Super Soft Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread
There’s something incredibly comforting about the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house, especially when it’s a loaf of my Super Soft Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread. This bread is not just your average sandwich bread; it’s a testament to the art of bread baking, made with love and wholesome ingredients.
One of the key ingredients that sets this bread apart is fresh milled flour. By milling our own flour, we ensure that the nutrients and flavors are preserved, resulting in a loaf that is not only soft but also incredibly flavorful. This freshness shines through in every slice, making it a standout choice for your everyday sandwiches.
What makes this bread truly special is its softness. Unlike store-bought bread, which can often be dry and bland, my Super Soft Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread is pillowy soft with a tender crumb that practically melts in your mouth. This softness makes it perfect for sandwiches, as it won’t overpower the fillings but rather enhance them with its mild, nutty flavor.
I love making these loaves in USA Pullman pans for a tall, beautiful loaf. The link for my pans is listed here.
Shop my favorite products for this recipe:
Grain mill Use code LOVELYBELLBAKES20 for $20 off!
Bosch mixer Use code LOVELYBELLBAKES20 for $20 off!
*As an Amazon affiliate and affiliate with other companies, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that when you click on an Amazon link on this site and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission, which helps support the work of this blog. Rest assured, I only recommend products that I genuinely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Lovely Bell Bakes!
To make Super Soft Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread, you’ll need:
Fresh milled flour I typically use hard white wheat, hard red wheat or a mix of both. In addition to those, I enjoy adding 10% rye flour. Use the grain of your choice in place of the rye but stick with a hard wheat for the bulk of the flour.
Water Room temperature water works great for this recipe.
Oil Use the oil of your choice. I enjoy using a mild flavored olive oil.
Honey Any sweetener of your choice will work. If using a different sweetener, go by the gram measurements.
Vital wheat gluten aids in the rise and texture of your loaf. It gives the loaf a chewier texture that really resembles store bought bread. This is optional. Your loaf will still rise beautifully without vital wheat gluten.
Sunflower lecithin is a natural fat emulsifier that aids in producing a softer loaf that stays soft for longer. Alternatively, egg can be used in its place. See below for egg instructions.
Instant yeast This recipe is made to work with instant yeast. I would not recommend active dry yeast.
Salt Use a sea salt or Redmonds real salt
How to make super soft whole wheat bread
Start by milling your flour. If using a scale, you can measure your wheat berries by weight. If using measuring cups, you’ll need 4&2/3c of wheat berries to get 7c of freshly milled flour.
Starting with the water, put everything in the mixer bowl EXCEPT the salt and yeast. Knead on speed 2 (if using KitchenAid) until all ingredients are well incorporated and a ball of dough forms. Let rest for 15-20 min covered with a towel or plastic wrap. Add in the salt and yeast and continue to knead for about 8-10 minutes.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover. Let rise until doubled in size. About 45min-1.5 hours depending on the temperature in your home. If using warm water it may take less time.
Once dough has doubled, punch down and divide dough in half to make 2 loaves. I like to weigh mine but you can also eyeball it. Shape dough into a log, making sure to build tension in the dough to increase gluten strength and oven spring. Place dough in oiled bread pans.
Let the dough rise until it has not only doubled in size but also an inch over the rim of the pan. If you’ve built good tension in your dough, it shouldn’t spill over the pan.
Bake at 350 for 35 min or until the breads internal temperature is 190-200F. Immediately remove the loaves from the pans and place on cooling rack. For best results, wait until bread is fully cooled to cut, about 2 hours. Enjoy!
Other recipes you will love:
Super Soft Fresh Milled Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Fresh Milled Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Bread
Fresh Milled Hamburger and Hotdog Buns
Super Soft Fresh Milled Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- 1 Mixer
- 2 9×4 or 9×5 Loaf pans
Ingredients
2 9inch Loaves
- 880 g Hard white or hard red wheat flour 7 cup
- 598 g Water (room temperature) 2&1/2 cup
- 62 g Oil (Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil etc) 4&1/2 Tablespoon
- 94 g Honey 4&1/2 Tablespoon
- 34 g Vital wheat gluten (optional) 4 Tablespoon
- 16 g Sunflower lecithin (can substitute for 2 eggs just remove 70g of the water) 2 Tablespoon
- 16 g Instant yeast 5 Teaspoon
- 19 g Salt 3&3/4 Teaspoon
1 13inch Loaf
- 650 g Hard white or hard red wheat flour 5&1/4 cup
- 442 g Water 1&3/4cup +2 Tablespoon
- 46 g Oil 3 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon
- 70 g Honey 3 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon
- 25 g Vital wheat gluten (optional) 2&1/2 Tablespoon
- 12 g Sunflower lecithin 1&1/2 Tablespoon
- 14 g Salt 2&3/4 Teaspoon
- 13 g Instant yeast 3&3/4 Teaspoon
2 9inch Loaves with Pullman Pan Lid on
- 656 g Fresh Milled Hard Wheat 5&1/4 cup
- 446 g Water 1&3/4 cup
- 14 g Salt 2&3/4 Teaspoon
- 13 g Instant Yeast 3&3/4 Teaspoon
- 47 g Oil 3 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon
- 70 g Honey 1/4 Cup
- 25 g Vital Wheat Gluten (Optional) 2&1/2 Tablespoon
- 12 g Sunflower Lecithin 1&1/2 Tablespoon
1 13inch Loaf with Pullman Pan Lid On
- 500 g Hard White Wheat Flour
- 340 g Water
- 10 g Instant yeast
- 10 g Salt
- 36 g Oil
- 40 g Honey
- 19 g Vital Wheat Gluten (optional)
- 9 g Sunflower Lecithin
1 8×4 Loaf
- 300 g Hard White Wheat Flour
- 204 g Water
- 6 g Salt
- 6 g Instant Yeast
- 21 g Oil
- 24 g Honey
- 6 g Sunflower lecithin
- 11 g Vital Wheat Gluten (Optional)
Instructions
- Start by milling your flour. If using a scale, you can measure your wheat berries by weight. If using measuring cups, you’ll need 4&2/3c of wheat berries to get 7c of freshly milled flour.
- Starting with the water, put everything in the mixer bowl EXCEPT the salt and yeast. Knead on speed 2 (if using kitchenaid) until all ingredients are well incorporated and a ball of dough forms. Let rest for 15-20 min covered with a towel or plastic wrap. Add in the salt and yeast and continue to knead for about 8-10 minutes
- Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover. Let rise until doubled in size. About 45min-1.5 hours depending on the temperature in your home. If using warm water it may take less time.
- Once dough has doubled, punch down and divide dough in half to make 2 loaves. I like to weigh mine but you can also eyeball it. Shape dough into a log, making sure to build tension in the dough to increase gluten strength and oven spring. Place dough in oiled bread pans.
- Let the dough rise until it has not only doubled in size but also an inch over the rim of the pan. If you’ve built good tension in your dough, it shouldn’t spill over the pan.
- Bake at 350 for 35-40 min or until the breads internal temperature is 190-200F. Immediately remove the loaves from the pans and place on cooling rack. PLEASE SEE NOTES FOR PULLMAN PAN WITH LID ON INSTRUCTIONS. For best results, wait until bread is fully cooled to cut, about 2 hours. Enjoy!