Savory Sandwich Bread Recipe
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A foolproof recipe for homemade sandwich bread that is packed with savory flavor and baked in a loaf pan, no bread shaping skills required, no errors in over-handling the dough just perfect fluffy delicious bread every single time.
Savory Sandwich Bread
If you have tried your luck at making homemade breads and you just can’t seem to get over the shaping of the loaf without it turning out dense then this method of making a great savory sandwich bread is for you. Mine is speckled with tiny savory bits of olives, capers and roasted peppers and perfumed by fennel and rosemary, however you can get creative here and choose other flavors that you prefer.
The Method
I’ve been thinking of a lot of ways to help everyone get a fabulous loaf of bread out of their oven even if you have tried many times without much success. Over the years readers have been loving my Italian crusty bread and it has become a staple recipe for many homes all over the world. However, it does take a little bit of skill in shaping the final loaf and the touch and feel to know exactly when the gluten strands have bounced back properly and the loaf is ready for baking. Home temperature, humidity, altitude, patience, there are a lot of factors that can interfere with the perfect loaf.
I figured if we can skip the need for shaping and transferring the dough then it will become foolproof for everyone. It’s basically like making a fluffy Focaccia that is baked inside an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan instead of a rimmed baking sheet.
Ingredients Notes
- Flour – unbleached all purpose flour is all you need here, just make sure it is fresh and ideally organic.
- Fennel + Rosemary – My go to Italian spices when I want something to really taste like a bite of Italy. They work so great here together but of course you are free to use one or the other if you aren’t a fan of both.
- Yeast – Instant yeast has been my go to for years. I keep a jar of it in the fridge to extend its shelf life and it never fails me.
- Sea salt – Just use a little bit here as there will be more sodium added with the olives and capers.
- Mashed Potato – This is the secret ingredient I swear by to keep the dought moist and fluffy. Just make sure to work them into the flour mixture well using your hands so you get it evenly distributed throughout the bread.
- Olives, Capers + Roasted Pepper – finely chopped into small bits this is my holy trinity of savory flavor and combined with the rosemary and fennel its like eating pizza. Your sandwich is already delicious before you even add anything else to it.
Leftovers + Storage
Store your bread at room temperature wrapped in parchment paper for a couple of days. Alternatively you can slice it in 3/4 inch slices or so and freeze in bags for later use. You can thaw it out on the kitchen counter or pop it straight into the toaster when ready to eat. Slather with some thick marinara sauce for an instant pizza bread treat.
Savory Bread Recipes
- Olive Bread
- Potato Bread
- Whole Wheat Bread
- Homemade Spelt Bread
- Artisan Italian Crusty Bread
- Healthy Chickpea Bread (Gluten-free)
- Rosemary Focaccia
- Italian Rosemary Biscuits
- No Knead Potato Focaccia
- Best Pizza Dough.
how to make savory sandwich bread
Savory Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds lightly toasted
- 1 sprig rosemary roughly chopped
- 1.5 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 3/4 cup mashed potato (1 large gold potato peeled, cooked + mashed)
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup black olives diced or chopped
- 1 Tbsp brined capers roughly chopped
- 1 roasted red pepper diced
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the chopped olives, roasted pepper, capers and olive oil. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, garlic, fennel and rosemary.
- Add the mashed potato and with your hand work it into the flour mixture until a coarse rustic texture is achieved.
- Pour in the water and combine until a shaggy dough is formed. It will look kind of dry and messy at this point and that’s great.
- Add the olive mixture and using your hand start kneading it into the flour mixture until combined and dough is formed. Sprinkle a little extra flour around the sides and the top if need be to make it easier to work with, but don’t add too much.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel and allow to rise in a draft free area for 2 to 3 hours until double in size.
- Once your dough looks ready preheat your oven to 400”F.
- Line an 8x4 inch (or a similar size) loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly brush it with oil.
- Transfer the bread dough to the baking pan and using your fingers press dimples into it just like you would for focaccia. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Loosely cover the dough with some parchment paper and let it rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour while the oven is preheating. You want to give the gluten strands some time to bounce back.
- Bake @400"F for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and toasty on top. Allow to cool off completely on a cooling rack before slicing it.
