Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

By pknaub

Ingredients

• This soft, moist bread is perfect for toast or sandwiches. AND it's packed with healthy fiber!
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) lukewarm water*
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
• 1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk
• 2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat Flour or Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) Hi-maize® Natural Fiber; or substitute whole wheat flour for the Hi-maize
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

Preparation

Step 1

*Reduce the water by 2 tablespoons if you're baking this bread in the summer, when there's more humidity in the air.

Combine all of the ingredients, and mix and knead—by hand, mixer, or bread machine—until you've made a smooth, fairly stiff (but not dry) dough. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it's expanded a bit. It won't have doubled in size, but should feel puffy when you squeeze it.

Lightly grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan. Gently shape the dough into a smooth log; there's no need to punch it down, just stretch and round it to fit into the pan. Place it in the pan, smooth side up, cover the pan, and allow the loaf to rise for about 30 to 45 minutes, till it crowns over the rim of the pan by an inch or so. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center registers 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove it from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. Yield: 1 loaf.