Ruhlman recently shared a recipe for a loaf of sandwich bread that I believe is about as easy as bread making gets. The recipe uses a weight measurement for the flour, rather than using a volume (cup) measurement. This is a great asset to the recipe, since the weight of a cup of flour can be drastically different depending on how you measure it. If you stick the measuring cup into your flour bin and scoop out your flour, your going to end up with a lot more flour in that cup than if you were to spoon your flour into the cup. The weight measurement helps reduce the margin of error. Most of the work is done by a stand mixer,
and then a brief amount of work is done by you—just a tiny bit of shaping.
The rest of the process really entails waiting: waiting for the bread to rise, letting the bread rest, waiting for the bread to rise a 2nd time, and then waiting for the bread to cook. Easy!
A few things to note that I especially appreciate about this recipe are the suggestion to use a Dutch oven, a note on the internal temperature of baked bread, and a reminder not to cut into the loaf right after it comes out of the oven. I learned the Dutch oven trick when I first made Jim Lahey’s recipe for No-Knead Bread. That bread, however, is a rustic boule that is baked directly on the bottom of the pot, not in a loaf pan like this bread, and so it didn’t even occur to me to use the same technique. Ruhlman suggests putting the loaf into a Dutch oven for the 2nd rise and for the 1st 30 minutes of baking time. This technique helps to seal in heat and moisture, which helps with the rising of the dough, and then acts like a steam-injected oven when baking. You can definitely make this bread without a Dutch oven, but it is such a nice bonus to use one!
Ruhlman notes that the bread is ready to come out of the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have ever worried about whether or not a loaf of bread is done or not, this is a fabulous way to know. I use an inexpensive thermometer that works like a charm.
Finally, all of your “hard” work and temperature taking will be for naught if you cut into that loaf of bread when it comes out of the oven. Bread should be allowed to come to room temperature after baking, because the heat retained inside continues to cook the bread, so slicing it too early interrupts this process prematurely and could leave you with a gummy middle.
I’m going to help you make a goal/New Year’s resolution (whatever you want to call it) for 2010: “I (insert your name here) am going to make fresh bread from scratch this year.” See? That wasn’t so hard! Now go do it, and report back to me!
“You can do it” Sandwich Bread
Adapted from Michael Ruhlman’s Everyday Sandwich Bread Recipe
Makes 1 loaf of bread
20 ounces all-purpose flour
12 ounces water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1. Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the dough hook, mix the ingredients on medium speed until the dough is smooth and very elastic (about 10 minutes). Remove the bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume. This can take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours depending on how warm the area is where it is rising.
2. Remove the dough from the bowl, place it on a smooth surface, and then punch it down and knead it to get as much gas out as you can. Then shape the dough into a rectangle that is approximately 8×11-inches in size. Cover it with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes.
3. Shaping the dough: Fold the dough rectangle in half and then use the heel of your hand to press the halves together. Fold in half again, and repeat the process until you have a round loaf. Place it in an greased loaf pan, seam side down, and cover with a towel to rise (or place it in a Dutch oven and cover it) until it has doubled in volume (approximately 1 hour). While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. When the dough has finished rising,use a sharp knife to make a slash down the center of the loaf. Make the cut about 1/4-inch deep at a 30 degree angle. Put the loaf into the oven and then turn down the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. (If you are using a Dutch oven, leave the lid on for the first half hour.) Bake the bread for about one hour. For the best results, the internal temperature of the loaf should be about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool before slicing into it.
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Beautiful post Rachael! I love the Dutch Oven trick ; ) Nothing like homemade bread fresh out of the oven!
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Rachael, This is my goal! I failed miserably last week!! I am literally jumping that you posted this and the dutch oven trick! I’m seriously trying this recipe tomorrow and will let you know the results :D
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Beautiful!!! I’m planning on doing Healthy Bread in 5’s sandwich bread! I hope mine comes out nearly as nice as this!!
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Your bread looks beautiful! Ratio is one of my favorite books and I have been meaning to try to make some breads based on the ratios from the book.
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I love homemade bread. The smell takes me back to my childhood.
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Somehow, even though I was receiving every post on your old blog in my Google reader, I managed to miss the move to your new website. The other night, Husband and I made chicken katsu, and I realized I hadn’t seen a post from you in a while. Yesterday I looked you up and was so happy to find you are still blogging, so I updated my Google reader.
I bake my own bread every week (I really don’t care for the taste of store-bought loaves, unless they’re the nice (read: expensive) bakery breads. But I am so excited about this recipe and I’m looking forward to trying it!– and I just got a kitchen scale for Christmas! perfect!
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Fuji Mama (Rachael) Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
qsogirl– I’m so glad you “found” me again! I’m not sure why that is happening to people…my RSS feed didn’t change! Something about the move set something off though! I’m with you, I can’t stand storebought bread! :b Let me know what you think of the bread!
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Holy crap, that looks flawless. I’d love to make it, but I don’t have a stand mixer. How long would you have to knead it by hand for?
Heh, I actually made a loaf of bread a while ago, it’s not easy in my new apartment. I don’t have more than a foot of counter space at a stetch and no table. The bread came out good, it was especially nice after all the sweeping I had to do after I made it.
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Fuji Mama (Rachael) Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Bob– It would take a while…you’d mix it with a wooden spoon and then just start kneading the heck out of it. But not any worse than making any regular bread recipe without a stand mixer!
