Homemade bread is the rock of my food base. The core of things. Comforting, warm and needed.
When the day is done and the world is collapsing we don't need a whole lot. A good pair of boots to get you where you need to go, good food in your stomach and the world is your oyster.
There is something so rewarding about conquering homemade bread. It has been crafted for thousands of years and yet every time I pull a perfect loaf of warm, homemade bread out of the oven, a feeling of accomplishment comes over me. It's amazing how something so essential to my life can still bewilder and amaze me.
And how something so small as a loaf of homemade bread can fill me with so much joy.
American Sandwich Bread
Inspired by Try Anything Once, Seen on Annies Eats, from Brown Eyed Baker and Baking Illustrated.
Ingredients:
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup warm whole milk (about 110°)
- ⅓ cup warm water (about 110°)
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 1 envelope (about 2 ¼ tsp.) instant yeast
Preparation:
Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 200°. Once the oven temperature reaches 200°, maintain the heat for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven.
Mix 3 ½ cups of the flour and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix the milk, water, butter, honey and yeast in a 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the liquid. When the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopping the machine two or three times to scrape dough from the hook, if necessary, about 10 minutes. (After 5 minutes of kneading, if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time and up to ¼ cup total, until the dough is no longer sticky.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead to form a smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.
Place the dough in a very lightly oiled large bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat lightly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the warmed oven until the dough has doubled in size, about 40-50 minutes.
On a floured work surface, gently press the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches. With a long side facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed. Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20-30 minutes.
Keep one oven rack at the lowest position and place the other at the middle position and heat the oven to 350°. Place an empty baking pan on the bottom rack. Bring two cups of water to boil in a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water into the empty pan on the bottom rack and set the loaf onto the middle rack. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted at an angle from the short end just above the pan rim into the center of the loaf reads 195°, 40-50 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan, transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.
I hope I never lose the ability to smile at the simplicity and be amazed by the complexity of a single loaf of homemade bread.
I have other bread recipes for you to try, too:
Blog is the New Black says
Nothing beats a good loaf of bread!
RavieNomNoms says
I agree, bread is one of those comforting foods that I just can't resist. Great pictures by the way!
Natalie says
So jealous of your bread! I wll triumph one day, but until then I will continue to make dense, heavy brick-like bread that only tastes good toasted!!
Roxan says
That bread looks so pillowy and delicious! I also love to make bread, but I've never made a sandwich bread before. I keep telling myself i'm going to but somehow it always falls to the side as I make something else.
Kate @ Diethood.com says
That's the prettiest loaf of bread I've ever seen... I think I fell in love with it. Beautiful!
Dionne Baldwin says
MMM so soft and FLUFFY! Your bread looks beautiful! I love how moist and flavorful this bread is. It's perfect for my P B & J with Doritos!
Steph@stephsbitebybite says
I think this weekend I need to conquer my fear of yeast. I am missing out on this yummy homemade bread because I'm so affraid of the darn yeast.
This looks so yummy!!
Tes says
I could never made a perfect loaf of bread like that... I wish I could some day. Will try your recipe 🙂
Firefly says
I love homemade bread. Yours is beautiful!
Liz says
Kita, that looks like the perfect loaf! Nothing better than a loaf of freshly baked bread~
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Oh yeast bread! So simple and so worth the wait! ♥- Katrina
torviewtoronto says
delicious looking bread
homemade bread is always more rewarding
Kimberly(Unrivaledkitch) says
this is so lovely. I'm still trying to conquer baking bread. my bread making skills aren't very good but I'm going to try this. the best part of making bread is that if you mess it up you haven't spent a fortune on ingredients haha 🙂
thanks for sharing this beautiful bread i always marvel at your bread skills
cheers
Diane says
I want bread!!!
Sukaina says
Wow your bread looks good enough to be in a bakery. I've never tried homemade bread before but your post is really tempting me!
zerrin says
I would love to have a slice from this bread! It looks perfect! I completely agree with what you say about bread. And I love the smell spreading in house when baking bread.
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
Your bread is perfect. It's a gorgeous, wonderful loaf of white bread that even the finickiest 4 year-old would eat. I love it.
Monet says
Yes ma'am! There is nothing better than a fresh loaf of bread. So simple yet so good. Your bread looks amazing! Thank you for sharing! I hope you have a happy week. Your posts bring me joy...thank you for being you!
Annie says
So glad you enjoyed this! I agree, I never fail to marvel at the wonders of baking with yeast. So satisfying. Love the top photo!