Essential Sandwich Bread
Makes two 9 x 5in loaves
for the starter
3 1/4 cups flour - all purpose or bread and up to half whole wheat flour*
1 tablespoon honey
11 ounces water, warm
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
for the dough
2 cups flour - all purpose or bread
3 1/2 ounces water
2-4 tablespoons honey**
2-4 tablespoons fat - butter, non-dairy butter, shortening**
1 teaspoon coarse salt
additional flour for shaping
additional fat for greasing the pans
*Feel free to use up to half whole wheat flour in the starter; if you do, consider bread flour for the remainder if you have it. Whole wheat flour can struggle to develop and retain strong gluten formation but bread flour helps to compensate. All Purpose flour is a good fit if all else fails.
**these amounts can be increased or decreased to taste and preference.
Heat water with honey until 110F and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, yeast and water mixture. Process on medium speed until the dough comes together. Remove from mixer, cover with a pot lid and set aside - at least 4 hours or overnight.
Return bowl to stand mixer with dough hook. Add second quantities of flour, water and honey as well as salt and shortening. Turn mixer to medium speed and process until it comes together and looks like dough. Remove hook, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400F and grease loaf pans
Divide dough in half and work with each half in turn as follows:
Turn out onto a floured surface and use your knuckles to distribute any air bubbles within. Roll out to a large rectangle. Fold the top third of the rectangle down and then the bottom third up, like a letter. Starting on the short side, roll dough up - it’s important that this be a secure roll, but shouldn’t be too tight. The roll should be about as long as the loaf pan, but you can roll it on the work surface to extend it to fit. Place seam side down into a greased loaf pan and pat down to fit fully into pan before covering with a damp towel. Allow dough to rise just to the top lip of the pan, about 15-20 minutes.
Using your sharpest knife or a set of kitchen shears, score the top of the loaves - I like to cut 8 X’s in an even grid across the top of each loaf using kitchen shears. This scoring encourages the bread to rise evenly and reduces the likelihood of an uneven or blow-out rise.
Bake 20-35 minutes until golden brown and beautiful - internal temperature 190F. Remove from oven and cool briefly in pan for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and cool completely before slicing.
Store in an airtight container, bread bag or beeswax wrap for up to a week; freeze well-wrapped for up to a few months.