With step-by-step pictures, a full video tutorial, and plenty of helpful tips, learn how to make simple white sandwich bread using a few baking ingredients like flour, water, yeast, salt, and milk. Bread flour promises a super soft interior with an extra chewy crust. This recipe yields 1 loaf, so it’s perfect if you only have 1 loaf pan.
If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs. This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Let’s make homemade sandwich bread. This is a basic staple in any bread baker’s repertoire, but it’s also a recipe that shouldn’t be overlooked. There’s nothing on earth quite like homemade bread and my recipe is loaf perfection—rising tall, tasting buttery-soft, and making the most epic sandwiches. It’s truthfully the best homemade bread I’ve ever tasted and it all comes from just 7 ingredients. And if you’re nervous to bake with yeast, I guarantee you will finally feel confident with this no-fuss recipe.
This Sandwich Bread Is:
- Soft white bread with an extra chewy exterior
- Crisp right out of the oven!
- Made from 7 easy ingredients
- Golden brown with a super impressive rise
- Extraordinary on its own or as the base of a sandwich
- Simple to make
- Easy to make ahead or freeze
Looking for a no yeast alternative? Here’s my no yeast bread.
Just 1 Loaf of Bread
Besides the simplicity of the process, you’ll appreciate that this sandwich bread recipe yields just 1 loaf. You don’t need a crazy amount of flour, multiple loaf pans, and you’re not left with 2-3 leftover loaves on your hands. (Which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.) Just 1 loaf to prepare, rise, shape, and bake—convenient, approachable, and straightforward. My recipes for multigrain bread, homemade cinnamon swirl bread, and honey oat bread both produce just 1 loaf as well.
Overview: How to Make Sandwich Bread
- Make the dough. Continue below to learn more about this dough recipe.
- Knead the dough. Reference my How to Knead Dough video tutorial for extra help with this step.
- Cover the dough and let it rise. The dough rises in about 1-2 hours in a relatively warm environment.
- Punch down the dough to release the air.
- Shape the dough into a large rectangle, then roll it into loaf.
- Let the loaf rise for about 1 hour.
- Bake for 30-34 minutes until golden brown.
As shown in the video tutorial below, the dough comes together with a mixer. You can use a paddle attachment or a dough hook. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, it’s time to knead. You can continue beating the dough with the mixer for this step or you can knead the dough by hand. If you’re new to bread baking, my how to knead dough post and video can help with this step.
Sandwich Bread Ingredients
You need 7 ingredients—practically the same as my homemade cinnamon swirl bread but less sugar. Likewise, they’re basically the same ingredients as my soft dinner rolls too, but in order to bake a bread that rises tall and has legitimate structure, we’ll leave out some of the fat. Swap some of the milk for water and leave out the egg.
- Water: Liquid activates yeast. I use mostly water in this dough because we need a bread that has structure. Using all milk, like I do for my dinner rolls, would yield a flimsy bread without much texture.
- Milk: To make a soft bread, you need fat in the dough so make sure 1/4 cup of the liquid is milk. Low fat milk works too, but whole milk produces phenomenal texture.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry, the rise times will be a bit longer. I recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast blended with natural dough improvers. It’s my go-to for all bread.
- Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
- Butter: Butter promises a flavorful loaf. I tested this recipe with melted butter, softened butter, and even olive oil. We liked the loaf made with softened butter the best because it had pronounced buttery flavor and a softer (yet still sturdy) interior.
- Salt: You can’t make flavorful bread without salt!
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier crust. There are no other changes to the recipe if you use bread flour. For best taste, I highly recommend bread flour. It’s what I always use when I make artisan bread. If you wish to use whole wheat flour, follow my recipe for whole wheat bread instead.
After you make and knead the dough, let it rise. Then, punch it down to release the air:
Roll it out into an 8×15-inch rectangle:
Roll it up tightly starting with the 8-inch side, so you have an 8-inch roll to fit into your 9×5-inch loaf pan. (Unlike cinnamon rolls where you roll up the dough starting with the larger side.) Let it rise until it’s 1 heaping inch above the rim of the pan:
Bake until golden brown, about 30-34 minutes.
Uses for Homemade Sandwich Bread
- Any sandwich. Like the Ross Geller’s Turkey Moist-Maker Sandwich 🙂
- BLT or grilled cheese
- Avocado toast or bacon & egg sandwiches
- Soup dipper
- Make croutons
- French toast or Blueberry French Toast Casserole
- Or in savory recipes like Breakfast Casserole and Sausage & Herb Stuffing
But our favorite way is simply warm toast with butter & jam. Honestly, toast made from mass-produced bread doesn’t even compare. You can actually taste the soft and buttery toasty crumbs here. Or make an easy turkey sandwich—store-bought bread can’t make a sandwich taste as PERFECT as this.
