Re-Discovering the American Sandwich Loaf

In a day of cooking shows and the popularity of gourmet food, we have forgotten about the traditional American sandwich loaf. Who can forget memories of soft, buttery sandwich loaves, sliced perfectly and oozing with fresh creamy butter, memories of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on soft white bread that were the staples of our childhood appetites.

As our appetites and culinary tastes have improved and become sophisticated, our American Sandwich loaf has become more mass produced and has evolved into a flavorless sponge with very little structure. It is a shame, because American Sandwich loaves can be a wonderful addition to any family meal and can easily be made at home in an afternoon. Though my wife and I both work full time, we find it easy to bake a couple loaves a week for our sandwich needs. The greatest thing about home bread baking is not only knowing exactly what is in your bread, but having the fun of seeing it mix, rise, proof and bake, and - and this is my personal favorite - the amazing smell that fills your house.

American sandwich loaves are not only very flavorful, but are perfect for a sandwich or toast in the morning. They also make amazing panini's, croutons and let us not even mention the bread pudding that can be made from this soft and scrumptious creation. I guarantee it, once you taste this bread you'll never want to buy a store bought loaf again.

To begin, I want to share a little of information about why and how the ingredients are used. Flour is the basis for any and all breads. White, all purpose flour is the general American standard, and it gives a general structure and nice mild flavor to most baked goods. Also, all purpose flour gives a nice gluten structure, which is the network of proteins that trap the air bubbles that is created by the yeast. This structure gives the fluffy and springiness to the bread. Most true baking recipes call for flour measured by the cup (or volume) but this recipe calls for the quantity of flour in weight. This is the most precise method of baking with flour, as differences in flour amounts can drastically affect the outcome of your product. A cup of flour can vary in weight, but an ounce is an ounce and your scale will never lead you astray. Since baking bread is a precise process, it is necessary that we weigh the flour.

Milk powder is a dehydrated milk product that gives you the protein of milk without the water content. Basically, this gives you a certain richness and added flavor and structure, while still keeping the bread light and fluffy.

Salt adds flavor, while also regulating the fermentation of the yeast, but sugar is a feeding element for the yeast and therefore is your friend in aiding the flavor of your bread. The yeast eats the sugar and releases carbon dioxide and ethanol which give you bubbles and wonderful flavor.

The first step of creating bread dough is blooming the yeast. For this you will need:

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast (you can buy a glass jar with enough yeast for several loaves)

1 ½ cups filtered water (the chlorine in tap water can kill the yeast)

1 Tablespoon of sugar

A bit about the water: It is necessary to filter the water with a charcoal pitcher filter. This takes out most of the chlorine which can hinder the yeast in the fermentation process. It is important that you not use distilled water though, as it lacks many of the dissolved minerals present in regular water which add flavor and actually benefit the yeast. If you do not want to use a filter, bottled spring water will work just fine.

Heat the water to 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a thermometer, feel the water with your finger. It should feel like a nice warm bath water, almost too hot. Mix the tablespoon of sugar in the water to dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and sugar solution and set aside. The yeast will hydrate and begin to wake up. Let the yeast sit for about 10 minutes. The yeast floating on top will turn into a foamy, brown creamy head, much like the head on a craft beer. The goal here is to make sure there are not any more dry yeast granules left. The larger diameter bowl, the more the yeast can spread out and get hydrated. Should there still be granules, you can stir the solution before adding to the dry ingredients. It should look foamy and bubbly when finished.

While you are waiting for your yeast to bloom, you can measure out your dry ingredients into your mixer bowl.

1 pound 5 ½ ounces of all purpose flour (not bread flour!)

2 Tablespoons milk powder

1 ½ Teaspoons of salt

2 Tablespoons of Sugar

Loosely mix the dry ingredients with your hand in the bowl.

After your yeast has bloomed, add the yeast water mixture to the dry ingredients and put on the stand mixer with dough hook. Mix at slow speed until dough ball has formed. Once a ball has formed, turn the mixer to medium high and knead the dough for 6 minutes. This will build up a nice gluten structure that will help trap the carbon dioxide bubbles formed by the yeast.

Once kneaded, this dough will be a little moist and sticky. Carefully remove dough ball from the bowl. You can use the mixer's bowl to proof your dough. Simply grease the bowl with oil on a paper towel, or spray some nonstick aerosol oil on all inner surfaces of the bowl. You want a thin layer of oil on every part of the inside of your bowl so your rising dough won't stick. Once the bowl is sufficiently greased, form your dough into a nice spherical ball and put back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes to an hour in your warm kitchen. This dough will almost triple in volume.

After the initial proofing of the dough, you are ready to form your loaf. Remove your dough ball from the bowl and put it on a smooth surface, such as a clean linoleum counter top. You do not need flour, however you will need to be careful and patient to not have your dough stick. Try to avoid adding any flour.

Use a small pat of butter and rub it on the entire inner surface of your loaf pan. When fully greased, put about a tablespoon of flour into your pan and shake it around so the flour coats the entire buttered surface. Dump out the excess flour.

With your hands, form your dough into a rectangle 9 inches wide (width of your loaf pan) and maybe 12 inches in length. You want a rectangle with the width of your loaf pan, and a thickness of three quarters to one inch. It does not have to have perfect square sides; your ends will be rounded. Carefully roll up the rectangle into a cylinder. Remember, the dough will slightly stick to the counter top. Carefully use your finger tips to lift up the leading edge and roll into a tight oblong shape. Pinch the seam of the dough tightly, sealing it. Place your loaf seam side down into your greased loaf pan.

Wet a dish towel with warm water, and wring the towel to leave it slightly damp. Place this warm damp towel over the loaf. Now is a good time to start pre heating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let the dough rise in the loaf pan for 45 minutes, or until the top of the dough rises a couple inches above the top of the pan. The more rise, the fluffier the loaf will be. Don't go too overboard though, as really large bubbles will form. The bread should be baked within an hour of forming the loaf.

When the dough has proofed, remove the damp towel and quickly slice a horizontal slit in the dough, lengthwise along the entire loaf with your razor blade. This slit should be a half of an inch deep. It is best to do this firmly and quickly, as a slow cut would leave the dough sticking to the razor blade, thus creating a messy cut. This slit allows for the dough to expand in the oven. Put small chunks of butter evenly spaced in the new slit formed from the razor blade.

Place loaf in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes. When fully cooked, the top of the loaf should be nice and dark brown, but not burnt. If after 20 minutes it still is not dark brown, leave the loaf in the oven and check every 3 minutes. A properly cooked loaf of bread will sound hollow if tapped with your knuckle.

After about 10 minutes of baking, the baking bread will fill your house with a heavenly aroma.

When your loaf is done, remove the bread from the loaf pan and put on a cooling rack. Resist temptation, and let cool for 30 minutes before you cut into the bread.

Good luck with this recipe. If all directions are followed, you should have excellent results on the first try. You will soon be making all your bread and you'll never want to buy white bread in the store again! Enjoy.