White sandwich loaf
A soft, fine-crumbed white loaf enriched with milk and butter, baked in a tin for neat slices that suit sandwiches and toast.
Method
- 1
Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl, keeping the yeast and salt apart at first.
- 2
Rub in the butter, then add the milk and water and mix to a rough, slightly sticky dough.
- 3
Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth, springy and able to stretch thin without tearing.
- 4
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled in size.
- 5
Grease the loaf tin with butter.
- 6
Turn the dough out and pat it into a rectangle with its short side the same length as the tin.
- 7
Roll it up tightly from a short side into a log and pinch the seam to seal.
- 8
Set it in the tin seam side down, cover, and leave until it has risen about 2 cm above the rim, heating the oven to 200°C meanwhile.
- 9
Bake until risen and deep golden brown.
- 10
Turn the loaf out and tap the base. If it does not sound hollow, return it to the oven without the tin.
- 11
Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
- Milk and butter give a soft, close crumb that slices thinly and toasts evenly.
- Slicing while the loaf is warm squashes the crumb and lets moisture escape, so it goes stale sooner.
Equipment
Large mixing bowl, 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin, Wire rack