The Secret Behind The Go-To Sandwich Bread Of Julia Child

On her show, “The French Chef," Julia Child made all sorts of bread, like brioche, sourdough, pumpernickel, and buttermilk, but one secret set her sandwich bread apart from others.

The secret was preparing a preferment — a small, modified portion of starter dough made of flour, water, and active dry yeast — ahead of a bigger portion during the baking process.

Bakers allow bread dough to ferment through yeast, which changes the sugars and starches to carbon dioxide over a specific period of time, ranging from several hours to years.

If you're following Child's sandwich bread recipe, whisk active dry yeast with flour and water, wrap the dough, and let it ripen at room temperature for several hours or overnight.

Thanks to the addition of the preferment, the end product will have a slightly sweet, pleasing wheat taste. The yeast, which is a leavening agent, will also help the dough rise.

The risen dough will yield a loaf with a hearty texture. The yeast will also work with the gluten to create a tougher dough, giving the bread more weight but not a dense heaviness.

Plus, the acidity that forms during fermentation will help the bread last longer. When making a preferment, take into consideration that bread with a higher acidity has a lower pH.