The Fresh Loaf

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Very soft white bread-maybe even fluffy!

clazar123's picture
clazar123

Very soft white bread-maybe even fluffy!

My forte has been whole wheat bread but my husband loves fluffy,white bread and I have been working on it. I may have finally figured it out. Try it out and see what you think. It's done by volume measure rather than weight but it was my first attempt. Refinements will come.I based this on a Wonder Bread Clone recipe,recent experience and sourdough.

Soft White Bread

2 1/3 c Better for Bread flour

2/3 c soft whole wheat pastry flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

Mix all dry ingredients together then add liquid ingredients

2 tsp liquid lecithin

3 tbsp soft butter

1 egg,room temp

1/2 c active starter (100% by weight)

1/2 c warm milk

1/4 c warm water

Mix well-I used a K5 mixer

Place in oiled container and rise til double

Stretch and fold, rather than punch down, and shape into a loaf

Place in a well-oiled loaf pan (prefereably using a baking spray or brush applied product that has lecithin in it.) This dough tends to stick!

Rise til just 1 inch above the edge of the pan.Slash.

Bake in a preheated 375F oven about 30-40 min.

 

This loaf had terrific oven spring! It looks just like the picture of the Semolina Sandwich Loaf on the right side of the screen! The loaf is very soft now that it hass cooled and the crumb is very tender.I think the pastry flour really made a diiference.

So try it out and let me know what you think. It will be on the lunch menu tomorrow so I'll see how the fluffy half likes it.

Caroline

 

 

clazar123's picture
clazar123

This impulsive recipe may be a keeper! The bread has held up beuatifully for sandwiches. It remains soft and not crumbly and actually tastes good. I'm going to try it with  AP flour instead of the Better for Bread flour next time ans see what the difference is.If anyone else tries that, let us know how it turns out.

drfugawe's picture
drfugawe

What does liquid lecithin do here?  What would happen if you left it out?

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I think of liquid lecethin as a super oil. It is very thick/sticky/oily/golden.If you use it as a pan coating, not much sticks to it so I think in the dough it acts the same as an oil. Mine is soy derived.

Try leaving it out,adding some veg.oil as a substitute or increasing the butter and see what happens. I used it becasue it was in the original "Wonder Bread Clone" recipe I had and I tried not to change too many things on the first try for a soft loaf but it seems I hit on a good recipe. I am going to try it again this weekend and see if I can reproduce the results. Let me know what happens.

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I can't believe how happy I am about achieving a loaf of fluffy,white bread! I am a whole wheat person. I think I'm happy about this because this recipe was developed with an understanding of what bread is and how choose and work the ingredients in order to achieve a certain outcome.That has been a year in the development.I feel a sense of accomplishment.

I made soft (but very delicious) hamburger rolls from this batch. Using 4 oz(wt) of dough for each roll was perfect. If I were to make dinner rolls, I'd probably make them 2 oz (wt) each. I can even see laminating this dough for buttery,flaky dinner rolls for a holiday meal. I may hae to try that.

My husband is the white bread person in this house and he gives it his stamp of approval, as the local expert on store brought bread. Eventually, I will win him over to the "dark" side.

 

clazar123's picture
clazar123

I now use AP flour rather than Better for Bread. I use a brand name like Pillsbury or Gold Meadal unbleached and have great loaves.Plenty of gluten. I still use the WW pastry flour simply because that's what I have on hand.

I've made it without the lecithin and just increase the oil and it is still pretty good.I have also made it as a straight yeast loaf by just increasing the instant yeast and adding a little more flour/water to sub for the starter. My starter is about 100% hydration so it is equal parts flour/water by weight.ie-not much flour /water additional.