I understand there’s a major convenience with store-bought bread and I’m not asking you to only make homemade bread for the rest of you life, but try it at least once. It takes a few hours one afternoon and most of the work is hands-off while the dough rises. Fresh-baked sandwich bread smells incredible, tastes even better, and I’m confident there’s no better baked good than this perfect loaf. You won’t regret trying this.
More Easy Bread Recipes
- Focaccia
- Multigrain Bread
- Artisan Bread
- Cheesy Breadsticks
- Pizza Crust
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Bread Bowls
- Homemade Breadsticks
- Olive Bread
Sandwich Bread
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You only need 7 ingredients to make this simple sandwich bread. Soft and buttery with a chewy/crisp crust, this fresh loaf of bread will quickly become a staple in your kitchen. See recipe notes for freezing and overnight instructions. You can also reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 and 1/3 cups (about 420–430g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add another cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until relatively incorporated (there may still be chunks of butter). Add the remaining flour and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. *If you do not own a mixer, you can mix this dough with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle!*
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5–8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5–8 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need; you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Shape the bread: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Lightly flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8×15 inches. It does not have to be perfect—in fact, it will probably be rounded on the edges. That’s ok! Roll it up into an 8 inch log and place in the prepared loaf pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover shaped loaf with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it’s about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan, about 1 hour. (See video and photo above for a visual.)
- Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It’s best to bake the bread towards the bottom of the oven so the top doesn’t burn.)
- Bake the bread: Bake for 30-34 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I usually add aluminum foil over the loaf around the 20 minute mark.) To test for doneness, if you gently tap on the loaf, it should sound hollow. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195–200°F (90–93°C).
- Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for a few minutes in the pan on a cooling rack before removing the bread from the pan and slicing. Feel free to let it cool completely before slicing, too.
- Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for 6 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 6. Place shaped loaf in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan or disposable loaf pan, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. On the day you serve it, let the loaf thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours at room temperature. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked bread loaf. Allow the bread to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the recipe through step 6. Cover the shaped bread tightly and refrigerate for up to about 15 hours. At least 3 hours before you need the bread the next day, remove from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 1-2 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can let the dough have its 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 2 more hours. Continue with step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Wooden Spoon / Silicone Spatula | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Rolling Pin
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. Any instant yeast works. You can use active dry yeast instead. Rise times will be slightly longer using active dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier loaf of bread and I highly recommend it. The bread is still soft no matter which you use. Either flour is fine and there are no other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other. I don’t recommend whole wheat flour because it doesn’t have the same baking properties as white flour or bread flour (the gluten levels are different). If you wish to use whole wheat flour, try my recipe for whole wheat bread instead.
- Doubling this recipe: For best results, I recommend making two separate batches of dough. However, if you want to double the recipe all in 1 mixing bowl, double all of the ingredients except for the yeast and butter. Use 3 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast and 6 Tablespoons of butter.
- Bread Machine Questions: I don’t own a bread machine so I have not tested it, but some readers in the comments section have had success.
- Adapted from Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Have been looking for this recipe a LONG time. It’s amazing!
Finally, a real homemade bread that can be used for sandwiches! I have to make 2 loaves at a time, though. One for sandwiches, but the other to devour right away.
Do you just double all of the ingredients and mix the same way?
To make 2 loaves I just double the recipe and it works every time!
The bread was PERFECT!! Thank you. I can’t wait to try the cinnamon raisin!
Hi Sally! I made this recipe last week and it is a huge success! The kids love having it toasted with butter for an after school snack, and requested I make more for home and to bring to our family Easter picnic. Look forward to trying more recipes here!
Thank you, Sally, for a perfect loaf of sandwich bread! Our car was in the shop and we needed bread and could not go anywhere and this loaf was the solution!
I’m making this bread for the 2nd time, was so good the first. I use a bread machine for the dough (I’m lazy) and then shape it for a loaf pan and bake it in the oven and it came out perfect. I think it would also taste good as dinner rolls too!
This bread is amazing and easy to make. I have been baking this recipe over a year now and it is lowed by all; my mother in law just went gluten free. Do you know if I use gluten free all purpose flour would it bake the same? I normally use bread flour and she can not have that any more.
Hi Adriana, We’re so glad you love this bread! We haven’t tested using gluten free flour ourselves, but many readers have reported success using a 1:1 swap. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out for you!
