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
I followed your recipe and the bread turned out beautifully. The 2nd rise took much longer than 1 hr. I wonder is it because I kneaded too long. The kneading process is so satisfying. It is almost like a therapy during a stress day. I love making my own bread. Thank you Sally. I like you recipe.
Dear Sally, what a wonderful recipe. I make this bread for my family and friends. As I write this I am trying to modify it for cinnamon raisin bread. Doubling the recipe works just fine btw. My only problem with this delicious bread is that I can’t get it to stay up. As soon as I try to take it out of the pan. It always falls. Any advice as to how to deal with that problem?
Hi Casey! Here’s my cinnamon swirl bread recipe. You can add raisins to the cinnamon sugar swirl.
I just tried this bread and the dough was sticker than I anticipated but it turned out great and it tastes so good! The bread is so soft!
Sally,
I have always had such great success with your recipes, but all three times I’ve made this, my sad little bread babies have flat tops and are very tender. I’m sure that the problem is with my execution, but I am not sure where I am messing up. I am determined to make the perfect loaf! HELLLLLPPP!!
Hi Vivian! It sounds like the bread loaves aren’t cooked all the way through if they’re flat and too tender inside. Extra time in the oven will help. The dough may not have risen long enough either– make sure it’s 1 inch over the loaf pan before baking. Additionally, the dough may have risen for too long, which caused the loaves to deflate in the oven. My Baking with Yeast Guide can help here, too!
I love the finished product. It’s probably the best of many recipes I’ve tried for a simple white bread. But, like some others it was a very sticky wet dough and very hard for me to knead. Having read other reviews, it sounds like using more flour in the kneading process didn’t ruin the end result, so I will try that to make it a bit easier to handle. Thanks Sally and all the helpful reviews here too!
My bread didn’t get brown enough
But I didn’t want to dry it out so didn’t go beyond the time given
Made this twice. First time the dough rose so high during the second rise (1 hour exact) that it flopped over the edge of the pan. The second time I let it rise for 50 mins and it started to flop again. I tried to make it look like the picture, but every time it gets that high it flops! Also, in step 9, it never says that you should take your bread OUT OF THE PAN to cool. I didn’t know to remove the bread from the pan immediately because I’m new to baking bread and Sally always says she cools her cakes IN THE PAN. My bad for assuming the same for bread – I truly didn’t know! As a result, condensation formed inside the pan and when I removed the bread, the bottom was soggy. Perhaps it would help to add that small detail for people like me who are new to baking. Otherwise the taste was AMAZING and my family LOVED it!
I’m wondering if you have any concerns/comments if I were to make this loaf with dairy-free substitutes such as almond milk and vegan butter?
Hi Brit, I have not tested vegan substitutes for this recipe but let me know if you try.
Brit I hope you saw Jolene’s message below! looks promising!
I am new to making bread and this was so easy and tasted great!
Hi Sally,
I wanted to ask if this bread can be flavored with herbs?
Yes, I don’t see why not!
Thank you for this great recipe! I have made it three times now and it has come out delicious each time.
Each time I make it, though, the bottom is kind of soggy when I pop the bread out of the loaf pan. I think I may be over-oiling the pan, but maybe there is some other reason? I’m sure I’m just doing something wrong and would love any advice! Right now I’m dealing with it by just leaving the bread out upside down on my counter for a few hours to let it dry out.
This is my fourth time making this bread, and it has turned out delicious each time! Almost foolproof, and makes the perfect sandwich bread. Thanks for the great recipe!
Made this bread yesterday. Followed the directions and it turned out perfectly. Slightly dense crumb with just a hint of bite in the crust. As you say perfect sandwich bread.
I usually let the bread rise in a heated (100 degrees and turned off) oven but this one I left on the counter both times. Turned out perfectly. Not sticky or difficult to shape. Noted on your video that when you were rolling it up you were pushing in the sides to maintain the 8” wide. Did this too and it fit perfectly in the pan. Am going to make a second loaf today as I don’t think this one will last very long!
Thank you for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
Sally, just wanted to give an update!
I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, as that’s what we had already opened, and it turned out amazing! My husband–who hates white bread, and had insisted I make wheat bread–tried this loaf and said, “This is the only white bread I’ve liked!!” He has insisted I make it every weekend! (Originally, I was making this bread for ME because there are few comfort foods for me that are better than a pb&j sandwich on white bread…mmm!)
