The Best Soft Sandwich Bread Ever

Because of how soft this bread is, I highly recommend waiting until it is completely cool to slice.  Yum!

After much anticipation...

Why is a good sandwich bread recipe so hard to find?!  I've been working on this one for a while now...  um, like a year.  I am happy to announce that I finally have it tweaked and tested thoroughly enough to publish and share.  My mom-in-law says it may be the best sandwich bread she has ever tasted.  I have to humbly agree.  It is soft and moist (even the crust is soft), but it holds together nicely - not crumbly like so many homemade sandwich breads.  It also incorporates whole wheat.

Why I do this blog and how I go about it

Allow me to digress momentarily.  Most of the recipes on this blog are things that family and friends request copies of, once they've tasted something I've made.  That is how I got started with the whole thing.  My recipe blog is; a) my favorite way to permanently document the research that goes on in my kitchen; and b) the perfect way to share my results with friends and family.  You might misplace the link to my blog, but it's going to be a heck of a lot easier to find than an old email you forgot to save, or a recipe card that accidentally got put in the wrong file; or worse yet, sat forgotten at the bottom of your purse until it was illegible.  Plus, I only have to write it once!  How many times over the years I had to ask my mom for the recipe for my aunt's dinner rolls and grandma's peach cobbler...  she was so patient!  I wish I could thank her right now.

Seems like I have a bazillion drafts in the works.  They will all be published someday, but not until I feel like they're ready.  I have to make each recipe according to the directions I've written (I try not to cheat and go from memory) multiple times before I feel comfortable publishing it,.  This is why I wouldn't want to try to write a full-time blog yet (too busy with the R&D), and why you don't see ads on my blog, or me trying to make money from it as of yet.  If I ever get all these drafts published, figure out some other technical design issues I still need to learn about, and polish my photography skills, it will be worth something!!!  hahaha

One of the important things I have to work out, is finding a good printable recipe card attachment so y'all can print the recipes right from here.  Not as easy as it sounds - at least not on Blogger/Blogspot.  From what I understand, all the good ones are on WordPress, and I'm not ready to go there yet.  I thought I finally found one, but I can't even get the site to load.  Big bummer.  I'll still keep my eye out though, I'm not ready to give up.

Another big deal I need to figure out, is the pinterest thing.  I still don't get how that works, even though I see that someone has pinned my recipes from time to time - hehe.  Yes, I'm behind the times.

I do have to admit that I'd rather be spending my time in the kitchen, than figuring out the technical computer coding stuff.  I admire those that have the knack for it!

OK, now that I have that off my chest, here's the recipe.

The Recipe

Makes 2 large loaves

Ingredients

3 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 tsp yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp sea salt or kosher salt - not table salt please
1/3 cup grape seed oil
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup - important that you use a liquid "sugar".  Don't substitute granulated.
4 tsp white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

Procedure

1. Make a "sponge".

This is an important step in getting the right texture for the finished product.  Combine the first 4 ingredients until well mixed in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Cover, and allow it to stand for at least 1/2 hour.  It should look very bubbly.

2. Add the remaining ingredients.

Add the remaining ingredients to the "sponge" in the mixing bowl and mix well on low speed with the dough hook attachment.  Once all the ingredients are well combined, mix on med-low to medium speed for about 10 minutes to knead the dough.  It should be a tiny bit sticky but smooth and elastic.  Add more bread flour or water as necessary to achieve this consistency.

3. Let it rise.

Shape the dough into a large ball and transfer to a large bowl that has been lightly oiled - rolling it over to coat it in oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size - usually about 2 hours, but check it after 1 hour has passed.  In winter, I like to let it rise in my oven that has been preheated at 350F for exactly 1 minute.  That gives it the perfect temp on cold days.

4. Prep your pans.

There is nothing worse than going through all the steps for a perfect loaf of bread, and then find out at the very end, you accidentally missed a spot when you greased your pans and you can't get the loaf out and you're not sure where it is stuck.  Therefore, it is totally worth the effort to line the pans with parchment, I've been doing this for many years for anything I bake in a loaf pan.  I find that I can often reuse the paper up to 3 times.  Another big bonus with the homemade loaf bread using this method, is that the parchment forms a sort of collar, so I don't get as much of the usual homemade loaf bread "hangover" on the sides by going through this step.  Commercial sandwich bread is baked in special pans called "boxcars" that prevent the "hangovers".

