Name: The Daily Loaf: Soft and Sturdy Fresh Milled Flour Sandwich Bread
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Ingredients: 900g hard white wheat flour; 520-540g water; 74g oil (avocado or olive); 100g honey; 16g sunflower lecithin (OR 2 eggs, and reduce water by 70g); 37g vital wheat gluten (optional but helps with rise); 16g instant yeast; 20g salt; Melted butter, optional for brushing over the top

Some recipes want you to read a whole novel before you even see the ingredients — but not this one. This is the bread I bake again and again: soft enough for PB&Js, sturdy enough for a stacked sandwich, and wholesome thanks to fresh milled flour. I call it my Daily Loaf because it’s just that dependable — the kind of bread that makes life feel a little more grounded (and a lot more delicious). Let’s skip the small talk and get right to the recipe.

The Daily Loaf: Soft and Sturdy Fresh Milled Flour Sandwich Bread

Recipe by The Fresh Flour TableCourse: BreadCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

hour

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

900g hard white wheat flour
520-540g water
74g oil (avocado or olive)
100g honey
16g sunflower lecithin (OR 2 eggs, and reduce water by 70g)
37g vital wheat gluten (optional but helps with rise)
16g instant yeast
20g salt
Melted butter, optional for brushing over the top

Directions

Begin by milling your flour. 900g = approximately 7.5 cups.
Combine water, oil, honey, sunflower lecithin (or eggs), flour, and vital wheat gluten in your mixing bowl.
Knead on low speed until thoroughly incorporated. Cover and let rest (autolyse) for a minimum of 20 minutes, or up to an hour. The timing here can be very flexible based on when you wish to proceed with your bake.
Knead in your yeast and salt, for 10-12 minutes or longer until you have a soft and flexible dough. Ideally when you gently stretch your dough you will see light shine through the dough before it tears, which is called windowpane.
Place your dough in an oiled bowl and cover to rise. Fresh milled flour rises very quickly so begin checking around 30 minutes, especially if you are at high altitude. Allow your dough to rise by approximately 75% – it doesn’t need to double.
Once your dough has risen, punch down and divide for two loaf pans. Shape your dough into a log and place into oiled loaf pans.
Preheat your oven to 350.
Cover and allow to rise until your dough is about 1 1/2 inches above the side of your loaf pan. Your dough should spring back part way when poked, leaving a slight indent.
Bake for 34-36 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 200F.
Remove from oven and allow to rest in the pans for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack for cooling.
Optional – brush the tops with melted butter for a softer crust.
Give your fresh bread an hour or two before cutting into it if you can resist! Slicing too soon can result in a gummy texture, but I promise it will be worth the wait.