This homemade sandwich bread recipe makes one soft white loaf with all-purpose flour, a little honey, and about 25 minutes of hands-on time. My recipe testers baked it in kitchens around the country before I hit publish. What I heard back most was how easy it was.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Heidi said, “Very easy to make and perfect for sandwiches!”
I Weighed Every Cup of Flour for This Homemade Bread Recipe
I’ve baked this loaf two or three dozen times since I first shared it here.
Early on, I spooned and leveled every cup of flour, then set it on the scale to get the exact weight.
That’s why the recipe card gives you both.
Two things took my bread from dense to soft. Fresh yeast and good unbleached flour. And patience. I don’t rush the knead, and I don’t rush the rise.
I bake in Denver and you might not. So this one went out to my recipe testers at other altitudes before it went up here.
What Readers Say About This Soft Sandwich Bread
Here’s what two of my recipe testers said.
“I thought this was a delicious loaf. It is easy to make, certainly beginner-friendly, and the result is outstanding. The crumb is tender but sturdy enough to hold up well to a sandwich (my son wanted a grilled cheese on it and it worked perfectly!) and it has great flavor. I used the honey option for sweetener and thought it was a perfect level of sweetness.” ~ Adrienne
Dawn said, “I finally made the bread yesterday!! I didn’t realize how easy it was!! It’s good. I did everything in my Breville mixer. It rose pretty quickly for me because it’s warm out. I’ll definitely make it again. I used my organic Costco flour and not bread flour, and sugar, not honey.“
What You Need to Make Sandwich Bread
- An 8½ x 4½-inch or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- A stand mixer with a dough hook, or a large mixing bowl and your hands.
- An instant-read thermometer, for the liquids and the finished loaf.
- A bench scraper, if you knead by hand.
Sandwich Bread Ingredients
This recipe doubles for 2 loaves. I’ve made double batches as written and it works. Split the dough in half when shaping.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour: Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Bread flour works too, for a chewier slice.
- Honey or granulated sugar: Feeds the yeast. I usually reach for honey.
- Fine sea salt: Using kosher salt? Bump it to 1½ teaspoons.
- Instant yeast: I buy Saf Instant Yeast.
- Salted butter: Softened. With unsalted butter, add a pinch more salt.
- Whole milk and warm water: Both warmed to 100 to 110°F.
Active Dry vs. Instant Yeast
Instant yeast goes straight into the bowl with the flour. Active dry yeast needs a head start, so proof it first.
How to Proof Yeast
Not sure your yeast is still fresh? Proof it before you start. This works for instant or active dry.
Add the yeast to about ¼ cup of the warm water with 1 teaspoon of the honey or sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let the mixture sit 5-10 minutes. It should be foamy and smell yeasty. If nothing happens, the yeast is past its prime. Start over with fresh.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Easy White Bread Recipe at a Glance
To make homemade bread, mix 3 to 3½ cups all-purpose flour with honey, salt, instant yeast, soft butter, warm milk, and warm water. Knead 5 minutes, let it rise 1 to 2 hours, shape it into a loaf, and let it rise again. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center reads 190°F.
- Makes 1 loaf, about 12 slices.
- About 25 minutes hands-on.
- 3½ to 5 hours total, mostly rising.
- Unbleached all-purpose flour, or bread flour.
- Instant yeast, with an active dry option.
- Bread machine and high altitude instructions included.
How to Make Sandwich Bread Step by Step
Step 1: Mix the Dough
Warm the milk and water to 100 to 110°F. In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, stir together the flour, honey or sugar, salt, yeast, soft butter, milk, and water. Keep going until no dry flour is left. The handle of a wooden spoon works well for this. Cover and rest 15 minutes.
Step 2: Knead Until Smooth and Elastic
Stand mixer (my go-to): Use the dough hook on low speed until combined. Turn it up to medium for 5 to 6 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. It may still stick to the bottom.
