EASY HOMEMADE SANDWICH BREAD

Once in a while, we like plain old-fashioned white bread for grilled cheese or tuna salad sandwiches...even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This bread is so easy to make and is very moist because of the milk or buttermilk. Your house will smell amazing while this bread is baking.  It's also excellent to cut into thicker slices for Texas Toast.  

1 ¼ cups warm whole milk or buttermilk (microwave for 60 secs)

3 T granulated sugar or honey

1 T active dry yeast

3 to 3 ¼ cups bread flour

4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 t sea salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm milk, sugar or honey, and yeast.

Gently whisk or stir and set aside for 10 minutes to proof.

Add the flour, melted butter, and salt to the bowl.

Attach a dough hook and mix until dough comes together.

Increase speed and mix another 3 minutes.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another 2 minutes.

Lightly coat a large bowl with cooking spray and add the dough. 

Flip over to coat in oil on both sides.

Cover with plastic wrap, or a damp tea towel and let the dough rise in a warm location until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.

I turn my oven on and let it heat to 120 degrees F.

Turn it off, add a small pan of boiling water, and then put the bowl in oven.

You can also leave the oven light on 

Lightly coat a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Punch down dough and on a lightly floured surface, roll into a rectangle.

Roll up, tuck in ends, and place into the prepared loaf pan.

Let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until the bread is about one inch (no more) above the rim of the loaf pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, 15 minutes before the bread has finished rising.

Bake bread for 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove loaf pan onto a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. 

Release from loaf pan and cool bread directly on wire rack until completely cool.

Makes one delicious loaf