Richly flavored and colored 100% whole wheat bread with the savory flavor of soy and a hint of sweetness.

Our Daily Bread - Whole Wheat Soy Sandwich Bread

Makes 1 – 9x5 in (23x12.75 cm)

“If I added soy sauce into bread would it taste good?” I asked myself a few months ago then went on a journey to discover if it would. This sandwich bread is the result.

Knowing I wanted the flavor of the soy sauce to actually come through in the bread and not be added just to say it’s there, I needed a bread that could stand up to the richness of the soy. In came the idea of using 100% whole wheat flour for this loaf. To enhance and round out the flavor of the soy I’ve added MSG, butter and dark brown sugar. The butter and sugar enrich the bread giving the strong soy sauce a place to mellow slightly while the MSG enhances the soy and butter making them taste more rounded. The final product is a bread that is richly flavored and colored with the savory flavor of soy and a hint of sweetness.

Ingredients

Scald

100g (0.75 c + 1 t) whole wheat flour

45g (3 T) dark brown sugar

2g (0.50 t) kosher salt

*1g (0.25 t) MSG - optional

42g (3 T) butter

30 ml (2 T) soy sauce

280ml (1.25 c + 2 T) water 

Dough

1 large egg

4g (1 t) instant yeast

325g (2.5 c) whole wheat flour

**15-20ml (3 – 4 t) water

Method

Scald

1.      In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, salt and MSG.

2.      In a small pot melt the butter over medium-high heat.

• Add the soy sauce and simmer 15 seconds.

• Add the water and bring to a boil.

• Immediately pour over the dry ingredients and stir to combine with a heatproof spatula.

Do not allow the liquid to boil long because if too much evaporates, it may throw off the hydration of the dough.

• Cover and cool completely. 

Dough

3.      Add the yeast and egg to the cooled scald.

• Mix until well combined.

• Add the remaining flour and mix until no dry flour remains adding the water as necessary to form a dough.

• Place the dough onto an unfloured work surface and knead for 7 minutes scraping the work surface and your hands with a bench scraper regularly.

The dough will be sticky. If necessary, switch to the slap and fold kneading method instead to help mitigate sticking.

• Form the dough into a ball and return to the bowl.

• Cover and ferment for 45 minutes.

• Fold.

To fold: wet your dominant hand and loosen the dough from the bowl flipping the ball of dough over. Press out the dough to even out its thickness. Grab a grip of dough across from you, lift and stretch the dough out a few inches then fold it over the center. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this process, wetting your hand as necessary to prevent sticking, until you reach the point where you began. The dough should have formed a ball at this point. Flip the ball again, placing the “seams” of the dough on the bottom and tuck the dough together to make a ball.

Do not add flour during the folding.

• Cover and ferment 45 minutes longer.

• Repeat the fold.

• Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4.      Lightly flour the top of the dough and the work surface.

• Use a bench scraper to release the dough from the bowl and remove to the work surface leaving the unfloured surface on top.

I made this into a sectioned loaf however, to make a traditional loaf, shape the dough as you would normally and place into a prepared loaf pan. Allow to rise and bake as listed in Steps 6 – 8.

• Lightly flour the surface and divide the dough into 3 equal portions.

• Preshape each portion of the dough.

To preshape: working one portion at a time, lightly flour the surface of the dough and pat out into a rough rectangle with the short sides facing and across from you. Bring the left then right sides into the center pressing lightly. Starting from the short side across from you, roll down loosely into a chunky log. Place the log away from you with the seam side down. Repeat with the remaining dough.

• Let the dough rest covered by the upturned mixing bowl for 20 minutes.

5.      Line a loaf pan with parchment if necessary.

My loaf pan is great but sometimes causes sticking. To prevent this I always line it.

6.      Working one portion at a time, shape the dough.

To shape: placing the seam side up, roll the portion into a rectangle using a rolling pin to about 1 cm (0.25 in) thick. Using the same process as the preshape, fold and roll the dough tightening the roll more as it is rolled than in the preshape.

• Once rolled, seal the seam on the bottom well and place, seam side down into the prepared pan.

• Repeat with the remaining dough.

• Cover loosely and proof for 1 – 2 hours or until the dough has risen 2.5 – 4 cm (1 – 1.5 in) above the rim of the pan.

This may take longer (depending on the temperature of your room) because the dough is cold from the fridge.

What is most important is that the dough rises above the rim of the pan as written.

7.      Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F.

• Bake for 5 minutes.

• Reduce to 180 C / 350 F.

• Bake 25 – 30 minutes longer.

After 25 minutes, carefully test the loaf with an instant read thermometer stuck into the side into the middle of the loaf.

The bread should register 94 C / 200 F.

 If not ready, allow to cook longer.

If the dough is browning too much, tent loosely with foil.

• Remove to a cooling rack and cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

• Remove from the pan and cool completely.

8.      Slice and serve.