Sourdough sandwich bread

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

MAKE THE PREFERMENT: The evening before you want to bake, in a large bowl, mix the sourdough culture, flour, and water together with the handle of a wooden spoon until no dry patches of flour remain. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight, 12 to 16 hours.

Step 2

MAKE THE DOUGH: To the preferment, add the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter, and milk and mix with the handle of a wooden spoon until no dry patches of flour remain. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and springy, 5 to 8 minutes. The dough will be sticky at first but will smooth out quickly. Scraping the work surface clean of any sticky dough will speed up the process and reduce the amount of flour required for kneading. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.

Step 3

Alternatively, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the preferment, flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter, and milk. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium-low speed until no dry patches of flour remain. Increase speed to medium and mix until smooth, elastic, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1½ to 2 hours.

Step 4

SHAPE THE DOUGH AND LET IT RISE: Lightly flour a work surface, then use a plastic bowl scraper to ease the dough out of the bowl onto the work surface. Gently deflate the dough, then press it into a 12 × 8-inch rectangle. Shape the dough into a log by bringing the short sides toward the center, overlapping them slightly. Flatten the dough into an even layer, and then, starting from the top, gently roll the dough toward you to form a log (see Shaping, page 34) and pinch the seam to seal, then place it seam side down in the prepared pan. Cover and let rise at room temperature until the loaf crowns about 1 inch over the rim of the pan (see Proofing, page 44), 1 to 1½ hours.

Step 5

Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F

Step 6

SCORE AND BAKE: Just before loading the bread into the oven, use a sifter to lightly dust the top of the loaf with flour, then score if desired (see Scoring, page 46). Bake the bread until the crust is golden brown, the sides of the loaf feel firm, and the internal temperature reaches 190°F, about 35 minutes.

Step 7

Remove the loaf from the oven and immediately turn it out of the pan and onto a rack; doing this right away helps the bread come out of the pan easily and preserves the crust. Let cool completely before slicing. (For storage information, see Storing Bread, page 123.)