My family loves this bread recipe! Easy and very delicious. Thank you so much for sharing. One quick question, can we replace the butter with olive oil ? If so, how much should be added ?
Hi Cynthia, you need softened butter in this dough so we don’t suggest an oil substitute (liquid). You can try room temperature (solid) coconut oil though (expect a different taste)!
Fantastic recipe!
This was everything I hoped it would be! I’m currently eating a dairy free, soy free diet while I breastfeed my infant and I was spending $3-$5 a loaf on a specific “safe” bread! I decided to try baking bread at home even though I’m a novice when it comes to baking with yeast. This was my third recipe that I tried, the first two being recipes that didn’t call for any dairy products. With this recipe, a fellow commenter said they swapped cow milk with a non dairy milk and butter with olive oil. I was very very skeptical but much to my delight, it worked beautifully! I used almond milk and 1/4 cup of olive oil instead of butter. It’s perfect sandwich bread. Thank you so so much, whoever you are that commented with the dairy free swaps!
I love this recipe! I’ve been using it for almost two years now with my extremely good allergic littles. We make this with water and olive oil in place of dairy and it turns out great. We’ve also been experimenting with different types of flour. Our lates was mixing whole wheat flour with the AP flour and it was perfection! Thanks for a great recipe that lends itself well to experimentation. ☺️
I love the flavor of the bread so much! My question is, my bread seems perfect right out of the oven but the next day it seems extremely crumbly, is that the right texture or did I do something wrong?
Hi Angela! How are you storing the bread? We recommend covering leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
This is the best white sandwich bread I have ever made. I have made it twice now and both times produced a superb loaf that slices easily and stays together for sandwiches. I think I always tended to use too much flour. For me the trick is to use the exact amount of flour that Sally states to use. You may need to butter your hands to gather up the dough and get into the greased bowl. I think that’s the trick to not adding too much flour. Thank you, Sally!
I Loved this easy, yeast bread recipe. I doubled it. A family member has a lactose intolerance so I used unsweetened oat milk, and for the butter I used half dairy butter and half plant butter. I did use bread flour. Soft, flavorful, great for toast or a sandwich!
I always make this recipe, I need about a half cup more flour but it always turns out great! Thank you, Sally! Also recommend the dinner rolls recipe, I make them larger for burgers as well and love them! Nadia from South Africa
Sally, thank you so much for the clear instructions! I am terrible at making breads as they usually come out dense or misshapen. But this one turned out so beautifully and tasted amazing! My husband and I ate half the loaf with butter as soon as it came out of the oven!
This is the BEST bread recipe I have ever made. I could not believe how nicely the bread sliced – perfect for sandwiches and toast….or just slathering with butter. I would like to add cinnamon and raisins to my next batch. I figured I could just sprinkle cinnamon and raisins on the rectangle before rolling it up and putting it in the pan. Should I do anything else to make it tasty?
Hi Melanie! Here’s our recipe for cinnamon swirl bread!
This recipe is fantastic! However, I’m not sure if it’s something I’m doing wrong, but the dough seems to be very wet. VERY WET. I have to add almost an entire extra cup of flour before it starts pulling away from the sides. I have also reduced the heat to 325 and let it cook for a little longer to let the inside cook longer and the outside to not get quite so crispy. Following the recipe exactly causes the dough to be very wet and for the bread to feel very moist when cutting into it. I’m in Oklahoma, not sure if it’s the humidity, altitude or what have you but with very slight modification this bread has turned into a favorite in our home.
Hi,
I’ve made this bread twice now. Both times it has sunk when in the oven. The dough had risen properly for both proofs. I thought maybe it was a temperature issue the first time, so adjusted it. Any other tips to avoid this next time?
Thanks, Sarah-Louise
Hi Sarah-Louise, Over proofed dough will quickly collapse when it’s baked – an easy fix for next time. Don’t let the dough rise for too long or in too hot of an environment.
One time I moved the loaf/pan to the oven a little too aggressively and noticed that the dough “fell” from how hard I dropped it onto the rack. Ever since then, I treat it SUPER gently between the warming spot (my microwave-off of course), and the oven. That has helped.
Im interested in making this recipe, but I need to bake in a 16×4 loaf pan. Would doubling be my best option here?
Hi Tamra, I’m not 100% certain about exactly how much of this particular dough is ideal for that size pan. Your best bet would be to make 2 separate batches of dough and combine them and then use what fits, making sure you leave enough room for some expansion in the 2nd rise and baking steps. (Doubling the recipe is fine if absolutely needed, but the dough takes longer to rise and you’ll have to knead it longer– that’s why I recommend 2 separate batches.)
