My simple weekly sandwich bread

Hi all. Although I enjoy sourdough over the past couple of years I've just taken to making simple but delicious sandwich bread. This is a yeast recipe but if you have starter you can substitute it in (just keep in mind your flour/water measurements).

Night before (or 10-12 hours before bake time)

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2.5 cups bread flour
  • 1/2 tsp yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 14 oz water
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey (this may be optional, I'm just a creature of habit)

  • Mix dry ingredients, then add the water/honey and mix until just combined. I just use the handle of one of these, for whatever reason they don't get sticky and more or less act like a dough hook

  • Cover and let rise at least 8 hours room temperature. 8-12 hours is plenty, dough should have expanded at least twice its size

Shape loaf

  • Flour your hands and work surface, scrape contents out of bowl. Pat the dough down gently and then fold it on two sides. Pick up and drop into a greased large loaf pan (this makes enough dough for one large loaf). I grease it with olive oil, butter also works
  • Cover with towel to rise for 1-2 hours

Bake

  • About an hour into rising preheat to 400F. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Done!

I like this recipe because it's quick, easy, and produces damn good sandwich bread. It's not rustic sourdough by any means, but it tastes better than any loaf I'd buy at the store. Sometimes I add a cup of sharp cheddar for cheesy bread, or toss in some raisins or flaxseeds. It's pretty much impossible to mess up.

My usual weekend routine is: Put dough out Friday night, shape in the morning, go grocery shopping. By the time I'm back from the store it's about time to preheat the oven and bake. Done!

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