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
This bread recipe is so good, and incredibly easy. I have made three loaves in the last week and a half because my family loves it.
Hi, how long does this usually last before it goes bad?
Hi Tiffany, Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for 6 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
I’ve finally found a sandwich bread that I can make myself that my family loves for things like PBJ and grilled cheese… I never have to buy store bread again and get worried bc it never ever goes bad
Hi Sally,
I made your sandwich bread. It is great. Thank you,
I made in my bread maker and it was amazing!
What settings did you use in the bread maker?
I want to try it but not sure what to set it for.
I am excited to make this recipe, but am wondering can you use 2% milk instead of whole or will that change the texture etc?
Hi Colleen, yes, 2% milk can work here just fine.
Hi!
What about oat milk? I’m not dairy intolerant and have butter on hand at all times. I just like oat milk better and never have normal milk around the house!
Hi Cori, Yes, oat milk should be fine here.
I love this recipe I have made it a handful of times already and it has always came out great. Is it possible to double the recipe? Would I need to make any other changes?
Hi Krista, For best results, we 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.
This is the best sandwich bread I’ve ever made. I followed the recipe exactly as written and it couldn’t be better. Very soft inside and so flavorful. Sally-Thank you for giving so much additional info regarding ingredients as well as equipment. This is so helpful! I’ve been reading your recipes and enjoying your website for a while, but now I’m making the recipes, and every one is fantastic. Thank you!
Perfect bread recipe. I have made this bread so many times. Often once a week. Always turns out! I follow the recipe exactly like printed and always use the suggested Premuim Red Star yeast and bread flour. Keeps well in the fridge. Best bread I have every made and I have been baking bread for about 50 years now.
This recipe produces a “WonderBread”-type loaf that I had no idea could be replicated in a home kitchen with only seven ingredients! I’ll note that I used bread flour and full fat milk powder that mixed into 1 1/4 cups of room temperature water, which was the perfect temperature for blooming yeast.
I used my KitchenAid stand mixer, and the dough behaved exactly as written, including the amount of flour, up until the point of rising. It’s from here that I’m going to have a lot of variables to play with when I make this bread again next week, and every week after that! (These are not complaints about/issues with the recipe, just tips/observations for others with less-than-perfect baking conditions.)
My kitchen is hotter than Hades (hinted at with the room temperature water), so when I checked on the progress of the first rise at 40 minutes, it was JUST at the point of being overproofed! The next step of rolling out the dough and putting it in the prepared pan was just as written and not fussy (TIP: lightly oil your hands when handing the dough). The second rise took all of 10 minutes.
I bake in a large countertop oven and set the rack at the lowest point. I was not prepared for how much more the loaf would rise in the oven, and so by the time I checked it at 20 minutes in anticipation of covering it with foil, the top was already starting to burn! Next time, I’ll try tenting with foil after 10 minutes and turning off the top element about 20 minutes in.
I used an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness, which was around the 30-minute mark, then let the loaf cool in the pan for about 30 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool for a further 10 minutes before slicing (okay, and devouring with lots of good butter). Other than a small burned area at the top that I could easily cut off, the loaf was absolutely perfect, with a chewy crust, just like promised.
My go-to use for this bread is going to be a boring ol’ grilled cheese made with lots of butter and quality American cheese as well as a toasted tomato and bacon sandwich, but it’s also amazing for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the kind that sticks to the roof of your mouth and takes you straight back to childhood.
I have tried making this twice, and the dough won’t rise after kneading. I am waiting for the yeast to activate/foam, and knead it in my Kitchenaid for 8 minutes, then let it rest to rise, but it doesn’t. Any thoughts?
Hi Shaina, is your kitchen on the colder side? The dough may need a warmer environment to encourage the yeast. How long have you left it to rise?
I live in south Florida, so it’s nice and warm both time I have let it rise for over two hours and it hasn’t risen at all.
Our baking with yeast guide may be a helpful resource for you, Shaina! See the section titled “What if My Dough Isn’t Rising?”
It could be bad yeast
This was so good! my shaping was a little off… so one side rose higher than the other . I think my loaf pan was also on the smaller side … But, definitely will be making again! Love all your recipes!
I love your recipes, but I am very disappointed that the check boxes next to the ingredients have been taken away. I would love to see this feature come back.
Hi Olivia, it’s temporary. The plugin we use for that feature needs updated before we have them back. Sorry for the inconvenience!
I have made this bread several times, and it is always delicious! I do have a question though – in your notes, the overnight instructions say to remove the shaped dough from the fridge at least 3 hours before baking, but then it says to let it rise for only 1-2 hours?
Hi AB, that is to allow time for the bread to bake and cool as well before you need it. We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Tried this recipe today and the loaf is in the oven! Can’t wait to try it.
