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 regular butter or honey 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
- Cranberry Nut No-Knead 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 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 32-36 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
Reader Comments and Reviews
Awesome bread recipe! This is probably my most successful attempt at sandwich bread – and I’ve been trying for years! I used AP flour but added 1 tsp vital wheat gluten per cup to mimic bread flour. Made a lovely soft bread.
I made a double batch and used the second half of the dough to make Newfoundland toutons. Divide it into ten equal balls after the first rise, roll out to half inch thick, let rest 15 minutes, and fry slowly both sides in butter in a skillet. Serve warm with butter and molasses.
I’m planning on using this recipe for toutons also.
Hi 🙂
I was wondering if this recipe can be made with whole wheat flour? If so can I replace the all purpose measurement or does it change the recipe slightly?
Thanks
Hi Rachel! It’s best to stick with bread flour, but you can try half whole wheat flour and half bread flour (or all-purpose flour). See recipe notes for more details.
Overall, an excellent recipe. I have made this about twice a week over the last few months, keeps coming out wonderful. Recently tried 1 1/8 cup milk with 1/8 cup heavy cream and the bread came out nicely raised and browned. The flavor is subtly sweeter, but not overly.
Try it and I think you’ll like it.
Dear Sally,
I love your blog! It is my go-to site for baking and I am particular when it comes to baked goods 🙂
I have been working with your pizza crust recently and find it a bit wet. After kneading with extra flour it comes out okay in the end. The kids love it.
This morning I am working on your sandwich bread and I am finding the same issue. Too wet, not rising well. I used weight measurement for the flour today thinking that may help. My yeast is new and refrigerated, I am keeping the rising dough in the oven per your instructions on the blog (works for the pizza dough.
I am comfortable with making breads and using yeast but something is just not working well for me.
What do you think is happening and what can I do to fix the issue?
Hi Sue! There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of yeasted dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. There’s nothing wrong with adding just a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency. Hope this will help for next time!
Hello, I have tried this recipe with using standard measure as well as by weight. I noticed that 7g of yeast is not 2 1/4 teaspoons. The teaspoon measure uses more yeast than the weight measure. I have have good results using both methods but wonder which is actually correct. Please advise. Thank you.
This is the perfect sandwich bread. My baking skills are lacking but this recipe along with the instructions and, more importantly, the pictures had me humming along. In the past 5wks it has resulted in 4 perfect loaves. The dough seemed a bit much for my loaf pans but that was rectified with my new 10″ KAF loaf pan. (thanks KAF) Excellent recipe!!
There was another commenter who had issues with the dough not rising and being very dry. Had a similar experience in a Viking baking class. I added liquid that was too hot for the yeast to survive and ended up with something similar as she described.
This bread is perfect! I did the first rise in the fridge overnight and baked it this morning. It looks delicious and was easy to put together!
Absolutely delicious and incredibly easy! I’ll certainly be making this far more than buying sliced bread from the store!
Hi
If I want to use same ingredients in a pan size 30×10 should I double the quantity of all ingredients
Omg I love the Friends reference!!!!!
What tempter should the bread be when done?
Hi Randi, 190°F should be perfect!
THANK YOU. I was not sure so last night I tempt it at that themp. IT WAS GREAT GREAT GREAT BREAD.
I’m so excited to try this! It will be my first time baking anything with yeast. Out of curiosity can I replace the whole milk with almond milk? Will it change anything or do I need to change anything in the recipe? Thank you in advance!
Hi Shellby, This bread should work just fine with almond milk. Enjoy!
Can you make this without the sugar?
Hi Jessica! Sugar is what feeds the yeast and keeps the dough nice and tender – we don’t recommend leaving it out.
tried this recipe, turned out delish! love it, especially with olive oil dip.
here’s how I prepare the dip: mix in 1/2 cup of olive oil, dried basil, black pepper, fresh rose marry, 3 cloves of garlic, red chili flakes, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
I’m going to try this olive oil dip with this freshly baked bread tonight. Thank you for leaving it here 🙂
Perfect EVERY time!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. No more store bought bread for us!
After so, sooo many epic bread fails, I was astonished & delighted to find one that worked for me. Thank you so much
We’re so glad this recipe was a success for you, Kate!
Really good buttery bread! Can you tell me if this is a 1-lb or 2-lb recipe? Looking to bake it in a Pullman loaf pan and I’m wondering what size it is. Thank you!
Hi Nina, this is *about* 2 lbs of dough.
This bread has a nice buttery flavor, definitely a favorite. I don’t have a stand mixer and can’t do much kneading due to arthritis. For these reasons I use a bread machine to make the dough for this recipe and many others and always have good results. My question is when is the best time to slice the loaf to freeze? After it has completely cooled the crust is rather crispy. If I put it in plastic it turns soft.