By hand: Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, until smooth and springy.
You want tacky, not sticky. Tacky dough clings to your finger, then lets go. Sticky dough comes away with you. Too sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time.
Windowpane test: This is a classic bread-baking check. Pinch off a small piece of dough and stretch it thin. If light shows through before it tears, the dough is ready. If it tears, knead a little longer.
Step 3: Let the Dough Rise
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel for the first rise. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until puffy and nearly doubled. Using a different bowl? Rub it with a teaspoon of oil first.
How to Tell When the Dough Has Risen Enough
Flour a finger and press it about ½ inch into the top of the dough. If the dent fills back in slowly, it’s ready. If it springs right back, give it more time.
Step 4: Shape the Loaf
Grease your loaf pan with spray oil or soft butter. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper. Lightly flour the counter and press the dough into a large rectangle, about 12 x 8 inches. Fold the short sides toward the center so they overlap a little. Roll it up from the top into a log. Pinch the seam closed and set it seam side down in the prepared loaf pan.
Step 5: Second Rise in the Pan
Cover the pan and set it in a warm place. Let the dough rise until it crowns about 1 inch over the edge, 1 to 2 hours. Don’t let it go much higher. An overproofed loaf can sink in the oven.
How Kitchen Temperature Changes Rise Time
Warm kitchens speed things up. In summer, start checking at 30 minutes. Cold kitchens slow things down, so find a warm spot away from drafts. The oven with just the light on works well, unless the bulb is halogen, which runs too warm. Or preheat the oven to 100 degrees F, turn it off, then put the bread dough inside.
A slower, cooler rise makes the bread taste better. If your kitchen is hot, move the dough somewhere cooler, or put it in the fridge for part of the rise.
Step 6: Bake the Sandwich Bread
Move the rack to the lower third and heat the oven to 350°F. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center reads 190°F. Turn the loaf out right away. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.
Tips for Soft Sandwich Bread That Does Not Collapse
A few small things stand between you and perfect white bread.
- Warm, not hot. Don’t use hot water. Anything over 110°F can kill the yeast.
- Go easy on the flour. Too much makes a dense loaf. Add extra a tablespoon at a time.
- Watch the second rise. One inch over the pan edge, then into the oven.
- Wait the hour. Bread keeps baking as it cools. Slice it hot and the steam turns the texture gummy.
What to Make with Homemade Bread
Here are a few ideas to get you started. Tell me your favorite way in the comments.
- Sandwiches: PB&J, grilled cheese, turkey and Swiss.
- Toast: Butter, jam, or avocado.
- French toast: Thick slices soak up the custard in my overnight French toast.
- Bread pudding: Good use for day-old slices.
- Texas toast: Cut thick, butter, and broil.
- Croutons: Cube, toss with oil and seasoning, bake until crisp.
- Stuffing: Cube it for holiday dressing.
- Paninis and melts: It holds up to a press.
- Breadcrumbs: Dry it out and blitz it.
- Egg in a nest: Butter a slice and cut a hole in the middle. Crack an egg into the hole in a hot skillet. Toast the cut-out next to it for dipping.
- Garlic bread: Butter, garlic, and herbs under the broiler.
How to Store and Freeze Homemade Bread
Let the loaf of bread cool completely. Wrap it in plastic wrap or foil, or slide it into a zip-top bag.
How long it keeps on the counter depends on your kitchen. In cool weather, mine lasts up to 6 days. In summer heat and humidity, it’s more like 2 to 3. There are no preservatives here like there are in store-bought bread, so go by how it looks and smells.
Skip the refrigerator. It dries bread out fast.
To freeze, wrap the loaf twice and put it in a freezer bag with the air pressed out. Thaw in the bag at room temperature.
It’s just my hubby and me now, so we don’t go through bread very fast. I cool the loaf completely, cut it in thirds, wrap each piece well, and put them in the freezer. You can also slice the loaf first and pull out what you need.
