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
Hi! Can we let this rise overnight around 8-9 hours?? anyone!?
Hi Mary, see recipe notes for overnight instructions. Happy baking!
Mine has risen lots and then sank before I put it in the oven, will it still be ok? Love your recipes
Hi Sarah, how long did your bread rise for? It sounds like it may have been over proofed, which can cause the bread to deflate and collapse when placed in the oven. For that second rise in the pan, be sure to let it rise only until it’s about 1 inch over the pan. Hope this helps for next time!
I am definitely making this recipe! However, does it work with a Dutch oven?—other than the shape, does it come out OK? I’d really like my Dutch oven, but I’m not a fan of the hard crust…
Hi Juana, this dough really needs the walls of a loaf pan to bake up properly. Having said that, I haven’t personally tested it in a dutch oven to be certain. I just fear it will be very flat.
I’m not sure if I’m asking a stupid question but I want to get this right so I’ll ask it anyway! How do we let the dough rise an inch above the top of the loaf pan while still having it covered with plastic wrap?
Hi Lauren! Loosely cover with the wrap so theres room for the dough to grow.
Hi Sally! I love your recipes! I was hoping for some advice with this and other yeasted bread I have tried by you. I live in Florida. My house is between 73-75 degrees during the day. Proofing my dough seems to go by very quickly. When I do the poke test after about 30 minutes, it seems to deflate as though it is overproofed. Is this normal? Should I ignore the proof test and go by how much it has grown? Thank you!
Hi Chrissy, I wouldn’t poke the dough after it has risen. It’s supposed to be airy, like you are describing. I would go more by what it looks like after it rises. Double in size for the 1st rise, and about 1-inch over the rim of the 9×5-inch pan for the 2nd.
I only have salted butter will it make a difference or will it be ok if I just omit the salt in the recipe?
Hi Denise, 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. Enjoy!
Wow! Delicious! This is the first time I have ever made homemade bread. I have to say this recipe was easy to following and the results were amazing!
Will cook times vary in a metal pan versus a glass pan?
Hi Wendy! Bake times can be a little longer with a glass pan.
I let it go for 5 minutes longer in the glass pan. This bread is so delicious! I’m not sure I can buy store bought anymore lol Thank you!
I cannot wait to try this. Can I make it without the sugar? My husband is trying to stay away from white sugar
Hi Sue, sugar is what feeds the yeast and keeps the dough nice and tender. However, the same amount of honey should work in its place. Follow the same directions. Let us know if you give it a try!
The dough after the 1st rise is super wet & sticky – I’m unable to even roll it. What could I have done wrong?
Hi Cami, this dough can definitely be more on the wet side. 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 just a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency when initially mixing. At this point, you’ll want to generously flour your hands and working surface so that you can roll it into a log. Thank you for giving this one a try!
Fun fact: the bread still turned out beautifully! Even with the dough being super wet & not being able to roll out. I just tossed it in the loaf pan hoping for the best and it’s perfect. Thank you, Sally!
I just wanted to find out the nutrition facts for this recipe! Its such a great bread recipe
Hi Chloe, 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://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Wow- Yet another recipe that is fantastic! It came out exactly as described and I think there is nothing as comforting on a snowy day as homemade bread fresh out of the oven! Thanks again, Sally.
Wow. This is incredibly delicious. Bless you and your baking addiction!
For some reason I’m just not getting a good second rise! I’ve tried this recipe as well as King Arthur’s. I bake a lot with yeast and I’m just really stumped!
Hi Katie, are you giving it enough time? I would give it up to 90 minutes, or even 2 hours if your kitchen is on the cooler side. And/or are you using a larger pan?
This came out amazing!! My loaf pan was on the smaller side, so it came out a little awkward looking, but boy is it tasty!! I feel so good serving my family something with only 7 ingredients vs 47 ingredients from store bought. Thank you!! This will be my go-to weekly recipe now!
Is there any way to make this with a nondairy milk? Been looking for a sandwich bread I can make at home but my son has a dairy allergy and I’d love if we could all eat it. Oat milk maybe?? Anyone?
Hi Melissa, you can use non-dairy milk if needed. The bread may not be quite as soft. Hope you enjoy it!