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can’t wait to make this tonight after I get my converter sheet out..lol
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This is definitely the reason why I have avoided making bread at home. You are so right! I can’t say I will promise to make it though as I don’t have that mixing equipment, so might have to get that first… :) But I will definitely come back to it.
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Fuji Mama (Rachael) Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Kelly– You could mix this by hand, it would just take significantly more elbow grease!
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I am so going to do this, thank you for putting it out there! And I love the print link thingy – so cool and handy dandy!
Now I have to saw that I lost you for a while but I have fixed up bloglines so I will be able to keep up once again. Oh and my partner James finally tried our Melanganie recipe the other day…we are waiting until we can open the jar and try it. Will let you know.
Ah it’s great to be reading you again.
cheers
Kris in oz
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Having never made non-breadmaker bread, I’d so love to be able to take you up on your wish to show me how easy it can be! I’m going to have to squeeze some sort of oven into my itty-bitty Tokyo apartment and will definitely try bread making once I do…
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I’ve never made bread in a dutch oven before. I’ll have to try it out that way very soon. Your bread came out perfectly. There is nothing like making your own bread. YUM!
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This loaf looks great, Rachael! I haven’t made bread for ages (last time it was a chocolate- filled roll!). The dutch oven idea is clever – I’ve baked bread with a roasting pan of water in the base of the oven, but this is a much better idea! I will try this as soon as I can. Thank you!
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Ah bread. Next to macarons, it’s my nemesis. Maybe 2010 will be the year of the bread success…. Thanks for posting this – definitely filing for later use…
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I’ve been looking for a simple sandwich bread recipe for days! This totally looks like something I could make. Definitely bookmarking this page!
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I have been putting off getting a thermometer for ages, just can’t decide which kind. I want one that’s accurate for mostly roasting meats in the oven and would also love to use it as you did in the bread and trust what it tells me. I have found that you can spend as much or as little as you want with these things, and my question is, would this little Taylor thermometer be the answer for me?
Get your posts about every day – love them!
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You make it look like it’s so easy! Can I use the same recipe with wholegrain flour?
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Ah, you can read my mind. :)
I’ve been thinking about making sandwich bread to go with the next Washoku Warriors Challenge.
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I just went to friend’s house for a bread demo because she felt exactly the same way. And you’re right! It’s not that hard! (She mills her own wheat too, so it’s super healthy!) And I gotta say it was way yummier than any store bought bread. I loved it. I think I’ll make it a new year’s resolution to bake at least TWO more loaves. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Nice tasty bread recipe!
Thanks
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Gaelle– If you want to use whole wheat flour, only replace up to half of the all-purpose flour in the recipe with this. If the whole wheat flour is coarsely ground, substitute 1 1/8 cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup all-purpose flour. The reason for not completely replacing the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour is that whole wheat flour makes baked goods denser and coarser in texture. Hope that helps!
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Arlene– Great question! Yes, I have had the same issue, especially when it seems like I buy a thermometer and then it doesn’t last very long. So frustrating! This particular thermometer was recommended to me by a very talented chef as being a great “all around thermometer.” I have definitely found this to be true. It’s not made for candy making, but that’s about it! The only downside is that the face is quite small (but wonderful that it doesn’t take up a bunch of room in a kitchen drawer). You can test the temperature accuracy (it comes with instructions on how to do this) and then recalibrate it if it is slightly off. I haven’t had any problems yet! For the price, it is especially a wonderful buy!
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Nice job! I usually make ABin5 bread, but might have to try this method now. I just got a Dutch oven and wasn’t aware of this method so I’m going to have to give it a try.
One question, do you remove the bread from the loaf pan as you let it cool? I’ve found that leaving it in can result in a soggy bottom on the loaf.
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I absolutely can’t wait until I get Michael’s book in the mail- just ordered it! That Dutch oven trick is one I’ve never heard of. I look forward to trying some new, healthy bread recipes this year.
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You’ve made me want to try the Dutch Oven method. I too made the no knead bread a number of times last year using the oven, but haven’t gone the route of making other bread using this method. Thanks for posting this — now I’ve got the impetus to try it.
I got the book not long after it came out and have had the Ratio chart posted in my kitchen but the Ratio iPhone app is like a miracle. You can use weight or volume and use metric or imperial measurements. It’s pricy as iPhone apps go, but well worth it if you like to have the trials and tribulations of doing the math taken out of your hands.
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Excellent post Rachael. And, yes, the difference between scooping and spooning a cup of flour is one-half ounce which is huge in baking.
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Thanks for the “Dutch oven” trick. I make all of the bread we eat at home, using 2/3 spelt and the remainder AP flour. It’s just a simple white bread but I look forward to seeing if it comes out differently with the loaf pan inside my oval casserole. I noticed some comments about the lack of a stand mixer. I almost always use my Cuisinart to make the dough. Use the little plastic “s” rather than the larger metal one. I use cup measures and just dump in the flour, yeast, and a little sugar and pulse to mix. Then I put a funnel in the top opening and pour in a bit of olive oil and my water while the machine is running. The dough will come together into a ball and thump around in there. If not, I add a bit more water, or flour if it seems too sticky. It kneads very quickly so you don’t need to let it thump in there for more than a minute. Rise once as usual, form loaf and rise the second time. I bake mine in my grandmother’s old aluminum pans for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Yes, remove from pan for better bottom crust and cool before slicing. Just found your blog so look forward to checking often. Thanks!
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