My recent bread making attempts have gone reasonably well (except for the day I thought I had turned the oven temperature down but as was obvious 30 minutes later, I had not!)
My goal with bread making is to bake a loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread that will stay soft for several days – and of course, tastes good.
See below for my current recipe…
Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Preheat oven to 425°
7 ounces lukewarm water
4 ounces milk
4 ounces honey
2 1/2 ounces melted butter
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
Mix all of the above together.
15 ounces whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5/8 ounce of nonfat dried milk
1 1/2 ounces of potato flour
1 T of vital wheat gluten
Stir together the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture. Knead in the mixer for about 5 minutes. Cover and place in a warm place to rise. When doubled, shape dough into a rough loaf shape and place in a greased loaf pan. Let rise again until it is about 1/2 inch above the edge of the pan. Score it down the middle and place in the oven. Turn the temperature of the oven down to 350° and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan and tent with foil if it seems like it is getting too dark. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until the interior temperature is about 200°. Let cool before slicing.
I have also been wrapping my loaf in a dish towel when it is cool before sliding it into a plastic bag. The towel absorbs any excess moisture so that the bread does not get soggy.