From PDX with Love

I think I have only made bread once before but I would like to call this one my very first, at least on my own. It all came down to a lack of sandwich bread and A. craving for a PB&J with out the PB, that is how he orders it all the time now!

A: Mom, can I have a PB&J with no peanut butter, only the jelly?

 He is a silly one. So since I already had 3 packs of yeast in my pantry begging for me to use it, I caved in and made my own Homemade Sandwich Bread!

I still can’t believe why I have never given this a try. It was so easy, with some minor issues. Using a handheld mixer is a mess, I do not recommend it! Unless you don’t mind the flying pieces of bread dough. Or the possibility of almost cracking your finger in half thanks to said handheld mixer, yup, I almost lost a finger between those suckers…which thankfully stopped once my finger got stuck between the blades. My finger still hurts a bit :S

Doesn’t it look delicious!!

The recipe I tried is for white bread, and to be honest I am not that big a fan of white bread. I can’t stand the way it sticks to your mouth roof and teeth, yuck. But, the consistency of the bread I made is thicker, it is not so fluffy, but it still tastes like white bread, only better!

I did not take any photos of the prep time due to fights with my darn handheld mixer (which I love to pieces, don’t get me wrong; she’s my Canadian baby, OK?!).

Prepping is so easy. Just, before you start, make sure to have every single ingredient and baking tools out…it is a silly thing, but once a wise man told me to always be prepared. 

You will need a large bowl where you will combine the yeast and 2 cups of your flour. On a separate bowl/saucepan, heat milk, sugar, butter, and salt. I used the stove top and had to let the wet ingredients cool down to 115-120 degrees. It took about 10 minutes to go from 140 to the desired temperature. Make sure to have the right amount of heat, if it is too hot you’ll kill the yeast, if it is too cool the yeast won’t work. Just remember that yeast is picky about its temperatures…

Combine your hot liquids with your flour and yeast mix and beat on low speed. This is where having a standing mixer comes in very handy, your fingers will appreciate it. After well combined, beat at high speed for 3 minutes.

After the 3 minutes, start adding enough flour to make a soft but kneadable dough. When ready, put dough onto a floured surface. And this is where the fun begins!! Time to use those muscles ladies! Knead for about 5-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic…or until you can’t keep kneading (I kneaded for about 8 minutes, this is my favorite part of baking!).

Return dough to mixing bowl and cover with a wet te towel. Let rise for 1 hour.

An hour later…

Punch dough down and divide into two pieces. Roll each piece into a rectangle. Starting from the short end, roll your dough and place into greased loaf pans. If you have two pans you will be able to bake the loafs together. If you are a lucky bird like me, your loafs of bread will have to take turns! So, I digress, as usual…once you put the dough in the pans cover with a wet towel once more and let the bread rise for about 30-40 minutes, or until doubled.

Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for about 25-30 minutes, I baked them for 25 minutes. Once the’re done, turn out the loafs into a wire rack. Let them cool before slicing…and ENJOY!!

This recipe has been child approved! Silly man loves mommy’s bread and he even gave me a two thumbs up! These are rare at my house…usually my food is disgusting if you were to ask my 4 year old who only wants to eat PB&J’s with out the PB and chicken nuggets with ketchup (or more like ketchup with chicken nuggets if he were to get his way).

Do you have a recipe I should give a try?!
Do share! I love trying new things!

* I live in Bellingham, WA; 278 feet above sea level.