Recipe for soft crumb & crust sandwich loaf

[dans]

We used to have a bakery near us that produced the best sandwich bread around. This place produce the "peasant white" bread daily and a regular schedule for the others they made. The "Cinnamon Apple swirl" was to die for by itself or as french toast.

I miss them dearly. Unfortunately. the bakery was sold, the new owners tried to add cakes and pastries which they couldn't make to save their lives. I was once told a cake had "faux butter cream" on it. Yuch!!!

Anyway, one loaf of bread was our favorite. They used the basic dough to make the "peasant white" and dinner rolls. Whenever we were having people over, we bought the rolls to serve. When we did Thanksgiving at our house, the "Peasant white" went into the stuffing, was available for sandwiches and the rolls were served with dinner.

The peasant white was soft, the crust was not too hard, the taste was pure with just a touch of honey. I'd love to be able to make this at home, but everything I've tried either is too hard a crumb or too hard a crust. Can anyone help me reproduce this recipe.

Thanks

Dan

[Lisa Shock]

Softer white breads tend to have some fat in them: butter, oil or shortening. Each type of fat gives a unique kind of crumb/crust. Milk solids also give a unique flavor to bread.

I'd look for a formula like one of the basic rich white bread recipes in Wayne Gisslen's Professional Baking, the CIA Baking & Pastry book, or Bo Friberg's Professional Pastry Chef book. Then, I'd make the formula several times, each time with a different fat and see how that works out.

Is there any way to contact the previous people?

[devlin]

We used to have a bakery near us that produced the best sandwich bread around.  This place produce the "peasant white" bread daily and a regular schedule for the others they made.  The "Cinnamon Apple swirl" was to die for by itself or as french toast.

  I miss them dearly. Unfortunately. the bakery was sold, the new owners tried to add cakes and pastries which they couldn't make to save their lives. I was once told a cake had "faux butter cream" on it. Yuch!!!

Anyway, one loaf of bread was our favorite.  They used the basic dough to make the "peasant white" and dinner rolls.  Whenever we were having people over, we bought the rolls to serve.  When we did Thanksgiving at our house, the "Peasant white" went into the stuffing, was available for sandwiches and the rolls were served with dinner.

The peasant white was soft, the crust was not too hard, the taste was pure with just a touch of honey. I'd love to be able to make this at home, but everything I've tried either is too hard a crumb or too hard a crust.  Can anyone help me reproduce this recipe.

Thanks

Dan

←

How about a brioche?

[dougal]

The word you need as a search term is "Pullman".

A Pullman tin (with its lid) will give you the flat top (for square sandwiches) and a thin crust.

Use an "enriched dough" (another good search term) for a soft crumb.

If you are enriching with milk, 'scald' (and cool) it first.

You can soften crusts by covering the loaf/rolls with a wet/damp cloth when they come out of the oven. You should get a thinner crust by baking hotter and shorter than by cooler and longer.

Use steam only for the very start of the bake.

Make sure your dough doesn't skin before baking.

Consider using a wash on the dough before baking.

Enough to be going on with?

[jsmeeker]

I'm going to bake a loaf of white sandwich bread shortly. Right now, the dough is going through the initial rise. The recipe I always use is from bag of King Arthur All-Purpose flour. I make it as follows

3 cups flour (I weigh out 15 ounces of King-Arthur AP)

1/2 cup milk (I always have whole milk on hand)

1/2 cup hot water

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon instant yeast

I mix it up a bit by hand, then but on the Kitchen Aid mixed with the dough hook to knead. Goes through a first rise, then shaped, into a pan, second rise, then baked at 350 for about 35 minutes.

I'll have to read through this topic more to understand how different types of fat affect the texture of the crumb. Also, what about protein content? This bread doesn't come out like the typical grocery store white bread (to use a brand name, I'll say "Mrs Baird's" ) That stuff is much lighter and fluffier. What are they doing to get that?

[Moopheus]

This bread doesn't come out like the typical grocery store white bread

In't that the whole point of making your own?

[Blether]

... That stuff is much lighter and fluffier. What are they doing to get that?

Look up 'CBP' or Chorleywood Bread Process - in summary, aeration is created not by yeast activity over a long rise, but by effectively 'whipping' a wet dough. Quicker, therefore a more efficient utilisation of plant.

[jsmeeker]

This bread doesn't come out like the typical grocery store white bread

In't that the whole point of making your own?

