Homemade Sandwich Bread Recipe

Sliced white bread on a board with butter and jam.

5 from 9 votes

Learn how to make a delicious loaf of bread at home withjust 7 simple ingredients. This foolproof recipe with a step by step tutorialwill help you to make the best classic white bread that will be perfect forsandwiches and toast!

Prep Time40

Cook Time30

Total Time4

Course: Breakfast, Dinner, lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: loaf

Calories: 2336kcal

Author: Veronika's Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
¼ cup warm milk (about 110°F)
2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ⅔ teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
3 ¼-3 ½ cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
1 tablespoon olive oil (for greasing)

Instructions

In the bowl of your stand mixer, put together 1 cup warm water, ¼ cup warm milk, 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast, and 2 tbsp sugar. Give it a quick stir and let it sit for 5 minutes. During this time the yeast will activate and you will see bubbles on top of the mixture.
In 5 minutes, add 1 ⅔ tsp salt, ¼ cup melted butter, and 1 cup of flour.
Using a dough attachment in a stand mixer, mix it on low speed until incorporated. Add another cup of flour and mix again. Then add the 3rd cup of the flour and mix until well incorporated.
Gradually add the rest of the flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Increase the speed to medium/low and knead the dough in a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes. The dough should be a little bit sticky.
NOTE 1: Since different flour brands have different amount of moisture and texture, you might need less or more flour. Just make sure that your dough is smooth and stays together but still a little bit sticky. If the dough is be too dry, you might end u with tough bread.
Lightly grease the dough from all sides with olive oil and put it back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours, it will double in size.
When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, roll the dough in a rectangular shape, about 8x15 inches.
Roll it up in a log in put in a lightly greased 9x5 loaf pan.
Cover again with plastic wrap and a towel and let it rise for 1 hour. The dough should rise about 1-1 ½ inch above the top of the loaf pan.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack to a lower level. By placing the pan to a lower level, it will prevent the top from burning.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reached 195°F.
Check the bread 20 minutes after it starts baking. If the top is getting too dark, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
When it's baked, take it out of the oven and let it sit in a pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool of completely.

Notes

1. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead the dough by hand.

2. Because different flour brands have different flour texture and moisture, you might need less or more flour in your dough. That's why I like to gradually add the flour and just look at the dough texture. When you knead it, it should become a nice smooth ball but still be a little bit sticky.

3. When you knead the dough, it should be a bit sticky (like Pizza Dough). That will help the bread to stay softer and chewier after it’s baked.

4. Don’t skip milk and don’t substitute it with water in this recipe. This is one of the key ingredients for soft bread.

5. I use all-purpose flour in this recipe as it’s the most popular type of flour that everyone has in their pantry. If you have bread flour at home, feel free to use it. It will help the bread to be softer with chewier crust.

6. When baking, make sure you put it on a lower rack not to burn the top. If it starts to get too dark, loosely cover with foil to prevent burning.

How to store it? Since this recipe doesn’t have preservatives like a store-bought variety, it doesn’t keep as long. I like to wrap it with plastic wrap (after it cools off completely) and put it in the fridge. This way it will stay fresh for 5-7 days.

Can I freeze it? Yes! First wrap it in a plastic wrap, then in foil. It will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months. You also can slice the bread before freezing so it will be easier to thaw just by putting slices in the toaster to warm up.

Nutrition