With step-by-step pictures, a full video tutorial, and plenty of helpful tips, learn how to make simple white sandwich bread using a few baking ingredients like flour, water, yeast, salt, and milk. Bread flour promises a super soft interior with an extra chewy crust. This recipe yields 1 loaf, so it’s perfect if you only have 1 loaf pan.
If you’re new to working with yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs. This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Let’s make homemade sandwich bread. This is a basic staple in any bread baker’s repertoire, but it’s also a recipe that shouldn’t be overlooked. There’s nothing on earth quite like homemade bread and my recipe is loaf perfection—rising tall, tasting buttery-soft, and making the most epic sandwiches. It’s truthfully the best homemade bread I’ve ever tasted and it all comes from just 7 ingredients. And if you’re nervous to bake with yeast, I guarantee you will finally feel confident with this no-fuss recipe.
This Sandwich Bread Is:
- Soft white bread with an extra chewy exterior
- Crisp right out of the oven!
- Made from 7 easy ingredients
- Golden brown with a super impressive rise
- Extraordinary on its own or as the base of a sandwich
- Simple to make
- Easy to make ahead or freeze
Looking for a no yeast alternative? Here’s my no yeast bread.
Just 1 Loaf of Bread
Besides the simplicity of the process, you’ll appreciate that this sandwich bread recipe yields just 1 loaf. You don’t need a crazy amount of flour, multiple loaf pans, and you’re not left with 2-3 leftover loaves on your hands. (Which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.) Just 1 loaf to prepare, rise, shape, and bake—convenient, approachable, and straightforward. My recipes for multigrain bread, homemade cinnamon swirl bread, and honey oat bread both produce just 1 loaf as well.
Overview: How to Make Sandwich Bread
- Make the dough. Continue below to learn more about this dough recipe.
- Knead the dough. Reference my How to Knead Dough video tutorial for extra help with this step.
- Cover the dough and let it rise. The dough rises in about 1-2 hours in a relatively warm environment.
- Punch down the dough to release the air.
- Shape the dough into a large rectangle, then roll it into loaf.
- Let the loaf rise for about 1 hour.
- Bake for 30-34 minutes until golden brown.
As shown in the video tutorial below, the dough comes together with a mixer. You can use a paddle attachment or a dough hook. You can also make the dough by hand, but it requires a bit of arm muscle. After the dough comes together in the mixing bowl, it’s time to knead. You can continue beating the dough with the mixer for this step or you can knead the dough by hand. If you’re new to bread baking, my how to knead dough post and video can help with this step.
Sandwich Bread Ingredients
You need 7 ingredients—practically the same as my homemade cinnamon swirl bread but less sugar. Likewise, they’re basically the same ingredients as my soft dinner rolls too, but in order to bake a bread that rises tall and has legitimate structure, we’ll leave out some of the fat. Swap some of the milk for water and leave out the egg.
- Water: Liquid activates yeast. I use mostly water in this dough because we need a bread that has structure. Using all milk, like I do for my dinner rolls, would yield a flimsy bread without much texture.
- Milk: To make a soft bread, you need fat in the dough so make sure 1/4 cup of the liquid is milk. Low fat milk works too, but whole milk produces phenomenal texture.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry, the rise times will be a bit longer. I recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast blended with natural dough improvers. It’s my go-to for all bread.
- Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough.
- Butter: Butter promises a flavorful loaf. I tested this recipe with melted butter, softened butter, and even olive oil. We liked the loaf made with softened butter the best because it had pronounced buttery flavor and a softer (yet still sturdy) interior.
- Salt: You can’t make flavorful bread without salt!
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier crust. There are no other changes to the recipe if you use bread flour. For best taste, I highly recommend bread flour. It’s what I always use when I make artisan bread. If you wish to use whole wheat flour, follow my recipe for whole wheat bread instead.
After you make and knead the dough, let it rise. Then, punch it down to release the air:
Roll it out into an 8×15-inch rectangle:
Roll it up tightly starting with the 8-inch side, so you have an 8-inch roll to fit into your 9×5-inch loaf pan. (Unlike cinnamon rolls where you roll up the dough starting with the larger side.) Let it rise until it’s 1 heaping inch above the rim of the pan:
Bake until golden brown, about 30-34 minutes.
Uses for Homemade Sandwich Bread
- Any sandwich. Like the Ross Geller’s Turkey Moist-Maker Sandwich 🙂
- BLT or grilled cheese
- Avocado toast or bacon & egg sandwiches
- Soup dipper
- Make croutons
- French toast or Blueberry French Toast Casserole
- Or in savory recipes like Breakfast Casserole and Sausage & Herb Stuffing
But our favorite way is simply warm toast with butter & jam. Honestly, toast made from mass-produced bread doesn’t even compare. You can actually taste the soft and buttery toasty crumbs here. Or make an easy turkey sandwich—store-bought bread can’t make a sandwich taste as PERFECT as this.
