Sandwich Bread

Impress one and all by making your own sandwich bread!  This bread takes a little more time than pizza dough or pita, but it's still pretty straightforward.  It tastes so good, you'll want to put anything and everything on it.  Enjoy!

Sandwich Bread

Makes 1 large loaf (about 16 slices)
Time: At least 3 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1-2 tablespoons sugar or honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/3 cups milk, preferably whole or 2%, warmed to 110-120ºF

Directions:

1.  Prepare the yeast by adding to the warmed milk and allowing to stand for 5 minutes.

2.  Add the flour and salt to a food processor and pulse for 5 seconds.  With the machine running, add the sweetener, oil, and yeasted milk.  Process for about 30 seconds, then remove the cover.  The dough should be a well-defined, barely sticky ball that is easy to handle.  If dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.  If dry, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

3.  On a floured surface, shape the dough into a rough ball, and then place in a lightly oiled large bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and allow to rise for at least 2 hours, until doubled in bulk.  Deflate the ball and re-shape it into a ball; let rest, covered, on a lightly floured surface for at least 15 minutes.

4.  Gently knead the dough into a rectangle the size of your loaf pan.  Grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan).  Place the loaf into the pan, flattening the top of it with your hand.  Cover and let rest for 1 hour, or until the top of the dough is level with the rim of the pan.

5.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Put the loaf in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it (it should easily fall out of the pan when turned).  Remove the loaf and cool on a wired rack before slicing.

Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman