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Another few days of digging through the drafts and editing pictures.. It seems like my props and camera will be unpacked after everything else:).
We hardly ever eat any White bread. Hubbs and me both like hearty whole grain breads. The closest we come to one is a sourdough. I had not posted a vegan White bread recipe yet, so decided to add one. The bread can be used as a base recipe and changed up to include other flours or cracked grains or seeds.
This Sandwich bread is easy, soft and delicious. It doesn’t contain any eggs or milk powder or preservatives or dough conditioners(derived from bird feathers) etc like the usual White Breads found in stores. The almond milk and oil are enough to add the moist softness to the bread.
The key to a nicely formed dome and airy crumb is kneading. If you can, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes. The bread will bake great without that much kneading too, but the kneading helps with good gluten formation which helps hold the bread with all that air in it.
The bread keeps well on the counter for a few days. For longer life, refrigerate it in a zip-lock/air tight container for upto 7 days. You can eat it as is, toast it, make sandwiches, use it wherever you want, savory or sweet. For a whole wheat sandwich bread, see here.
Make this Vegan White Sandwich Bread!
Makes amazing Grilled Sandwiches. like this Buffalo Millet Sandwich. Millet cooked in Buffalo sauce, peppers and creamy ranch, grilled up between 2 slices.
You can also make burger buns with the dough. Make 6-8 balls of the dough. Shape, spray water on top, let rise for 20-30 minutes, then bake for 25-30 minutes. Perfect for any grilled up burgers to serve this summer.
For more Loafs see the Bread collection here.
Did I mention that as kids we used to love to eat the crumb and leave out the crust.(nope, bread wasnt available at homeeveryday. We would get one loaf a week.). To get us to finish our bread, mom made up a theory that all the good nutrients of the bread are actually in the crust, just like an apple . 😉
It is getting warm finally in Seattle and that means some amazing fruits showing up in the market. Fresh and room temperature fruits are something I miss the most from back home. India being a tropical country has an abundant supply of local fruits all year round. And not just a few, there are several families of fruits that are available. Snacking between meals would be grabbing a couple of fruits. Things come full circle dont they. Eating more fresh fruits and veggies again now, after all the meaty and processed snack diet we had settled into after moving to the US.
In other news.
Elephants continue to be exploited on the streets of India where they are forced to beg on the streets, in temples and perform in marriages or circuses. Bijlee, the elephant, who hasd been worked for 50 years, who collapsed on the road recently, was left to die on the street. Even with efforts from rescue orgs, she passed away and her plight is now drawing national and international attention to the unfortunate lives of abuse, limited unhealthy food, no rest days of begging elephants in India. I hope, this movement keeps going just like the movement that was ignited by the beating video of Anne, the circus elephant, that led to a ban of the use of wild animals in circuses in the UK.
You can read more about elephants use in India here. and sign the petition here.
Steps:
Proof the yeast. Add dry ingredients and knead into a soft non sticky dough.
Spray water on top and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
Punch down and shape in to a loaf. Spray water on top, cover lightly with a towel and let rise until doubled.
Bake in pre-heated 370 degrees F for 35 minutes or until the top sounds hollow.
Vegan White Sandwich Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar , or maple/agave
- 2.5 teaspoons active yeast
- 1/2 cup warm almond milk , or other non dairy milk
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 3 cups organic bread flour, or all purpose flour or unbleached white flour (See notes section for 100% whole wheat bread)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, proof the yeast by mixing warm water, sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes or until frothy.
- In another bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add the yeast mixture, oil and warm almond milk to the dry flour and mix well. Knead for 5-8 minutes into a soft smooth non sticky dough. If using a stand mixer, you might need to add a few tablespoons more flour.
- Use more water or flour if needed and knead until somewhat smooth. Spray water on top.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until doubled. I usually keep it in a warmed oven (warm the oven to 130-150 degF)
- Take the dough out, punch it down. If it is too sticky, and an tbsp or so flour to knead and shape. Shape into a loaf, by flattening the dough then rolling into a jelly roll.
- Place in a greased or parchment lined bread pan. Spray water on top and sprinkle seeds or oats. .
- Cover lightly with a towel and let rise until doubled. 30-40 minutes.
- Bake in pre-heated 370 degrees F / 190ºc for 35-40 minutes. Cover the top in the last 10 minutes with parchment to reduce browning.
- Remove the bread from the pan. Cover with a towel to cool. This will help soften the crust. Cool completely before slicing.Store: Store refrigerated in a closed container for upto a week.
Notes
Spray oil on top or dust enough flour to keep from sticking. - Brush melted vegan butter after baking for softening the crust. Nutritional values based on one serving
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Use this for buns! They come out crusty and are amazing for any type of “juicy” sandwich or with pb and jam!! I double the recipe!
Awesome
I usually don’t leave comments but this bread is amazing!!! It’s so tender and flavorful! And surprisingly, it’s sturdy! Its held up to a veggie burger perfectly. Such a great recipe that I’ll be going back to a lot! Thank you!!!
Well thank you so much for the kind review! I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Does it take more than 1.5 hours to double in size? Did i do something wrong?
it shouldn’t take too much longer than 1.5 hrs. It depends of the temp. of your kitchen and if you followed the recipe exactly.
I have brand new yeast but mine didn’t rise as well as the photo pictured here. It’s maybe half that size – 2 hours first rise, 90 mins second. My house was on the cooler side today – could that be it? Any other tips?
Feel free to delete this comment. I just tasted it and think I oversalted!! Will try again tomorrow. 🙂
Optimal yeast growth happens at around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), but dough will rise at any room temperature. I suggest rising it atop your water heater or refrigerator; or on a high shelf, on top of a heating pad set to low or close to a heat source. the first rise shouldn’t take too much longer than 1.5 hours. I hope that the next try works out – let me know.
Hi how do I make this bread with instant yeast?
Thank you
Use same amount
What size pan do you recommend?
A loaf pan will work!
I made this exactly as written using Red Star quick-rise yeast and almond milk. It’s absolutely perfect! Thanks so much, Richa. Your recipes have never once let me down. <3
Hi Richa, I tried this recipe twice. I have never made bread before. I love the taste and the crust is amazing. However, it is super dense. It doesn’t have the nice holes I see in your picture, and it’s not spongy at all. I proofed for 2 hours first, then 1 hour second proof. Kneaded by hand for 15 mins. Hope you had some tips for a new baker? 🙂
Did the bread dough rise during resting?
Yes, it rose beautifully
You may have over-kneaded your dough. The longer you work any gluten-containing product, the more dense it will become. Tell-tale signs are usually to super hard crust and a very dense interior. If you try again, cut your kneading time in half and see if you get better results!
hi! this recipe looks wonderful. i just tried to make it, everything seemed fine and i followed all the instructions. however, my bread just didn’t puff up in the oven. it’s stout and not fluffy, but it is baked all the way through. it just so dense 🙁 this seems to happen a lot for me but i can’t figure out what it is! any advise?
That might happen because of several reasons. Did the dough rise really well before baking? If it did that means the Yeast was working fine, else it probably died. If the bread doesn’t bother doing baking, then it will bake up dense as there isn’t the airy ness keeping the dough light.
Could you use melted butter instead of oil?