I’ve made this several times now. Usually I make it exactly according to the recipe. This time, I added cinnamon and sugar before I rolled it up and it makes the PERFECT breakfast bread! I’m adding this to my favorites!!
OMG, this is so perfect! My first attempt and it is simply perfect! Slight crunch to the crust, and tender, light crumb on the interior. And it’s GORGEOUS! Amazing! I’ve had so many false starts with sourdough, thought I’d give plain white a chance, and this was PERFECT ! I love it! Thank you!
Absolutely wonderful recipe. Just made it and had a pb&j… the bread tastes so fluffy and moist and an easy recipe to follow!
You hit it bang-on with this bread recipe. I’ve tried many since my exploration into bread-making began about a year ago. Some are very good. But yours checked all the boxes for taste and ease of making as well as being a normal sandwich size. Finally, I’ve found the one that I will use from now on.
The only thing I did differently was use salted butter, with a slight reduction in added salt to compensate, and I only had two-percent milk.
It’s bread recipe bonanza day for me! Thanks!
A-maz-ing, made this today, so easy with the video tutorial. First time making this type if loaf. It is really delicious. I had to add an extra couple of tablespoons of bread flour and I brushed the top with a little melted butter. Thank you for always giving such good and clear step by step photographs and instructions. I adore that you use measurements and not cjust cups. Everything I have made from your blog has been fantastic, Sally so thank you.
Thank you so much for your positive feedback, Jayne – we’re so glad you loved this recipe 🙂
I just made this and had to say how delicious this bread turned out. I used my stand mixer and had to add about 2 TB more bread flour to get it to come together. I used bread flour, instant yeast, salted butter, and kosher salt . I was able to roll the dough out just using my hands so didn’t need the rolling pin. First rise went ok, but second rise was barely moving. I ended up letting it rise for 2 hours and five minutes in the oven with oven light on. I thought it was going to be a flop, but by the time it was done rising, it was about an inch over the edge of the pan. I baked it 30 minutes and bread temperature was 190 degrees. It came out perfectly. Light and fluffy and delicious. So the moral of this story is that if your second rise hasn’t risen in an hour, don’t be afraid to let it rise longer. I’m not sure why it took so long. Maybe yeast was going bad. Maybe oven needed to be warmer. Whatever it was, giving it more time worked and I got a perfect loaf of bread!
I made your loaf bread recipe yesterday. I had to replace the butter with olive oil and the regular milk with goat milk because my son has cow milk protein allergy. But it turned out fenomenal. Now i am about to bake another one cause it’s already finished :). Thank you for your recipe and thank you for the measurements in GR and ml.
This recipe is phenomenal!!! My question is would this recipe be good for buns or is there a better one when making buns?
Hi Michelle, sure! In step 6 punch down the dough, form into individual rolls, and continue with second rise. We’re unsure of the bake time needed. Or you can follow our recipe for dinner rolls.
Can you make cinnamon raisin bread out of this? I am on my second rise right now for a plain loaf, so excited, I just couldn’t wait to ask. Lol
Hi Paula! Here’s our cinnamon swirl bread recipe (you can add raisins, too! – see notes).
I want to increase this recipe to get about three loaves
Sally I love all that you share thank you! However, no matter what bread recipe I make, rolls, loaf, sweet breakfast rolls… I’m having to add a LOT more flour than you call for. The dough is extremely wet and no where possible to form or knead without it. Can you give me some insight on what may be happening? It does it on humid and dry days. I measure to your weights anytime you post it, ie, flour. Please help the end results so far still taste ok but more dense of course since more flour has been added.
Hi Pam, There are a lot of variances that go into the consistency of dough, down to the weather and humidity in the air or what brand of flour you are using. This dough is very soft, but it shouldn’t be overly sticky. There’s nothing wrong with adding just a little more flour to bring the dough into a knead-able consistency (it also helps to flour your hands when working with it). Just remember that the dough is supposed to be a little soft, so don’t over-flour it.
You may also want to consider weighing your flour vs the cup measuring. Sally includes the grams for that very purpose. I made this recipe today and it came out perfect! Weighing is much more accurate and consistent.
My dough was also super sticky! Added about 1/2 cup more flour. My initial measurements were all metric too
I have found that even with a wet, sloppy dough, it works just find. Last night I made one–it was so wet, but it came out gorgeous! Just go with it and see what happens.
Can you combine the milk and water when heating them to 110 degrees?
Definitely!