White Sandwich Bread

Bread. As more of a "cake" type person, bread is something I've always wanted to try but have only ever attempted once, with sadly disastrous results. If I recall correctly it tasted both completely tasteless and strongly of yeast, at the same time. A feat, I'm sure.

However, a few years have passed and I have recovered enough from my abject failure to attempt it once more.

After long and arduous research, I came across a recipe that appeared to have merit, namely:
Susan's Easy Basic White Sandwich Bread Recipe



It ended up making a really delicious white bread. It's denser than store bought bread and more filling (and will probably not keep as long, due to a lack of preservatives) but also really, really good.

I cut the recipe in three, halved the yeast, couldn't find any bread flour and didn't have any Canola oil so here's how I did it.

Ingredients:
3 1/3 cups (825ml) Flour
1 tsp (5ml) Instant Yeast
2 tsp (10ml) Sugar
2 tsp (10ml) Butter / Margarine
1 1/3 cups (325ml) Milk
1/2 tbsp (7.5ml) Salt

1. Mix 1 1/3 cups (325ml) of flour, the yeast and the sugar together.
2. Heat the milk and butter / margarine until the butter melts and then let it cool until only slightly warm.
3. Make a hole in the flour mixture and pour the buttermilk into it, mixing vigourously. (Yay for lumps)
4. Now gradually add the rest of the flour, mixing as you go. It should stop sticking to your fingers by the time you're done.
5. Knead the dough for about 6 to 7 minutes. (My poor weak arms :( )
6. Cover the dough and rest your arms for 20 minutes (while the dough autolyses or something)
7. Now flatten the dough, sprinkle half the salt on it. Fold it a few times, flatten again and sprinkle the rest of the salt on it.
8. Back to kneading! Take your frustrations out on it for another 5 to 7 minutes.
9. Put back in the bowl, sprinkle some flour on it, cover and put in a warmish place (about 21ºC apparently). Now take a well earned rest until the dough has doubled in size (about an hour and a half).



Don't worry sprout, soon you will grow big!


Almost there!


10. Remove the dough from the bowl and flatten it (I've been told to be gentle with the dough at this stage, I failed). Now you can either roll it up and fold the sides in, making a nice roll, or you can follow a more complicated route, detailed here.
11. Place your roll in a bread pan (seam side down) and sprinkle with flour, like so:






12. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise until it's once again doubled it's size, took about another hour and a half.





13. Bake in a 190ºC oven for 35 minutes.



Yes, I know it has bubbles. :/


14. Turn out on a baking tray (I don't own one of these) and let it cool down for about 40 minutes before cutting (yeah right).

Yum!