up on bland, squishy white bread and this was a revelation. Followed the recipe exactly, weighing ingredients and kneading this very sticky dough by hand. I was pretty worried because the dough was so slack, but it produced a very moist and tender loaf of bread. Follow the instructions as written, without trying to 'fix' it and you'll probably be fine. My one complaint would be that my loaf came out a little too squat for sandwich use. I think I my 8x4.5" bread pan might be out of spec and a bit too large for the dough volume specified.

    • ScottX

    • 2/21/2011

  • I am a busy mother of 3 kids. I love this recipe and so does my family. I can prepare the starter the night before, make the bread in the morning, and it's so much better for us than store bought. I'm a huge allergy sufferer, so the fact that it calls for honey instead of sugar is the entire reason I picked this recipe. Thanks so much!

    • Kpoisso

    • Winnfield, LA

    • 11/14/2010

  • I just had my first slice of this bread and I love it. The only downside is the amount of time it takes to create, about 13 hours from start to finish.

    • c_mcauliffe

    • Ottawa, ON

    • 2/7/2010

  • Unfortunately I'm unable to follow this recipe due to the requirement for regional flours of limited availablity - not sure why the author did not state the particulars of the flours ie mesh, protein content, wheat strain??? corporate sponsorship! Assuming this is typical of the author's book, I'll not order it afterall :-(

    • Ana_

    • Ireland

    • 1/24/2010

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