Overnight Sandwich Bread
Make the dough through Step 4, with the shaped loaf in the greased pan. Cover it tightly with a sprayed piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 15 hours. The second rise happens slowly in the cold.
The next day, set the pan on the counter while the oven preheats. Then bake as directed. If the dough hasn’t crowned about 1 inch over the edge yet, let it rise a little longer.
How to Freeze the Unbaked Loaf
I haven’t frozen this loaf unbaked, but I have with other yeast breads and it worked. Shape the loaf and set it in a freezer-safe or disposable loaf pan, before the second rise. Cover it tightly with two layers of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To bake, let the loaf thaw and rise at room temperature until it crowns about 1 inch over the pan. That takes about 5 hours. Then bake as directed.
Bread Machine Sandwich Bread
Add the ingredients to your bread maker in the order the manual gives. That’s usually liquids first, then salt and flour, with yeast on top. Use the Basic or White setting. Check the dough after a few minutes. It should be a soft, slightly tacky ball. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if it’s sticky. Let the machine finish, then cool the loaf on a rack.
Want a darker loaf for the machine? Try my Russian Black Bread.
Homemade Bread FAQs
Usually it’s too much flour. Spoon and level each cup, and add extra only a tablespoon at a time. Old yeast, liquids that were too hot, or a rise cut short will do it too.
It’s usually overproofed. If the dough rises much more than 1 inch over the pan, it can’t hold itself up in the oven. Next time, bake it sooner. An underbaked loaf can sink too, so check that the center reads 190°F. Up to 200°F for a firmer loaf.
The top is a deep golden color, and a thermometer in the center reads 190°F. Start checking at 30 minutes.
Yes. Swap it cup for cup, or use half of each. Bread flour has more protein, so the slice is a little chewier.
Making bread like this takes 3½ to 5 hours. Only about 25 minutes of that is hands-on. The rest is rising and baking, and a cold kitchen slows things down.
Yes. Shape it and bake at 350°F for 12 to 18 minutes. Brush with melted butter or garlic butter. For a dough made for rolls, try my no knead dinner rolls.
I don’t recommend it. Gluten-free yeast bread isn’t a simple flour swap. It needs its own recipe, with different flours and a different method. I bake gluten free for family and friends often, so I’d rather tell you that than send you into a loaf I haven’t tested.
Sandwich bread is an enriched loaf. A little milk, butter, and honey or sugar go into the dough, and it bakes in a loaf pan. That gives it a soft crust and a tight, even crumb that slices clean. Crusty breads like French bread or sourdough are mostly flour, water, salt, and yeast, and they bake free-form.
Sandwich Bread Variations: Whole Wheat, Honey and Gluten-Free Swaps
Once you’ve baked a few basic loaves, try one of these.
- Whole wheat: I haven’t tested whole wheat flour in this loaf. I have a recipe built for it instead. Make my whole wheat sandwich bread.
- Herb and garlic: Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 to 2 teaspoons dried herbs.
- Honey oat: Use ¼ cup honey in place of the 2 tablespoons. Stir ½ cup old-fashioned oats in with the flour. Start with 3 cups and add the remaining flour only if the dough is sticky. Before baking, brush the top with milk and sprinkle on more oats. Honey browns fast, so tent the loaf with foil if the top gets dark.
- Cheese swirl: Sprinkle ½ to 1 cup shredded cheese over the rectangle before rolling.
- Seeded: Mix in 2 to 3 tablespoons of flax, sunflower, or sesame seeds. For a seeded top, brush the loaf with milk or egg wash and sprinkle on more seeds before baking.
- Cinnamon raisin: Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ cup raisins.
- Cinnamon swirl: Spread ¼ cup sugar mixed with 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon over the rectangle before rolling, like you would for cinnamon rolls.
- Buttery crust: Brush the hot loaf with melted butter for a soft, shiny crust.
