I realize it may not be wildly cool to admit this, but I really love white sandwich bread. There is a time and a place for seedy multigrain loaves or soft slices of honeyed whole wheat, but sometimes nothing but classic white bread will do. Take, for example, a BLT. It’s not the same when you start messing about with each component—don’t try and swap pork belly for the bacon or add swanky condiments or use some kind of spelt sourdough. I don’t want it! Some things are sacred.
Not only is white sandwich bread essential for certain situations (grilled cheese or the aforementioned BLT or a tuna melt), it’s just a really easy thing to make and a nice thing to have around in the kitchen. Once you’ve made it a few times and gotten a good feel for the recipe, you can do it pretty much on autopilot. Make it once a week and you’ll have plenty of bread to last at least a week, depending on how many mouths you’re feeding and how hungry they are. (Family with three teenage boys? Double the recipe. Just one of you at home? Halve it and make a single loaf.)
This bread freezes really well, so it’s worth making two loaves if you have the freezer space to save the extra. The bread is extra soft and tender, so if you store it on the countertop or in humid conditions, it won’t last too many days. If you don’t think you’ll make it through the loaf, and don’t feel like freezing it, here are two good options: One, you can toast slices very lightly then pulse them in a food processor to turn them into breadcrumbs to use for cooking or topping salads. Two, you can tear up the bread and turn it into a sweet or savory bread pudding or make this Smitten Kitchen recipe for mushrooms and greens with toast with which I am mildly obsessed. (Is that possible? Or does an obsession by nature mean it’s full-blown and not mild at all? Okay fine, I’m that.)
So let’s say you listen to me (as obviously you all do obediently and without question, am I right?) and you make this bread. What do you with it? Here, I’ll tell you!
Slice it, toast it, and top it with half a mashed avocado, a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, and a squeeze of lemon.
Make bostock for dessert: In a food processor or blender, combine 1 cup of almond meal with 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon rum or vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons of flour, 6 tablespoons of softened salted butter (or unsalted with a pinch of salt), and 1 egg. Slice 6 thick pieces of white bread and place them on a baking sheet or in a baking dish. Brush the tops liberally with milk, then spread the almond mixture evenly on top. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until pale golden on top. Ice cream optional.
Have perfect grilled cheese for lunch, which entails spread mayonnaise and butter on the outside of your bread, making the grilled cheese with sharp cheddar and a liiiiiittle bit of mozzarella, and then after it’s finished, pulling it apart to spread a thin layer of relish inside. If you’re into it, you can also spread a little bit of grainy mustard on the inside of the slices before you add the cheese.
One-eyed giants for breakfast (otherwise known as toad in a hole, I think, by the Brits and anyone other than my family), which are done by cutting a small circle out of the center of a slice of bread, toasting it in a skillet with an egg cracked into the hole.
Crumble a few slices into a meatball or meatloaf mixture.
Cut a very thick slice, warm it for about 5 seconds in the microwave until exceptionally squishy, and take it to the big white armchair overlooking the water. Sit quietly and eat your soft, warm bread—bite by very slow bite—thinking about absolutely nothing in particular. Do not speak to anyone during this time. Best attempted around 2 PM, and if you must have music playing, I recommend “Soul Connection” by Diplomats of Solid Sound.
Note: If you want to make this dairy-free, just swap in olive oil for the butter. Works beautifully.
White Sandwich Bread
Makes two 9” x 5” loaves
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 1/4 cups (510g) warm water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
6 to 7 cups (720 to 840g) all-purpose flour
melted butter for brushing
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, water, sugar, salt, butter, and about 4 cups of the flour. Mix using the paddle attachment until the dough comes together—it will be quite sticky. Switch to the dough hook and continue adding flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating very well between each. Once you’ve gotten up to 6 cups of flour, mix for a couple minutes to let the dough smooth out and see how the texture looks. It should be smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If it still looks too wet, add up to a cup more of flour.
Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until almost doubled in size.
After the first rise, divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a fat, puffy rectangle. Pull the long edge furthest from you down 2/3 over the dough, then do the same with the long edge closest to you (2/3 up over the dough). You’re basically pulling it into a log, pinching the center seam as you go. Tuck the ends under slightly and pinch them as well.
Place each shaped loaf, seam-side-down, into a greased 9” x 5” loaf pan and cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise for about an hour, or until puffy.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bake the bread for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. The loaves should sound hollow when you tap on the top.
Remove from the oven and brush the tops with melted butter. Tip the loaves out of the pan onto a wire rack and allow them to cool fully before slicing.