One of my very favorite smells in the whole world is the smell of bread baking. It just feel so comforting and cozy and just like home. I am also a huge fan of making sandwiches for the family. And when I say making sandwiches I mean a whole dang stacked up perfectly crafted flavor combo sandwiches. A key piece of the perfect sandwich is fresh baked bread. This recipe for Easy Homemade Sandwich Bread is one you are definitely going to want to pin, save, bookmark, print and just make sure you have handy.
This bread has a really good mix of soft center and sturdy crust making it just might for a stacked sandwich. It also toasts up really nicely for a grilled cheese style sandwich. One thing to note- when you make fresh scratch made bread it is not going to have all the shelf stabilizers and preservatives that a loaf off the shelf at the grocery has. That means it will not last as long. So if your family won’t use up two whole loaves quickly enough, you may consider halving the recipe.
Substitutes and Variations:
Once you have made this recipe a few times you can start to add in things like whole grains and seeds. Always consider the moisture content of anything you add to a baked good and adjust accordingly. You can also use wheat flour in place of the bread flour, just confirm your ratios prior to adding.
Suggestions for Sides:
This bread is so good for a Club sandwich. It is amazing for a grilled ham and cheese. And you will love it in a roast beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut creation.
Tools that may make this recipe easier:
You will of course need bread pans for this recipe. I do love the shape of an open baked loaf but if you want those perfect square loaves, consider getting the style of loaf pan that has the top to slide on. They are fun to make pretty sandwiches. Another tool I would suggest having if you are going to make bread often – a meat Slicer. You can set it to the exact thickness you want and get every slice exactly the same. It helps with presentation and waste.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Easy Homemade Sandwich Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Warm Water
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 1 tbsp Dry Active Yeast
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Butter softened
- 5 cups Bread Flour
Instructions
- Add water and sugar to the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Swirl to dissolve the sugar. Then add the yeast. Allow to bloom and become foamy (about 5 minutes).
- Add in three cups of flour, the salt and butter. Mix on medium low until completely combined. Then add remaining flour, half a cup at a time. Continue to mix until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- If your mixer has a dough hook, remove the mixing paddle and install the dough hook. Then knead the dough for about 5 minutes on medium. Once the dough is in a nice ball, remove the mixing bowl from the stand mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until double in size (about 2 hours) in a warm spot. If it is colder where you are, place the bowl in your oven with just the oven light on.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and remove it from the bowl on to a lightly floured surface. Split the dough into two equal pieces and gently knead into two loaves.
- Add the dough to two parchment paper lined bread pans. Again cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350degF. Remove plastic wrap from the loaf pans and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the loaf pans using the parchment paper and allow to cool on a baking rack before slicing.
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Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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This sounds really good and pretty simple. I may have to try this!