March 6, 2013 - 4:42pm
The Perfect Sandwich Bread?
Hi. I'm new to this forum, and I want to learn to make the perfect sandwich bread. I completed lessons 1 & 2, and the crusts came out very crunchy and thick. I didn't use a loaf pan.
My husband's problem with homemade sandwich bread is that it is usually too dry the next day, and I would like to make some that doesn't fall apart, but is soft and flexible, like storebought. (I know, but you have to admit, they've got that part figured out) Also, how do I keep the crust soft? I hate all the weird ingredients in storebought, and would prefer to make my own but these things hold me back. Any suggestions?
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Try a search (both here on on the web) for tang zhong method. (sometimes written as tangzhong). Pretty easy and works great.
wayne
There are several recipes/formulas on this site that offer a soft but healthy sandwich loaf. Txfarmer has posted a whole wheat oatmeal loaf and a whole wheat bulghur loaf, both with lofty beautifully soft crumb. Bon Appetit!
Linda
Additives that you fear, are artificial subsitutes to the natural additives such as: eggs, milk, butter, honey, yogurt...etc. use any of those natural those additives in any combination you wish, and you'll have soft crumb.
For a crumb that does not fall apart, keading very well in addition to a soft dough (versus stiff), are key to a resilient crumb for bread.
Too much Egg whites lead to a dry crumb, so you may want to avoid that.
Have given you some great ideas and I will throw my two cent in. The best one I have managed to make is teketeke's Japanese White Sandwich Bread made with yeast water here - with some added sourdough starter for its keeping qualities here: You can search for Japanese Sandwich Bread too.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/22482/japanese-white-sandwich-loaf-raisin-yeast-water
Yeast water makes for the most soft and moist crumb. I prefer cream to milk too and with some butter, egg yolk and sugar in the mix, even some cream cheese. The more of these things you put in the softer the crumb will get and then you face the crumb wanting to fall apart. To counteract this and strengthening the crumb, you can use some vital wheat gluten. It is completely natural and made entirely from wheat flour with no other additives. Developed by the Chinese to keep their noodles from falling apart when stretching and cooking, the carbohydrates and starch in the flour are just washed away leaving the gluten behind. Another added benefit of vital wheat gluten is that water binds to gluten to make the bread more moist too. Since all the carbohydrates are washed away, the real killer for those with diabetes, the lowest carbohydrate flours available are combined with VWG, which has no carbs, to make bread for diabetics that doesn't fall apart.
Sourdough breads keep fresh longer than any other kind - by far. So, in my never ending quest to make Wonder Bread at home that stays fresh and moist without falling apart, it is a combination YW and SD starter, egg yolk, sugar, cream, butter and cream cheese with some VWG to toughen it up so it doesn't all fall apart.
You can use yeast but the bread won't keep as long so it helps to slice the bread after it cools and freeze it in plastic wrap in the number of slices your family eats a day. Every morning you break out a new batch from the freezer to have fresh bread that never goes stale already sliced and ready for toasting.
This isn't a cheap bread but you can omit the cream cheese, cream and butter and sub whole milk and margarine ( like Wonder Bread) and the bread will still be very nice. I'm with Linda on the WW that txfarmer makes in place of white flour too.
Happy baking
....the Japanese Milk Bread, tangzhong, or water roux bread. Light and fluffy, it has better keeping qualities than most straight-dough breads. I use it whenever I want dinner rolls or sandwich bread now. You can search here or the web for recipes or message me and I'll get you one.
Tang Zhou is very exotic sounding but , in essence, it is a water roux (flour and water cooked to a custard) and added to the dough. It adds tremendoug softness and shreddability to the crumb.The key is definitely to knead/mix to a windowpane.
Txfarmer did a wonderful post on Hokkaido Milk Bread along with a whole grain variation. Try it! Your husband will really enjoy it.