Unsweetened whole wheat sandwich bread recs please?
I used to make my own sandwich bread, using the NYT recipe. I love it, but my esposo doesn't, he prefers a softer, denser "Wonder Bread" type crumb, especially for toasting.
And, as we've both taken on more paid work lately, some things have to be re-prioritized and baking is one of the ones we just don't have the moxie to take on, between gardening, cooking dinner, walking, working, maintenance, etc.
I tried sandwich bread after sandwich bread from the co-op: Rudys, Arnolds, Orowheat, Silver Hills, Country Hearth, Healthy Choice, everything the co-op stocks.
Then a local bakery in Albuquerque started making sandwich loaves, and they were perfect. They had the squarish shape that makes toasting and sandwich making easy. They were feather-light with a tiny, close crumb that produced the soft texture my esposo likes. Best of all, they listed "honey" last on the ingredient list with a note that it was used only to activate the yeast, there was no other sweetened added to the bread itself.
We were in heaven. The bread even froze well; we could buy a loaf, put half in the freezer (we don't really eat much bread so a whole loaf will go moldy if left out) and eat off it for a couple of weeks. It was great.
Then the bakery in Albuquerque stopped making sandwich bread to concentrate on baked specialties.
Back to the round of trying whatever else is on the shelf.
Every cottonpickin' whole wheat or wholegrain loaf has either or both of these problems: Heavy as a brick with a big, open crumb, or some form of sweetener listed in the first three or four ingredients.
Listen, I *know* sweetener is the fastest way to a soft, dense-but-light crumb. I've baked bread, I know it's tough to balance rising time/temperature, leavening, moisture, baking temperature and time, etc., to get that 'soft bread' texture, without a lot of honey or "cane syrup" or "raw cane extract" (or whatever they're calling sugar these days to make it sound crunchy-healthy.)
But I also know IT CAN BE DONE. It is perfectly possible to make a bread with regular and whole grain flours, salt, water, and yeast (with just enough sweetener to activate the yeast) AND NOTHING ELSE (well, maybe for commercial production a preservative or two) and have it be light, soft, and dense.
I whinged to the co-op bakery manager, who listened patiently and said "Get me some brand names, I'll see if I can order 'em."
I'll be damned if I know a good brand, though.
Anyone had ANY luck finding unsweetened whole wheat sandwich bread with a Wonder Bread-like crumb and an absolute minimum of sugary goop? (No, we can't do stevia, it gives me terrible gas.)
hopefully,
Bright
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