Sunday, December 9, 2012

White Sandwich Bread

It took me about five tries to get this bread to look and taste just like Weber's bread.

1 cup water
1/2 - 2/3 cup whole milk (**See Note)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk
3 tablespoons potato flour
15 ounces bread flour (3 cups + 5 teaspoons)
5 ounces cake flour (1 cup + 1 1/2 teaspoons) (I used Swans Down brand) (*See note)
2 teaspoons instant yeast 
  1. Heat water and whole milk to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. If using stand mixer, place warm liquid in mixing bowl.  Add sugar, salt and oil.  Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
  3. In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
  4. Pour flour mixture into liquid and attach to stand mixer.  Attach paddle to mixer, put to stir speed and stir until flour is combined.  Remove paddle attachment and replace with dough hook.  Knead on speed 10 for 5 minutes.  
  5. Place dough in oiled bowl.  Turn dough once to coat on all sides.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let rise until doubled in size.
  6. Remove dough from bowl.  Shape dough into loaf.  Place in baking pan.  Let rise again until doubled.  (What I do is I shape my dough into a 13 x 10 rectangle and roll up jelly-roll style on the long side.  I pinch the seam closed and place loaf seam side down in my pan.  I have a Pullman loaf pan that I use, but you can shape bread in whatever size pan you have on hand.)
  7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit covered for 25 minutes then uncover and bake for an additional 25 minutes.  Bread should be done when it comes away from sides of pan and should sound hollow when tapped.  (If lid doesn't slide off, just leave on for rest of baking time.)
  8. Remove from baking pan.  Let cool on cooling rack.  Do not slice bread warm.  It will tear.
Makes a 1 1/2-pound loaf.

*Using cake flour makes the bread extra soft, just like sandwich bread you would buy at the store.
**During hot/humid weather use 1/2 cup milk.  During cold/winter weather use 2/3 cup milk.

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