My Favorite Homemade Sandwich Loaf

I found this recipe a few years ago and have loved it.  It is a recipe that gives you three ways to make it - by hand, with a mixer or in a bread machine.  It is excellent and delicious.  We all loved it, but there was one problem - my husband didn't like it as a sandwich bread.  He liked it hot out of the oven with butter, but I was looking for a good sandwich loaf that my whole family would eat that was 100% whole wheat.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when I bought my grain mill.  I wasn't completely convinced that freshly ground flour would make that much of a difference in my bread - but I WAS WRONG!  This is the same recipe that I have made lots of times.  I did two things differently this time.  I used freshly ground flour from my grain mill and I used a longer bread pan.  The Norpro 12 inch Bread pan.  You also must use the dough enhancer (you can buy this or make your own) and the vital wheat gluten.  Those are a must!

I don't want to reprint the whole thing but please find it at Marilyn's Famous Bread Recipe @ The Urban Homemaker.

I use my breadmaker and put in the ingredients per the instructions.   This makes me one loaf - enough to fill my 12 inch bread pan.  Here is my method:
Once the dough is done, I roll out my dough on a floured surface with my rolling pin.
Then, I roll the dough (like cinnamon rolls) and pinch the seems together.  I fold the ends under and pinch those too.  I put it into the greased pan and bake at 350 for 30 minutes - no more, no less.  You can tell the bread is done by tapping the bottom of the loaf and if it sounds hollow it is done.

Here are some more keys:

• Keep the bread out to cool and then remove from the pan.  Cover it with a towel once it has cooled, put it into a cloth bread bag with a draw string.  If you don't have a cloth bread bag then just cover it with a towel.  Keep it this way for half the day or a few hours, then store the bread in a bread bag - either a reused one or a bought one (I bought some with my grain mill).  Make sure to use a twisty tie to close it.  I do not pre-slice my bread.  I only slice it as I need it.  This makes it stay softer.  My loaf stayed soft for 5 days until I had only a little bread left which I dried out and put in the freezer to make bread crumbs with.
• You must cut this with a serrated knife!  
• You could also use a bread slicer guide (which works really well but I hate cleaning it every time).    It does give you uniform slices.

Now, if you don't have freshly ground wheat don't be discouraged.  This is still a great loaf of bread.  Just use the bigger pan and some of the suggestions I gave you to keep the bread from being crumbly but still keep it soft.

And that my friends is how you get your husband to eat your homemade bread.  In fact, as he was eating a sandwich I made for him, I asked him how he liked the bread.  He said, "YOU made this bread?" According to him, it was by far the best bread I had ever made and he likes it as sandwich bread which, after 3 years of trying, is a VICTORY!  He's picky about his sandwich bread.  And I like my husband to be happy.