Tuesdays with Dorie: White Loaves

I think this was my first crack at making a basic white sandwich-type bread.  Most of my other bread making had been reserved for crusty loaves of pot bread.  So I was eager to make this recipe.

I decided to use King Arthur Flour AP flour since it was more readily available on short notice.  I enjoyed reading and learning about the difference types of flours, and I'll most likely use KAF exclusively from now on.  Everything was going well - except that my KitchenAid mixer decided to struggle so I had to knead the dough by hand for awhile (probably not as long as I should have).  Then came time for the butter.  I threw it back in the mixer just in the hopes that it would have perked up a little.  The butter made it easier to mix, but it just didn't look right!  I thought for sure I messed up somewhere.

Here's the dough after the first rise

I made one plain loaf and one cinnamon swirl loaf.  They didn't rise/cook up evenly, but I didn't care one bit.  The house smelled wonderful and we waited patiently to cut into one.  The loaves were very tender while still warm, but once they cooled completely they hardened up a little.  Maybe I left them out to sit too long?  No worries though - I'm about to toast up a slice right now with a thin smear of Biscoff spread and a cup of tea!

My Critic Says:  Good basic bread, but not as fluffy as expected.

Looking forward to a great baking journey with all the TWD'ers!!  For the recipe, please click here!