Soft Sandwich Bread

Making breads from scratch is tedious process. Though it takes only 30-40 minutes in total to prepare but it does take a lot of attention throughout the day. So making 2-3 loaves at one time saves a lot of time and effort and you can easily store them inside the deep freezer and eat at your convenience. Homemade breads are way tastier than the store bought and they have no preservatives. Also they are fully customisable as per your choice. So if you are able to spare that time and attention in a day or you are just curious how a homemade bread tastes like, give this recipe a try. This soft sandwich bread recipe is full of butter which lends to it a lot of flavour and taste. Use it for grilled cheese or just jam, this sandwich bread recipe will sure make you want to have homemade breads everyday.

Soft Sandwich Bread Recipe

Makes 2 big loaves

 Ingredients:

For the sponge:

• 125gm all purpose flour
• 1 sachet / 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
• 1 tsp honey

For the dough:

• 390gm all purpose flour
• 6 large room temperature eggs for the bread, 1 egg for the eggwash
• 55 gm granulated sugar
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 200gm soft room temperature flour

Method:

Make the sponge :

• In a big bowl mix in the yeast with milk and honey.
• Mix them and let it rest for 15 minutes, until the mixture becomes frothy.
• Add the flour to the yeast mixture and mix until they form a nice and smooth paste free of any lumps.
• Cover them with a plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.

Make the dough:

• Once the flour and yeast mixture has become bubbly, add the eggs, remaining flour, sugar and salt.
• Mix them until they become well combined and then transfer them to a clean, flat and smooth surface. Knead with the back of your palms for straight 15 minutes until the dough starts to pull out from the surface and the hands and starts to have a smoother and shinier texture. 
• When the dough is ready, take around 2 tbsp of the soft butter and knead it into the dough until it is well absorbed. Repeat the process until you have finished all the butter.
• At this stage you should be able to stretch the dough without any tear and it should pass the window pane test.
• Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and wrap it with a cling film.
• Wait until the dough has doubled in size and then punch down the dough.
• Reshape it into a round smooth ball again.
• Put the bowl in the fridge overnight or for around 6-8 hours.
• When you are ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for around 45 minutes.
• Punch the dough down and transfer the dough to a floured surface. Divide the dough with a knife and cut each dough into six equal pieces. With the help of your palm give the pieces a smooth round shape.
• Line the 8 *5 loaf pans with butter papers and arrange the balls side by side dividing equally between two loaf pans.
• Cover with a damp cotton kitchen towel and let the dough proof until they become puffy and double in size. If you try to push a finger the dough should bounce back slowly again. If it does not do that the dough needs to proof more.
• While the dough is still proofing preheat the oven to 375 F.
• Give the loaves a good egg wash before going inside the oven.
• Bake until deeply golden brown on top for around 25-30 minutes.
• Once they are fully baked, take them out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before taking them out of the pans. Let them cool down completely on a wire rack before cutting.