I understand there’s a major convenience with store-bought bread and I’m not asking you to only make homemade bread for the rest of you life, but try it at least once. It takes a few hours one afternoon and most of the work is hands-off while the dough rises. Fresh-baked sandwich bread smells incredible, tastes even better, and I’m confident there’s no better baked good than this perfect loaf. You won’t regret trying this.
More Easy Bread Recipes
- Focaccia
- Multigrain Bread
- Artisan Bread
- Cheesy Breadsticks
- Pizza Crust
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Bread Bowls
- Homemade Breadsticks
- Olive Bread
Sandwich Bread
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You only need 7 ingredients to make this simple sandwich bread. Soft and buttery with a chewy/crisp crust, this fresh loaf of bread will quickly become a staple in your kitchen. See recipe notes for freezing and overnight instructions. You can also reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240ml) water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) Platinum Yeast from Red Star instant yeast (1 standard packet)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons (1/4 cup; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 and 1/3 cups (about 420–430g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the butter, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, then add another cup of flour. Beat on medium speed until relatively incorporated (there may still be chunks of butter). Add the remaining flour and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. *If you do not own a mixer, you can mix this dough with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle!*
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5–8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5–8 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need; you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil or nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 1-2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter. Takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Shape the bread: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Lightly flour a work surface, your hands, and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 8×15 inches. It does not have to be perfect—in fact, it will probably be rounded on the edges. That’s ok! Roll it up into an 8 inch log and place in the prepared loaf pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover shaped loaf with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until it’s about 1 inch above the top of the loaf pan, about 1 hour. (See video and photo above for a visual.)
- Adjust oven rack to a lower position and preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). (It’s best to bake the bread towards the bottom of the oven so the top doesn’t burn.)
- Bake the bread: Bake for 30-34 minutes or until golden brown on top. If you notice the top browning too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil. (I usually add aluminum foil over the loaf around the 20 minute mark.) To test for doneness, if you gently tap on the loaf, it should sound hollow. For a more accurate test, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer reads the center of the loaf as 195–200°F (90–93°C).
- Remove from the oven and allow bread to cool for a few minutes in the pan on a cooling rack before removing the bread from the pan and slicing. Feel free to let it cool completely before slicing, too.
- Cover leftover bread tightly and store at room temperature for 6 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 6. Place shaped loaf in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan or disposable loaf pan, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. On the day you serve it, let the loaf thaw and rise for about 4-5 hours at room temperature. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked bread loaf. Allow the bread to cool completely, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature, then reheat as desired.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the recipe through step 6. Cover the shaped bread tightly and refrigerate for up to about 15 hours. At least 3 hours before you need the bread the next day, remove from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 1-2 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can let the dough have its 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight. Cover the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 2 more hours. Continue with step 5.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Wooden Spoon / Silicone Spatula | 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Rolling Pin
- Yeast: Platinum Yeast from Red Star is an instant yeast. Any instant yeast works. You can use active dry yeast instead. Rise times will be slightly longer using active dry yeast. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier loaf of bread and I highly recommend it. The bread is still soft no matter which you use. Either flour is fine and there are no other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other. I don’t recommend whole wheat flour because it doesn’t have the same baking properties as white flour or bread flour (the gluten levels are different). If you wish to use whole wheat flour, try my recipe for whole wheat bread instead.
- Doubling this recipe: For best results, I recommend making two separate batches of dough. However, if you want to double the recipe all in 1 mixing bowl, double all of the ingredients except for the yeast and butter. Use 3 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast and 6 Tablespoons of butter.
- Bread Machine Questions: I don’t own a bread machine so I have not tested it, but some readers in the comments section have had success.
- Adapted from Homemade Cinnamon Swirl Bread
I made this recipe into cheese bread. It turned out beautifully thank you. Delicious
I love baking bread but most just don’t have that yummy sandwich bread flavor, till now! Followed the recipe exactly and it came together perfectly. Wish I could attach a pic of it as I threw a twist in this….I divided the dough into 3 colors (gold, green and purple) for Mardi Gras sandwiches. The swirls of the colors are fantastic and the taste is just amazing! And the fact that this recipe only makes 1 loaf means there is NO waste. Thank you so much for a fun and fantastic recipe!
