Do you ever go to the store and get the perfect sandwich bread, and you just wonder how they make it so good?
Well I am going to tell you how to make that perfect store-bought bread or bread from the bakery that you love.
It will save you some money, and what’s better than homemade bread, never mind homemade sandwich bread or a homemade bread recipe in general.
There really isn’t anything better than fresh bread that’s warm.
There are many different types of breads that you could like with your sandwich. There’s sourdough bread, whole wheat bread, white bread, wonder bread, and many more. I am going to be showing you how to make a couple of my personal favorite breads.
White Loaf:
This is a classic white sandwich bread that is perfect for making a classic sandwich. The soft fluffy bread always makes the sandwich; it’s the most important part. This loaf will make around 16 slices of bread.
Ingredients
-2 cups of warm water
-1/2 cup granulated white sugar
-1 1/2 tablespoons of active dry yeast
-1/4 cup of unsalted butter
-1 tablespoon of kosher salt
-6 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
Instructions
- Start by combining the water, sugar, and yeast into a bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Whisk until combined, and then let the yeast sit for 3-5 minutes. Add in the melted butter and salt, and then mix that together as well.
- Slowly add the flour, one cup at a time, to the mixer and let the kitchen aid knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. The dough will be thick. Put the dough on a clean work space and need it for 1-2 minutes or until it is smooth.
- Place your dough into a lightly oiled bowl with olive oil or any other oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit for 1 hour until it has doubled in size. Preheat your oven to 365 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly spray two 9×2 inch pans with grease.
- Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and split the dough into two equal pieces. Press the dough into a rectangle the width of the pan, then roll the dough into a log and place it seam-side down in the pan. Repeat this process for the second loaf.
- Let the dough rise at room temperature for another 1 hour, covered with a kitchen towel. The bread should be ready to go into the oven when it has risen about 1/2 inch above the pan.
- Bake the bread for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through for even cooking. The two loaves should be golden brown on the top. Let them cool for 5 minutes then tip them out of the pan. Enjoy this perfect white sandwich bread that is fluffy and delicious, it will really make your sandwich!
Sourdough Bread:
Sourdough bread is a delicious bread for sandwiches. It has that crunch to it! Personally, I think it is the best with grilled cheese. It is always a great option since it is one of the healthier options of bread and good for your gut.
Studies have shown that if you are gluten free and eat sourdough bread you are less likely to get a stomach ache or get sick from it. That is because of their fermentation process, sourdough fermentation for a long time which causes all the bacteria to get eaten away.
Although, I would say that sourdough is a bread that is on the harder side to make but you are totally capable. There are simple ingredients as it does not call for instant yeast.
Ingredients
-Sourdough starter, must be active and bubbly (If you do not have one there is plenty of recipes you can use on the internet or you can buy one)
-Flour, a mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour
-water
-Salt
Instructions
- Start by combining in a bowl one cup of the sourdough starter, one and a half cups of water, and 4 cups of flour, then mix that until combined. A shaggy, thick dough should form. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
- After the thirty minutes is over, add two teaspoons of salt to the dough and mix until it is fully incorporated. Knead the dough either by hand or with a standard mixer until it has become smooth. This kneading process will take around 10 minutes.
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with either a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for 4-12 hours. It should have doubled in size by the time the 4-12 hours is up.
- Put your dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a loaf shape or oval. Place the dough ball into a proofing basket or a bowl lined with a floured cloth. Cover for another 2-4 hours until it has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a Dutch oven, put it inside the oven to heat up as well. Put your dough carefully onto a piece of parchment paper and score the top of the dough with a sharp knife or blade.
- Transfer the dough on the parchment paper into your preheated Dutch oven and then cover it with a lid and bake it for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes. The crust should be a deep golden brown when it is done.
- Take the bread out and let it sit for an hour before cutting into it and slicing. I overall think the process of this bread is pretty doable. It just has a lot of steps but you are capable of doing them. Make sure to try out this recipe and enjoy!
Whole Wheat Bread:
Whole wheat bread is one of my favorite breads, especially the Cheesecake Factory one. It has a sweet taste to it but not too sweet that it’s like a dessert. It’s another pretty simple bread to make and it goes great on anything from stuff like sandwiches to peanut butter or even just plain butter.
Ingredients
-3 cups whole wheat flour
-1 1/2 cups of warm water
-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
-1 packet of active dry yeast
-1/4 cup melted bread
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix the warm water and honey then sprinkle the yeast over it and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. This will help activate the yeast.
- In another large mixing bowl combine the whole wheat flour with the salt then add in the yeast mixture and oil. Stir this until a dough has formed.
- Put the dough on a floured surface and knead it for about ten minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. You could also use the dough attachment on a standard mixer if you wanted to save time.
- Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Then let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it to release the air. Turn it on to a floured surface and shape it into a loaf then put it into a greased loaf pan.
- Cover the loaf pan with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let it rise for another hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Before baking the bread if you want to feel free to sprinkle some oats on the top of it.
- Bake the bread in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top has turned brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped.
- Let the bread cool for ten minutes before removing it from the pan then move it over to a wired rack and let it cool completely before slicing. This loaf of bread should make around 16 thick slices of bread. Enjoy this delicious bread!
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:
Q. How many bread types are there?
A. There are over 6,000 unique bread types in the world which is crazy, bread is such a popular food.
Q. What bread is the best for making sandwiches?
A. It all depends on what kind of bread you like, my favorite is probably a soft white bread or Italian scali bread.
Q. Is a bread machine or are bread slicers worth it?
A. In my opinion if you work at a bakery yes because you have to make so many loaves with a certain number of slices. But if you make homemade bread then a bread knife will be fine when cutting your loaf of bread.
Q. What’s the best thing to do with stale bread?
A. My favorite thing to do when my bread is stale is to toast it in the oven or make it into French toast.
Q. How to store bread?
A. Storing bread can be hard because the smallest bit of air that gets in can make it go steal, I would say in an airtight container or plastic bag would be the best bet.
