Friday, April 30, 2010

Bread Machine Sandwich Bread

The time has come to share my recipe for bread machine whole wheat sandwich bread!  I'm proud of this because I actually developed this recipe myself, using two different recipes as a base and with a lot of trial and error.  As you may know, I bake almost all of our bread from scratch; I only buy it if I can get it for pennies on the dollar.   This required having an easy bread recipe that I could make weekly or even more often for sandwiches and toast.

I developed it because I was having trouble finding a recipe that fit all my criteria, which are:
1) mostly whole wheat
2) soft and a little sweet, rather than incredibly dense like some whole wheat breads
3) risen high enough to be a good size for sandwiches
4) using regular ingredients, not making me have to purchse anything exotic or expensive

Here's the recipe I developed:
1-1/8 c. warm water
1 T. white vinegar
1 egg
1-1/2 T. oil
3 T. brown sugar
1 c. bread flour
2-1/3 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1-1/2 t. yeast
Put everything in the bread machine in the order listed or in the order recommended by the manufacturer.  Set the machine to "dough" cycle.  When the cycle is finished, remove dough to a greased loaf pan and let rise (covered) in a cold oven for 45 minutes.  Remove cover from pan, leaving pan in oven, and set oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for about 30 minutes, including preheating time.  Let cool for a couple of minutes; remove from pan.

As you can see, there are a few unconventional steps or ingredients in the recipe.  The vinegar and egg help the bread to rise, despite the predominance of whole wheat flour.  I also found that leaving the bread in the oven while it preheats (violating every baking rule) prevented the bread from flattening when I moved it around after rising.

The bread is really delicious, especially on the first day it's made, although I often freeze some slices.  The one aspect I'm still working on is that it can be a bit crumbly, making it not as good for holding together a hearty sandwich.  I'm always open to suggestions for improvement!

Check out Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom and Mrs. Moneysaver.

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. I saw you on Mrs. Moneysavers. Have a great week.

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  2. Do you know of any home made bread recipe that isn't crumbly? That's the only thing keeping me from making my own sandwich bread, since my husband eats at a work desk which is shared with multiple people and can't have any crumbs fall...

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  3. Liz, have you ever tried making sandwich rolls/hamburger buns? I have a recipe if you want it, I find it easier since the rolls are not crumbly at all; and the best part is that they are so easy to make!

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  4. Niki, bring it on! I have been planning to try homemade hamburger and hot dog buns now that grilling season has started. I'd love the recipe!

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  5. Liz,

    Have you tried making "Pain De Mie" bread in a pullman loaf pan? You can a combination of White whole wheat and Whole wheat.

    Also, if you do a pre-ferment (Poolish or Biga) it will help to add some more flavor to the loaf.

    I'll try your recipe this weekend and let you know what I think!

    Craig

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  6. Wow, I cannot wait to try it! I am always looking for a good recipe for bread machine dough to make sandwiches. None of the recipes from the booklet work well for sammies.

    :)

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  7. Do you know how this could be made without a bread machine? I have found many recipes can be and therefore have never decided to buy a bread machine...

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  8. Question - do you beat the egg first? I've never seen a bread recipe that uses vinegar but it makes sense. I'm going to try this!

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  9. Elizabeth, I just drop the egg in. No need to beat.

    Anon - I am not very familiar with adapting bread machine recipes for conventional preparation, but I bet it wouldn't be too difficult. You would just mix it the normal way and then give it one rising in the bowl and one in the pan.

    Also, just as a note I got my bread machine on freecycle, and I see many available for just a few dollars at yard sales.

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  10. Oh my! I don't remember how I stumbled across this post (or your blog, for that matter... maybe from a Wegmans deals post?), but I'm so excited! I tried this recipe a few days ago, and it's *exactly* what I've been looking for. No kidding. My husband thought I was a little crazy the way I kept going on about it. Great homemade bread with minimal time spent making it = really happy me! :-)

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  11. Heather, that makes me so happy to hear!

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  12. Thanks for sharing this bread recipe Liz!
    I actually just got a bread machine from a yard sale and want to try this out. I have a "beginners" question... locally where do you find the best price on bread flour? I've never bought it before and think some grocery stores have it, but am interested in where you've found the best deals here in the Northern VA/DC area.
    Thanks!
    Laura

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Thanks for commenting. I love to hear your feedback!