I just tried this recipe. This website is a sure shot for any novice looking to learn baking. Thank you so much for the easy to follow recipe and instruction. This has sure increased my confidence in baking
Amazing and so easy! I am definitely not a baker but this makes me feel like one. Ive made this recipe 4 times so far. Thank you so much for your recipes and easy to follow instructions. Now i just need to work on my even slicing skills
Do you think I can use white whole wheat flour here instead of bread or all purpose?
Hi Ali, Whole wheat flour doesn’t have the same baking properties as white flour or bread flour since 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). I haven’t tested for he actual results, but obviously the texture and taste will be different.
Hi Sally! I’m so sad. Everything went well through the 2nd rise (I let it get 1″ above the loaf pan edge). Then in the oven, it went flat! I have a thermometer in my oven, so I know the temp was at 350. Any thoughts on what went wrong? I want to try again! Thank you 🙂 Kristen
Hi Kristen! Did you follow the dough recipe precisely? I only ask because if the dough was too loose or sticky, the structure won’t hold up properly. I also recommend double checking your yeast to ensure it is not expired. Try purchasing a new packet of yeast– don’t give up!
Amazing loaf of bread every time! Wow. It’s exactly as described. My friends loved this and the husband secretly asked me to send the recipe to his wife! It’s so delicious. Takes some time, of course, but totally worth it. I love Sally’s recipes. They nearly always work out for me!
I made it today,it’s really not cost efficient but my Goodness it is delicious and will make it again.I really want to try honey wheat bread next.
I made this 5 times & the dough never comes together as written in the recipe. I have to add a lot of flour & knead for well over 10 minutes by machine & 5 minutes more by hand to get it remotely workable. But the loaf always comes out perfect in the end. I just wish I knew what to do to get the dough to come together in the stand mixer like Sally’s.
Hi Carol,
You just need to knead the dough (with original ingredients) in the mixer for a lot longer, nearly 30 minutes in my case for the dough to actually pull apart from the sides of the bowl.
Hope this helps.
You obviously are not using your mixer correctly. Probably not raising the bowl up. 30 minutes in the mixer is bad advice and points to user error
It takes mine about 30 min on medium speed to get it to pull away too and it’s not user error. I don’t know if it’s that my mixer is an oldie, but I weighed ingredients correctly and just had patience with the mixer and it finally pulled it together. But that’s rude for you to make assumptions…because you’re just plain wrong.
Hey Sally, love your blog! Do you think you could use this recipe for hamburger buns?
I haven’t tried it, but I can’t see why not. Let me know how they turn out!
They turned out really well. I made 8. They had the right structure although next time I could see myself putting either butter on when they come out or some kind of seed topping.
Great recipe, easy to follow, and turned out great. I used honey instead of the sugar and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour and the rest regular all purpose. I’m always cautious about substituting with whole wheat, but 3/4 cup worked very well. Family is super happy with it and I’ll definitely make it again.
Someone please stop me from eating the whole loaf! This was so delicious.
I used white and brown bread flour, about 1/3 brown and the rest white bread flour. I always try to add brown or wholemeal flour when I can for extra nutrition. I used my stand mixer to mix and knead. I had to add a few extra tablespoons of white bread flour to my mixer as after a few minutes if kneading, it still wasnt coming away from the sides. I ended up kneading it for almost 10 minutes. Also, after the 1st rise I didnt bother rolling it out and then rolling it up, I just shaped with my hands and stuck it in the pan!
I was so happy with how it turned out.
You’re my go to baker and this recipe did not disappoint! Stop buying bread from the grocery store. Just make this now, kid approved!
This is a great recipe! Was pressed for time and just did a single rise straight in the bread pan and turned out perfect. Total time from start to finish was 1 hr. Did 30 min for the rise and 30 min to bake.
I made this for the first time today. It came out perfect! So simple yet so delicious! I love that I can make my family homemade bread that they love. So much better than store bought! #homemadeisbest ❤️
Hi Sally! I watched my grandma years ago make bread! She always stretched the bread with her hands, then folded it over, making sure her palm pressed down, sealing the edges. She turned it and turned it, until she had a loaf, almost. When it was in the loaf pan, she again, used her hand, pushing down on the dough. I remember asking her why she was doing that! She told me to release the air. So, I’ve always tried following how she did it. Using a rolling pin and rolling it up, is something I am going to try! Watching the video, I must admit, I kept telling you to press down on the dough….haaha! I love fresh baked bread right out of the oven! Yum!
Hi Jenny! I use whole wheat instead of bread or AP flour all the time! I add vital wheat gluten, 1 tbsp per cup (onc weighed, I remove what I need, adding in the VWG). Whole wheat has little gluten, this adds it in, giving elasticity, improving the rise and a better texture and chewiness. Mine is Bob’s Red Mill, I’m sure you can find other brands. Hope this helps!
