Emulating store bought bread

[knight76]

I am interested in emulating the local store bought mass produced bread.

Of course I do not expect to get the exact same tasting loaf but maybe close to it.

I just grabbed a loaf from the cupboard and here are the list of ingredients, in order of concentration.

Wheat flour, Water, Yeast, Salt, vinegar, Canola oil, Soy flour, emulsifiers (471, 481 (both vegetable derived)), preservative 228, vitamin (Thiamin).

Emulsifier 471 - Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl distearate) - Basically just fat.

Emulsifier 481 - Sodium oleyl or stearoyl lactylate, a flour treatment stabaliser making it able to retain shape after going through the machinery.

So working on the first ingredient listed is the ingredient that is used most in the recipe you can see the basic makeup of the bread.

I imagine by the time we get down to yeast we are talking about tablespoons of each ingredient or less. So maybe something like:

3 cups wheat flour
1 cup water
1 tbs yeast
0.5 tbs salt
0.5 tbs vinegar
Then some sort of quantity of canola oil and soy flour.

With the soy flour being so low down in the list, it does not seem to have much of an impact on the taste of the loaf, being less than vinegar and salt should mean it is less than a tablespoon. - I just read it is used to bleach the yellow out of the finished loaf to make a whiter loaf. Also assists with loaf freshness over time and improves crumb softness.

Obviously I will be leaving the emulsifiers out as I wont have those and don't want those. From what I have read they only imporve the characteristics of the bread and dont alter taste much.

Any ideas on a recipe from this list of ingredients given the order of the list being the most used?

 

[MexicoKaren]

I guess my first question is "why?" I'm not sure if you are serious about this, (or just joking) but generally speaking, people bake their own bread because it is SUPERIOR to the soft, fluffy, tasteless store-bought bread. Of course, you may have better bread available where you live!

Here is the recipe I use for basic good white bread. It uses a bit less yeast for two loaves than you are suggesting for just one, so if you are only making one loaf of bread, I would use a generous teaspoon of yeast.

Basic Good White Bread Recipe

1 cup water
1 cup evaporated milk
3 TBS butter
1 beaten egg

2 and1/4 tsp active instant yeast
6 cups white unbleached flour (more or less)
2 TBS sugar
2 tsp salt

1 beaten egg
Softened butter

Combine dry ingredients and mix well.

Combine water, milk and butter. Heat gently until butter melts. Cool to just warm and add beaten egg, mixing well.

Add milk mixture to dry ingredients. Mix at speed 2 of KitchenAid mixer with kneading attachment until no flour remains on side of bowl (or stir vigorously by hand). Add more flour if necessary until sides of bowl are clean. Knead for 5 minutes on speed 2 (10 minutes by hand).

Butter a large bowl, turn mixture onto flat surface and knead for a few minutes. Put mixture into bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover and let rise until double, about one hour.

When it is doubled, remove from bowl, punch down, knead for a few minutes, and return to bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled again. Punch down and knead for a few minutes.

Divide dough in half, put in two greased 9” X 5” pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes. Brush tops with beaten egg.

Bake at 350F for about 30-35 minutes, until the bread sounds hollow when you tap on it.

Turn out of pan and brush with softened butter. Let cool, then wrap in foil.

This makes two wonderful loaves of bread. Be sure to cut into one of them as soon as it comes out of the oven, smear the slice with butter and enjoy.

 

[JoeV]

I'm with you, MexicoKaren. I see no reason on earth to try to replicate store bought bread with all its additives and preservatives. Your recipe is pretty much what I use for making our hamburger and hot dog rolls, and the occasional loaf of white bread for a friend who requests it. Other than that, we mostly eat No Knead bread variations and specialty recipes to keep it interesting.

I think knight76 is just pulling our leg... I hope!

Joe

 

[Adillo303]

I can't even understand it on a cost saving basis.

 

[YT2095]

they use a special Bleached flour in commercial loaves too, I`v never seen it for sale anywhere but without it, you`ll never match the pure white color.

 

[GB]

The only benefit to store bought bread is that it lasts much longer than homemade bread, but that is because of all the preservatives and junk that go into it.