There are a few different approaches to this, but my favorite is this:  1) Center the loaf pan on a 1/2 sheep of parchment paper and mark all 4 corners of the pan with a non-toxic marker, such as a sharpie.  2)  Remove the pan from the parchment and draw lines outward toward the corners of the parchment, but ending on either side of the corners, as shown.  3)  Cut along the lines.  4)  Line the pans with the parchment as shown - be sure the printed side of the paper is against the pan to avoid ink being transferred to the bread during cooking.  5)  Spray the parchment with cooking spray.  I either use Trader Joe's coconut oil cooking spray, or rice bran oil in my Misto oil sprayer.  Click here to find the oil sprayer if you don't own one.  I won't use the readily-available canola oil spray for various reasons that belong in a different post.  Another option is to brush the inside of the parchment with a silicone pastry brush dipped in the oil of your choice.

Mark the corners with a non-toxic marker

Draw lines outward from the corners of the pan marks to the corners of the parchment

Cut along the lines

Line the pan and spray or brush with oil

5. Punch the dough down.

Another very important step in getting the right consistency in your finished product.  Some breads are even better with big air holes in them, but standard sandwich loaf bread isn't one of them.  The idea here is to remove as much of the air that has made it rise as possible.  You can either do it in the bowl it rose in, or on a lightly oiled counter.

6. Divide in half and weigh.

Next to the stand mixer, a kitchen scale is one of the most important tools to have when it comes to baking.  Whether it's to weigh ingredients for large batches, or consistently-sized dough portions.

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces.  Each loaf will weigh approximately 1 lb 13 oz before baking.

7. Shape the loaves.

Press each piece into a rectangle and then roll it up fairly tightly.  Tuck the ends under as you put it into the prepared loaf pan.  Push down firmly all over, especially taking care to push it into the corners.  Try to get it as level and even in the pan as you possibly can.

8. Let the loaves rise (again).

The second rising won't take as long as the first one did, and you're not necessarily looking to have it double in size.  Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until they dome about 1 inch above the sides of the pans.  Somewhere between 30-45 minutes.

9. Bake the bread.

Another secret to ending up with a softer crust is to not preheat the oven.  Remove the plastic wrap, and place the two loaf pans on a sheet pan.  Put them in the oven with the rack a little above halfway up (or, if you were letting them rise in the oven, as I almost always do, just turn it on after removing the plastic wrap).  Turn the oven to 350F and let them bake for about 45 minutes.  Rotate the pan by turning it 180 degrees after 30 minutes have passed.  They are done when they are golden brown on top and bottom, and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped with your fingernails.  This is another step (checking for doneness) that the parchment is invaluable for, in order to do properly.  The loaves just slide right out.

10.  Cool the loaves thoroughly.

This bread is so soft, that I highly recommend cooling it thoroughly before trying to slice it.  I know it is super-tempting to have a nice warm slice straight out of the oven, but it won't be worth it, trust me on this one.  If you want to warm it back up after it is sliced, that's OK, but avoid the temptation and your patience will be rewarded.

11.  Slice like a pro.

I know I spend a lot of time talking about important equipment, but I'm a professional - investing in the right equipment is my life.  I find many home cooks want this info, but it isn't always widely available.  Point being, this bread is going to be almost impossible to slice properly if you don't have a good bread knife!  I like my classic sandwich bread sliced fairly thin, and a good serrated bread knife is the only way to achieve that end.  You don't have to spend an arm and a leg.  Just be sure it's 10" or longer and serrated.  I usually get what comes in the display at the restaurant supply store, or I buy it on Amazon.

Before you make each slice, take your time setting the knife in place.  Check it all around in relation to the loaf.  I always start in the middle of the loaf and slice it in half, then I work from the middle out (as shown in the first pic).  Be sure the knife is level, and in line with the ends of the loaf.  As you slice, focus on where you want the blade to end up - at the bottom of the loaf, instead of looking at the knife as you go.  It's kind of like keeping your eye on the ball when you are trying to hit it with the baseball bat.  If you look at the bat, you're going to miss the ball - same idea.

Enjoy!

Once the bread is cooled and sliced, place it in a plastic bag for storage, I find that produce bags work very well for these very large loaves, I buy them by the roll at the restaurant supply store.  I also reuse gently used clean ones from the grocery store.  Since there are no preservatives in this recipe, you'll want to refrigerate it after about a day.  No worries, this bread stays soft and fresh tasting for days after making it, even after being in the refrigerator.  That's one of the things I love about this recipe!  You also might want to put the second loaf straight in the freezer if you won't be using it right away.

I hear some roasted turkey breast and avocado calling my name...