Sandwich Bread Recipe
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Homemade sandwich bread in an easy, no-fuss recipe! This recipe uses simple ingredients for a delicious bread you’ll make time and again.
Looking for more easy bread recipes? I think you’ll love my angel biscuits, cornbread recipe, and this 4-ingredient, no-yeast Irish soda bread.
Lately, Bart has made as much of the bread (if not more!) than I have in our house!
While it has always been his thing to make cinnamon rolls at Christmas and cornbread and Southern buttermilk biscuits in the Dutch oven on camping trips, he’s gotten even more so into bread baking lately.
He’s been making Challah bread for French toast for camping trips when I don’t make it ahead and to make his own sandwich bread from scratch, among other things.
It is like he has a mental list of bread recipes he wants to master; he works and works the recipe until he has it just the way he wants it, and then he moves on to the next.
Thankfully, he continues to make those that he’s been successful in making, like his sandwich bread recipe while working on the others on his list.
About the Ingredients
His sandwich bread recipe uses ingredients that I generally keep on hand, simple ingredients of flour, yeast, butter, and milk, that when worked just right turn into the best thick-cut slices of bread for sandwiches, toast and even French toast.
Milk – the milk gives the bread a soft texture and enhances the flavor of the bread. You will want to warm the milk to 100º – 110º F. Do not exceed 110º F.
Yeast – the yeast works to help the bread rise. We prefer to use Instant Yeast. Instant Yeast is sold in small packets or in jars at most grocery stores and online. It does not require proofing; however, I still proof it just to be certain (you can never be too careful, right?). If you do not have Instant Yeast, you can also use Active Dry Yeast as a substitute in an equal amount and still follow step one of the instructions for proofing yeast.
Butter – the butter helps to feed the yeast in the bread as well as provides flavor to the bread. If you do not have butter, you can substitute an equal amount of oil in the recipe.
Salt – the salt not only adds flavor to the dough, but also slows the rising time of the dough which strengthens the dough.
Sugar – the sugar helps to feed the yeast within the bread and strengthen the dough. You can also substitute honey in place of the sugar, if you prefer.
Flour – you will find many homemade bread recipes that recommend using bread flour. For this recipe, we prefer to use all-purpose flour. It is the flour that we always have on hand and always produces a delicious bread in this recipe. If you have bread flour and prefer to use it, you can. You’ll use the same amount called for in the recipe. You will notice that the bread has more “chew” to it.
What Equipment is Needed to Make Homemade Sandwich Bread?
While we use a Pullman loaf pan for baking our sandwich bread, you could also use two regular loaf pans, if you’d like. For the pullman loaf pan, we leave the cover off of the pan to get a nice, rounded and crusty top on our sandwich bread. However, you could definitely use the cover for square sandwich bread.
How to Store Sandwich Bread
Store in a breadbox or under a cake dome as you enjoy it for up to a week.
How to Freeze Sandwich Bread
Store in an airtight, freezer-safe bag. Carefully remove as much air as possible as you seal the bread. If you do not have a freezer-safe bag, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then again foil. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Here’s Bart’s Sandwich Bread Recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Sandwich Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cup (363 g) milk, warmed to 100º F – 110º F
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) instant yeast
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (5 g) kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons (37 g) granulated sugar
- 4 – 4 3/4 cups (480 – 570 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Add yeast and one tablespoon of granulated sugar to warmed milk in a large glass or metal bowl. Allow to sit for about 3 minutes to proof (the yeast will begin to bubble and foam in the milk. If it does not, your yeast is not active and will not leaven the bread.)
- Once the yeast has proofed, stir in the butter, salt, remaining sugar and 4 cups of the flour. Stir until the dough begins to pull away from the sides, adding more flour at 1/4 cup at a time until it does so.
- Pour the dough onto a lightly greased countertop and knead the dough by hand until it is smooth, about 8 to 12 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free location to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
- Pour the risen dough onto the countertop and form into one or two loaves, depending on the number of baking pans you are using.
- Lightly grease your loaf pan(s) and place the risen dough into the pan(s). Lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise within an inch of lip of the loaf pan(s), about 15 – 20 minutes. As your dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the loaf pan(s). Bake your sandwich bread until it registers 190º F on an instant read thermometer, about 40-45 minutes. Turn your baked bread onto a rack to cool completely.
To store:
- Store in a bread box or under a cake dome for up to a week.
To Freeze:
- Wrap carefully in plastic wrap and then again in foil. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
1st rising: 1 1/2 hours
2nd rising: 15 minutes Adapted from: USA Pans
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy bread making!
Robyn xo
Hello! This is a super easy recipe when I’m in a hurry and need bread. I’m wondering this — can an egg be added for extra protein?
Thank you for sharing all your great recipes and expertise!
Deb, I haven’t made this sandwich bread with an egg but I do add egg to my Challah Bread Recipe. If you try adding an egg to the Sandwich Bread Recipe, let me know how it turns out.
Hi Robyn I have a 14×4×5 pan but no lid as a Pullman pan does so is there anything I need to do with this pan before baking my bread ? Also can I use half AP Flour and half wheat flour for this recipe ? Thank you AnneAleck
Annea, you just grease your loaf pan before placing the dough inside (Step 5). You don’t place a lid on the loaf pan while the bread is baking. I haven’t made this recipe using half AP flour and half wheat flour but it should work.
Hi: I’d love to try this recipe. I have an Emile Henry large rectangular baker (15″x6″x6″)… would your recipe suit those dimensions?? Or, maybe I could use my baker but ensure the loaf is no longer than 12-13″?? Thoughts?
Janice, the pullman loaf pan we use is 13x4x4-inches.
Just made this bread today! My first time making sandwich bread, and it turned out perfect. I’m trying to get away from the breads at the store with preservatives (even if every other time), so I’m interested to see how long it lasts. Thank you for the great recipe!
I’m so happy the bread turned out so well for you. Thanks!
Hi Robyn! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I see in the comments you specified this recipe is for the pullman loaf size 13x4x4. I have the pullman loaf that is 7.5x4x4.5 – how do I adjust your recipe to fit my pan?
I haven’t made this recipe in a pan your size but you should be fine to make half the recipe.
Dear Robyn,
I think your bread looks wonderful. I do not have a Pullman loaf pan, I am new to baking, to make the “2 loaves”, what size pans should I use? Thank you very much! Take care…
Laura, I would use 2 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pans. Hope you enjoy the bread.
I was wondering if I could use bread four and instant yeast in this recipe? I’d like to try this recipe, that was all that was available at my grocery store.
You can use bread flour; just use the same amount as in the recipe for all-purpose flour. I use instant yeast but you can use active dry yeast, too if you have it. Information in the post above the recipe might help you.
Great looking loaf! Would Bread Flour work? Haven’t made bread in awhile….since living in the Middle East. Had time on my hands. So, made homemade bread for hubby’s lunch. Had a great Oatmeal Bread recipe, but seemed to have lost it. Sooooo….I’m going to give this one a try ?‼️ Wish me luck …???‼️
I didn’t have any all purpose flour and used bread flour. It turned out great! I definitely needed extra flour though because the dough was really sticky but I am saving this recipe for use later now!
Thanks, Stacey. I’m so happy it worked so well for you.
Dear , is it okay to use shortening instead of butter?