Easy White Sandwich Bread (Soft-Crust)

5 from 1 vote

Easy White Sandwich Bread (Soft-Crust)

This easy white sandwich bread with soft crust makes perfect farmhouse style, everyday loaf your family will love. Best white bread recipe!

Course Bread, Breakfast, Lunch

Cuisine British, International

Keyword farmhouse loaf, sandwich bread, vegan bread, white bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Proving Time 2

Total Time 2 50

Servings slices

Calories 139kcal

Author Jo Allison

Equipment

Ingredients

500 g white strong bread flour
325 ml soya milk see notes
25 g unsalted vegan block butter I use Flora Plant
1 teaspoon golden/maple syrup
1 teaspoon fine salt see notes
2 teaspoon dried yeast see notes
some rapeseed/olive oil for greasing

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Put vegan butter in a small saucepan and melt it over low heat.
Add soya milk followed by maple (golden) syrup and give it a quick stir over a low heat to ensure that milk warms up a little (becomes lukewarm to touch). Set aside.
Put the flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl or bowl of your stand mixer and give it a gentle mix to incorporate the two into the flour. Ensure that when you add both salt and yeast into the bowl you keep them on separate sides.
Make a well in the centre of the bowl and add lukewarm milk mixture.
Using your hand or dough hook (if using mixer) start incorporating milk into the flour until the dough starts coming together (you might need to stop your mixer couple of times initially to help and move the flour sitting on the walls of the bowl into the wet mixture).
If kneading by hand, tip the dough out onto lightly floured counter and knead for approximately 10 minutes. If using dough hook and stand mixer knead the dough on the low speed for approximately 5 minutes until dough feels smooth and elastic.
If dough feels dry and you've still got lots of loose crumbs at the bottom of the bowl then add tiny bit more milk, drop at a time. If it feels wet and sticky add a sprinkle of flour.
To check whether dough has been kneaded enough and is ready for proving press it gently with your finger. If it springs back slightly it's ready, if it doesn't knead for a bit longer.
Once dough is ready, put it in lightly oiled bowl, cover and place in a warm and draught free place until doubled in size (1-2 hrs).
When ready, knock back the dough with a punch to deflate it, turn it out onto the counter and give it a very quick knead.
Prepare 2 lb loaf tin by greasing it very lightly with some oil, set aside.
Next, roll the dough out into a rectangle (roughly 26x30cm/ 10x12in).
Start rolling up the dough from the short side ensuring it is pretty tight.
Once the dough is rolled, gently fold the ends underneath (where the seam is) and put into prepared loaf tin.
Once in the tin, cover the loaf and put somewhere warm for its second prove and to double in size.
Towards the end of proving time preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
Once the loaf looks like it's doubled in size put it in preheated oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes until golden brown on top and sounds hollow when you tap it underneath.
Once on the cooling rack and still hot, rub a small piece of unsalted vegan butter (I use Flora Plant) over the top of the loaf and leave it to cool.
Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate, based on one slice (if you cut your loaf into 16 slices) and should be treated as a rough guideline only.
Soya milk works best in vegan baked goods but you could use oat milk as well.
Make sure to use fine salt and not flakes (sea salt or pink Himalayan salt are my preferred ones).
Best yeast to use are fast action, quick or easy bake ones which you can mix in directly into the flour.
This loaf keeps really well if kept well covered (even up to 5 days) and I find it doesn't really need toasting until day 3.
Freezer friendly for up to 1 month.
For wholewheat variation substitute half the amount of strong white bread flour with strong wholewheat flour. Keep to 50:50 ratio.

TIPS:

Keep salt and yeast separate when adding them to flour as salt "kills" the yeast.
When heating up milk make sure you heat it up to lukewarm temperature (35C/95F) as warmth will help to activate the yeast.
I find the amount of liquid to be pretty spot on. However, we all use different flours therefore you might need to add either drop more milk or flour when kneading.
Prove your bread dough somewhere warm and draught free.
Don't skip butter on top of your loaf as it helps keeping it nice and soft. However, if you really don't want to use it, try covering the loaf with a clean tea towel when still hot. This will create humidity that will soften the crust.

Nutrition