Bread like that....I call it putty bread, is made form a really soft wheat...like white lily and is made out of a very wet dough and not baked very long. And while it may be low in sodium it sure has nothing in it that is remotely good for you....just pure refined carbohydrates....and perhaps a few vitamines added as chemicals.
What health problems does he have that precludes eating sodium but allows that white carb glue? And 4 or 5 slices a meal???
Does he have a weight problem? That's an enormous amount of empty calories.
Linda C

Broken hip, multiple strokes and a heart attack... High blood pressure and high cholesterol... I'm having a hard time keeping his weight up to 150 pounds, let alone getting him back up to 160... I figured letting him have his bread was the easiest way... ( he lost 5 pounds this week )

I just want homemade bread as high as store bought bread, without the salt and fat.

Rita

Rita, My husband is also on a low sodium diet, and I've made this bread with absolutely no salt and with half the salt. The touch of honey makes it tasty even without the full complement of salt. However, it is not a squishy, soft bread. I know you didn't want rolls, but I think it's easier to get soft rolls (dinner or sandwich size) than to get soft homemade bread.

American Loaf Bread - Food Processor Method
Cooks Illustrated

American Loaf Bread made in the food processor was slightly better made with all-purpose flour, but regardless of the flour you use, add an extra two tablespoons of water to the dry ingredients. The food processor blade kneads the softer dough more effectively. During the hand-kneading phase, you may need to add a little flour to make a workable dough. To ensure a tender bread, however, add as little as possible.

Makes one 9-inch loaf
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour , plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons table salt
1 cup milk , warm (110 degrees)
1/3 cup water plus 2 tablespoons, warm (110 degrees)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
3 tablespoons honey
1 package rapid-rise yeast (also called instant)

1. Adjust oven rack to low position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain heat 10 minutes, and then turn off oven heat.

2. Mix flour and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add liquid ingredients; process until rough ball forms. Let dough rest 2 minutes. Process 35 seconds. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand until dough is smooth and satiny, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Place dough in very lightly oiled bowl, rubbing dough around bowl to lightly coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; place in warm oven until dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.

4. Form dough into loaf by gently pressing the dough into a rectangle, one inch thick and no wider than the length of the loaf pan. Next, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam side up and pinch it closed. Place dough in the pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Finally, place dough in greased 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan.

5. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in warm spot until dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees, placing empty loaf pan on bottom rack. Bring 2 cups water to boil.

6. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan. Place pan in oven, immediately pouring 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 from pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.

Salt regulates yeast action in bread. The rule of thumb when reducing salt in a bread recipe is to also reduce the yeast by the same amount. So if you reduce salt by 50%, also reduce the yeast by 50%.

If you reduce salt only, your dough will rise too quickly and will quickly deflate from over-proofing.

All that being said, I've accidently forgotten to add the salt to a recipe, and it turned out alright - although it rose significantly quicker than usual.

I have a friend (95 years old) who regularly makes her homemade white bread using a variation of sourdough starter called "Everlasting Yeast", and never adds salt to the recipes, so you may want to try some sourdough bread for salt-free breads. They just take all day to make, compared to a loaf made with commercial yeast. A way to make naturally leavened breads a little quicker is to add 1/8 t. SAF Instant yeast (per loaf) to a sourdough recipe.

Here's a bread machine recipe that might work for you. Only 85mg of sodium per slice.

SOFT WHITE BREAD
(source: Bread Machines for Dummies - by Glenna Vance and Tom Lacalamita)

Author's note: If you're looking for a bread that's like the soft, white, commercial bread you find in plastic bags in the bread asile at the grocery store, this is the recipe for you.

1-1/2 pound loaf with changes for 2-pound loaf in (----)
1-1/2 pounds = 12 slices 2-pound = 16 slices

3/4 cup water (1 c.)
1 T. oil or butter (4 t.)
1 cup white cake mix (1-1/3 c.)
2 c. bread flour (2-2/3 c.)
2-1/4 t. yeast (1 T.)

1. Be sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature before you place them in your bread pan in the order listed.

2. Select the Normal or Basic setting and a light to medium crust color and press Start.

3. Open the lid after the machine has kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes. The dough should be formed into a very soft, sticky ball. If the dough is sticking to the sides or the bottom of the pan, you will need to add a bit more bread flour. If the dough is crumbly and not in a ball, or if the ball appears firm, add more water. Your machine still has kneading time and will work the water into your bread dough. Keep checking your dough until you're satisfied that a soft, sticky ball has formed.

4. After the machine has completed the baking cycle, remove the pan from the machine and the bread from the pan to cool on a wire rack. If you cut the bread before it's cooled for about an hour, it will look doughy. The bread has to cool completely to allow the structure to set.