Lovely recipe. Can bread flour or all purpose flour be substituted with whole wheat flour? Thanks.
Hi Fola! It’s best to stick with bread flour, but you can try half whole wheat flour and half bread flour (or all-purpose flour). I haven’t tested for he actual results, but obviously the texture and taste will be different.
This is an amazing recipe, so easy to do, And tastes so good, much better than store bread. You always provide such great tips, I love baking, and when I find fail proof recipes like yours, it makes baking so much better.
Finally tried this recipe. Sub 1 cup all purpose for 1 cup multi grain wheat and it came out beautifully soft and tasty. In my country (Guyana) we make pepperpot around this time and I know this bread will be delicious with it. This is definitely my go to bread recipe.
Thank you.
Thank you! I’ve made your single load twice and my family loves. Now I just tried the single loaf after the double recipe failed, and it failed too. The problem I’m suddenly having is that my dough never comes together in my mixer. Even adding more flour, it just falls apart into a sticky mess. I’m feeling a bit defeated. Just a few days ago, I was successful.
I have made this as a single load And it’s divine. When I double it following the notes, the dough never develops. It’s a sticky consistency and I’m not sure what’s going wrong. I’m tempted to just do it as two separate batches in my stand mixer but that seems like so many more steps. Any advice?
Hi, Ashley! I’m so glad to hear you love this recipe. For best results, I recommend making two separate batches. However, if you’re pressed on time and want to double in one bowl, double all of the ingredients except for the yeast and butter. Use 3 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast and 6 tablespoons of butter.
I was thinking the same as well! I had previously baked with bread flour it came out so beautifully that my hubby had requested that I make it every week !! (the audacity of him to demand ! ) but make a whole meal version! I was abit worried as it might not turn out the same! But since i saw the comment it has given me abit more courage to try it !
This bread recipe was the best I have ever made and so easy to follow your directions and video. We enjoyed dinner sandwiches and next morning toast.
I don’t thank you enough for your recipes, Sally; you’re the best!
Blessings,
maureen
Made this last night. Here are my findings / tips:
* The yeast will probably take more than 5 mins to start bubbling and prove that it is active. Mine was justtt starting to bubble, so I continued on.
* I used all bread flour (375g) and ultimately had to add a couple of spoonfuls to the batter while it was being kneaded by my mixer because it was not coming away from the sides after many minutes of kneading.
* First proof: 100 mins in oven turned to 100 then turned off, second proof: 65 mins. Got nice volume but could have gone for an even longer first proof.
* Baked for 35 mins. Next time I would be sure to use my darker loaf pan so I get a darker crust on the bottom and sides of loaf.
Ultimately, the taste and texture are sooo far superior to store-bought and even some bakery loaves that I will definitely be doing this again!
I make cracked wheat bread using a somewhat similar recipe. But I do have trouble making it sandwich quality. My question though for your yummy looking recipe is can I add any whole wheat to your recipe?
Hi Robert! Whole wheat flour doesn’t have the same baking properties as white flour or bread flour since the gluten levels are different. You can try substituting 1 cup of whole wheat flour for 1 cup of bread flour in this recipe, but the loaf won’t rise quite as tall.
Hi Sally, made this recipe for thanksgiving. And this is by far the easiest and best bread I’ve ever done. My loaf pan did explode in oven (it was Pyrex glass) which I think I overproofed it but overall the bread was DELICIOUS and managed to save a piece and it was just as good for breakfast with some coffee
Just pulled the bread out of the oven. perfect recipe. Easy and tasty. I’ll be making this regularly. Thank you for another winning recipe!
I made this bread yesterday. The aroma of it baking….just fantastic! Delicious soft bread. This recipe was very easy with on hand ingredients (not the yeast but I bake yeasted things all the time). I did have considerably shorter rise times than in the recipe. I think this was because I put my oven on at 350 for 3 minutes then shut it off and rise the dough in this warm environment free of drafts. Other than that this is an A+ keeper recipe!
As always Sally never disappoints me! I made this recipe for my parents. I left for work and Mom had to bake after the second rise. She reported that the bread was an absolute beautiful and looked exactly like the picture. It was slightly crusty with a delicious core. Mom was amazed how easy it was to stir up and the end result was like magic! Another addicted Sally fan! Thank you for another winning recipe.
Hi Sally! This looks delicious, and I’m sure to give it a try soon. Quick question- how do you get such even slices? Do you use a particular knife or does it just come with practice?
Hi Lydia! It’s best (and easiest!) to slice bread with a serrated knife. Always lovely slices that way.