Sandwich Loaf
This Sandwich loaf should be in everyone's repertoire! It has a soft crumb, slices easily, toasts beautifully, and even makes a wonderful French Toast. We are guessing this will be a go to in your kitchen from now on!
Sandwich Loaf
Servings one 9 x 5 loaf | Cook Time 45 to 60 min
Ingredients:
Starter Ingredients
- Sponge Starter
- 1 cup (135 g) Artisan Baker's Blend (gum/rice free) or 160g of Original Blend
- 355g or 1 ½ cups warm water (100-110°)
- 1 package 7g Instant yeast
- 50g sugar or maple sugar
Dough Ingredients
- 4 cups (540g) Artisan Baker's Blend (gum/rice free) or 640g Original Blend, sifted
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup warm milk (105°) or substitute hemp seed milk or oat milk for dairy free ¼ cup butter or shortening
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
Instructions:
Note: Make sponge 1 hour before beginning dough
Sponge:
Combine Ingredients. In the bowl of your mixer, combine well all of the sponge ingredients. Cover and set on the counter to ferment for 1 hour.
Dough:
Add Remaining Dough Ingredients. Once the sponge is fermented, add the Artisan Baker’s Blend flour or Better Batter original blend and all remaining dough ingredients.
Mix with the paddle attachment beginning on low to combine, then increase to medium/ high speed for 5 minutes until dough is cohesive and fluffy. It will be wet at this point.
Gather dough together in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for approximately 60 min to allow the dough to hydrate and chill. Or you can counter proof the dough in a warm place.
Loaf Shaping:
Lightly grease a standard 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
Remove dough from fridge and put the dough out onto a floured board or counter.
Shape the dough into a loaf shape that will fit into your loaf pan. Place the loaf into the pan with the smooth side on top. Cover the loaf with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in size, about 40 to 60 minutes. This can take longer if you cold proof your dough.
Preheat the oven to 475° about 15 minutes before proofing time is complete.
Uncover the dough and using a razor sharp straight edged knife or scalpel, slice three parallel diagonal lines in the top of the dough, about 1/2 inch deep. Take care not to deflate the dough!
Place pan in the oven (uncovered). Reduce temperature to 425° and bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until bread reaches an internal temperature of 210°F.
Cooling. Bread is done when internal loaf temperature reads about 210°. Remove from pan and place loaf on its side on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for one hour.
Rotate loaf to the other side and cool about 4 hours. Bread will be gummy if you try to slice it before cooling time is finished. Flavor and texture improve over the 5 hour cooling time and the moisture has a chance to equalize. Do not slice until bread has cooled for at least 5 hours.
This recipe was originally tested and adapted from a recipe published by Patrick Auger in January 2023. Original photo of food by Jennifer Bigler.
