Sandwich Bread (with Five Variations)

• Place flour in the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the salt and yeast and process for 5 seconds. With the machine running, add the sweetener, softened butter, and most of the milk through feed tube (you will need a little less milk if you are using a liquid sweetener). Process about 30 seconds, then remove the cover. The dough should be in a well-defined, barely sticky, easy-to-handle ball. If it is too dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 or 10 seconds after each addition. If it is too wet, which is unlikely, add a tablespoon or two of flour and process briefly. Knead for a minute or so by hand.
• Use half the oil or melted butter to grease a large bowl. Shape the dough into a rough ball, place it in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let rise for at least 2 hours, until nearly doubled in bulk. Deflate the ball and shape it once again into a ball; let rest on a lightly floured surface for about 15 minutes, covered.
• Using only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, flatten it into a rectangle, then shape it into a loaf. Use the remaining oil or butter to grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan (to the top of the pan). Place the loaf in the pan, flattening the top of it with the back of your hand. Cover and let rest for 1 hour, or until the top of the dough is nearly level with the top of the pan.
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Brush the top fo the loaf lightly with water, and then place in the oven. Bake about 45 minutes (perhaps less — 35 minutes?), or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it (if will fall easily from the loaf pan) or the internal temperature reads about 200F. Remove loaf from pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Herbed Sandwich Bread

• Experiment with different combinations of herbs to find those you like best. Add about ½ cup minced onion (you can mince it simply by adding chunks to the food processor along with the flour), 2 tablespoons fresh dill or parsley leaves, and 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, to the flour. Proceed as above.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

• Substitute half whole wheat flour for half of the white flour. (See alternative ingredients above.) Use honey for sweetener, adding 2 tablespoons or more. Proceed as above, increasing the rising times to at least 2 hours step 2, and the resting time to 45 minutes to 1 hour in step 3.

Bran and Oat Sandwich Bread

• Decrease the flour to 2 cups. Add ½ cup wheat or oat bran and ¾ cup whole wheat flour. Use about ¼ cup honey or maple syrup for sweetener and decrease milk to about 1 cup. Knead in ¾ cup rolled oats by hand. (If you wet your hands, it will be easier to handle.) Proceed as above.

Anadama Bread

• Substitute ½ cup cornmeal for ½ cup of flour. (You may also substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour for 1 cup white flour at the same time.) Replace the sugar or honey with ½ cup molasses and use a little less milk. Proceed as above.

English Muffins

• Much easier than you think, in some ways easier than bread. Steps 1 and 2 remain the same. In Step 3, cut the dough into 12 roughly equal pieces (if you want perfectly sized muffins, use a scale). Using just enough flour to enable you to handle the dough, shape each into a 3 to 4 inch disk. Dust with flour and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until puffy. Preheat a griddle or large skillet over low heat for about 10 minutes; do not oil it. Sprinkle it with cornmeal, then bake the muffins, a few at a time, on both sides, turning occasionally, until lightly browned; a total of about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and split with a fork before toasting.