On a whim, I made a loaf of this bread when we were home between big summer trips. Then I made it three more times that week! Each time it was gobbled up within 24 hours, and by my last bake, I had the recipe memorized. It’s that easy and great for snacking.

The Bread Book

The recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen: Bread Illustrated. The cookbook was a gift from our mom, the avid bread-baker, and it’s her tried-and-true bread book.

If you aren’t familiar with America’s Test Kitchen, they do all of the hard work of testing recipes and really getting into the science of why one method or ingredient works better than the next. You’ll see this work when you read their cookbooks. In the bread cookbook, each recipe is introduced with an explanation of why they make the specific choices they do (whether it’s rising times, flour choices, pan sizes, etc.). Nothing is done by chance.

Modifications

Since that initial burst of baking, I’ve baked a few more loaves. For the most part, I follow the recipe as written, but there has been some (intentional and unintentional) experimenting.

Since I live at a high altitude (6200 feet above sea level), I modify that first rise to give the gluten more time to develop. I let it raise for about 15 minutes, then gently push down the dough and let it raise for another 15. That’s a fantastic, intentional modification.

Then there was that time that I forgot about the dough during its rise in the pan. It got a bit higher than usual, but totally deflated in the oven. It was those years spent watching Great British Bakeoff that prepared me for the disappointment to come from over proofing the loaf.

Then there were the modifications that I made this past week. I was baking on a chilly day, so intuitively I knew that the bread might take a little bit longer to rise. Based upon my earlier bakes, I just kept my eye on the dough and proceeded from one step to the next when everything looked “right”. Having not baked bread much in life, it feels good to get so comfortable with a single recipe.

Easy Sandwich Bread

I’m not going to into the detailed “whys” associated with this recipe’s instructions. For example, why use the paddle attachment?! That’s why you gotta buy the book. 😉

• 2 cups bread flour
• 6 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp warm water
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp water and a pinch of salt

• Whisk together the flours and yeast.
• In a 2 cup liquid measure cup, whisk together 1 1/4 cups warm water with 2 Tbsp melted butter and the honey.
• With the paddle attachment on your electric mixer, slowly add the water mixture to the flour mixture, and then mix on medium speed for about 4 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
• With an oven rack in the lower-middle position, preheat the oven to 375F.
• Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Dissolve the salt in the remaining 2 Tbsp warm water and add it to the batter and mix on low speed until the water is mostly incorporated. Increase the mixer’s speed to medium and mix for about 1 minute until thoroughly combined.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and smooth its top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until the batter is just 1/2 inch below the lip of the pan (make sure that it doesn’t touch the plastic wrap!). This may take 15-20 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and let the dough continue to rise for an additional 5-10 minutes until it is level with the lip of the pan.
• Gently brush the load with the egg mixture and bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. The internal temperature should be about 205 to 210 F.
• Let the loaf cool for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack. Brush the top and sides with the remaining Tbsp of butter.