Per serving: Calories 130; Protein 4g; Carbohydrates 23g; Dietary fiber less than 1 g; Total fat 2.5g; Saturated fat 0.5g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 85mg.

Grainlady note: I'm sure this recipe can be done on the dough cycle, the dough removed, panned, and baked in an oven - I'd suggest 350°F, 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature is 190-195°F when tested with an instant read thermometer. Use a 9x5-inch loaf pan for 2-pounds of dough. If you want a square, crustless, sandwich loaf, use a Pullman Pan (available from King Arthur Flour). They have a lid that is left on for part of the baking time, and then removed during baking. Three tablespoons of flaxmeal could be added to this recipe to increase the fiber without taking away the fluffy whiteness of the bread.

-Grainlady

You need the salt in bread. It helps regulate the yeast, and bread that doesn't have salt in it tastes absolutely terrible.

You can cut back on the salt, but I'd suggest by no more than half.

I've found that if you add about 1 tablespoon of wheat gluten per 2 cups of bread flour, double it if you're using all purpose flour, that you get a much chewier Wonder/Sunbeam type bread

If he's concerned about cholesterol, he should be eating whole grains. I have that problem also, and I've cut back on all refined grains. Now I've decided I like the whole grain bread and tortillas better, but I buy them instead of make them. The La Brea Bakery makes a great whole grain sourdough bread, but I've found other brands that I like also.

I've never made break without salt, and so I really have no experience with that, but I do recommend taking a look at his diet.

Lars

Here's a nice one with no salt in the recipe.
I haven't tried baking it as a loaf, but no reason why you couldn't!

Sixty Minute Rolls
This is an old tried-and-true recipe. You can have these rolls done in one hour flat, and they have a delicious flavor all their own. Measurements need to be exact. Notice there's no salt in this recipe to "check" the yeast.

1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 tablespoons sugar
31/2 cups all-purpose flour
Combine milk, water and butter, and bring to baby-bottle warm. To start the yeast fast, dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the flour a little at a time until you get your desired consistency.
Knead, place in oiled covered container, and let rise in a warm place 15 minutes.
Punch down, and shape into about 24 small rolls in a shallow greased baking pan. Sides should just touch--don't pack. You have to work quickly, because this dough rises fast!
Let the shaped rolls rise 15 minutes. Bake in a preheated 450° oven 12 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Deanna

Rita, your husband likes what he likes and I know after that stroke he's "different", so it's probably not a good possibility to argue with him about what's "good for him". If he likes white bread, then he does.

I'd use a basic white bread recipe, make sure you knead it really well or use a bread machine to knead it (a bread machine can make a lighter, fluffier loaf), and as PKguy said, add some vital wheat gluten.

I've left the salt out of bread and it's risen and baked fine, although it doesn't taste as good to me. If you can get away with half, then I'd do that, if not, leave the salt out and see if it still tastes OK.

Good luck, Rita. I'm sorry we missed each other last week when I was in Detroit for federal court. Another time, I hope, we'll get together. In the meantime, chin up lady, I know it's been difficult for you lately.

Annie

5 pounds in a week is a significant accomplishment! Other recipes have already been suggested, but I'm wondering if you could sneak in a little extra nutrition, starting with small substitutions of soy powder, dried milk, maybe a measure of white whole wheat flour. I'm thinking something along the lines of Cornell formula bread but beginning with lesser amounts.

Also, although you didn't ask this, I'm remembering my father post-stroke. For him no meal is complete without white bread. Doesn't matter if there are mashed potatoes, rice and any number of other starches on the table. He just has to have his bread. But he was quite satisfied with slices of a loaf baked in a slightly smaller pan.

Just baby steps, but it might help.

Good luck. It takes incredible strength and devotion to be a caregiver.

Carol

Carol, that dry milk is a good idea and I think it makes the bread a little softer and moister, besides add some nutrition to the white bread. Also, if you bag the bread up still just a tiny bit warm, the condensation will help keep the crust soft, if he doesn't like the "crusty" breads.

Annie

I'm not a bread expert but I have noticed that potato breads always turn out lighter than other homemade breads. I especially like the sourdough potato bread if you're into sourdough. My DH is a white bread enthusiast with health problems, so he gets very little bread of his choice and now he eats little bread but he's not losing weight. The recipe uses no yeast but does have salt, and even then it turns out very light. I've never made it without salt, however. Maybe one of the experts can comment on this. If you do have a starter, here's a link:

I bake alot of bread so here's my two cents; Gluten helps bread rise higher, adding egg produces a softer loaf and brushing it with milk before baking makes a softer crust.

Tova