Can’t wait to try this for my husband. I typically bake sourdough sandwich bread for me, but my husband says it’s too heavy for him. I’m going to try this recipe and see what he thinks. Thank you for including the metric measurements as well, so crucial in bread baking. I won’t consider a recipe that is only imperial (cups) since it’s so inaccurate which can make/break a recipe.
Can I use 2% milk instead of whole?
Hi Marie, we recommend whole milk for the richest dough, but you can definitely use 2% milk instead if you prefer.
The reviews were right. As I was reading them I thought “ok, just how delicious can a plain sandwich bread recipe be?” The answer is SUPER delicious. I’ve made this twice in seven days. My husband, who isn’t much of a bread eater, ate almost the whole loaf in two days. The dough can be a little sticky and loose, but just add a little more flour and oil your hands a little when handling it. Slicing it with a good bread knife is very helpful as well. This will be my only bread recipe forever and ever.
Hi, I’d love to make this bread but try to avoid butter at times. What would be the measurement substitute for ghee or olive oil in place of butter?
Hi DB, you need softened butter in this dough so we don’t suggest an oil substitute (liquid). You can try room temperature (solid) coconut oil instead (expect a different taste). We haven’t tested baking with ghee, so are unsure of the results. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out!
I love this bread. Do you think I could divide into 6 sections and make it into hamburger buns?
Sure can! You could also try these bread bowls to make hamburger buns.
Love how this recipe turns out. I make bread every week now! Just one thing I noticed and I can’t seem to fix it; the bottom gets tough. Not burnt, just hard to cut through. It is darker than the rest of the crust. Any way to stop that?
Hi Erica, which oven rack are you baking the bread on, and which oven setting are you using? I’m just wondering if the bottom of your loaf pan is too close to a heating element, or perhaps you’re baking it on a fan setting?
Erica- try putting a sheet pan underneath your loaf pan to help deflect the heat from the oven onto your loaf pan. This is what I do when I’m baking sourdough bread and it works great. You can either put the pan on the rack below or set your loaf pan directly on top of the sheet pan.
I made this loaf yesterday, and after my first day trying the whole wheat bread, this loaf was a snap! I am so enjoying your bread recipes. Can not wait to see what we
“We”
Great loaf! Easy peasy!
It tastes very good, but I cannot get the texture correct. It is very crumbly when I cut into it. I believe I am following the instructions properly. I have made it three times and it comes out the same. I got a stand-mixer because I thought I was not kneading it enough, but it still turned out the same way.
Hi Christal, if the bread is overly crumbly, it’s possible it was over-baked a bit. Be sure to also weigh (or else spoon and level) your flour to ensure you aren’t adding too much. Both over-baking and over-measuring the flour can dry out the bread and make the slices a bit delicate. We also just published a video tutorial on how to properly knead dough, and in the video, Sally uses this sandwich bread recipe. Be sure to check it out for a visual!
I did some research before settling on this recipe because this is my first time making bread and i wanted a really great recipe. I had NO idea that this would change the way i look at bread. I’ve never had such moist and delicious bread in my life and I’m thrilled that it was so easy to make. My only recommendation is that if you have a double stove, make sure you put your rack down one! My bread rose into the heating element and I ended up with a slight design on the top lol
I made this today. Followed the recipe perfectly. First time ever making bread like this and OMG I never want to buy bread from the store again. This was perfect! Thank you so much! Can’t wait to make more of your recipes (:
This recipe is soo good and easy to follow! I never made bread before trying this recipe and it turned out perfectly
This sounds delicious! My mom’s bread used to have holes/air pockets and I just loved that. Is there a way to work the dough somehow to ensure I get air pockets?
Hi Kathy! Rolling up the dough a little looser before the last rise can produce air pockets.
I made this bread today, followed the directions exactly and it turned out beautifully!! Such a great recipe and very easy. Next time I’ll try making the whole wheat version. Thank you!
What if I don’t have a stand mixer? Will a basic hand mixer do the trick?
Hi Abby! A hand mixer can be tricky with thicker doughs, we would mix/knead by hand instead – see the end of step 2 for details.