Well, yes and no.

But there are times when you want the crumb/texture to be a little lighter and fluffier. Also, the bread baker in me wonders what exactly they are doing different. On the surface, our ingredients seem to be pretty much the same. Flour, water, milk in some form, maybe more fat in some form, sugar in some form, salt, yeast. But we come up with different end results.

[djyee100]

Dans,

The bread you are searching for may be the "Country White Bread" from the The Greyston Bakery Cookbook (1986 edition). Believe it or not, it's a potato bread, but doesn't taste like potato. The potato only makes the bread richer. It has the crust you describe, and it's great for sandwiches and rolls. The counterpart to the Greyston Bakery on the West coast, the Tassajara Bakery in SF, sold it as "Potato Bread."

As I mentioned, the recipe is in The Greyston Bakery Cookbook as "Country White Bread." A nearly identical recipe is in The Tassajara Recipe Book (2000 edition) as "Potato Bread." The Tassajara version calls for 2 tsp salt, the Greyston version for 1 TB salt; the Tassajara version for 1 1/2 pkgs yeast, the Greyston version for 2 pkgs yeast. There are slight differences in method, also. When the Tassajara Bakery was still around, I bought many loaves of potato bread there, and it was a great favorite of the bakery's customers. I've baked both the Tassajara and Greyston versions of this bread, too.

To get you started, this is a very abbreviated version of the recipe from the Greyston cookbook. I suggest you get your hands on either cookbook for thorough instructions.

Country White Bread

1 1/2 cups well-mashed potatoes

2 pkgs dry yeast

2 cups very warm (100 degrees F) water

3 TB honey

1/3 cup dry milk powder

1 TB salt

3 TB oil

6-7 cups unbleached white or bread flour

egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 2 TB water

Mash the potatoes & add up to 3 TB hot water so that the mixture is very smooth. Let cool to warm. Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Add honey, milk powder, salt, oil, and potatoes. Stir well to mix. Gradually add in the flour. Knead. Let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down. Let rise until doubled again. Punch down, and form 2 loaves. Place the loaves in oiled pans, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled. Brush with egg wash. With a knife, cut three diagonal slashes across the loaf. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 40-45 mins until the tops are dark golden brown and the loaves are done.

[Blether]

Oh yes, and an effective way to a soft crust is, once the bread has cooled completely, to keep it in a closed plastic bag. Moisture equalisation will do the rest. If you keep the bread wrapped in cloth, or in a non-airtight bread box, then (at a rate depending on ambient humidity) the crust will get harder.

[kitwilliams]

Try this recipe for Dan Lepard's Sour Cream Sandwich Bread. I think it may be what you are looking for.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/02/sour-cream-sandwich-bread-recipe

[Mjx]

. . . .

The peasant white was soft, the crust was not too hard, the taste was pure with just a touch of honey. I'd love to be able to make this at home, but everything I've tried either is too hard a crumb or too hard a crust. Can anyone help me reproduce this recipe.

Thanks

Dan

What you describe sounds precisely like the results I get when I follow Cook's illustrated's recipe for American Sandwich Bread (which involves a little honey, milk, and melted butter).

[gillthepainter]

I've tried Dan's recipe Kitwilliams. It's excellent.

I think there are a couple of tips to getting that soft crumb and crust result you are looking for at home, Dans.

I bake sourdough, and can still achieve it.

Earlier in the week, I made this white sliced, round sourdough loaf:

Cooking it in a pyrex dish with a foil wrap.

I feel that a long prove gives you a softer result, this was popped into the fridge for 20hours until needed.

& adding a soft grain flour (plain flour) to the mix too.

The ratio I used was:

450g strong white flour

150g plain flour

340g water

100g white leaven @100% hydration (or 5g yeast)

salt

Mix and rest for one hour.

Shape into a boule or loaf as you wish, (I used 200g of the mix for a pizza) and place on baking parchment and into your pyrex dish, or tin

cover and refridgerate overnight, for 20hrs or so.

First thing in the morning, cover with a foil wrap with room to expand

and bake for 30mins on high, then lower the temperature a little and bake for a further 15 - 20mins.

Cool on a baking rack.

This should give you a soft, white peasant bread.

If it works with sourdough, it will definitely work with yeast.

I hope this helps

Edited August 7, 2011 by gillthepainter (log)