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
This recipe makes great sandwich bread. I would like to use the same recipe to make hoagie rolls however, the dough is on the wetter side and am worried about the rolls holding their shape. Should more flour be kneaded into the dough at beginning or second rise and if so, how much?
Hi Sue, this bread really needs the structure from the sides of the loaf pan to rise and bake properly. Many readers have had success making sandwich rolls from our artisan bread. Instead of shaping it into two long baguettes, you can divide the dough into smaller roll sizes. Let us know what you try!
I’ve made this recipe twice and wouldn’t change one single thing. It’s perfect and delicious!
This is the perfect loaf of bread!! On a mission to make all my bread products this year and this recipe is light and fluffy every time. I use active dry yeast and leave in a cold oven with the light on for 2 hours first rise and about 40 Min second rise. Works perfectly!
I cannot get this recipe to work! I follow it exactly and my dough is SUPER runny after the 3 minutes in the stand mixer. Like somewhere between pancake batter and cookie dough.
Hi Meredith! Does it happen to be quite humid where you are? There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency.
I use a kitchen scale for all my ingredients and am in a temperate midwestern area and find that it’s also pretty wet after the first couple minutes, before the pre-kneed stage. I just keep adding a little flour at a time until it really pulls away from the sides of the bowl while mixing. Not sure why the amount of flour is so off (I probably end up adding another 1/2 cup, maybe more) but doing this works perfectly every time. The recipe is delicious!
This is the best bread I’ve made yet. I’ve tried several different recipes for bread machine and made in the oven but I like this one the most. Very easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Yummy ! Absolute hit ! Followed recipe exactly as written. Only thing I changed up was following rolling it out I sliced thru it with my pizza slicer to shape long rolls for sandwiches. Baked for time stated. Will definitely be using this recipe again. My hunt for lite and airy bread is finally over. My go to from now on. Thank you !
I just tried this recipe and it was a hit, thank you! I found that I had to add a good deal more than the 416 grams of bread flour to get a dough that was not sticking to the sides of the bowl. I weigh my ingredients with a food scale so I’m confident I didn’t mis-measure anything. Is it common to need more flour? Should I always slowly add until it’s not sticking to the bowl?
Hi Olga, there are many variables that can go into the consistency of the dough, even the weather and humidity which can make it a bit sticky. No problem if you need to add a bit of extra flour to bring the dough to a workable consistency. We’re glad you enjoyed the bread!
Sally, I am so thankful for this simple delicious bread recipe. I don’t have to buy bread anymore. I also tried some of your quick bread recipes too. They are so good. You changed my life!
Hi Sally I love your recipes! I love the whole wheat addition. I’m wondering if I can sub in honey instead of white sugar if so how much thanks
Hi Ruth, the same amount of honey should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hello,! Can I. Use gluten-free flour for this recipe?
Hi Nancy, 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!
This recipe has made a huge impact on my family. We no longer buy grocery store bread. Between this and a few artisan loaves we get from the farmers market we are set! Easy and excellent instructions. Thank you
Going to make this bread today for a new customer who wants white bread, do baking for farmers markets, so the GF flour that I discovered that works really well for baking, is Bobs Red Mill GF flour mix, don’t need to add Xanthan gum to recipe! Hope this helps you!
I’ve made this recipe now 3 or 4 times now. One is proofing at the moment! Very easy for a new baker and delicious bread!! I usually double the recipe and make 2 loaves at once.
I have made this recipe 8-10 times and it has been delicious every time! I have quit buying bread from the store because of this recipe.
WOW! This is a winner for sure. Soft, flavorful, and delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!
Would you happen to have a recipe for Sandwich Bread that can be made in the bread machine?
Hi Dianne, we haven’t tested this recipe (or any of our bread recipes) in a bread machine, but many readers have reported success doing so. Let us know if you give it a try!
Do you have a recipe for a high fiber sandwich bread?
Hi Ann, you may love our multigrain bread recipe.
I’ll start this by saying I have no bread experience and a small amount of yeast experience. This was super easy to follow. My bread came out phenomenal! It tastes amazing! My husband and kids love it. I have been eating it plain with some butter but it would make an amazing grilled cheese or sandwich. I never add a recipe to my cookbook before I test it, this one is definitely cookbook worthy!! Thank you for sharing it!
This is my second recipe of yours and I’m so happy! We made the bread today … cut a little piece for a taste and can”t wait to make school lunches next week! Thank you!
I love this recipe! It turns out amazing every time. I made them into rolls this time
and they were the best rolls I’ve had ☺️ I also use half and half instead of whole milk and brush the tops with whole milk.
