I’ve never really been a fan of sliced white sandwich bread. It’s just too hard to find a good loaf that isn’t over-processed and is flavorful and has texture and doesn’t turn gummy when you eat it. A great loaf of white bread should make a terrific grilled cheese or tuna sandwich. It should be moist and tender but dense enough to hold up to fillings, have flavor, and make yummy buttery toast. So I set out to make a recipe that met all those criteria, and after some trial and error, I think I finally got it.
Make sure you use instant yeast (also called rapid rise), which is different than active dry. Instant yeast doesn’t need to proof like active dry yeast does (“proofing” means the yeast has to be mixed with a warm liquid in order to activate) and can be put directly into the flour mixture. It’s a lot easier to use than active dry, and there’s less risk of things going awry during the proofing. You can, of course, swap out active dry for instant, just make sure you proof the yeast in the warm milk mixture, which should be between 105 to 115F.
I hope you give this bread a chance! I promise, it won’t disappoint.
Recipe: White Sandwich Bread
Makes 1 loaf
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Ingredients:
- 1 lb unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup water
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Instructions:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, stir together the flour, yeast, and salt. Melt 2 tbsp butter and the honey together in a saucepan, then add the milk and water, stirring just until the mixture warms to 110°F (it will happen quickly!). Add the warm liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together; increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, stopping the machine a few times to scrape dough from the hook, if necessary, about 10 minutes.
