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country white sandwich bread recipe
COUNTRY WHITE SANDWICH
BREAD RECIPE
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by B A K E R B E T T I E // J A N U A R Y 8 , 2 0 2 0
This fluffy country white sandwich bread
is the perfect soft sandwich loaf. This
homemade version of your favorite store
bought fluffy bread is so much better
with fewer ingredients!
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COUNTRY WHITE SANDWICH
BREAD OVERVIEW
Skill Level: Intermediate
Techniques Used: Proofing Yeast,
Straight Dough Method
This classic white bread recipe is one
of my favorite recipes to make. I know
making yeast bread can be
intimidating for some, but it really
doesn’t have to be. This recipe calls for
very few ingredients and I’m going to
walk you through it step-by-step so
that you are successful!
WHAT IS WHITE BREAD MADE FROM?
White bread is made with white flour,
which is wheat flour that has had the
bran and germ removed. In addition to
the white flour, white bread is made
with water, salt, and yeast.
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Sometimes, enriching ingredients are
also added to the bread dough like
milk, sugar, butter, and eggs. This
recipe does use milk, sugar, and butter.
These ingredients add more flavor and
create a softer texture to the bread.
White Sandwich Bread
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IS WHITE BREAD BLEACHED?
Homemade white bread should always
be made with unbleached white flour.
Unbleached white flour has had the
bran and the germ removed which
leaves only the endosperm that is
fairly white in color. Bleaching the
flour weakens the protein structure,
which makes it difficult to build a good
gluten structure with.
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However, some brands of store bought
white bread do use bleached white
flour to make their white bread. They
also add stabilizers to make up for the
weaker protein structure. If you would
like white bread that does not use
bleached flour, it is best to make it at
home.
HOW TO MAKE SANDWICH
BREAD
This sandwich bread is very easy to
make because it uses the straight
dough method, meaning that all of the
ingredients are mixed together at
once and then kneaded.
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STEP 1: PROOF THE YEAST
Combine the warm milk, water, dried
yeast, and a pinch of the sugar. Stir
together and let it sit for about 10
minutes until it looks a little frothy and
bubbles are forming on top.
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This step gives the yeast a little jump
start and also ensures that the yeast is
alive. If you see no activity at all in the
mixture, then likely your yeast is too
old and you need to start over. This
step is technically optional for both
active dry and rapid rise yeast, but it
will get things moving a little faster.
STEP 2: ADD THE REST OF THE
INGREDIENTS
Add the rest of the sugar, the salt, the
butter, and the smallest amount of
flour listed and stir the ingredients
together until all of the flour is
absorbed. It will look very sticky and
shaggy at this point.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured
work surface and begin kneading it.
You can work in as much of the
additional flour as needed during this
process. The dough should always
remain sticky, but it shouldn’t stick to
the counter or to your hands. It will
become more smooth and elastic as
you knead it.
Alternatively, you can knead the
dough in your stand mixer. But I prefer
to do it by hand because you get a
better feel for the dough.
STEP 3: BULK FERMENT (1ST RISE)
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Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl
and turn to coat it. Cover loosely with
plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise
until double in size.
This process allows the yeast to begin
feeding and creating gasses and
alcohol. This will flavor our bread
dough and also start building up the
gasses to leaven it.
STEP 4: SHAPE THE DOUGH
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Gently press the gas out of the dough
and turn it onto a clean work surface.
You shouldn’t need any flour at this
point. If it is too sticky, you can use a
little bit.
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Lay's Crunchy Stuffed Crust
Pizza Hut Nassau
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If you made the full batch of dough,
which makes two loaves, divide the
dough evenly in half. To best
understand how to shape the dough,
the attached video will be helpful. You
want to build tension on the dough
and shape it in a roll so that it rises and
bakes evenly.
Start with the dough in roughly a
rectangular shape. Pull out on the top
two corners of the dough and bring
them into the center, pressing to seal.
Fold the top of the dough over to meat
the seam you created. Repeat this
process two more times. Then roll the
dough over and seal it into a tight roll.
STEP 5: PROOF THE DOUGH (2ND
RISE)
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Lay's Crunchy Stuffed Crust
Pizza Hut Nassau
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Place the risen dough in greased loaf
pans and cover them again to rise. You
want them to rise until the dough is
crowning the pans.
To test if your loaves are ready to be
baked, you can use the dent test. Press
your finger into the dough about 1/2″
in and if the dough springs back
immediately, then it needs to proof a
little bit longer. If it fills in slowly then
it is ready to be baked.
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Lay's Crunchy Stuffed Crust
Pizza Hut Nassau
Open
STEP 6: BAKE THE BREAD
I like the brush the tops of my loaves
with an egg wash (egg whisked with a
bit of water) before baking them. This
will give them a nice golden brown
color and a bit of shine.
Once the loaves are out of the oven,
you want them to cool for at least an
hour (preferably longer) before slicing.
Slicing the bread while its hot will
cause it to stale quickly.
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Lay's Crunchy Stuffed Crust
Pizza Hut Nassau
Open
INGREDIENTS
Milk is the main moisture for the
bread. Milk keeps sandwich bread
nice and soft. I prefer to use whole
milk for the most richness, but you
can use 2%, 1%, or skim milk. You can
also use non-dairy milk if you prefer.
Water is the secondary moisture for
the bread. If we made the bread with
only milk it would be too soft and
fragile. Water helps encourage the
gluten development with the flour,
adding some chew.
Active dry or Rapid rise yeast can be
used for this bread. Yeast is what
leavens the bread and gives it flavor.
Butter helps add some richness and
tenderness to the bread. Fat
shortens gluten strands, so bread
made with butter will have a softer
and more tender structure than
bread made without fat, like a
baguette.
Sugar adds a touch of sweetness to
the bread. It will not taste overly
sweet.
Salt flavors the sandwich bread so it
does not taste bland and it also helps
control the yeast activity so that it
isn’t too active.
Flour is the main structure for the
bread. The proteins found in wheat