FAILPROOF White Sandwich Bread (almost No-knead)

The core ingredient of any good sandwich is GOOD BREAD. and there's nothing better than homemade bread!
This recipe teaches a simple and fail-proof method of making deliciously simple White Sandwich Bread at home using basic ingredients.
And, it's almost a no-knead recipe (almost).

Supplies

INGREDIENTS for 1 loaf of bread-

• 450 g (3.5 cups) Flour
• 150 ml milk and 150 ml water (50:50 total 1.25 cups)
• 44 g (3.5 tbsp) sugar
• 9 g salt (1.5 tsp) salt
• 4.5 g (1.5 tsp) yeast
• 50 g (3.5 tbsp) butter

HARDWARE-

• bread loaf pan (9" x 4.5")
• large mixing bowl
• wooden spatula

SUBSTITUTIONS-

• If you don't have Bread flour, just use All Purpose Flour
• Instead of 50:50 milk and water, if want to be extra indulgent you can use 300 ml of milk. If you don't want to use milk at all, you can just use 300 ml of plain water.
• Instead of sugar you can use 2 tbsp honey/ maple syrup
• Instead of butter you can use vegetable oil
• If you don't have a bread loaf pan, you can make it on a normal baking sheet. Grease the pan thoroughly, shape the dough into a football shape and place it seam side down and bake for only 30 minutes.

Step 1: Blooming the Yeast

Blooming/ Activating/ Proofing the yeast is a step to ensure that the yeast is active and functional.

To do this -

• Heat your milk and water till it's tepid warm. Not hot, just slightly warm.
• To this add the sugar, salt and yeast. Mix thoroughly and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Once it becomes bubbly, it means it's proofed and activated!
(If you have a fresh packet of yeast which is well within it's expiry period, you can skip this step completely and directly mix everything together in the next step)

Step 2: Bulk Mixing and Autolyse

In a big mixing vessel, combine the activated yeast liquid, flour and butter and mix thoroughly with the handle of a wooden spoon till it becomes a sticky and shaggy mess. Cover and leave it aside for an hour.

This process is called AUTOLYSING.

During autolysing, the flour gets hydrated, activating enzymes that stimulate the proteins to start the gluten development. It makes the dough easier to work with and is what saves you from kneading the dough too much.

If you live in an area with a warm climate like I do, the dough will start fermenting and rise greatly in the autolyse stage as well.

Step 3: Mini-knead and 1st Proofing

After about an hour, the dough will be super soft. Remove from the bowl and gently knead the dough for just 5 minutes.

WAIT for 15 minutes.

Let the dough take a breath.

Knead again for 5 minutes.

This mini knead helps gluten formation and even fermentation of the dough. The dough should be smooth by now and will no longer stick to your hands and fingers.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and keep aside for 30 mins to 1 hour (till the dough basically doubles in size) in a warm corner of the kitchen or inside the oven with only the light-bulb on. The yeast activates and the fermentation starts in our bread, and the carbon dioxide produced will lead to the dramatic increase in the size of the dough.

Step 4: Shaping the Loaf and 2nd Proofing

Grease your bread loaf pan with butter on all sides.

After your dough has doubled in size, remove it and falcon punch it. Seriously, punch it till you deflate the dough completely. Remove all your anger on it, it is after all the most therapeutic step of the whole process.

Now, shape the dough with your fingers into a rectangle, flatten the dough to the width of your bread loaf pan. Tightly start rolling the dough from one end till you get a log roll.

Pinch the seams shut and place it seam side down in your (greased) bread loaf pan and gently press down onto the dough to evenly distribute it in the pan. Cover and let it proof again till doubled in size (45 minutes).

To know if the dough is proofed, touch the side of the dough lightly with your fingertip. If the indentation remains, the loaf is ready for the oven.

Step 5: BAKING and Waiting

After the 2nd proofing, gently transfer the loaf pan containing the dough to an oven (preheated to 200°C/ 390°F for 20 minutes) and bake for 30 - 45 minutes till it gets a beautiful golden colour on top. To Check if the loaf is baked, tap the top of the loaf on the crust. A hollow sound means it's ready to be taken out!

Remove and brush the top with butter.

NOW LET THE LOAF COOL FOR 30 MINUTES.

(Don't cut the bread immediately after taking it out of the oven. Letting it cool is essential. Cutting it early will release all the moisture that has built up in the loaf while baking, and this will make it chewy and gummy on the inside and make the bread go dry faster).

Step 6: Make Those Sandwiches!

After waiting for an eternity (30 minutes), Cut the bread and enjoy the fruits of your labour!

If you liked this simple guide on baking delicious sandwich bread at home, please do vote for it in the 'Sandwich Challenge'. Thank you!

