Vegan Sandwich Bread
Soft and fluffy sandwich bread using simple pantry ingredients. A great basic recipe to have on hand!
Ingredients
- 200 g water, lukewarm
- 150 g unsweetened plant based milk, lukewarm
- 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 500 g bread flour, all-purpose will also work
- 2 tsp salt
- 60 g neutral oil, (grapeseed, canola, vegetable...)
Instructions
- Combine the water, milk and sugar and heat them up to around 37C/98F, but no more than 48C/120F.
- Stir in the yeast and set aside to let it foam.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the flour and salt. Then pour in the foamed yeast mixture along with the oil.
- Stir everything together until a rough dough forms then tip it out onto an oiled or lightly floured surface and knead until it forms a nice smooth ball (10 to 15 minutes) and you’re able to stretch a piece thin enough to see light through it without it ripping. About 5-10 minutes in a stand mixer at medium speed.*Only add enough flour when kneading for the dough to be tacky but not sticky as you work it. The more you knead it the more it will become pliable and easy to work with. I only needed to use about 1-2 tbsp for reference, but it will depend on your environment and the flour you’re using, so go by feel.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, making sure it’s all oiled to avoid a crust forming, cover it with a damp tea towel and place it in a warm place to proof for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size. This will depend on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and line it completely with parchment (stuff always sticks in my pan so I do it to ensure the bread comes out in one piece). Once the dough has proofed, tip it out onto a clean surface, give it just a few kneads and pat it out into a 8×12 inch (20×30 cm) rectangle with the short side facing you.
- Starting with the side furthest from you, roll it slightly in, then tuck the sides in and continue rolling until it reaches the end nearest you. Pinch the seam shut with your fingertips or the heel of your hand and place it in the loaf pan seam side down. *see pictures in post for reference on shaping.
- Cover back up with a damp tea towel and proof again for 30-60 minutes. When it’s almost ready, preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F.
- Optionally brush with milk, then bake for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches between 90°C/194°F and 94°C/201°F. If you see that the top is browning too fast, you can cover it loosely with aluminium foil and continue baking.
- Let it cool about 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire rack and letting it cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- *Disclaimer: I have a tiny not-so-great oven, so your bake time may vary from mine.
- I strongly suggest making recipes by weight, if you make them by cups I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
- The milk can be replaced with the same amount of water and vice versa.
- You can use another granulated or liquid sugar of your choice instead of white granulated sugar.
- The oil can be replaced with melted vegan butter vegan butter vegan butter for added flavour.
- To switch it up, you can replace 100g of the flour with another like whole wheat or rye, which I like to do sometimes.