White Sandwich Bread

Soft and fragrant, there's nothing better than a smell of fresh homemade bread filling the house. I'll never buy a bread from a store anymore. And about the toast, this makes a perfect one.

It's delicious with my homemade herb/garlic spread/dip/sauce/dressing or whatever it is. I made it with butter, sour cream, dijon mustard, various seasonings and millions of other ingredients. That's right, I was experimenting and added almost everything I found in the kitchen. Sounds crazy, but the result was very good. Almost perfect. Next time, I am going to add more sea salt and some peppers because it was too mild. 

And now - the recipe for the bread!

• 2 ¾ C all-purpose flour  
• ½ tbsp salt
• 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast 
• 235ml very warm water
• ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ¾ tbsp honey 

Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer.  In a separate container, add warm water, oil and honey. Stir liquids well to combine.

Place dough hook attachment on mixer and set on low speed for 15 seconds to combine all dry ingredients. Turn off mixer, add the liquid and set to low speed again, this time for about a minute and a half, or until all ingredients have combined.  Turn off mixer and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Set Mixer to second speed and run for three minutes.  Remove the dough hook and turn dough onto a floured surface.  Knead 3 or 4 times to remove any air pockets.

Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel.  Let dough proof in a warm place for 1 hour.  At the end of the hour, punch down dough, turn dough onto a floured surface and knead another few times.  Form dough into a loaf and place into loaf pan.

Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for approximately 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated 190 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is a light golden brown.  Remove from loaf pan and allow to cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting.