Just Sandwich Bread #BreadBakers

Well it's August, and in a normal year school would be just around the corner.  Who knows what will happen this year, but still there remains the need for bread!  Specifically, sandwich bread this month, which is hosted by Karen's Kitchen Stories.  (Rolls or buns that can be used for sandwiches was also an option!)  I was pleasantly surprised to hear from my high schooler that she prefers the whole wheat sandwich bread to the white.  I guess I've taught the kids well!

Just Bread Sandwich Loaf

makes one 9x5" loaf

adapted from King Arthur's Just Bread

Levain

½ cup (57g) white whole wheat flour (I used sprouted white wheat, freshly ground)

3 tbsp (42g) water

1 tsp ripe sourdough starter

Dough

1½ to 1¾ cups (340g to 397g) water, lukewarm (I used 340g)

3 cups (339g) white whole wheat flour (I used sprouted white wheat, freshly ground)

1 cup + 2 tbsp (134g) bread flour (I added another 40g all purpose flour)

1½ tsp (~10g) salt

½ tsp instant yeast

1½ tbsp (32g) honey

2 tbsp softened butter

To make the levain: Combine flour, starter and water in a medium bowl until well mixed.  Cover and set aside to rest at room temperature for 12 to 14 hours.

To make the dough: Combine the levain with 1½ cups (340g) of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

Add the flours, salt, yeast, honey and butter to the bowl with the levain mixture. Turn the mixer on low speed to incorporate the ingredients, then knead for about 3 minutes, stopping the mixer early on to scrape the bowl if necessary.

Turn the mixer up to medium low speed and continue to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, adding the remaining ¼ cup (57g) water about a tablespoon (about 14g) at a time roughly every 2 minutes.  (My dough did not need any additional water due to the use of sprouted wheat, and indeed needed an additional 40g flour.) At the end of kneading the dough should be smooth and elastic, though still tacky; you’ll know it’s ready when you can stretch a small piece of it thin enough to see through it (windowpane test).  I kneaded the dough to a medium level of gluten development, then let rest, covered, and folded the dough every 30 minutes for an hour and a half.

Cover the dough and let rest for 45 minutes. Turn out onto a floured work surface and stretch and fold it four times.  Turn the dough over so the seam side is down, place it back in the bowl.  Cover and let it rest for another 45 to 75 minutes.  Since I did my stretch and folds during the bulk rise, this step was not necessary for me.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and gently pat it down to de-gas it. Fold the dough in half twice, form a ball and place seam side down.  Cover lightly and let the ball rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn the dough over so the seam is facing up, dust off any excess flour, and form the dough into a tight 9” loaf.  Fold a few times to form a tight log, releasing some excess gas in the process.

Place the loaf , seam down, into a lightly greased 9” x 5” loaf pan. Cover and let it rise at warm room temperature until it has crowned 1-1¼” over the rim of the pan, 1 to 1½ hours.  For my kitchen it was 2-2½ hours.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Make a ½-¾" deep slash down the length of the loaf, if desired.  This will help prevent it from blowing out on one side.

Bake the loaf at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 30 minutes longer.  Remove from pan and place loaf directly on baking rack for another 5-10 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown and a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 200°F.

Remove the loaf from the oven and place onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Store bread well wrapped at room temperature for three to five days.  Freeze for longer storage.

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. 

Welcome to Bread Bakers! This month, our them is Sandwich Bread and our host is Karen of Karen's Kitchen Stories.  Be sure to check out the rest of our sensational sandwich selections!

• Eggless White Sandwich Bread by Sneha's Recipe
• Farmhouse White Sandwich Bread by Making Miracles
• Just Bread Sandwich Loaf by A Messy Kitchen
• Pain de Mie aka Pullman Loaf by Food Lust People Love
• Seeded Sandwich Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
  
• Sourdough Burger Buns by Cook with Renu
• Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread by Ambrosia
• Sourdough Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Struan Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Subway Sandwich Bread by Anybody Can Bake