Now, this loaf, made is almond milk, is our go-to bread. We may not buy bread again! We’re almost through our almond milk stash, and I’m going to finally make it with milk. I may put just a dash of vanilla in the dough, because that hint of vanilla really makes the bread for me (and my husband).
Thanks for the encouragement and the always-amazing recipes. I know that if there is something I want to try, your blog is the place to go. <3
thank you so much for trying this with almond milk and posting this!
Dear Sally,
So I made this bread 3 days ago and to say that I am pleased with the outcome is an understatement. I’ve always had this fear to try baking yeasted breads, although have been baking cakes, cookies, muffins etc for tens on years no problem.
I had a problem with the amount of flour used (I used AP as I don’t bake bread so obviously I don’t keep bread flour at home) . Ok so I measured everything by gram except for the 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of salt. I did not use milk as the bread is intended for my mother’s consumption and she needs to avoid potassium and phosphorus (from milk) in her diet as a CKD patient so I replaced the 1/4 cup of milk with 60ml of water and a drop of olive oil for the fat content you mentioned needed from the milk.
I also subbed olive oil for the butter called as she was also told to avoid saturated fats.
So.. measured 375g flour… and I did not achieve the result as in at the end of step 2. The mixture was still a slob of something, like a very thick pancake mixture.
So I started adding a 1/4 cup of flour, a tbsp at a time in hopes that would make it come together as a wet dough. Nope. All in all I think I ended up adding like a cup? I didn’t keep track, I just kept adding until all of the flour pulled from the sides of the bowl.
I was convinced it will bake into some terracotta brick building of some sort but for some unknowm reasons lol… didn’t bin the thing.
After the first rise, I still had to add a considerable amount of flour to knead it a bit, as it kept sticking to the floured surface but in the end I managed to roll it out and shaped it into the bread pan. It rose just like in your pic. I baked it for 35 mins, without turning on convection, and it came out cooked but I thought the bottom part looked too pale so I added more time (10 mins top and bottom heat plus 5 mins bottom heat only) and it looked fine.
Still I wasn’t sure if it actually would turn out edible lol. Imagine my delight to cut into a wonderful flavorful loaf the next day (baked it at night). It looked exactly like yours! Glee….
Thank you so much for this recipe. Next time I will try baking in convection mode to see if the baking time can be reduced to match your recommendation.
So… back to my ques, was my weighing instead of using cups the cause of needing a lot more flour OR were the milk and olive oil the culprit? Do you have any ideas?
Hi Claire,
So I wasn’t the only one. But did your bread baked up nicely? Mine actually did so it wasn’t a disaster. Just that I want to know if weighing was the reason.
I currently have this bread rising for the second time. I also needed to add quite a bit of flour, maybe a cup and it was still quite sticky. I used the spoon and level method as suggested.
Best ever recipe, I absolutely love it.
Made this today!! My family loved it!! Thanks for sharing!!
I’ve made at least 4 loaves of this bread in the last 3 weeks and my family LOVES it!!! So light and airy, incredibly easy to make, and by far the best bread I’ve ever had. It doesn’t last long either!
I can have store bought bread in my fridge for a month that barely gets eaten, but this bread is gone in a matter of 2 or 3 days. Absolutely amazing, thank you for such a great recipe!
Hi Sally, I tried your recipe but find that it was rather wet. I used 375g bread flour and total of 300mls liquid with yeast as per instruction. I had to add more flour and it was more dense than your in the picture..but still it was a good sandwich loaf.. thank you Sally.
I can not say enough positive about this recipe! Been wanting to try to make my own sandwich bread. Sadly I ordered all the baking pans and such months ago, and it took this virus to make me do it =( But I will never go back to store-bought bread again! Now I will further my adventure with this glorious recipe and try wheat bread because my husband normally eats wheat and he’s eating the white normal bread now *laughs*
Thank you again, Sally, for all the teachings in the kitchen!
Thanks so much Sally! Will let it bake a little longer next time.
I have tried a lot of your recipes for bread and sweets and they are always great.
