[master recipe for american sandwich bread]

based on the recipe of the same name from The Best Recipe by The Editors of Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees)
1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 package (about 2 ¼ teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast
PAM® Baking
vegetable oil for coating bowl
 
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. 
Once the oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat for 10 minutes and then turn off oven heat.

Mix flour and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook.  Mix milk, water, butter, honey and yeast in 1-quart Pyrex liquid measuring cup.  Turn machine to low and slowly add liquid.  When dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is smooth and satiny, stopping machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook, if necessary, about 10 minutes.  Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead to form a smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.
 
Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat.  Cover with plastic wrap, place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.
Gently press dough into rectangle 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches.  With the long side facing you, roll dough firmly into cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure dough sticks to itself.  Turn dough seam side up and pinch it closed.  Place dough in PAM® Baking- greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of pan.
 
Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes.  Heat oven to 350 degrees and place an empty loaf pan on bottom rack.  Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil on stovetop.
 

Remove plastic wrap from filled loaf pan and place pan in oven.  Immediately, pour heated water into empty loaf pan, close oven door.  Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted at angle from short end just above pan rim into center of loaf reads 195 degrees, about 40 to 50 minutes.  Remove bread almost immediately from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temp.