- Dairy-free: Use unsweetened non-dairy milk and plant-based butter or a neutral oil.
- Square loaf: Bake it in a Pullman pan, the lidded pan bakeries use for square slices.
- Gluten free: I don’t recommend a gluten-free swap in this loaf. Gluten-free yeast bread needs its own recipe. See the FAQs above for why.
High Altitude Sandwich Bread
For bakers above 3,000 feet, make these changes.
- Add 3 to 4 tablespoons more flour.
- Use 1¾ teaspoons yeast up to 7,000 feet, and 1½ teaspoons above that.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more warm water, just until the dough is tacky.
- Start checking for doneness at 25 minutes.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
Video
Equipment
- 8½ x 4½ inch or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
- stand mixer with dough hook or a large bowl
Ingredients
- 3 – 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour 360-380 g, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting (see notes for high altitude). May use bread flour if preferred, or a combination of bread flour and all-purpose flour.
- 2 tablespoons honey 42 g honey, or granulated sugar 25g
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 5 g (if using kosher salt increase to 1 ½ teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast 6 g; I like Saf Instant Yeast (see notes for active dry yeast)
- 4 tablespoons salted butter 57 g, softened (if using unsalted, add ¼ teaspoon extra salt)
- ½ cup whole milk + 2 tablespoons (142 g), warmed to 100–110°F
- ½ cup warm water + 1 tablespoon (127 g) warmed to 100–110°F
Instructions
- Mix the Dough: In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, honey (or sugar), salt, yeast, softened butter, milk, and water until no dry flour remains. I like to use the handle of a wooden spoon or a dough whisk or let the stand mixer do it for you on low. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.See notes if using active dry yeast.3 – 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons honey , 1 teaspoon fine sea salt , 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 4 tablespoons salted butter, ½ cup whole milk, ½ cup warm water
Knead the Dough (by hand or mixer)
- By Stand Mixer (my go-to method): Use the dough hook and mix on low speed until the dough is combined, then increase to medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and pulls slightly away from the sides (it may still stick to the bottom). This takes about 5-6 minutes.
- By Hand: Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes, until tacky, smooth and springy. It’ll be sticky at first, use a bench scraper to help lift and fold the dough without adding too much extra flour.
- Note: If your dough is extremely sticky, add additional flour a tablespoon at a time, incorporating it first before adding more. If the dough is too dry, add a few teaspoons of water at a time until it is no longer dry.
- First Rise: Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let the dough rise in the bowl at room temp until puffy and nearly doubled, 1 to 2 hours depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Shape the Dough: Grease an 8½ x 4½-inch or 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with spray oil or softened butter. Lightly flour a work surface and gently turn out the dough using a bowl scraper or spatula. Deflate it and press into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle, using a rolling pin gently if needed. It doesn’t need to be perfect, mine rarely is! Rounded corners are just fine!
- Fold the short sides of the dough toward the center, overlapping slightly. Flatten gently, then roll up from the top into a log. Pinch the seam closed and place seam side down in the prepared pan.
- Second Rise: Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature until it crowns about 1 inch above the edge of the pan, about 1 to 2 hours. If it rises too high, it can become overproofed, which may affect the texture and structure of the bread, potentially causing it to deflate.
- Bake: About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and move the rack to the lower third of the oven. This will help prevent the top from browning too quickly.
- Bake 30–35 minutes, or until the top is golden and the internal temperature reads 190°F.
- Immediately remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack to prevent a soggy crust. Let cool at least one hour before slicing. If brushing with melted butter, do so before turning out of the pan.
Notes
- Add 3 to 4 tablespoons more flour.
- Use 1¾ teaspoons yeast up to 7,000 feet, and 1½ teaspoons above that.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more warm water, just until the dough is tacky.
- Start checking for doneness at 25 minutes.
Nutrition
Heidi
Very easy to make and perfect for sandwiches!
Thanks so much Heidi! I so appreciate you taking the time to comment!