Basic white sandwich bread

Making the dough

1. Add lukewarm water and lukewarm milk into the mixing bowl. (you can microwave water and milk together or heat in a pan)

   Add 6g sugar (do not add all the sugar) and yeast. The yeast should start to make foam immediately. 

    

   (If yeast doesn't make foam then throw away that yeast and start with newly bought yeast. If you're using active dry yeast then wait for 10mins for the yeast to activate and the mixture to bubble up.)

   

2. Then add the rest of the sugar (30g), half-melted butter, and salt. Give it a stir.

   

3. Then add your bread flour. 

   

4. Knead the mixture for about 6-8 mins in the mixer or about 15 - 20mins by hand or until it passes the windowpane test. 

   

5. Windowpane test

   Do the windowpane test. When you stretch a small part of your dough using your fingers it should be able to stretch out to a very thin membrane that you can see through without treating or breaking it apart. If it breaks then keep kneading the dough until it passes this test. 

   

First proof

1. When the dough is kneaded then make it into a ball using your hands. Put it into a bowl.

   

2. Add two drops of oil to the top and apply it evenly using your hands. So the top wouldn't dry out. You can add a few drops of oil to the bowl and apply it before you put the dough in. It would make it easier to get the dough out when it has risen.

   

3. Then cover with a plastic wrap and leave it until it doubles in size for about 45min - 1 hour. The time may vary depending on the room temp and how active your yeast is. 

   

4. This is how it looks like after it's doubled.

   

Shaping

1. When it's doubled in size, punch down the dough to degas it. Then transfer it onto the benchtop.

   

2. Also, apply butter or nonstick cooking spray to your bread pan. (I'm using a 9 * 5-inch bread pan.)

   

3. Stretch the dough into a rectangle. The width of the dough should be a little less than the width of the bread pan you're using. (see the photo) Turn the smooth side down.

   

4. And then fold the top 1/3 to the middle in the shape of a triangle. Press the folds so they stick together.

   

5. Then simply roll the dough into a log while pressing the dough with your thumbs in each fold. 

   

6. Pinch/press the ends to the dough. 

   

7. Drag the dough along the bench using your hands so the top would become stretchy and smooth. (optional step)

   

8. Transfer the dough to the bread pan.

   

Second proof

1. Cover the pan with a plastic wrap and let it rise again.

   

2. let it rise until the dough is about an inch higher than the rim of the pan (roughly about 40 to 45 mins. The time may vary depending on the room temp.) Also preheat the oven to 400F while the dough is still rising.

   

Baking and resting

1. Spray or gently brush the dough with a bit of water. So it delays foaming a skin before the bread has properly risen in the oven. 

   

2. Bake it in the oven at 400f for 40min. If the bread is getting brown too quick then in about 15mins, take the dough out, quickly cover it with a piece of aluminum foil, and put it back into the oven. This happens mostly in convection ovens. If you have a thermometer, check the doneness by inserting it into the bread. The bread should be properly bakes when the inside of the bread reaches 190F or 88C

3. Wait until the bread cools down before you cut it. So the crumbs can set in.