Home-style Wheat Bread

Home-style bread has an image problem. It’s not perceived as being outré amongst the entre nous crowd. This is a shame because it might be the most versatile of breads and makes superior sandwiches.

Chewy-crusted artisanal breads are great but they have a tendency to fall apart before you’re done with your sandwich because they simply lack enough gluten to hold up. And home-style bread is the perfect vehicle for jam.

Sometimes in life you just need a nice loaf of soft bread.

This loaf features a ⅔ to ⅓ ratio of high-gluten bread flour to white whole wheat flour. There is no nutritional difference between white whole wheat and red whole wheat; I just like the golden color.

The inclusion of an egg helps with giving the loaf a good rise and the addition of sugar, oil and powdered milk help with richness and prevent the loaf from drying out too quickly. A loaf can stay reasonably moist for close to a week.

Ingredients:

• 320 grams (3 cups) High Gluten Bread Flour
• 220 grams (2 cups) White Whole Wheat Flour
• 50 grams (¼ cup) Sugar
• 28 grams (4 tbsp.) Dry Milk Powder
• 2 tsp. or 1 packet Active Dry Yeast
• 2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1 Egg
• 50 grams (¼ cup) Vegetable Oil
• 270 grams (scant 1 ¼ cups) Warm Water
• 1 tbsp. Melted Butter

Directions:

Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Mix in egg, oil and warm water and knead for 10 minutes. Set aside in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size – about an hour.

Step 2: Knead the dough for a good two minutes. Use oil or non-stick spray to coat a standard 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ inch loaf pan. Place the dough in the pan and mold into an oblong shape to fill the pan. Set aside to rise until the dough gets about an inch above the rim of the pan.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the dough with half of the melted butter and bake for a total of 40 minutes, tenting the loaf with aluminum foil half-way through in order to prevent the loaf from browning too much. It’s also a good idea to rotate the loaf at the half-way point to ensure even baking.

Remove from the pan and brush with the remaining melted butter.