I’m new to bread baking… how did you turn them into rolls? Just formed them on a sheet pan or close together in a cake pan? Thanks!
This is a keeper! Everything went as per recipe! It’s now cooling and will be sandwiches tomorrow my house smells heavenly. I am tying to not buy store bread anymore!
Do bread recipes easily adapt to being made entirely in a bread machine? I realize the dough cycle can be used and then the bread dough is taken out of the machine for baking. But how about also having the dough baked in the machine?
Hi Debbie! We don’t have much experience baking with bread makers, so perhaps another baker can chime in here.
I just asked the same thing. I’m going to try it! Just need to add the ingredients in the right order (liquids firts, yeast last). Good luck to both of us!
Sally, in my experience, all the breadmakers I’ve seen do the whole process, including baking it. Just FYI! 🙂
I have used a bread machine to bake bread in before. One positive is that tue loaf comes our perfectly square. I find that the restricted shape of the baking area prevents bread from rising as much as it would in the oven and doesn’t turn out as fluffy and light. I prefer baking in a loaf pan.
Excellent! I love this recipe because it is easy, delicious, and makes only one loaf so you always have fresh bread. I made this at high altitude, over 8,000 ft, and had to add another 1/4 flour; it was perfect!
What loaf pan do you use for these recipes? I’ve made the whole grain sandwich and it’s incredible I’m just looking for that perfect shape now
Hi Kate, the pan we use in these photos is USA Pan brand: https://amzn.to/3XHZVCg
Love this recipe so much! What is the best way to store the bread in the fridge?
Hi Madison, tightly wrapped or in a well-sealed Ziplock bag is best!
I make two loaves of this every Friday for the week! It’s our favorite everyday bread! Slice it, put in the freezer, and it toasts and grills up beautifully.
This is now my go to for bread! My family loves it, and it turns out perfectly every time!
Question! I have a large glass bread pan. Any adjustments to be made? Thx in advance. I’m super excited to try this recipe!!
Hi Cortney! You can use a glass 9×5-inch loaf pan instead of a metal one. Bake time may be just a minute or two longer. Hope you enjoy the bread!
I used a large glass loaf pan and it came out great!! I did it just as the recipe said.
This is the best bread for sandwiches! Truly awesome. I made 2 loaves the first time and they turned out enormous! But the whole family loved it so much. Making it again right now and can’t wait to dig in later. Thank you so much.
I just made this and haven’t tasted it yet but smells amazing. My second proof didn’t get as good as a rise as yours, should I have left it longer to proof?
Hi Jen, was your kitchen on the colder side? That could make it harder for the bread to rise properly. You’ll want the bread to rise about 1 inch above the edge of the bread pan. Hope you enjoy the bread!
Love this recipe, but I am wondering do I need to adjust anything for my pullman loaf pan with the lid? I want to make bread that toast well in my toaster…not sure how long on the 2nd rise for loaf pan with lid, first time using it.
Hi Donna, We’re not completely sure if this recipe would work in a pullman loaf pan because we haven’t tested it ourselves. It *shouldn’t* be a problem, but again– we haven’t tested it so we don’t have any specific advice. Let us know if you do give it a try!
It came out great with the Pullman 1lb loaf pan! How I adjusted for it was on the 2nd rise, I let it rise until the center of loaf was 1/2 inch from top then coated the lid with oil and baked for 25 minutes at 350 degrees! Wish I could post a picture! Perfect recipe for Pullman!
Ah ! I’m so dumb…..I used the metric measurements as I’m European. I thought the dough was really, really sticky and sloppy, it took me 20 minutes of pull and slap + vigorous kneading to eventually get something that held shape. I thought of asking you, but I’ve just read again the recipe and realised that I put of milk instead of 60ml, having mixed the temperature and the volume! Having said this, I managed to get the bread into a rectangle, fold it and it was very airy, so I guess increasing hydration is not a bad thing
Firstly, I love this recipe! As a first time bread maker it was easy and delicious. 2nd, I actually used a 13×4 Pullman lidded pan and it worked great! It was uniform and rose and baked perfectly, which was what I was going for. This is now one of my favorite recipes, actually all of Sally’s Baking Addiction recipes are my faves
I have a question about beer as one liquid for bread. Would it work can i or should I replace the milk or water with equal amounts of beer???
Hi Paul, We have never tested this recipe with beer and are unsure of the results with that substitute. But please let us know if you try anything!
I’ve been looking for a soft sandwich loaf for a while. Many of them are good but this one is by far the best my family request that I make it on a weekly basis. Thank you so much for sharing.