My homemade, super soft white Sandwich Bread is the only recipe you'll ever need. It's easy to make, fluffy beyond compare, and makes the perfect sandwich every time. With only 7 ingredients, try it once, and you'll never go back to store bought again!
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Looking for great sandwich ideas to go with this awesome bread? Try my tuna salad or smoked chicken salad! They are both weekly staples around here, especially for school lunches!
pull up a chair and let's chat!
I have been on my sandwich bread journey for a little over a year. As a mom two little girls, I try my very best to provide them with the best in nutrition and whole foods as I possibly can. Do I have a bucket of candy in the back that I reserve for bribery? Why, yes. Yes, I do, but that's another story for another day.
We make a ton of sandwiches for school lunches around here and one day I happened to glance at the ingredients in my go-to store bought brand of sandwich bread. It was eye-opening to say the least. I couldn't pronounce half of the ingredients. Right then I knew I could do better for my girls.
It took me about a year of experimenting, but I have finally come up with the very best, soft white sandwich bread. It is fluffy, it stays soft and pillow, and the flavor is spot on. The ingredient count? A whopping 7 ingredients. And, one of them is water.
I've designed this recipe to be super simple. A stand mixer does the most of the work. The majority of the time for this recipe is just ferment and rise time. There is minimal shaping and that's just the way I like it. And, it works all the time, 100% of the time. Fellow lazy bakers rejoice!
what goes in it
This is a true minimal ingredient sandwich bread recipe. Look at the ingredients on a bag of the standard store-bought stuff and give it a count. I'll wait.
I can almost promise you there will be a ton of ingredients and several you can't even pronounce. With my recipe, you need just 7 things.
- AP Flour - You can also use bread flour. I've not tested this recipe with an gluten-free all-purpose blend, but you can certainly try it.
- Water - Warm water works best.
- Honey - For flavor and the perfect touch of sweetness.
- Instant Yeast - For the rise. I prefer instant, but you can use your favorite.
- Nonfat Dry Milk - This is the trick for getting the soft sandwich bread. Without it, this bread can become crumbly. I don't like that and neither will you.
- Salted Butter - I prefer salted butter almost exclusively. I've never met one I didn't like and I've never thought it was too salty. And, I'm not a huge salt lover.
- Kosher Salt - I only bake with kosher salt and highly suggest you do the same. Don't use iodized (like ever).
instructions
1. the sponge
For the sponge, or the dough starter for our sandwich bread, simply mix the ap flour (2 ½ cups), water (1 ¾ cups plus 1 tbsp), honey (2 tbsp), and instant yeast (1 tsp) together. Whisk this until is very smooth and is the consistency of a thick batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and move on to the next step.
2. the flour mix
The flour mix is just that. For this second step, mix all-purpose flour (2 ¼ cups) together with dry nonfat milk (¼ cup) and 1 instant yeast (1 tsp). Whisk it together well and sprinkle it evenly over the sponge. Do not mix. Cover with plastic wrap and let it to sit (aka ferment) for 4 hours.
I told you this was easy.
the dough
After the sponge and flour mix have fermented for 4 hours, you should see the sponge bubbling up through parts of the flour mix. Now, it's time to form the dough.
Add the softened butter and mix on a low speed with the dough hook attachment for your stand mixer. You should have a rough, shaggy-looking dough. Let this rest for 20 minutes or so.
Next, sprinkle on the kosher salt and knead on a medium speed for 7-10 minutes. The dough will start to come away from the bowl. It will be shiny and smooth and will stick to your fingers just a bit.
If it is too sticky and too wet, add in a little flour and knead it in.
If it is too stiff and too dry, add just a little bit of water and knead it in.
Pick the dough ball up from the mixer bowl and spray the bowl with a little avocado oil. Put the dough ball back down and cover lightly with plastic wrap. There is zero reason to dirty up another bowl. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
3. shaping the dough
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or dough mat, and cut it in half. I use a kitchen scale to make sure this is exact. You want the two loaves to be as close to the same size as possible.
Shape each piece into a rectangle relatively the length of the loaf pans. This doesn't have to be perfect or exact. I don't even use a rolling pin and just use my fingertips, going up and down dimpling the dough. Fold the right side of the dough a little past center. Fold the left side of the dough over a little past center. Pinch the seam created from the folding to secure it.
Starting at the side closest to you, roll the dough over and away 3-4 times while slightly pulling it towards you to create a little tension in the dough. Roll, pull towards you. Roll, pull towards you until you have a log/loaf. Pinch the seam to secure the sandwich bread loaf.
If the loaf is not the length of the loaf pan, start in the middle of the dough, roll gently while moving your hands out towards the ends of the loaf. You're simply trying to lengthen the loaf for the pan.
Place the loaves seam side down into lightly greased loaf pans.
4. the final rise and bake
Now that the sandwich bread dough is shaped, it needs one more rise. Let it rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours or until the dough has come up about 1 inch above the rim of loaf pan.
While the dough is on its last rise, you'll need to preheat the oven to 350°. Also, place a sheet pan into the oven so that can get hot as well.
When the dough has come up 1 inch above the rim of the loaf pans, place them in the oven on top of the sheet pan. Carefully, toss about half a cup of ice onto the sheet pan. Close the oven door and bake for about 50 minutes, turning halfway through. The loaves need to be golden brown on top and a long skewer/toothpick should come out clean.