I especially like the flatbread pizza recipe which I am actually going to make tonight for dinner!
I made this recipe and my family really enjoyed the bread it made.
I did find the loaf incredibly soft, very hard to cut into sandwich slices especially while it was still warm.
Did I do something wrong, maybe over proofed the bread or kneaded it too long?
Hoping you can comment!
Hi Isabell! It’s possible the loaf wasn’t finished baking. Over-proofing is a possibility as well, but you may simply want to wait for it to cool down a little longer. The longer it cools, the more the center can “set” and the neater your slices will be. I recommend a very sharp serrated knife. Hope this helps!
Hey Sally! Hello from India and I’m a big fan! I tried this recipe and this is my first time baking bread. I don’t have bread flour so used AP flour. The top was crispy and not chewy. Is it because of the AP flour? Also I baked it for 30 mins at 180°c. The sides were great and easy to cut but the center was a bit harder to cut as the bread would start to crumble. Need more baking time? Would appreciate your inputs! Thanks again 🙂
Hi Amritha, Yes, bread flour produces a chewier baked good so that is part of it. If the top was crispy then next time move your oven rack down to a lower position and you can also try to turn your heat down a bit to 175.
I made this bread yesterday and it is so good! It taste buttery when I toast it. My 3 year old has requested a slice at all meals and his snacks too! He has never eaten bread plain. But inhaled this bread! I had a little trouble with my 2nd rise. Next time I will cut the 1st rise shorter.
K made this recipe but I had to add almost an entire cup of flour, I was pretty confused as why it was so runny. I decided to at least see the results of the bread, which were great. The best bread recipe I’ve used. Today I looked back at your recipe and I just couldn’t believe I added one entire cup of warm milk instead of a quarter of a cup. I couldn’t stop laughing. So I’m going to give it another shot. But the bread came out so moist and good, still a great recipe by far!!
I am just about to put this loaf in the oven. I am excited and hope it works.
Natalie, I tried it for the first time today, and had to add more flour. I was wondering if maybe my scale is off.
I have white whole what flour on hand and only a small amount of AP flour. Do you think using white whole wheat flour would work? I am not entirely sure how it differs from regular whole wheat flour, which I know you don’t recommend. It is so hard to find flour right now—and bread! Thanks Sally!
Hi Amy! I haven’t tested this sandwich bread with white whole wheat flour so I can’t accurately predict the results. I would start by using a 1:1 substitution. Let me know how it goes!
I made this with half AP flour and half white whole wheat flour. Followed everything else exactly. Perfection.
This sounds amazing! Would I be able to substitute heavy cream or a combination of heavy cream and 2% milk to achieve the appropriate fat content? If so, could you help me with the proper ratio? Thank you!
Hi Meghan! I haven’t tested this recipe with heavy cream or a portion of heavy cream so I can’t accurately predict the results for you. However, you can try to use 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream and 2 Tablespoons of 2% milk. (Or 1 Tbsp cream, 3 Tbsp 2% milk.)
This is my favorite white bread recipe, but depending on weather, I do need to modify the amount of flour from 3 cups to 4. I add the additional flour in 2T increments until the dough forms a ball, being sure to wait for each addition to fully mix in. Also, maybe it’s because I use a glass pan, I usually have to bake this bread around 50 minutes. I cover the loaf with foil when it is nicely browned (which is usually about 30 minutes), then I check the internal temperature every 10 mins until it reaches 195 degrees. I thought my oven temperature might be incorrect, but my oven thermometer verified it is accurate. Bread dough is like that sometimes! Sally, you’re the best!
Made this bread a couple of times family loves it. Great tasting-I do get a large air pockets in it-“open crumb”. It’s not bad. -(reminds me of ciabatta bread) Any suggestions so I don’t get them-maybe less yeast? I will keep making it tho.
Hi Larry, thank you so much for trying my recipe for sandwich bread. Are you making any substitutions? The rich dough, made with fat, creates that tighter, softer crumb. Make sure you’re using whole milk and softened butter. You can try adding an egg, too. I’m so glad that your family enjoys it!
Great recipe however I have made it twice now and both times I have had to add more flour to get the dough to pull away from the sides. I have weighed all the ingredients and double checked weights. Anny suggestions? Has this happened to anyone else?