Homemade bread will not last as long on the shelf, but it tastes so good that most people eat it all before that ever becomes an issue.

 

[suziquzie]

most people eat it all before that ever becomes an issue.

Guilty!!

I've been playing with wheat bread, to replace "goo bread" as my Dad calls it, in my son's school lunch. Karen, if I replaced half wheat flour in your recipe would you change anything else (besides maybe a little less flour)?

 

[MexicoKaren]

SQ, for basic sandwich bread, I always replace two of the cups of flour with whole wheat. That's because the whole wheat flour here is not very highly refined, and I am able to retain a nice texture. The whole wheat flour in the US is more refined, so replacing half of the flour would probably work great. This bread has a great texture, and as GB says, we gobble it up long before spoilage is an issue.

 

[jet]

I can see certain circumstances where you might want to emulate store bread.

I baked many different types of bread (e.g. white, wheat, brioche, challah) trying to find the perfect French toast bread. I never found anything that compared to commerical Texas toast left out on the counter overnight.

 

[gadzooks]

Commercial white bread doesn't have a shelf life, it has a half life. One of the joys of having a good counter top mixer is the ability to bake a variety of really good, wholesome bread. I'm not interested in baking mediocre to bad to really bad bread...stores are already full of it. Are you stocking your bomb shelter? And the limited shelf life of home made bread is a plus for me. Two 9x5 loaves a week, rolls for pulled pork sandwiches and burgers. Sourdough for a change up. Fancier for company and holidays.

 

[MexicoKaren]

And don't forget cinnamon rolls!!!!

 

[gadzooks]

stickies...

 

[Dave Hutchins]

Mexico Karen your forula for bread is very similer to mine I use a bit more sugar and when it is done it does not last long . A very good response to a questional question

 

[knight76]

Lol at all the replies.

I am not sure what your store bought bread tastes like in your country but here, there are some nice loaves available. I especially like bread from a bakery called Bakers Delight. Their white bread is very nice.

The bread I cooked was tasting sort of like a scone. I didn't mind it overly, but I would like to get closer to the hot bread shop style than I am at the moment.

I guess it is a matter of trying recipes to work out what I like.

 

[Russellkhan]

Well I have no idea what the store bread is like where you are, so I don't know what you're trying to emulate, but this is a very nice white sandwich bread you can try. It's from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Bread Bible.

 

[knight76]

Well I have no idea what the store bread is like where you are, so I don't know what you're trying to emulate, but this is a very nice white sandwich bread you can try. It's from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Bread Bible.

Interesting recipe. Why do you make the starter then add the extra flour etc after? How does that affect the bread?

 

[pacanis]

I can see trying to copy storebought bread, too. In most cases a lot of us grew up on storebought bread. We want something that mimics the size/shape, texture, density, etc. for simple things like a sandwich. IMO. If I know I am going to be eating a lot of sanwiches I make a different loaf that more resembles a storebought loaf.

 

[knight76]

I can see trying to copy storebought bread, too. In most cases a lot of us grew up on storebought bread. We want something that mimics the size/shape, texture, density, etc. for simple things like a sandwich. IMO. If I know I am going to be eating a lot of sanwiches I make a different loaf that more resembles a storebought loaf.

Yep, and that is what I mean. It is nice to have something that is familiar and close to what you are used to. Especially with a two and three year old.

 

[Wart]

Interesting recipe. Why do you make the starter then add the extra flour etc after? How does that affect the bread?

The hours the starter sits allows the yeast time to work and add flavor.

I make a starter and let it sit till it starts bubbling then put it in the refrigerator for 8~12 hours, or longer. I know it's ready when there is a beery smell about it.

How much funk can this produce? Along with letting the dough chill for 18 hours or so people eating my whole wheat Kaisers think they are eating sourdough whole wheat.

Plus the flower in the sponge gets well hydrated which I believe gives a softer dough.

 

[Russellkhan]

Wart has it exactly, and explained it better than I could have.

I forgot to mention, RLB quotes a food magazine editor describing this bread as "what Wonder Bread in its soul always wanted to be". I don't know if you have Wonder Bread where you are, but here in the US Wonder is considered the epitome of store bought bread.