However, I had trouble kneading (by hand) as I found the dough rather slack? I tried twice from scratch and the batch turned out the same each time – too sticky to turn out for kneading. Ended up doing 10 mins of stretch and folds in the bowl. Is this normal? Was trying to be careful not to use too much flour and weighed it exactly as with everything else.
Hi Victoria! We’re happy to help troubleshoot. Is it particularly humid where you live? 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 make them a little less wet. Try adding flour a little at a time and keeping both your hands and your work surface dusted with flour helps also. We hope you enjoyed the bread!
My 2nd time making this loaf! We love it! What are storage suggestions for longevity?
Hi Courtney, so glad you love this bread! Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for 6 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Can this recipe be made with no salt?
Hi Zoe, the flavor will be quite flat without any salt. You can reduce it, but we don’t recommend leaving it out completely.
Beautiful sandwich bread, awesome texture and crust. Tastes like the real-deal and easy to knead.
Thanks for this amazing recipe. I baked a loaf after nearly 3 years and your recipe worked like a charm. Thanks much ❤️
Reading through the comments & trying to find if anyone has successfuly made this in their bread machine (from beginning to end result). If anyone has, I’d love to hear how you did it.
Do you think this recipe would work if I used a Pullman pan for the second rise and baking? Thanks so much. I have made it in a loaf pan and it turned out great. Wonderful recipe!
Hi MJ, 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!
I used my small Pullman pan (1 lb) for this recipe. It was a little tall but came out perfectly. I did the 2nd rise in the Pullman and baked without the lid.
Hi Sally!
just love this bread and I make it weekly. Would like your advice on using honey in place of sugar. How should I adjust the flour, if at all?
Sue
Hi Sue, the same amount of honey should work without any changes. Let us know if you give it a try!
I use honey instead of sugar and it works perfectly!
Perfect sandwich bread. I slice a line down center before baking to make slices a bit more square. Wouldn’t change a thing on recipe. Definitely the go to.
I have been baking bread since April of this year since my grand daughter introduced me to the art. When I saw your recipe for sandwich bread tlook intriguing so I gave it a whirl. The first time I didn’t follow thee recipe exactly and the results were less than what I had hoped for. The next time the results were wonderful. I just made my third loaf and am enjoying it immensely! Thank you for sharing this great recipe with the world!
Sally is my ride or die!! This is one of Sally’s best in terms of dependability. I make this at least once a week. There is absolutely no reason to deviate from the recipe exactly as written.
Hi Sally! I made this bread last week and it turned out great! It was a little dense in the middle so I think I needed to bake it longer than the minimum time.
I wanted to ask about the use of sugar. We are transitioning into eating little to no added sugar. Is there a way to bake this bread without sugar for the yeast?
Hi Claire! Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough. We haven’t tested it, but you could try reducing the sugar; we wouldn’t recommend leaving it out entirely. If you have an instant read thermometer, that’s the best way to check for doneness!
This is the very first yeast bread I have ever made and it turned out perfect! The texture was absolutely to die for.
My garden has been abundant with tomatoes this summer so I made a tomato sandwich while the bread was still warm and it was wonderful. I can’t wait to make some toast in the morning.
I’m new to bread making. How do I store it and how long will it last?
Hi Kristan, we tend to slice it and then store it in a large plastic container. Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for 6 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
I’ve been baking homemade bread for the past two years and this is the first time making Sally’s recipe. Honestly, this has to be the best loaf of bread I made. The bread is so soft and so delicious.
Can this recipe be doubled to make two loaves or is it best just to do a single loaf twice?
Thanks Sally for yet another outstanding recipe!
Hi Chip, so happy to read this! For best results, we 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.
Thank you so much!!!!!! This is more than a recipe, this is a blessipe!! I have done many sandwich bread recipes and this one came out by far the best!!! Now I know the one I can count on!!!
I loved “Blessipe” It should be in the next edition of the Dictionary.
Hi Sally, just tried your simple sandwich bread and as you said it was the only recipe I tried that reminded soft after two days or more. I love the simpleness of this recipe and the great taste.
Question: when I went to slice the bread it felt like it was so soft that it was tearing apart. It didn’t have the firmness to hold together. Internal temperature was 193-194. What did I do wrong. Please help
Hi Roger, so glad you enjoyed this bread recipe! This is a soft bread. Over-baking can cause the bread to be dry/crumbly. Also make sure not to add too much flour to the dough (spoon and level or use a kitchen scale instead of scooping). Hope these tips help for your next loaf!
What type of knife did you use to slice your bread? I was taught by my mother to always use a serrated knife with a ‘sawing” motion (don’t press down as you cut, let the sawing do it for you). A non-serrated edge will smoosh the bread as you cut because you press down as you slice. This is true whether you are slicing a loaf of sandwich bread or french bread, or just cutting a sandwich in half!