Description
Nothing beats the aroma of freshly baked homemade sandwich bread! This simple, foolproof recipe creates soft, fluffy slices with a golden crust, perfect for sandwiches, toast, or slathering with butter.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough:
- 330 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 130 g warm semi-skimmed milk
- 2 egg whites or 1 whole egg + 1 egg white
- 30 g butter
For the Egg Wash :
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp milk
Instructions
- Dissolve the instant yeast in warm milk with a some sugar. Let it sit until it becomes foamy, this step ensures a good rise.
- Lightly whisk the egg whites (or a whole egg + one egg white, as I did) before adding them to the yeast mixture.
- Sift together the flour and salt, then gradually add them into the wet ingredients while kneading to form a soft, cohesive dough.
- Slowly incorporate soft, room-temperature butter, kneading continuously until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a buttered bowl. Cover with cling film and let it rest in a warm place (such as a turned-off oven). Allow the dough to double or even triple in size.
- Once risen, gently deflate the dough and divide it into three equal portions. Shape each into a smooth ball.
- Butter a 26 cm loaf tin (or a large sandwich bread pan). Arrange the dough balls inside, when placed, they should fill no more than half the height of the pan to allow room for expansion.
- Brush the dough with milk or an egg yolk-milk mixture. Let it rise again in a turned-off oven for at least 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until the bread is beautifully golden and fully cooked.
- Even with a fan-assisted oven, I prefer using the “bake” setting with static heat from below. This method naturally gives the bread a golden crust without needing top heat.
- Once baked, let the bread cool slightly before slicing. Enjoy its soft, airy texture in sandwiches, toast, or simply warm with butter!
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: bread
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 155 kcal