Cooking came as a secondary love to me. Baking was always my first. When I was younger, I cooked because I had to and I may as well have made it interesting. But I baked because it helped me feel connected to the people in my life (you'll never convince me that feeding others isn't the 6th love language), myself, and helped me build self-confidence through experimentation.
A solid sandwich bread is a must in our house. Sandwiches, toast, breadcrumbs, croutons, or straight up bread and butter—loaves only last about a day or two for our family. When I need a delicious same-day bread, this is the one I make almost every time. The majority of the time needed is hands-off (rising and baking time), so you're really only putting in about 15-20 minutes of actual work. Before you know it, your whole house smells like bread and your family is chowing down on bread that only contains six basic, clean ingredients.
Notes
- Flour Variations: Some people play with spices; I like to play with flours. If you have any random flours in your pantry, like rye or different styles of wheat, substitute ½ cup into this recipe for some fun, subtle flavor changes. It may change the way the loaf behaves, but likely not enough to make it fail. Just pay attention to the hydration and whether or not you need more or less flour. Some flours hydrate more quickly than others.
- Pan Variations: If you want to make your loaf more like the conventional, store-bought loaf shape, you can use a 13x4 Pullman pan (you don't need a cover). You will need to increase all the ingredients in this recipe by ⅓ to compensate for the different volume, and execute it the same way. You'll end up with a longer, more square loaf.
Storage
Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 4-5 days. You can also wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for another time. Just leave it out on the counter for a few hours to thaw.
FAQ
Either. The only difference is that active yeast is often "bloomed" by putting it in a portion of your warm water for 5-10 minutes so it can activate. You can set aside ½ cup of warm water from the recipe if you wish to do this. But both instant and active yeast will work here.
Related
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Grace Says:
To avoid nonstick sprays that contain silicone and other chemicals, just use the spent butter wrapper to grease your pan.
📖 Recipe
Legacy Kitchen Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast, or one packet
- 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
- ⅛ cup sugar or honey
- ½ Tbl kosher salt
- 2 Tbl butter, softened
- ~5 cups flour, all-purpose or bread (can replace 1 cup with whole wheat for flavor)
- 2 Tbl melted butter for brushing
Instructions
- Add flour, sugar, salt, butter, and yeast to a large bowl, ensuring that the butter is broken into small pieces for better distribution. Stir or whisk to blend.2 ¼ teaspoon yeast, or one packet, ⅛ cup sugar or honey, ½ Tbl kosher salt, 2 Tbl butter, softened, ~5 cups flour, all-purpose or bread
- Add the water last, and mix with a dough hook or by hand until the dough comes together and the moisture level is right. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky.1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
- Continue to knead with dough hook or turn out and knead by hand until dough is smooth and soft, about 7-10 minutes.
- Place the dough ball in an oiled bowl (you can use the same one you mixed in). Set aside to rise for 45 minutes-1 hour, until doubled.
- Turn the risen dough out on a lightly floured surface and gently knock some of the air out. Shape the loaf, and put it into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Set aside for a second prove, about 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- When the dough is risen, brush the top with the melted butter and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and a temperature probe reads 190℉ when stuck into the center of the loaf.2 Tbl melted butter
- Let the loaf rest in the pan for 10 minutes until turning out. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!