White Sandwich Bread

If you’ve noticed a decrease in blog activity lately…we have a good excuse! Stephanie went and got married and Kelly was there alongside her! We’ve got a bachelorette trip to New Orleans to recap plus we have TONS of wedding pics to share with you. Kelly also moved and Steph has a honeymoon to go on…but we promise soon to have more regular recipes for you! For now though…this bread.

When I told my husband (!!! – what?! That’s so weird to say) what I was making, he kept asking “So you’re making bread. Just…plain white bread?”. I told him to be quiet and be patient, because it would be worth the wait. And what can I say…I was right. *Insert sassy girl emoji here*

In all seriousness, this bread really is delicious. There is something so comforting about simplicity. With a soft white center and a golden brown crust, this is the ultimate every day bread. It could be used for avocado toast at breakfast, with a sandwich at lunch, as garlic bread alongside dinner, with some strawberry jam for dessert…it’s perfect! If you somehow manage to have leftovers, it could even be turned into croutons.

While baking bread still intimidates me a little, it’s slowly becoming one of my favorite things to bake. It’s amazing to me that in such few steps and with such few ingredients you can have fresh, homemade bread. And without much work! Give this bread a try. If you’re anything like me, it will be gone before you know it!

~Stephanie

White Sandwich Bread (from Baking Illustrated, pages 74-75)

• 3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 c warm whole milk
• 1/3 c warm water
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 envelope instant yeast

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Maintain temperature for 10 minutes, then turn off oven (this will be used to proof the dough later on)
2. Mix the flour and salt in the stand mixer bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, water, butter, honey and yeast. Turn the mixer on (with the dough hook attachment) and slowly pour the liquid in. Increase speed to medium and mix until a smooth ball forms. If dough is too sticky, slowly add up to 1/4c more flour.
3. Remove dough and knead into a ball on a lightly floured surface.
4. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in warm oven until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
5. Form dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick and 9 inches long (the size of your loaf pan). With long side facing you, roll dough towards you into a tight cylinder. Pinch the edges together and place the dough seam side down in a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Press down gently so dough touches all four sides.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
7. Boil 2 cups of water and pour into a separate baking pan. Place this on the lowest rack in the oven. Place the loaf on the middle rack, and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. The dough should be golden brown and a thermometer will read ~195 degrees.
8. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.