Sandwich Bread Without a Mixer

By: Heather Mitchell
Everything I learned about sandwich bread boils down to two very simple principles:
1. For every regular sandwich loaf you want to make you need 1 1/4 cups of water, the amount of flour will sort itself out.
2. NEVER forget the salt

I typically make 3 large loaves of bread and add a little extra water, making it 4 cups for 3 loaves

My recipe for 3 loaves:
4 cups of water
1 T honey 
1 T yeast - heaping (traditional, not quick rise)
1 T salt
2 T oil 
lots of flour (one day I will count and update this, must be about 10 cups)
2 T oil (for greasing)

Utensils:
2 large bowls
wooden spoon
measuring cups 
measuring spoons
cling wrap
tea towel
timer
rolling pin
drying racks
​
Directions:​

1. Add 4 cups of water at 100-110 degrees to a large bowl
   1. I do this without a thermometer by using 3 cups of room temperature water and 1 cup of boiling water
2. Add honey. 
3. Add yeast. Stir gently.
4. Add oil.
5. Add salt.
6. Add flour stirring with wooden spoon about a half cup at a time. Do this until you can't stir with the spoon anymore.
7. Flour your surface and pull dough ball out of bowl and knead, adding flour until ball is not sticky.
8. Grease clean bowl with oil.
9. Add dough ball to greased bowl and turn until covered in oil.
10. Spray cling wrap and cover bowl, top with tea towel to help keep heat in.
11. Let sit until doubled in size, about 2 hours
12. Grease loaf pans.
13. Roll out dough onto floured surface
14. Gently punch down dough to get rid of some air.
15. Separate into 3 even portions.
16. Roll out portions into width that will fit your dough pan, ensuring to get out air bubbles.
17. Roll up the dough like a log until halfway and press together creating a seam along the edge of the log
18. Continue to roll all the way and pinch a seam along the loaf
19. Place in greased loaf pans.
20. Let sit for about one hour or until risen to mostly fill loaf pan.
21. Place in cold oven.
22. Turn oven on to 375° for 25 minutes 
23. Remove from oven and turn out onto drying racks to cool for about 20 minutes

---

Best Resources

This YouTube video by Mi'kmaq Mama is by far the easiest to follow.  I use a slightly different recipe but I got the method from watching her.  My first few loaves looked like something out of alien but they were still yummy!

---