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
Perfect. Easy to follow, delicious, simple, soft & pillowy. Another Sally slam dunk
Hi, I’ve made your bread many times and love it!
This last time I followed your freezing instructions with an unbaked loaf and it completely fell. It was already beginning to rise in the freezer but deflated once I pulled it out a week later. Any suggestions?
Hi Madalyn, we’re sorry to hear that! Are you freezing the loaf right away, as soon as you’ve placed it into the pan?
I absolutely love your recipes im wondering if its possible to use almond flour instead
Almond flour is not a suitable substitute for all-purpose flour or bread flour in this recipe, unfortunately.
Just made it! So yummy!
After I take the loaf out of the oven, and I want to let it cool completely off. Do I let it cool of on the wire rack with or without the pan?
Thank you!
Hi Frank, 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.
Can I use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
Hi Cupcake, yes, 2% milk can work here just fine.
Warning… this bread is going to make you want to never buy another loaf at the store again! This recipe is easy, but it’s so delicious! It never lasts long at my house and will always be on repeat. Highly recommend!
This is excellent! I make the dough in my bread machine using the dough cycle, then continue with step 5 of the instructions.
I also use this dough for rolls. I make a dozen, arranged 3×4 in a 9″ by 13″ glass pan. I bake the rolls for about 20 to 25 min, or until they’re about 190 degrees inside.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a couple times, and it always turns out great! It makes the whole house smell amazing! (Tip: to quicken rise time, turn your oven to 170 degrees, and turn it off for a few minutes, then put the dough in there, and it REALLY speeds it up!)
Can I triple this recipe??
Hi AB! For best results we recommend making separate batches.
Could I use this recipe to make hamburger and hotdog buns? If so, do you know about how many one recipe would make? Thanks in advance!
Hi Bonnie! You can definitely use this dough to make hamburger or hot dog buns, we’re unsure of the yield. This recipe for bread bowls works well for hamburger buns, too.
This recipe is delicious! But I definitely have room to improve.
I find when I knead the dough, it’s always sticking to my hands, and I have to add a LOT of flour before it stays together, I’d estimate an extra 1/4-1/2 c. Is this normal?
I also find that sometimes my bread comes out nice and fluffy, but very fragile…like it will break apart if I spread butter on it, or look at it the wrong way.
I’ve read I might need to knead it more to create more gluten, but I already knead it longer than the recommended time in order to pass the windowpane test. Could something else be the issue?
Hi Yuvie, 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. This is a naturally soft bread, so a bit of crumbliness/fragility is normal. Be careful not to over bake, either, which can cause excess crumbliness. Hope this helps for your next loaf!
Hi Sally, thanks for giving me inspiration for my own baking addiction! I have a 280x125x110cm Australian baking tin. I’m having a hard time finding a smaller on which would be the perfect size for th single loaf in this current recipe. Any slight increase in ingredients to fit the larger tin? The current recipe yields a slighty snaller loaf which is throwing this new baker off! Thanks so much, big love from Western Australia
Hi Melissa, we haven’t tried that size, but this post might help you with conversions!
I started teaching myself how to make bread Jan 2024. Fastforwrd to today- when I tell you I am in love with this recipie and final product, 100% make this! From the 7 basic ingredients, to the easy steps, to the 30min bake time–I probably will never buy store bread again.
We’re so happy to read this, Jen!
Perfect recipe for a perfect loaf of the tastiest sandwich bread! My hubby and I grew to dislike store bought breads with all their odd ingredients so I tried this recipe. Although I blundered a bit—scaled up the ingredients because I was going by what my bread machine said—it still came out delicious, soft, and a whole lot healthier than the big brand breads. I let the machine do the mixing and kneading, then removed the dough to bake in the oven. We’re finishing it up tonight and I’m making a new loaf tomorrow… with the correct amounts! My loaf was good but my poor loaf pan was pushed to its limits lol
It made a decent loaf, but it was INSANELY huge lol. I cut the rise times short both times and still ended up with a giant loaf.
I’ll cut them even shorter next time lol.
I usually make a bread that uses a Tangzhong but I needed a quicker, simpler recipe so I tried this one.
It is delicious! I don’t know if I will go back to my more complicated recipe. I used by Pullman pan – worked perfectly fine.
