Homemade White Sandwich Bread

When making bread, bear in mind that the quantity of flour listed is always approximate. A lot will depend on the protein content of the flour used, the temperature and humidity of baking day and how the flour was measured. Learn to rely on the "feel" of the dough. It shouldn't be sticky and it shouldn't be dry and crumbly. It should feel elastic and smooth. Stop adding flour when your dough gets to that point, regardless of what the recipe says you should add.

In Canada, the most common yeast brand available is Fleischmann's. Pick up their Bread Machine yeast, which is how they label their Instant Yeast. (It's a better choice than their "Quick Rise" labelled yeast, as it is designed for quick, single-rise breads and doesn't work as well in breads that need a longer, slower rise. If it's all you have around though, it will work fine with this bread).

ingredients

Makes two 1-1/2 pound loaves

2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. instant yeast (also known as Bread Machine Yeast)
1/2 cup wheat bran
2 tsp. kosher salt
Approx. 6 cups bread or all-purpose flour (I love Robin Hood Unbleached All Purpose Flour)

method

Warm the water and butter in a glass bowl or measuring cup in the microwave until just warmed. The butter doesn't have to be completely melted. It will mix just fine into the dough later on. Test it with your finger before adding to be sure it's not too hot. You should be able to comfortably leave your finger in it.

Place the instant yeast in the bowl of stand mixer with 3 cups of the flour, the wheat bran, sugar and the salt. (See note below if you don't have a stand mixer.) Combine thoroughly with the dough hook. Add the water/butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Begin adding the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments until the dough forms a cohesive ball. Knead for 5-6 minutes with your stand mixer using the dough hook, at speed 2.

Remove dough to a lightly floured suftace, round dough out, then place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I place my bowl in the oven with only the oven light turned on for the first 15 minutes or so.

When dough has doubled, punch down dough, divide in half, and form into two loaves. (If you have a scale, I like to weigh each piece to make sure they are pretty much equal weight. They will cook more evenly that way). To form the loaf, just flatten each piece of dough out to a rectangle, then roll it up, being sure to seal it tightly while rolling to increase the surface tension on the final loaf. Pinch the seal, turn under the ends, and place loaves in well greased 8x4 or 9x5 loaf pans. Cover with oiled plastic wrap to rise for another 35 minutes. Dough should have risen at least slightly over the top of the pan or a bit more. It will rise more as it cooks.

Bake at 375° F. for about 27 minutes, or until browned and hollow-sounding when tapped. Remove from baking pan right away and cool on a cooling rack. If desired, you can brush some butter onto the top. This bread makes a soft crust and it slices beautifully and easily for sandwich-size slices.

This bread freezes beautifully. Simply allow to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and then put into a freezer bag. Allow to defrost at room temperature, in the bag.

*Note: If you don't have a stand mixer, simply combine ingredients in a large bowl and add ingredients as instructed, mixing together with a wooden spoon. If the last bit of flour is too hard to mix in with a spoon, remove dough to a flour surface and knead in the last bit of flour. Knead dough for about 10 minutes.

Adapted from a FreshLoaf.com recipe