If you’re looking for the perfect soft homemade sandwich bread recipe, you’ve found it! This homemade bread is easy to make, with only 6 simple ingredients. I bet you have everything you need in your kitchen right now!
This post includes step-by-step photos and a recipe video to help you visualize all of the steps. Making your own white sandwich bread is simple, I promise!
We haven’t bought store-bought bread in months, thanks to this Sandwich Bread Recipe
I started off 2025 with the goal of making all of our bread from scratch, skipping the store-bought bread entirely. It’s now March and we are still going strong with the homemade bread! It tastes better, it’s made with only real, recognizable ingredients and it hardly takes any time to keep our freezer stocked with this easy sandwich bread.
This is a yeast bread, but I promise that it is so easy to master, even if you’re a beginner to baking with yeast. I’ll walk you through the steps so that you can feel confident that your very first loaf of this sandwich bread recipe will turn out perfectly risen, soft and fluffy. Spread it with softened butter, turn it into a pb&j or chicken salad sandwich, or toast it and serve spread with almond butter and sliced banana. Then be sure to try my popular Whole Wheat Bread Recipe next!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what you’ll need to make this sandwich bread recipe, including substitution options:
- Milk + Water: Using a combination of water and milk for the liquid makes the bread soft and flavorful. I’ve also successfully made this bread with substituting extra water or almond milk for the milk. If made with just water, the bread may dry out a bit faster.
- Active Dry Yeast: The yeast makes the bread rise. I’ve tested this recipe with active dry yeast and also with instant yeast; both worked well. If using instant yeast, be careful not to over-proof the dough (let it rise too long) before baking. Follow the recipe instructions for visual cues to look for to know when the dough has risen enough.
- Honey: I add just 1 tablespoon of honey to activate the yeast and add a very subtle sweetness. Granulated sugar can be substituted.
- Flour: Use bread flour or all-purpose flour. I’ve tested this recipe with both and both work well. Bread flour has a higher protein content, which can give the bread more structure, stretch and chew.
- Salt: Salt is essential for flavor. Don’t skip it!
- Butter: Butter adds richness and flavor to the dough. For dairy-free bread, you can substitute olive oil and use nondairy milk or water.
Find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sandwich Bread
Start to finish, this bread will take about 3 hours to make, but most of that time is inactive rising time or baking time. If you have a stand mixer, it makes it really easy to mix and knead the dough. If not, you can mix and knead the dough by hand.
Proof yeast. Heat the milk and water to between 105 and 115° F, then stir in the honey and yeast. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes, until it starts to foam or bubble. This shows you that the yeast are active. It should look something like this:
Make dough. Add the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix until combined, then knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until a smooth ball forms.
How do I know if I need to add more flour?
As the dough kneads, you may need to add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky. Stop the mixer and press your finger to the dough. If just a little bit of dough sticks to your finger it is fine, but if the dough is very sticky, mix in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is just barely sticky. I usually need to add 2-3 tablespoons more flour, but this can depend on the humidity and other variables.
Rise #1. Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and turn it once to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
Shape loaf. Use your hands to gently punch down the dough and release any large air bubbles. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, shape it into a rough rectangle and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 9×13-inch rectangle. If the dough is resistant to rolling out, let it rest for about 5 minutes and then try again (the dough will relax as it rests). Starting from the short edge, roll up the rectangle of dough and place it, seam side down, in a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Rise #2. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in the bread pan until the top of the loaf is just above the top of the pan. This should take about 30-45 minutes.
Bake at 350° F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the inside of the bread registers 200° F on an instant-read thermometer. I like to brush melted butter on the top crust as soon as the bread comes out of the oven.
Let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. The bread will slice easiest when it is fully cooled.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
This homemade sandwich bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. I like to slice the loaf once it’s cool and freeze to use throughout the week.
To prevent the slices of bread from sticking together as they freeze: I place the slices in a large zip-top bag so that they are only very slightly overlapping. You can also put squares of parchment paper between slices to prevent them from sticking together.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
Try one of these favorite bread recipes next:
Easy Sandwich Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup milk*, I used whole milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, or instant yeast (1 packet)
- 3 ¼ cups bread flour, or all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing on the top crust after baking, optional
Instructions
- Combine the water and milk in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup or bowl. Warm the milk and water to 105-115° F. (If you do not have a microwave, you can warm them in a pan on the stove.)
- Pour the milk and water into the bowl of a stand mixer.* Add the honey and yeast and whisk to combine. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, until the yeast starts to foam or bubble. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, your yeast may be dead and you should start over with new yeast.
- Add the flour, salt and 2 tablespoons butter to the bowl. Mix using the paddle attachment until everything is combined.
- Switch to the dough hook. Knead the dough on low speed for about 8 minutes. The dough should feel slightly sticky when you touch it, but a lot of dough shouldn't stick to your finger. If the dough is very sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. (I usually need to add 2-3 tablespoons more flour.) After kneading, the dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and turn it once to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 60-90 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
- Grease a 9 x 5-inch metal or glass bread pan. Use your hands to gently punch down the dough, deflating it and popping any air bubbles. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, shape it into a rough rectangle and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 9×13-inch rectangle. If the dough is resistant to rolling out, let it rest for about 5 minutes and then try again (the dough will relax as it rests). Starting from the short edge, roll up the rectangle of dough and place it, seam side down, in your greased bread pan.
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in the bread pan until the top of the loaf is just above the top of the pan. This should take about 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° F.
- Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until the inside registers 200° F on an instant-read thermometer. If desired, brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter on the top crust as soon as the bread comes out of the oven.
- Let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling. The bread will slice easiest when it is cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
- To make dairy-free bread, replace the milk with water. Substitute the butter in the dough with olive oil. (Skip the melted butter on top of the baked loaf.)
- I use a stand mixer to mix and knead the dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough in a large bowl with a spoon, and knead it by hand on a clean work surface.
- Recipe can be doubled to make 2 loaves of bread. My kitchen aid 7-quart bowl-lift stand mixer is able to handle a double batch of this dough.
- If you want to use whole wheat flour, try my Whole Wheat Bread recipe.
Hi,how long or how many hours of cooling should I wait before I can wrap the bread in a bag?
You should wait until it’s fully cool, about 3 hours.
Can you use a Teflon pan for the bread? Any changes in the temperature for baking?
Frank
I don’t use Teflon pans so I can’t advise on how that would affect the baking temperature/cook time. I’d recommend buying an inexpensive metal loaf pan. I’ve had this one for years and love it!
Could I add these ingredients to my bread machine, or is it a different process?
I don’t own a bread machine, so I haven’t tested this recipe that way. If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Your experience would also help other readers who may be wondering the same thing. 🙂
The bread was very good. I will be making this bread again many times. The recipe was very easy to follow.