White Sandwich Loaf With Poolish

A good portion of the flour in this recipe is fermented before the dough is made to better convert the flour to sugars and generally improve the flavor. This pre-ferment is called a poolish and is allowed to bubble and develop a nice aroma and flavor. This recipe is my take on Syd's White Sandwich bread from another site. While the process can take up to 3 days, the active time making the bread is the normal amount of time, long resting periods are added to improve flavor.

• Ready In: 15 hrs 35 mins
• Serves: 18
• Yields: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• Poolish

• 1 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached, 213 g)
• 7 1⁄2 ounces water (room temperature, 213 g)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon instant yeast (3 pinches)

• Dough

• 2  cups bread flour (255 g)
• 4  ounces buttermilk (111 g)
• 1  teaspoon butter (6 g)
• 1  teaspoon salt (rounded tsp table salt, 8.5 g)
• 2  teaspoons instant yeast (7 g)

Directions

1. Make the poolish, cover and leave at room temperature for about 8 hours.
2. Add the other ingredients and mix well.
3. Knead by hand or dough hook and stand mixer for about 5 minutes on low speed, rest 5 minutes, and knead for 5 more minutes or until it passes the windowpane test (small piece can be stretched without breaking until light shows through).
4. Oil a clear container with straight sides (or bowl), place dough and mark level, and let rise until doubled in volume (about an hour depending on temperature).
5. Pre-shape into a ball and let rest for 5 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 400 F with a pan on the bottom for steaming.
7. Fold the ball gently, tuck in the ends and seal the edge. Roll back and forth briefly until edge is sealed and a log (slightly larger in the center) is formed.
8. Place in an oiled loaf pan (9"x 5"), cover with oiled plastic film and let rise until almost doubled in volume (45 min to 1 hour).
9. Add 1 cup hot water to steam pan (don't drip on the door glass).
10. Score the loaf and place in the center of the oven.
11. Reduce oven setting to 375°F.
12. After 12 minutes, remove steam pan and rotate the loaf 180 degrees for even cooking.
13. Cook for 20 to 30 more minutes until the loaf is 205 F internally.
14. Remove from the loaf pan and cool on a rack.
15. note: the dough can be placed in the fridge at 40F, covered, to rise overnight. If you do that, remove 2 hours ahead of time to warm up.