I’ve made this one twice now after falling in love with the cinnamon swirl bread. The first time I made it I accidentally put in 3 teaspoons of yeast, but the extra yeast only made my bread rise super high and become really fluffy! I love how simple this recipe is and it is definitely a keeper. One question though– does anyone know the nutrition info for this bread? I’d like to see if I can tweak the recipe to make it healthier, such as partially using whole wheat/oat flour and almond milk.
Hi Joyce, we’re thrilled to hear that you’ve been enjoying this recipe! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp If you’d like to give the whole wheat flour a try, we’d recommend just swapping half the bread/all-purpose flour for whole wheat — the taste and texture will be different. You can also use almond milk, but the bread won’t be nearly as soft and rich. We’d love to know what other substitutes you try!
Just came out of the oven. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve made it and it never lets me down. I haven’t bought store bought bread since COVID hit.
Some people have asked about using a bread machine…..yes it works. Follow the ingredients but put in the machine according to what the order is, for your machine, i.e. water, salt, etc. and use the dough setting. Go from there.
I have also started making 2 smaller loaves, as it’s just me. I keep one in the fridge and one in the freezer.
Thanks for a great recipe, Sally.
Can I knead & let rise in bread machine?
Hi Carly, we haven’t tested this recipe using a bread machine, but many readers have reported success doing so. Let us know how it goes!
This is a wonderful, easy recipe! Have already made it a dozen times successfully as a novice bread maker. Is it possible to use whole wheat flour instead of AP flour?
We 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). It’s best to stick with bread flour, but you can try half whole wheat flour and half bread flour (or all-purpose flour). The texture and taste will be different. Or you can try our whole wheat dinner rolls. Glad to hear you’ve been enjoying this recipe!
Hi! Thank you so much for your thoughtful recipes and responses. Would it be possible to do this recipe in a loaf pan with a lid (Pullman) to achieve a more rectangular shape or would letting it rise with a lid cause problems? Thanks in advance!
Hi Krystle, you’re welcome! To answer your question– I’m really not sure because I haven’t tested it myself. It *shouldn’t* be a problem, but again– I haven’t tested it.
Everything went well, the dough rose above the pan with a nice rounded top. However, when it went into the oven, the center slowly started to fall. It browned up nicely but the center is sunk. What did I do wrong?
Hi Karen! 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.
Can I divide the dough in to two ? Freeze half for later.
Will the baking time be same?
Hi Pooja! We haven’t tested it, but don’t see why it wouldn’t work if you have an appropriate sized pan for a half loaf. Baking time would be shorter. See recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Thank you so much .. it turned out perfect
Made this for the first time last night and it is absolutely delicious! So fluffy and soft, and cuts so well. Beautiful crumb, too. I can smell the crust. These seem like small details — we usually get the Perfectly Crafted White, and we love it — but they make such a big difference. Sally, would you recommend cold proofing this overnight? Also thinking about converting this to sourdough — what do you think? Thanks for such a lovely recipe. You’re amazing.
Hi Ingrid, we’re thrilled to hear this bread recipe was a hit for you! You can absolutely do a slow rise in the refrigerator overnight — see recipe notes (“Overnight Instructions”) for full details. We have not tried this recipe using a sourdough starter, but if you give it a try we’d love to know how it works out!
can I use salted butter and leave out the salt?
Hi John, you can use salted butter with no other changes to the recipe needed. The slight flavor of salt in the 4 Tbsp of salted butter won’t make a difference in the baked bread.
Wow that’s the nicest loaf of bread I’ve ever made! It came out beautifully!
Can you use gluten free flour? My husband has a gluten sensitivity and finding a decent tasting gf bread has been a challenge. Specifically I’m talking about the 1 to 1 mixes, either King Arthur or Bob’s Red Milll.
Hi Nancy, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but many readers have reported success using a 1:1 swap like you mention. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out for you!
I tried this recipe twice and it was a disaster both times, I thought the first time was a fluke and gave it another go because there’s so many good reviews. It didn’t rise properly the first time (I left it for 2 hours for the 1st rise & 1 hour for the 2nd rise) and it just did not rise properly at all. I thought my water/milk was too hot the first time, so I tried it again and my second attempt didn’t rise properly either and it also seems like a different texture than the first even though I used to exact same ingredients. I used
Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast & King Arthur Bread Flour.
I have successfully made other breads before, I don’t know why this one just doesn’t work for me.
This bread recipe is so hard to mess up! The stores are out of all sorts of bread here in Texas because of the snow so I decided to make this recipe and it turned out great. My family loved it so much I’ll just have to make another batch very soon. This would be great to bake with kids btw
This bread recipe is so hard to mess up! The stores are out of all sorts of bread here in Texas because of the snow so I decided to make this recipe and it turned out great. My family loved it so much I’ll just have to make another batch very soon.