Wheat Sandwich Bread

I'm no great breadmaker, but I love the texture of this bread--while other homemade breads crumble, this bread is sturdy enough for the sandwich challenge. For white bread, use all white flour.

This recipe is from The Joy of Cooking (the format to the recipe is a little different than most, so read through it entirely before starting)

*Combine in a bowl of a heavy-duty mixer and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup (110-115 degrees) water

*Warm to 105 degrees:
1 cup milk

*Add to the milk and stir to dissolve the sugar:
1 cup warm (105 degrees) water
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter or shortening, softened
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
1 tablespoon salt

*Stir the milk mixture into the yeast. Have ready:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 1/2-3 cups bread flour

*Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Gradually add the remaining flour until the dough is moist but not sticky. Knead for about 10 minutes on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Knead the dough briefly, return it to the bowl, and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.

Grease 2 8 1/2x4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch the dough down, divide in half, and form into 2 loaves. Place seam side down in the pans. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the loaves crest about the pan, making a nice dome, about one hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the loaves for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake until the bottom of the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes more. Remove the loaves from the pans to a rack and let cool completely.


So, there's my bread recipe, but I'd love to read any others (hint, hint, Ebberts!) I'm always on the lookout for bread-making tips, so leave some if you've got 'em!