Have you caught the baking bug? I have several friends who have vowed to start baking their own bread this fall, and as a longtime home baker myself, this is an endeavor that I wholeheartedly support. Whether you're getting ready to bake your first loaf or whether you're coming back to it after a summer away, here are a few tips to help you bake the best sandwich bread ever.
If you have yet to catch the baking bug, take a look at this round up of all our top bread recipes, from Whole Wheat to Multi-Grain Peasant bread. There's sure to be a bread in there to tickle your fancy.
Here are five tips from our archives that apply to nearly any bread, but especially sandwich bread.
• How to Proof Yeast - Nervous that your yeast might not be up to snuff? Here's how to make sure it's still good.
• How to Tell When Dough is Kneaded - Learn about the windowpane test, the poke test, and other signs that your dough is ready to go.
• How to Shape a Sandwich Loaf - Folding the dough into a compact loaf helps it rise and maintain a uniform crumb.
• How to Tell When Bread is Done - It's not always easy to tell from the outside how things are on the inside!
• How to Make Softer, Fluffier Whole Wheat Bread - Whole wheat breads can be tricky. Here are some tips to help.
What tips do you have for making a better loaf of bread?
Related: The Best Way to Store and Reheat Bread: Advice from a Baker
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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Someone once told me to use a spray bottle and spray some water into the oven while the bread is cooking...works like a charm!
www.bitesforbabies.com
friend of mine is doing a bread class in culinary arts school right now, and she gave me a bit of her firm levain sourdough starter, I'm looking forward to seeing what this tastes like
Use a Pullman pan!
http://www.amazon.com/USA-Pans-Pullman-Aluminized-Americoat/dp/B001TO3CN8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347975886&sr=8-2&keywords=pullman+pan
There's a lid that slides onto the pan which has the dual benefit of 1) keeping the crust sandwich-soft, and 2) keeping the loaf sandwich-square. I'm not just being dramatic when I say that I doubt I'll ever buy bread again.
I too make my own bread, it's been about 2 years since i've eaten anything other than homemade bread. I think the most important things are steaming the oven to improve oven spring and crust formation, a preferment or start the dough the evening before and let it rise overnight in the fridge (this time improves flavor and in the case of whole grain breads gives time for protease enzymes to form which increase elasticity making for a better rise), and lastly proper dough handling including how to shape a loaf and maintaining the integrity of the outer layer of the dough throughout the rising and shaping process. Jeffrey Hamelman has an excellent book for the serious bread baker called "Bread: a bakers book of techniques and recipes"
This is great, I was just telling my husband I was ready to commit to making all of our bread, but needed to find a better sandwich loaf. I use all king Arthur white whole wheat, rather than mix white and whole wheat. The www is supposed to have the nutrition of whole wheat, but less dense...does anyone know if this is true?
@JESS BLISS - Yes, this is true. White whole wheat is made from a different strain of wheat (white wheat vs red wheat) and has a lighter color, flavor, and texture. In my experience, though, it still benefits from some of the whole wheat baking tricks like using super fresh flour (or grinding your own?), adding some vital wheat gluten, and using even a small portion of all purpose flour.
My favorite sandwich bread recipe is the multigrain bread from Cook's Illustrated. It is about 50/50 whole/refined if you count the multigrain cereal. I keep meaning to tinker with it to see if I can increase the proportion of whole wheat flour but it is so good as is that I haven't been able to bring myself to mess with the recipe yet! You can find that recipe at Our Best Bites: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/multigrain-bread/. (Or from CI, obviously, if you have a membership.)
I love the sandwich breads in the book "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day". No kneading and great bread.
"The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book" contains amazingly comprehensive information and instructions for 100% whole wheat bread. A delight to read -- lots of quaint line drawings and stories about where she found certain recipes, in addition to a lengthy first section that goes into great detail about each step in making a loaf. Basically, whole wheat absorbs water more slowly than white flour, so you use slightly different techniques to come out with beautiful, fluffy, whole-grain loaves.