Lunch is probably my worst meal. I love breakfast, and it inspires me, I could wax poetic about breakfast foods. Dinner is my best friend, the world is your oyster for options. But lunch? Meh. I stall out. No one really eats lunch in this house for that reason - we don't have things to eat for lunch. Lunch is really more of a makeshift snack.
So when I go over to my friend Ashley's house and she just whips up a gorgeous turkey sandwich or pops out hummus and pita chips and veggies, I sit in awe. Lunch is my nemesis. If someone came over to my house at lunch and expected something other than a cheese stick and some Pirate's Booty they would be disappointed.
The last time I was over at Ashley's, our kiddos were playing and she offered them sandwiches and then casually said, "I need to make more bread this week." What? Her family gets to eat lunch and its on homemade bread. I know where I'm gonna be finding my kids in a few years...
In any case, it got me thinking that I can make a lot of things, like a lot. I shouldn't be defeated by plain old white Wonder bread. We never have any because whenever I buy it, we use a third of the loaf and it gets moldy and thrown away. So I decided to take a stab at it, fell back on trusty Julia Child for a recipe and voila!
This bread is seriously so tasty. I keep thinking of ways to feed my kids and husband things on bread because its so good. Hell, I ate like three slices when it came out of the oven with just melted butter on it. Who knew fresh baked sandwich bread smelled so good and tasted like heaven (okay, probably anyone with a nose, but whatever)?
I've now made it a couple times and tried mixing things up a little: I tried it with a full-on wheat flour substitution and it was a bit dense, I tried adding 50% more yeast and halving the wheat/white ratio and that was more successful, but the fluffiest, tastiest variation is just how it is. No adjustments needed.
A quick couple of notes for bread beginners though:
1. A packet of yeast is apparently not 1 tablespoon, despite me dumping it into the measuring spoon and saying, eh close enough. It's only 2 and 1/4 teaspoons, which leaves you 3/4 teaspoons short of a full tablespoon. Don't make this mistake. Open a second packet and measure out the missing 3/4 tsp.
2. Make sure not to add the salt until after you have added flour and mixed it well into the yeast. Salt directly mixing into your frothy yeast will kill it and ruin everything.
3. The rise time is less important than the size of the dough. This means, as explained to me by my Noni, that if the recipe says for your dough to rise 30 minutes until doubled in size, if its not twice as big in 30 minutes, wait until it is. If it's twice as big in 15 minutes, proceed to your next step because it will rise, crest and then fall. The rate at which bread will rise has to do with three main things, the activity of your yeast, the temperature of the air and the humidity of the air. So regardless of what the recipe says, its a guideline, not a rule. In this case, its size that matters.
4. I have dark, non-stick loaf pans and in the past, the bottom of my breads have burned. So now, to prevent that from happening, if the recipe says to butter or grease the pans (like this recipe does), I do that, but then I also cut a piece of parchment paper to line just the bottom of the pan, then grease or butter on top of that. Burns no more.
5. Warm water really means hot. Okay, not boiling, but like turn the tap all the way to hot, let it run until its really going and then use it. These recipes do not mean lukewarm or just not cold.
6. Lastly, if your yeast doesn't froth (like pictured below) its not live anymore and you need to toss it and start over.
Julia Child's White Sandwich Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the sugar and yeast. Add 1/2 cup of the warm water (reserving the remaining two cups), let it sit for a full five minutes until frothy.
Add half the flour and the remaining water to the yeast and mix until combined. Add the remaining flour, salt and butter. Mix well with a dough hook or by hand. In the stand mixer, it should be mixed smooth after about 7-8 minutes.
The dough should be tacky but smooth. Remove from the bowl and turn out on the counter to knead with your hands for a minute or two. Shape into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for about an hour and a half, until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, butter two loaf pans. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, remove from the bowl and turn out onto the counter to knead again for a minute or two. Divide the dough into two, evenly.
Pat each half into a rectangle about the size of a sheet of paper. Then fold it into third like a letter, it should now be about the size of the loaf pan. Put it into the loaf pan, seam side down. Set the loaf pans aside, cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another hour, until doubled in size, above the sides of the pan.
Pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees and bake the loaves for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove immediately from the pans and allow to cool on a wire rack.
