Homemade Sandwich Bread

It's Day 2 of Tea Party Week!

I needed some sandwich bread for tea sandwiches. I live within two minutes of the grocery store so it would have been so easy for me to run out to market to buy a loaf of bread. Instead, I decided to make a loaf because I thought it would be more delicious and because then I could share it here.

Ingredients [yields 1 loaf]:
3 to 3½ cups flour
1 cup warm water (110F)
1 + 2 tablespoons sugar
2¼ teaspoon dry active yeast (1 package)
1 tablespoon oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt

Start by blooming the yeast in some warm water with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit until foamy.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Mix oil and egg into the yeast mixture.

Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a fork until a clumpy dough forms. Plonk the dough out onto the counter and knead until smooth.

Chuck the dough back into a bowl and cover. Leave in a warm place to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and then press it into a loaf pan.

Cover the dough and let it rise again for one hour.

Bake the bread in a 375F oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Pull the loaf out of the pan and allow to cool before slicing and using/serving.

This bread is deliciously light and fluffy and so much better than the preservative-filled junk at the store. I brought the leftovers into my office and people seemed to enjoy it. One coworker liked it enough that she found the butts (re: end pieces) worth eating.

Like I said, I made this bread so I could make finger sandwiches. If you need some more ideas for tea sandwiches, I previously shared a cucumber and goat cheese sandwich, tomato basil mascarpone sandwich, and a smoked salmon and dill sandwich. For this particular tea party, I made a lox and cucumber sandwich with vegetable cream cheese.

I also made a plain salmon and cream cheese sandwich because I thought it looked so simply elegant and pretty.

Seriously, sandwich bread made at home seems like a waste of time, but it's not. It's so much yummier and healthier. You could totally use whole wheat flour too, if you're into that.

Here's the recipe page: