Dutch White Sandwich Bread

This was my first attempt at this recipe with stand mixer kneading only. See the holes? Eliminate these by punching down the bread after the first rise and kneading a little by hand before placing dough in a loaf pan for its second rise. This loaf was baked, cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, frozen and defrosted a week later on the counter.

The second time, I made the doubled recipe, used milk for half of the liquid, and hand-kneaded the dough for 15 minutes. The dough seemed stiff while kneading but after the first rise in the oven, was soft and pliable. The texture after baking was fine with no large holes. 

This is a Dutch family recipe from a lady who makes 3 small loaves at a time, mixing and kneading the dough entirely by hand.

You need time to make this bread as you must wait for the sponge to rise and then the dough to rise twice, but that gives the bread its flavour. It's delicious even when a few days old, toasted and spread with butter. The original (double) recipe is below this one. 

One Loaf of Dutch White Sandwich Bread

• 1-1/2 cups water heated to 120-130 degrees F.
• 1-1/2 Tbsp quick-rise (instant) yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp granulated white sugar (OR 1/4 cup for sweet bread)
• 4 cups unbleached white flour OR bread flour

1. Preheat oven to 76 degrees F. Do this by preheating oven to 100 degrees F then turning it off and letting temperature fall (check with a thermometer.) OR turn the oven light on until the oven light heats the oven to 76 degrees. This is the best temperature for rising dough.
2. Wash the stainless steel bowl of your mixer in hot water and dry it.
3. Combine in the warm bowl: 2 cups flour, 1-1/2 Tbsp yeast, 1-1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar.
4. Mix 2 Tbsp oil in 1-1/2 cups very warm water.
5. While mixing with the dough hook of your mixer attached, add the water mixture gradually to the flour mixture.
6. Continue to mix until thoroughly combined.
7. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let this "sponge" rise on the counter. The bowl and dough are already warm so don't worry now about putting the sponge in a warmer place unless your kitchen is cold. Let rise until doubled in height.
8. With dough hook attached to the mixer, gradually mix in 2 more cups flour.
9. Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
10. Remove dough from mixer bowl and place in a 2L (2 quart) food-grade plastic container or a bowl greased with oil.
11. Cover with the container's lid or  cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a dampened lint-free cotton cloth.
12. Place covered dough in the 76 degree F oven and leave to let rise until doubled.
13. Punch down dough. Cover again and let rest a few minutes.
14. Grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan.
15. Knead dough a little by hand and then shape and place in loaf pan, pressing dough into the corners.
16. Put an oven-proof measuring cup (or a pan) of hot water at the back of the oven to keep the dough from drying out as it rises uncovered.
17. Put uncovered dough in loaf pan back into the oven with the oven light on, to rise at 76 degrees F until doubled.
18. Carefully remove the water container from the oven but do not remove the risen bread.
19. Turn the oven to 350 degrees F with the bread still in the oven.
20. Bake 35-45 minutes or until golden and the temperature in centre of loaf measures 200 degrees F. (or until a clean broom straw inserted into the centre of loaf comes out dry and with no or just a few crumbs.)
21. Remove bread from oven and brush top of loaf with a little butter.
22. After ten minutes, take loaf from pan and continue to cool on a wire cooling rack.

Doubled Recipe

Bake this dough in three small loaf pans or two 9 x 5" loaf pans. The original recipe uses 3 cups water but I use milk for half of the liquid .

• 1-1/2  cups water heated to 120 - 130 degrees F.
• 1-1/2 cups milk heated to 120 - 130 degrees F.
• 3 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp white granulated sugar (OR 1/2 cup for sweet bread)
• 8 cups bread flour OR unbleached white flour

1. In a large bowl, combine heated water, milk and  the sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit 20 minutes. Yeast will become foamy.
2. With wooden spoon or in mixer with dough hook attached, stir in oil, salt and 4 cups flour.
3. Cover and let rise until doubled.
4. Gradually add remaining 4 cups flour until dough becomes too stiff to stir, then mix in by hand.
5. Knead by hand on lightly floured surface until dough is smooth.
6. Wash and dry the mixing bowl to remove any crumbs. Grease lightly.
7. Place dough back in the dry lightly greased bowl covered with a damp, lint-free cloth.
8. Let rise in a warm place (76 degrees F) until doubled in size. Active dry yeast may take about a half-hour longer to rise than quick-rise yeast.
9. Punch down dough, let rest while greasing three 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 inch pans OR two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.
10. Knead dough, divide and shape into loaves, pushing dough into corners of loaf pans.
11. Let rise again, uncovered, in an oven warmed to 76 degrees F. Put an oven-proof measuring cup (or a pan) of hot water at the back of the oven to keeps the dough from drying out as it rises uncovered.
12. When loaves have reached the height they should be when baked, carefully remove the container of water from the oven, but leave the loaves inside.
13. Turn the oven on to bake at medium heat (350 degrees F or 175 degrees C) until loaves are done, 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the loaves.
14. Test for doneness by tapping top of bread and inserting a broom straw into centre of loaf (should come out clean with few crumbs).
15. A thermometer inserted into the centre of a fully baked loaf will read 200 degrees F.
16. Return to oven to bake longer if necessary, covering loaves with foil if crust is getting brown.
17. After removing loaves from oven, brush tops with a little butter, for a softer crust.
18. Let bread sit in hot pans ten minutes, then turn out of pans and cool on cooling racks.