Making sandwhich bread at home.

[Xuzi]

So I really want to start making my own bread from scratch at home, as we go through a lot of it, but I haven't been able to find a recipe that makes bread that meets my kids criteria for sandwhich bread: It has to rise high enough that a slice of it can be cut with those heart and dinosaur-shaped sandwhich cutters. :lol:

 

How do you get your bread to rise high enough to be that tall without it deflating? Any good recipes that you've had success with? Or should I maybe try a different shaped baking pan? (I'm using the regular ones, not sure of the dimensions, but the ones you can find at any generic store like WalMart or Target)

[min]

I use a very simple recipe:

 

600grams (bread) flour

1-1/2 tsp yeast

350mls warm water

splash of olive oil (optional)

 

I do it in my bench mixer, so I put the flour and yeast in first and mix them a bit. Then I add the water (I fill a glass measuring jug to about 250ml with cold tap water, then I top up the rest with boiling water), and the olive oil.

 

(MIL does it differently - she puts the flour in and makes a well, puts in some tepid water and the yeast and leaves it until it has activated, mix it up a bit, adds rest of water (which might be hotter).)

 

Mix it all up well. Let rise until about doubled - I just leave it in the mixer's stainless steel bowl with the spatter guard down, but you can put it in a mixing bowl and cover with a tea towel. Knead (I use the mixer). Rise in plan until about doubled. Cook at about 180-190degrees C for about 35 minutes.

 

It rises nicely, but is a much denser loaf than the more spongy loaves you buy at the shops. The olive oil is optional - I think it makes it keep a bit longer.

 

Last of all, in winter I preheat my mixer's stainless steel bowl. I live in a hot climate, so it isn't an issue for much of the year, but if it is cold it will help the bread to rise better.

 

Miranda

[AuntieM]

I put mine in a very warm place to rise. I make the dough in a Bosch mixer, so it gets warm enough to only need one rise.

 

While I am making the dough, I put a pan of water in the oven and turn it to 200 degrees. When I have the dough made and panned, I turn off the oven and remove the pan of water, then set the loaves in the oven to rise. They double in about half an hour.

[yslek]

You can also get some vital gluten flour and add 1 T./loaf to your recipe. This is particularly helpful if you're using 100% whole wheat. It helps your loaves to rise better/higher. :)

[dripdripsplat]

Well, my first suggestion... Get a bread machine. And then, use all-purpose flour, with vital wheat gluten mixed in. I've found that that combination makes for bread with a good rise. There's a book that I got a lot of good recipes from - The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. You can find it on Amazon, or probably in your local library.

 

If you'd rather make your bread by hand, there's a really good website devoted to the art of breadmaking - http://www.thefreshloaf.com/ - it also has tutorials.

 

Happy bread making!!!!

[keptwoman]

Well, my first suggestion... Get a bread machine. And then, use all-purpose flour, with vital wheat gluten mixed in. I've found that that combination makes for bread with a good rise. There's a book that I got a lot of good recipes from - The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger. You can find it on Amazon, or probably in your local library.

 

If you'd rather make your bread by hand, there's a really good website devoted to the art of breadmaking - http://www.thefreshloaf.com/ - it also has tutorials.

 

Happy bread making!!!!

I completely agree. I like the breadmaker best for making sandwich bread. For all other bread products I use the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day method.

[Xuzi]

Well, I do have a bread machine, but I really prefer the texture of hand-kneaded, oven-baked bread.

 

I *do* have some vital wheat glueten, and I've used that "quick rise" method (steamy 200* oven) for frozen bread dough, so I don't know why I didn't try it with regular made-it-myself dough.

 

I shall be experimenting soon! :D

[cjzimmer1]

When I first started making bread, I hand kneaded. It made a nice loaf of bread that tasted very good but just wasn't super high. I got a Bosch mixer and used the exact same recipe and my bread was nearly twice as tall as the hand stuff. Suddenly I had the most fluffy bread imaginable. I really think the machines do such a better job kneading than by hand. The gluten strands just seem to develop better and so you can get that high fluffy bread. Have you tried kneading in your bread machine byut baking in your oven?

 

Here's the recipe I use:

 

http://tadmitchell.com/cookbook/wheatbread.html

[angela in ohio]

I make mine on the dough cycle in the bread machine, then transfer it and let it rise a bit more. They are about the size of store bought bread. I use a normal large size bread pan, though I just bought an extra long pan to try this week.

 

My recipe is:

1 1/3 c water

2 T butter

1/3 c honey

2 T milk powder

2 t salt

2 c whole wheat bread flour

2 c unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T yeast

 

I bake it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

 

It's not super healthy, but my dh will eat it for sandwiches, and it doesn't have anything yucky in it. :001_smile:

[tearose]

I only use SAF yeast. I've made the same recipes with Fleischmann's, Red Star, and SAF, and the SAF rises more. I have a friend who is a serious bread baker, and she only uses SAF. It's harder to find than the other brands but it's worth the effort. I usually use instant SAF.

[dripdripsplat]

I make mine on the dough cycle in the bread machine, then transfer it and let it rise a bit more. They are about the size of store bought bread.

 

Oooh, I completely forgot about that option... I've done that before, and the wonderful thing is that it works with any bread recipe. And then you can give it your own artisan flair (designs cut into the top, shaping the loaf, etc.).

[AuntieM]

I only use SAF yeast. I've made the same recipes with Fleischmann's, Red Star, and SAF, and the SAF rises more. I have a friend who is a serious bread baker, and she only uses SAF. It's harder to find than the other brands but it's worth the effort. I usually use instant SAF.

 

I agree, I do believe I get much better results with SAF. Haven't used anything else in years.

[Xuzi]

I'm looking at Boche mixers online... HOLY COW are they $$$!!! Are they worth it? Can I use them for more than just kneading bread? Are the results better than what you'd get with a Kitchen Aid mixer? (I don't have a KA either, but I never thought I'd see the day when I'd think "Wow, a KA seems much more affordable!")

[cjzimmer1]

I'm looking at Boche mixers online... HOLY COW are they $$$!!! Are they worth it? Can I use them for more than just kneading bread? Are the results better than what you'd get with a Kitchen Aid mixer? (I don't have a KA either, but I never thought I'd see the day when I'd think "Wow, a KA seems much more affordable!")

 

I've never owned a KA but everything I read is that if you want to make whole wheat bread, the Bosch is the way to go. I pretty regularly make 4 loaves at a time and the Bosch doesn't even hesitate with that. Since my kids haven't even hit the teenage years yet, I expect to be making big batches for a long time to come. It was pricey and it took me over a year to be willing to do it because I had a hard time justify the expense. I have NO regrets now, well I do have one regret. My kids are so used to wonderful homemade bread that they frequently remind me when we have to eat bread somewhere else that it's not as good as mine. They have become bread snobs. But I can live with that kind of regret. It is also such a time saver over kneading by hand (a task I did NOT enjoy). You can make other things with it but I never have because I only bought it for making bread.

[fairfarmhand]

Well, I do have a bread machine, but I really prefer the texture of hand-kneaded, oven-baked bread.

 

I *do* have some vital wheat glueten, and I've used that "quick rise" method (steamy 200* oven) for frozen bread dough, so I don't know why I didn't try it with regular made-it-myself dough.

 

I shall be experimenting soon! :D

 

 

I use a smaller loaf pan....it rises higher since there is more dough in less space. My metal pans are broader at the bottom. My glass pan is narrower. It is a pyrex pan. if that helps.