Comments

[tlebsack]

This is informative and well done. I think even I can do this. Question: I'm interested in making a loaf that doesn't have the post-bake overhang from the sides of the pan (not sure the actual term). It seems obvious but do I just 1) put less dough into the pan, or 2) use a pan with higher sides ??

[Gaurieie]

I'm sure you can bake your bread too, it's easier than it looks!
For preventing overhangs, I guess it'll be better to use lesser quantity of dough.
I've even heard of bread tins that are covered on all four sides (with one side being a sliding wall).
Let me know of the results of how your bread turns out!

[lbarrios0123]

In fact it is called pullman bread I use your recipe in these molds too, I just modified it to yield 1 kilo of dough, which is what fits in the pullman mold.

[lbarrios0123]

Me encantó la receta, sustituí el azúcar por miel. quedó espectacular.
I loved the recipe, I substituted honey for the sugar and it turned out spectacular.

[wmdeutermann]

Great recipe, you have my vote!
Far too sweet for my family's taste though. Is the sugar necessary, or is it there as an "acellerant" for the yeast?
I would like to try it without the sugar. Would that worl?

[aysesevil]

Strangely enough, I once forgot to add the sugar and the dough doubled in size regardless. I never intentionally left it out but maybe i'll give it a try.

[wenjeanroy]

44grams of sugar or 3.5 tablespoons is this correct lovely bread but very sweet more likebrioche

[Gaurieie]

It's the recipe I always use.
if you found it too sweet, you can always reduce the sugar the next time you bake it.
Or even substitute sugar for honey!

[wmdeutermann]

I tried it with a beautiful light honey from a fellow bee keeper's hive. Very nice flowery honey, probably pure river birch or honey locust. If you use honey you might want to reduce it fom the recipe amount, as honey is sweeter than sugar. My suggestion is, if you don't want a sweet bread, cut back on the sugar. I am going to try it with 0 sugar, but that might not be what you are looking for.
Also, when proofing the yeast I don't add salt until just before I add the flour and other ingredients. Salt inhibits the yeast.

[BruceH103]

I made this bread today with great success. It is a little salty but I will just reduce the amount next time. I had to use a little more flour but that is normal in bread making depending on the flour used and the moisture in the atmosphere and other things. You have to judge by texture, keeping the dough as moist as possible but still be able to handle it so that it is not too tough and dry. I make bread all of the time and do not use a recipe but I tried this recipe because of the technic of separating the kneading times. It works. I did use my standup Kitchen Aid mixer for the Kneading. Little work that way. I am very happy to have discovered this kneading technique after all of these years of making bread. I will most certainly continue to make this bread with this recipe and kneading technique. Thanks for this recipe, it is hard to teach old dogs new tricks, but you did!

[Gaurieie]

I'm really glad you liked this recipe,
This compliment means a lot coming form someone with as much experience as you!

[urvikseth]

I made it....so amazing!! Thank you for this recipe.
2 people finished the bread in 17hrs😁

[Gaurieie]

I'm glad you liked this recipe.
And yes I agree that fresh home-baked bread is irresistible!

[Crayz4life]

Dough was way too wet using the metric measurements. Had to keep adding flour to get it to a point that it could be kneaded. Came out very salty. Maybe because my butter was salted, so 9 more grams of salt made it unedible. Looked good, tasted bad. Pitched it in the bin. Starting over.

[smartrem]

66% of hydration seems fine to me. You shouldn't add flour as you change the recipe and you don't knead it as much. Start with less water and add it little by little to see how you flour absorbs it. If you get into bread making you'll find out too much water is never a problem, some people make incredible bread with 100% hydration! Keep practicing and tell us how you go

[Gaurieie]

Thank you!
Yes, a little extra water is never an issue.
And as they say, try try try till you succeed!

[Gaurieie]

This dough actually does not have too much hydration.
It may seem wet at first, but after the first proofing it should be alright. If not, you can always knead a little more.
But never add more flour, it changes the proportions. Just kneading the dough more should always correct it.
And yes, if you're using salted butter, then add less external salt.
If using unsalted butter, then add the whole 9 g of salt.

[AngelaR121]

Would this work with wholemeal strong, or half white, half wholemeal? It looks so yummy, but OH won't eat white bread. Thanks.

[Gaurieie]

I'm sorry I don't know.
I haven't tried it with anything other than all purpose flour.
But you can try it by substituting one fourth of the AP flour with the flour of your choice.

[AussieAlf]

Well i followed your recipe to the letter following your metric measurements and i didn't find it too salty at all, so i guess we all have different tastes. Probably should have kept an eye on my bread as it was slightly overdone, but none the less still tasted great.
All the best in the comp.
Cheers