So here goes, this is how I've figured out to slice my whole wheat sandwich bread so it comes out just like store bought bread slices.First have a decent bread knife, doesn't have to be amazing or expensive, it's all about your wrist! I do quick little slices back and forth, gently pressure, just like I'm an electric knife. I picture what those bread slicers do in the store and try do it with my knife on just one slice. I know I'm a dork. But I like to see things in my head, it's how my brain works. So just keep doing that till you reach the bottom and you did it!
Second you have to hold the slice upright so that it doesn't fall over and crack in half since this is really nice soft bread and you want it perfectly thin. Just like the picture above. Also the longer the loaf rises the fluffier it will be and the harder it is to slice and the more important it is for you to support the slice while cutting it.
Third, you can flip the bread over and slice it upside down. It squashes the top a little but it bounces back, just don't push too hard!
So this is my round 3 loaf, one of them, and as you can see they do come out different every time. So why does it look so different this time? Well hubbie helped out. I had to go to the store so he brushed the tops with half and half instead of milk and also they hadn't risen quite to where I wanted them when he put them in the oven. I also told him to leave off the oat sprinkle from the top because all it does is make a mess. Don't get me wrong, I think it looks pretty and all but this was just more practical.So you can see the pretty bouncy muffin top is gone, it's a little denser too. It also did not "deflate" like the last couple batches. Not a bad thing but the other loaves you can see how wrinkled they were on top from the "deflating". I also like to wrap them up in plastic as they come out of the oven to maintain the moisture and so the crust gets soft because I personally dislike crunchy crust on my sandwich bread.
That looks amazing! Well, my first wheat turned out great, but it was so dense and heavy. I wanted to make a fluffy loaf so I used 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 white and I had no gluten to add. I thought I'd use some xanthan gum as many people use it for baking. First, it didn't rise well 1.5 hours took 6). The second rise only took 1 but didn't reach it's full potential. The xanthan gum really helped it stay together like the vital wheat gluten would have but I wonder if it retarded my rises. I am trying to make a light and fluffy loaf today. We'll see how it goes.
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