Sandwich Bread

In the quest to eat whole, we have been making lots of our own things. Bread topped the list to master. I’ve been making a lot of sour doughs that go well with soup and pasta, but I still need a nice “sandwich bread” if you will. This is the type of loaf that is soft and fluffy, yet sliceable and will hold up to sandwich toppings. I’ve tried a lot of recipes and here is one of my favorite. The loaf is still not getting as tall as I would like, but I might just switch to a slightly smaller pan.

Do you have a good sandwich bread recipe that is whole wheat?

The King Arthur Flour Company has a whole grains cookbook that my mom told me to check out… it’s on hold at the library as we speak! To tide me over while I wait though I looked up some of their recipes online. They had a great looking whole wheat sandwich bread recipe that I tried and it didn’t quite work like I thought it should. So here is my adaptation from their recipe.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

2 T. orange juice

1 cup lukewarm water

1 T. yeast

2 T. honey

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1/4 c. olive oil

1 t. salt

4 + cups whole wheat flour

In your stand mixer bowl combine the first 7 ingredients (OJ through salt) and 1 cup of the flour. Mix with the dough hook for 5 minutes to get the gluten going. The OJ is important… the acid is supposed to break down some of the roughness of the whole wheat – don’t leave it out… Gradually add the rest of your flour, one cup at a time until you have reached 4 cups. Let the dough knead in the bowl for 4 or 5 minutes. After that kneading is through, turn off the mixer and feel the dough. It should be tacky without sticking to your hands. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour until if doesn’t stick.

Once the proper constancy is reached, place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After dough has risen, form your loaf and place it in a well buttered loaf pan and let it rise for 1 hour. 15 minutes before dough is done rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes and then lightly cover with foil so that the top doesn’t brown too much. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes with the foil on. Wait at least 30 minutes before slicing.