Bread Machine Sandwich Bread

Before you start

A bread machine handles the kneading, rising and baking, but the loaf is only as good as the formula and a few minutes of attention. This recipe makes a soft, even-crumbed white sandwich loaf sized for a 2-pound (900 g) machine. Bread flour gives it enough structure to rise tall in the pan, while milk powder and a little butter keep the crumb tender and the crust golden.

The two habits that matter most are weighing the flour and checking the dough about 10 minutes into kneading. Too much flour gives a short, dense loaf; too much water makes the top rise high and then collapse. Look in the lid: the dough should be a smooth, round ball that is slightly tacky. Follow your machine's manual for ingredient order. Most machines want liquids first and yeast last, so the yeast stays dry until mixing starts.

Ingredients

• 300 ml (1¼ cups) water — lukewarm, about 27°C (80°F)
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter — soft, cut into pieces
• 25 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 1½ tsp (9 g) fine salt
• 500 g (4 cups) bread flour — spooned and leveled, or weighed
• 20 g (¼ cup) nonfat dry milk powder
• 6 g (2 tsp) instant or bread machine yeast

Method

1. Remove the bread pan from the machine and make sure the kneading paddle is fitted. Add the ingredients in the order your manual specifies; for most machines that is water, butter, sugar and salt, then flour and milk powder.
2. Make a small well in the top of the flour, away from the liquid, and add the yeast to it. Do not let the yeast touch the water or salt before the cycle starts.
3. Lock the pan into the machine. Choose the basic or white bread cycle, the 2-pound loaf size and a medium crust, then press start.
4. About 10 minutes into kneading, open the lid. The dough should form a smooth ball that cleans the sides of the pan and feels slightly tacky. If it is sticking to the sides or looks wet, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time; if it is lumpy or the machine strains, add water 1 teaspoon at a time.
5. Close the lid and leave the machine alone. Opening it during rising or baking lets out heat and can make the loaf sink.
6. When the cycle ends, remove the pan right away with oven mitts. Turn it over and shake out the loaf; if the paddle stays inside the loaf, wait until it cools and ease it out.
7. Cool the loaf on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing with a serrated knife. The inside keeps cooking and setting as it cools.

Tips for success

• Use the delay timer only with recipes that have no fresh dairy or eggs. This one is safe for the delay because it uses milk powder and water.
• If the crust comes out too thick and dark, choose the light crust setting; the time stays the same, only the bake temperature changes.
• Lightly oil the paddle before adding ingredients to make it easier to remove from the baked loaf.

Substitutions

Bread flour

All-purpose flour gives a shorter loaf with a softer crumb. Reduce the water by 15 ml, or add 1 tbsp vital wheat gluten to keep the height.

Milk powder and water

Use 300 ml whole milk in place of the water and leave out the powder. Do not use the delay timer with fresh milk.

Butter

Use 2 tbsp neutral oil. The crust is slightly less tender and the flavor milder.

Variations

Honey wheat loaf

Replace 150 g of the bread flour with whole wheat flour, swap the sugar for 2 tbsp honey and add 15 ml more water.

Dough-cycle rolls

Run the dough cycle only, then shape 16 rolls, proof 45 minutes and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 to 18 minutes.

Troubleshooting

Top rose and then collapsed

Too much yeast or liquid, or the kitchen was very warm. Weigh the flour, measure yeast exactly and use cool water on hot days.

Short, dense loaf

Too much flour, old yeast or salt touching the yeast. Check the dough ball at 10 minutes and test the yeast if it is near its date.

Flour pockets on the corners

The paddle did not reach the corners. Scrape the sides with a spatula during the first knead.

Storage

Keep the cooled loaf in a bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice it and freeze in a sealed bag for up to 3 months. Refrigerating makes it stale faster.