Soft White Sandwich Loaf

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake up the yeast

   Whisk the warm milk, honey, and yeast together in a measuring cup and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until the surface looks foamy and smells faintly like beer. Milk hotter than about 115°F will kill the yeast, so if you don't have a thermometer, aim for the temperature of a comfortable bath. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, your yeast is dead and it's worth starting over rather than pushing ahead.

2. 2

   Mix to a shaggy dough

   Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the milk mixture and stir with a sturdy spoon or the dough hook on low until no dry flour remains and you have a rough, shaggy mass. Cover and let it sit for 10 minutes. This short rest lets the flour drink up the liquid, which makes the kneading that follows noticeably easier.

3. 3

   Knead in the butter

   Add the softened butter a tablespoon at a time. The dough will look slick and broken for a minute or two before it pulls back together, which is normal. Knead on medium-low in a mixer for 8 to 10 minutes, or by hand on a lightly floured counter for 10 to 12. You're done when the dough is smooth, tacky but not sticky, and you can stretch a small piece thin enough to see light through it before it tears.

4. 4

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball, set it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise at warm room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled. Judge by volume, not the clock, since a cold kitchen can easily add half an hour. A fingertip pressed into the dough should leave a dent that fills back in slowly.

5. 5

   Shape the loaf

   Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Turn the dough out and press it gently into a rectangle roughly 9 inches wide and 12 inches long, pushing out the large bubbles. Starting from a short end, roll it into a tight log, pressing down with your thumbs as you go so no air pockets get trapped. Pinch the seam closed, pinch the ends, and set it seam side down in the pan. A tight roll is what gives you an even crumb instead of a big tunnel under the crust.

6. 6

   Second rise

   Cover loosely and let the loaf rise for 45 to 60 minutes, until the center crowns about an inch above the rim of the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower third about 20 minutes before you expect to bake. Don't let it over-rise here, or the loaf will collapse into a mushroom shape in the oven.

7. 7

   Bake

   Bake for 32 to 38 minutes, until deep golden on top and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 190 to 195°F. If the top is browning faster than the inside is cooking, tent it loosely with foil around the 25-minute mark. The thermometer is worth using here: a sandwich loaf that looks done on the outside can still be gummy in the middle.

8. 8

   Butter and cool

   Brush the hot crust with the melted butter, then let the loaf sit in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a rack. Cool it completely, at least 2 hours, before you cut. Slicing warm bread squashes the crumb and lets steam escape that the loaf still needs to finish setting.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Bread flour gives this loaf its chew and height, but all-purpose works too and produces a slightly softer, shorter loaf. Don't add extra flour beyond the recipe to fight stickiness during kneading, since that's the fastest route to a dry, dense crumb.

• 2.

  An 8.5x4.5-inch pan will give you a noticeably taller loaf with a higher dome. Use the same dough weight and add about 5 minutes to the bake.

• 3.

  For a classic supermarket-style square slice, bake in a lidded Pullman pan and slide the lid on once the dough reaches about an inch below the rim.

• 4.

  Swapping one cup of the bread flour for whole wheat adds a nutty flavor; add an extra 2 tablespoons of milk to compensate for how thirsty whole wheat is.

• 5.

  Two tablespoons of nonfat dry milk powder added with the flour will make the crumb softer and keep the loaf fresh an extra day.

• 6.

  You can slow the first rise in the fridge overnight. Pull the dough out, let it warm up for an hour, then shape and proceed as written.

Equipment

• 9x5-inch loaf pan
• Stand mixer with dough hook (optional)
• Large mixing bowl
• Instant-read thermometer
• Kitchen scale
• Wire cooling rack
• Pastry brush
• Serrated bread knife

Storage