We like to make whole wheat sandwich bread at home. We use a pain de mie bread pan, a French loaf pan that comes with a lid so the finished bread has perfectly square slices (although whether or not we use the lid depends on our mood). Sometimes perfect squares are desirable; sometimes we prefer a slightly bigger piece of bread. This dough will work either way. As for flour, we are partial to the King Arthur white whole wheat for its flavor, but you can use the whole wheat flour of your choice. This is a wet dough that will bake up into a moist, cakey loaf, excellent for toast and sandwiches.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 13 x 4-inch loaf

　　6 cups/840 grams white whole wheat flour

　　1 tablespoon/12.5 grams sugar

　　1 tablespoon/18 grams fine sea salt

　　2 teaspoons/6 grams instant yeast

　　2 large sweet potatoes, roasted, skinned, and diced

　　1 1/2 cups/375 grams apple cider

　　1 1/2 cups/338 grams water

　　Unsalted butter or nonstick cooking spray for the pan

　　

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Whisk to thoroughly combine. Add the sweet potatoes and toss gently with a rubber spatula to incorporate. Add the cider and water and continue to fold the mixture gently until all of the flour is absorbed and the mixture forms a wet dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 3 to 4 hours. The dough will rise to approximately one and a half times its initial volume.

　　

Step 2

Using a rubber spatula, gently loosen the dough from the bowl. Dampen your hands with cool water and, with the dough still in the bowl, slide one hand under one side of the dough. Fold that side of the dough into the center and press down gently so the dough adheres to itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the folding process. Do this two more times. After the fourth fold, flip over the dough so the seams are on the bottom. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours. The dough will double in size.

　　

Step 3

Repeat the folding procedure. Gently turn the dough out onto a damp counter top. Shape it into a rectangle approximately the size of your loaf pan and roll up the dough lengthwise to make it easier to move it into the pan. Grease the inside of your pan with soft butter or nonstick spray and place the dough inside, gently stretching it to fit the inside of the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.

　　

Step 4

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) or 375°F (190°C) with convection.

　　

Step 5

Remove the plastic wrap from the bread and put the pan in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes and then, without opening the oven door, turn the temperature down to 350°F (175°C) or 325°F (160°C) with convection. Bake for 45 minutes more. If the top of the bread starts to get too dark, tent the loaf with foil. The bread is done when the top feels firm to the touch and you hear a hollow sound when knocking gently on the bottom of the pan.

　　

Step 6

Remove the bread from the oven. Let it rest for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn it out of the pan and let cool completely on a rack.

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