About This Recipe
What I love about this recipe:
This recipe is perfect for the beginner sourdough baker. It is low hydration, which means it is not a wet and sticky dough. This loaf can be kneaded in a stand mixer and left to rise on the counter overnight. Shaping is incredibly simple, and rise is easily judged by observation. All of these things together make for the perfect staple in the bread-maker’s home.
Why this recipe is special in my home:
This recipe has deep ties to the start of my bread-making journey. It was the first I learned to make and master using instant yeast. Upon beginning my sourdough journey, I converted this recipe to sourdough and adjusted fermentation times. It is still my absolute favorite sandwich bread.
Why this recipe works
Milk Mixture
This recipe includes a heated milk mixture of milk, butter, and honey. All of these things add a special flavor to the dough that makes it taste sweet and special, almost like a deluxe version of Wonder Bread.
Low Hydration
The term “low hydration” simply means this is not a wet and sticky dough. This dough is soft and smooth, but should not stick to the bowl of the stand mixer when kneading. In my opinion, low hydration doughs are easier to work with and perfect for beginner and advanced bakers alike. It makes for a dough that is easy to knead and shape, and that has flexibility in its rise. Read more about dough hydration here.
Gluten Development
This dough is kneaded in a stand mixer. Because of its low hydration, high speeds are not required (as is the case for some of my stand mixer recipes, such as brioche). This makes for a loaf of bread that is hands off and assessable to everyone. It also means this bread is easily kneaded by hand in ten minutes if a stand mixer is not an option.
Shaping
This dough is easily shaped using any favorite sandwich bread technique, or by simply being flattened out into a rectangle and rolled into a cylinder.
Baking method: Steam
This recipe uses a pan of boiling water next to the loaf of sandwich bread as it bakes to create steam. The steam does a few things. First, it keeps the dough soft in the beginning stages of baking, allowing for maximum expansion. Second, since the steam is left the entire time the bread is in the oven, it helps keep the outside of the loaf soft and it adds color to the top of the loaf. Since this recipe is washed with butter instead of egg, the loaf will not brown properly without it.
Suggested Daytime Baking Timeline
8 AM
+Mix and knead the dough: use 150 grams of starter
+Bulk ferment the dough
2-4 PM
+Shape the dough
4-6 PM
+Bake your sandwich bread and enjoy!
Suggested Overnight Baking Timeline
9 PM (Day 1)
+Mix and knead the dough: use 75 to 100 grams of starter
+Bulk ferment the dough at a room temperature of approximately 70 F
7-8 AM (Day 2)
+Shape the dough
9-10 AM (Day 2)
+Bake your sandwich bread and enjoy!
FAQs
You give a range of starter for this recipe. How much should I use?
This is going to depend on your baking timeline goals (see ‘Suggested Baking Timelines‘ above) and your environment. If you are wanting to go for a long, overnight rise, use less starter. If you are wanting a quicker, daytime rise use more starter. Keep in mind that your sourdough starter will work faster in a warm environment and slower in a cool environment, so pair this with your baking timeline goals and adjust accordingly.
I can't do honey. Can I use something else?
Of course! The honey adds a sweet flavor to the dough. You can simply use sugar instead, but any sweetener should work. As an alternative, you may also choose to leave it out (you won’t have to replace it with anything), noting that the dough will rise faster without the sweetener than with it.
White Sandwich Bread
Course: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, SnackCuisine: UniversalDifficulty: Intermediate15
minutes8-12
hours50
minutes1
loafThis recipe has deep ties to the start of my bread-making journey. It was the first I learned to make and master using instant yeast. Upon beginning my sourdough journey, I converted this recipe to sourdough and adjusted fermentation times. It is still my absolute favorite sandwich bread.
Ingredients
- Milk Mixture
240 g milk (1 cup)
80 g water (⅓ cup)
60 g honey (3 tbsp)
3 tbsp butter (43 g)
- Dough
560 g bread flour (4 ⅔ cups)
12 g salt (2 tsp)
All of the milk mixture
100-150 g active starter (1/2-3/4 cup)
- For baking
1-2 tbsp melted butter (for brushing all over the dough before and after baking)
Boiling water
Directions
Add all of the ingredients for the milk mixture to a small saucepan.
Heat the mixture on low heat until the butter is just beginning to melt (but not completely melted), or until the mixture temps approximately 100 F.
Whisk together the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the milk mixture, and stir to partially combine. (If you accidentally overheated the milk, this step should help cool it off before adding the starter.)
Add the active starter. Briefly combine, then transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Knead on low (speed 2 on a KitchenAid stand mixer), for 8-10 minutes. The dough should completely remove itself from the sides and bottom of the bowl. If it does not, add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it just begins to remove itself from the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- For an Ankarsrum mixer, use the dough roller and scraper attachment. Set the speed to 2 and the timer to “on.” Let the mixer work until the dough comes completely together, then set the timer to twelve minutes and allow the dough to knead until the timer is finished.
- Alternatively, turn out onto the counter and knead by hand for 10-15 minutes. In this case, the dough should not stick to the counter or your hands when kneading. If it does, add more flour accordingly.
Let the dough rise until it has increased in volume by at least 50% (doubled in size will give you the softest, fluffiest texture).
- Optionally, you can cold-ferment your dough during this step. Let it rise on the counter until it has increased in size by about 50-70%, then transfer to the refrigerator until the next day. NOTE: I find the final oven spring on a cold-fermented dough is not as good for this recipe, though the taste is just as great.
Shape the dough into a loaf and add to an 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. I do this by forming a rectangle slightly smaller than my loaf pan, rolling the dough into a cylinder, and pinching the seams closed. Cover once more and let it rest until it has reached the top of the loaf pan.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Boil some water in a tea kettle or on the stovetop.
Remove the cover from your dough and brush all over with melted butter.
Pour the boiling water into a water-safe, oven-safe pan placed next to the bread in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 F.
Brush with more melted butter, if desired.
Cool 5-10 minutes in the loaf pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Wait at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!
Watch the Video
Notes
- A few things in this written recipe are different from the video. First, I now fully ferment my dough to double in size on the first rise. A bulk rise anywhere from 50-100% will give you decent results: a 50% rise will give more oven spring (as in the video). An under-proofed loaf will crack along the edges and will not bake in the alotted time for this recipe, so if this happens make sure to ferment longer next time. Second, I mention cold proofing the dough briefly in the video, but not in the recipe. I will write more on this in the future.
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