I almost titled this post, “White Amish Bread” and realized that didn’t really sound right. Kind of like when I said my brother earned his “small pilot’s license” or my parents looked at a house where the kitchen was described as a “big wife-loving kitchen.” It’s all in the word combinations, folks, so Amish Sandwich Bread it is. 
The Amish community is well-known for growing, canning/preserving, and making the vast majority of their own food. Though they too have evolved with the times and rely more on processed and pre-packaged ingredients, from-scratch cooking and baking is nothing new in their book. The new movement that is striking the rest of our nation, is old hat for them, and the idea of homestead-living is probably something they would find humorous.
(Smith and his cousins) I’ve been wanting to find a good recipe for sandwich bread for several months now. After trying a few different versions, I found this one and it’s one that our family has been enjoying for the past few weeks. This bread is very easy to make, it yields 2 loaves, and it’s delicious. It is soft, slightly sweet, and is sturdy enough to hold sandwich fixings. I attempted to improve the nutritional value by swapping in whole wheat pastry flour in place of some of the all-purpose, but the texture was just not as good. Whole wheat sandwich bread is my next quest. 
Have a great weekend, everyone. Amish Sandwich Bread Yield: 2 standard loaves Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
- 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 5 1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg yolk + 1 tablespoon water to form an egg wash (optional)
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together milk, water, sugar, and yeast. Cover and allow the yeast to activate and foam for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in salt and oil into the yeast mixture.
- Using an electric mixer with a dough hook, slowly add flour one cup at a time mixing well after each addition. Mix for about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a lightly warmed place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide into two equal pieces. Shape into loaves and place in 2 greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 mins or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of the loaves with egg wash before baking. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and with a pastry brush, lightly brush melted butter immediately after. Allow to cool completely.
Source: Barely adapted from Bakerette