Let the loaves cool on a baking rack for almost an hour. If you can wait that long. I will never be that person that says you can't enjoy bread while its warm. I don't care what the experts say.
recipe frequently asked questions
Why use the nonfat dry milk?
The protein and the sugar from the dry milk powder helps improve texture and structure of the bread. Not only does it make this sandwich bread more tender, but it also helps caramelize the bread giving it a beautiful color while baking.
What is a sponge?
The sponge step is simply another name for a dough starter. It's a mix of flour, water, honey, and yeast that is allowed to ferment. In this case, we will let it ferment for about 4 hours and it will become quite bubbly.
Can I make one large loaf instead of two?
Yes! Sometimes, I do this exact thing. Instead of cutting the dough into two pieces, simply proceed with the one large loaf. The bake time is just about the same.
What temperature do I need to cook the bread to?
The final temperature needs to be 210° if you're checking it with a thermometer.
tips and tricks
- Take your time and don't get overwhelmed. This recipe does take a while, but the steps are all very easy. You got this!
- Give the sponge the full four hours to ferment for the best flavor.
- I always use salted butter along with the kosher salt. This recipe requires a lot of flour and needs all the salt to give it good flavor. Never have I thought it was anywhere close to being too salted.
- Use bread flour if you prefer a bit more chew to your sandwich bread.
- If you don't have honey, maple syrup or a little white sugar would be just fine.
storage and reheating instructions
- I store all of my baked goods in the fridge so that they last longer. This bread is no exception.
- Stored in the fridge, this bread will stay good up to 7 days.
- If left on the counter, this bread will stay good 3-4 days.
- Keep the bread whole and slice only just before ready to enjoy.
- Slice and warm in the toaster for best reheating results.
Sandwich Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
The Sponge
- 2½ cups ap flour
- 1¾ cup plus 1 tbsp warm water
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tsp instant yeast
The Flour Mixture
- 2¼ cup ap flour
- ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 10 tablespoon salted butter, softened
- 2½ teaspoon kosher salt
Finishing
- ½ cup ice
- salted butter, for serving
Instructions
The Sponge
- Mix the flour, water, honey, and instant yeast together. Whisk this until it is very smooth and is the consistency of a thick batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and move on to the next step.
The Flour Mixture
- Mix all-purpose flour together with the dry nonfat milk and instant yeast. Whisk it together well and sprinkle it evenly over the sponge. Do not mix. Cover with plastic wrap and let it to sit (aka ferment) for 4 hours.
The Dough
- After the sponge and flour mix have fermented for 4 hours, you should see the sponge bubbling up through parts of the flour mix. Now, it's time to form the dough.
- Add the softened butter and mix on a low speed with the dough hook in your stand mixer. You should have a rough, shaggy dough. Cover and let this rest for 20 minutes.
- Next, sprinkle on the kosher salt and knead on a medium speed for 7-10 minutes. The dough will start to come away from the bowl. It will be shiny and smooth and will stick to your fingers just a bit. If it is too sticky and too wet, add in a little flour and knead it in.If it is too stiff and too dry, add just a little bit of water and knead it in.
- Pick the dough up from the mixer bowl and spray the bowl with a little avocado oil. Put the dough ball back down and cover lightly with plastic wrap. There is zero reason to dirty up another bowl. Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours or until it has doubled in size.
Shaping and The Final Rise
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or dough mat, and cut it in half. I use a kitchen scale to make sure this is exact. You want the two loaves to be as close to the same size as possible.
- Shape each piece into a rectangle relatively the length of the loaf pans. This doesn't have to be perfect or exact. I don't even use a rolling pin and just use my fingertips, going up and down dimpling the dough.
- Fold the right side of the dough a little past center. Fold the left side of the dough over a little past center. Pinch the seam created from the folding to secure it.
- Starting at the long side closest to you, roll the dough away from you 3-4 times while slightly pulling it towards you to create a little tension in the dough. Roll, pull towards you. Roll, pull towards you until you have a log/loaf. Pinch the seam to secure the sandwich bread loaf.
- If the loaf is not the length of the loaf pan, start in the middle of the dough, roll gently while moving your hands out towards the ends of the loaf. You're simply trying to lengthen the loaf for the pan.
- Place the loaves, seam side down, into the lightly greased loaf pans.
- Let it rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours or until the dough has come up about 1 inch above the loaf pan.
Baking
- While the dough is on its last rise, you'll need to preheat the oven to 350°. Also, place a sheet pan into the oven so that can get hot as well.
- When the dough has come up 1 inch about the rim of the loaf pans, place them in the oven on top of the sheet pan.
- Carefully, pour about half a cup of ice onto the sheet pan. Close the oven door and bake for about 50 minutes, turning halfway through. The loaves need to be golden brown on top and a long skewer/toothpick should come out clean.
- Let the loaves cool on a baking rack for almost an hour. If you can hold out that long. Butter it up and enjoy!
Nutrition
If you guys make this Sandwich Bread, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I absolutely love to hear from you all and always do my best to respond to each and every one of your comments!
Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my Sandwich Bread recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! And, please leave a comment or star rating below. I absolutely love seeing each and every one of your kitchen masterpieces. It makes my heart so happy! And, as always, if you ever have any questions about any of my recipes, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Happy Cooking!
-Rufus
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Jai Pamela says
The taste and texture of this bread is perfect!
Rufus says
I am so very glad to hear this! Thank you so much for letting me know! Have a wonderful day!