Thank you for the recipe.
We’re so glad it worked out for you, Pam!
I am planning to make a Swedish Sandwich Loaf Cake. I need a loaf of bread that is sturdy, but soft, after I cut all the crusts off. I will slice it horizontally, put sandwich fillings between the slices, then “frost” the whole thing with a flavored cream cheese. After refrigerating overnight, I will slice the loaf vertically to serve.
Do you think this sandwich bread is sturdy enough for this application?
Hi Jennifer, I’m unsure. It’s quite soft. I fear it won’t hold up. Let me know if you try it though. I know my whole wheat bread would hold up nicely to what you are describing.
It’s only because of your detailed recipe that I have been successful in making bread. My family loves it . Thank you so much!
Can this recipe be made in a Pullman loaf pan?
Hi Rhiannon, 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 to use it as is, but again—we haven’t tested it. Let us know if you do give it a try!
Can i use instant yeast rapid rise fast acting ?
Definitely.
Can this be made with less salt? I am on a low sodium diet.
Hi Cora, you can reduce the salt a bit, but you’ll lose some flavor.
It’s only because of your detailed recipe that I have been successful in making bread. My family loves it . Thank you so much!
Going to bake this bread however the recipe says 3 1/3 cups flour which in grams does not equal 420 grams seen in the recipe. One cup flour equals 120 grams. So 3 cups is 360 and 1/3 is 40 making it 400.
Is this a mistake? Thank you
Hi Janet, we consistently measure 1 cup of all purpose flour at 125 grams and 1 cup of bread flour at 130 grams. So the range given is correct, since it will vary slightly by baker depending on how sticky their particular dough is. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the bread.
Follow the directions to a T made me the best PB&j sandwich I ever had
Bread intimidates me; am encouraged by so many successes with this recipe and would like to try.
Only have a 8×4” pan with lid. Would it be ok to use this along with the lid with no adjustments?
Hi Spsy, that size pan should work just fine. Roll the dough out to be a little smaller than 8×15 inches in step 6. The loaf will be taller and require a little more time in the oven. Let us know how it goes!
I’m always looking for different bread recipes and this one is a keeper. Very easy, nice crust, great crumb. It only took 25 minutes in my oven, so keep an eye on it! Thank you Sally.
I’ve made this bread multiple times and it always turns out excellent!
Only change I made is that I use salted butter and then use coarse kosher salt as the add in. I feel that a larger grained salt gives the bread more flavor
10/10 bread, makes devastatingly bangin toast
Amazing recipe, proofing time took a lot less than recommended time in recipe (my kitchen was 73 degrees during a heat wave). Took about 25 min in my oven, but it turned out amazing, will be making again. Is it possible to replace the sugar with honey in the yeast formation? If yes, would this be a 1 to 1 conversion?
Hi Natalie, yes, you can use honey in this recipe.
This has been my go to bread recipe, my family loves it. I decided to try it in a bread machine this time. You need to reduce the water by a 4th of a cup, to prevent the dough caving in. Add the extra 1/3 cup of flour during the “mix in” alarm on your machine, set for the 900g loaf with medium crust. I hope this was helpful to anyone wanting to try in a bread machine.
REALLY happy with this one. No tweaking .. just straight ahead followed the recipe to perfection. Great crust and crumb. Suggested baking time was right on the money. Thanks for doing all the homework for me!
Hi, I am allergic to dairy. Your bread looks amazing though! Do you have a suggestion for swapping the milk for something non-dairy?
Hi Sandy! You would need to replace the milk and butter. Whole milk is best, but a lower fat or non-dairy milk will work in a pinch. The bread may not be quite as soft. You could try solid coconut oil or even a plant-based butter instead of butter, but results may vary. Let us know what you try!
I came here to ask the same
I used vegan butter (smart balance soy) and oat milk (planet oat) to make this bread and it still turned out amazing. I’d imagine any variation of vegan butter and oat milk would be just fine, these brands are just what I always have on hand.
The best sandwich bread I’ve ever made! So soft and delicious. First time I used my mixer to knead the dough, turned out perfect. Second time I used my bread maker on the dough setting to knead and do first rise, also perfect! Yum, yum, yum 10/10