Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
By Elizabeth Ciobanu ·
Half whole-wheat, half white flour, this loaf is soft and flavorful, and sturdy enough to make a great sandwich.
I'm on a never-ending quest to find the perfect bread recipe, and it's come as a revelation to me that there is no such thing. At least, the perfect bread recipe has to come in the context of the perfect bread for what?
I love an all-whole-wheat loaf, but the rest of my family doesn't. Too dense and crumbly. (But the flavor is so rich!) No convincing them.
I also love a chewy sourdough loaf with a really crusty crust. It goes so perfectly with a steak dinner paired with squash or asparagus. But that crust doesn't make for an ideal sandwich.
So, the perfect sandwich loaf for me and our family is this sturdy, soft, flavorful bread that's half whole-wheat and half all-purpose flour. Add in some ground flax seeds for an extra boost of nutrition, and it's the perfect loaf.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 3 hr 15 min
- Makes
- 1 loaf
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cool water
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Add water, yeast, sugar, ground flax seed, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add whole wheat and all-purpose flour to the mixer.
- Mix using a dough hook attachment on the lowest speed for 4 minutes. If mixing by hand, knead on a lightly floured counter for 4-5 minutes.
- Leave the dough to rise in the mixing bowl for 1-2 hours, covered with a clean towel.
- Once the dough has nearly doubled in size, or looks pillowy and nicely domed, scrape out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Shape the dough into a log by folding it in half several times, first left-to-right and then top-to-bottom. Tuck the folded sides underneath, then place in a lightly oiled bread pan.
- Leave for a second rise of about 1 hour, covered with a clean towel.
- About 15 minutes before you're ready to bake the bread, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35-40 minutes or until the top crust is a nice golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before removing to finish cooling on a rack.
Notes
- Cooling: As tempting as it is to cut into that hot, aromatic loaf right away, the bread will slice much better once it's at least mostly cool!