When my quest to conquering the mighty yeast beast began three years ago, at fifteen, I was somewhat stunted by the notion that bread was a very difficult item to master as an amateur home baker. I have come to realize that wasn’t true at all – and although it definitely took me a while to come up with a perfect recipe, much of it was due to lack of proper instructions and tips on the recipes I’ve read. So, in this post, I have included my perfected sandwich bread recipe and summarized for you some trouble-shooting tips I wish someone had told me three years ago.
I had posted a recipe for a fluffy bread earlier on on Instagram. Now, the real challenge for the creation of this recipe was to produce a bread with the same light, fluffy, pillowy texture of white sandwich bread that was whole-wheat-only. Whole wheat breads tend to be dense and tough; while the heartiness is appreciated, the density of a black hole certainly isn’t.
Then, how do bakeries achieve that amazing texture? Let’s take a look. First of all, many use white flour for more than half the weight of the total flour composition. Ingredients uncommon in home pantries are included, such as dough improver, whey powder, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, mono- and diglycerides, and ammonium chloride, which help tweak the texture and mouthfeel to perfection. Preservatives, such as calcium propionate, are also used to preserve the softness of the bread for days.
If you are a little overwhelmed at this point, do not worry; you do not need to stock up on all of these mysterious ingredients. Substitution is possible. Instead of whey, nondairy milks can be used; instead of dough improver, potato flour can be used to hold moisture and provide lightness to the bread. I’ve still included lecithin in this recipe, as it is one of those versatile ingredients that really does wonders. Lecithin is an emulsifier that can integrate the oil into the rest of the ingredients more evenly, thus providing a fluffier texture; it is also used in making vegan butter, and isn’t unreasonably priced (I recommend purchasing it online). Moreover, soy lecithin is actually a healthy supplement – did you know that our brains are 60% lecithin by mass? 😉
With just a few simple aforementioned ingredients added to the traditional sandwich bread recipe, you’d be surprised at how soft and fluffy this whole wheat bread stays, even after a day or two.
Now, onto the tips:
- DO follow the recipe as closely as possible on your first attempt.
- DO weigh your ingredients, if possible.
- DO proof your yeast to make sure it is alive – you don’t want to waste all your other ingredients, just to find out that the yeast you were using wasn’t active!
- DO knead the bread enough before rising; you want the gluten to be developed. It should be very stretchy.
- DO remove the loaf from the pan within less than 10 minutes of removing from the oven, or condensation will turn the bottom soggy.
- Do NOT use an aluminum pan again if your bread turns out pale after a try (the pale color of the pan may have deflected heat and stopped the surface from caramelizing, and thus, discouraging browning). In fact, I recommend a dark-colored loaf pan if you can find one, as it will help with even browning.
- Do NOT sub in white flour – if you want a white bread recipe, look for one, or message me (@sinfullygreen on Instagram).
- Do NOT exert pressure while slicing, especially when the bread is still hot! (It will easily get deflated . . .)
I think we’re ready to proceed to the next step! Read on for the recipe.
Sinfully Green 