This homemade white sandwich bread is the best sandwich bread you’ll ever eat—and it’s easier to make than you think! With just a few everyday ingredients, you can make fluffy white bread with a perfect golden brown crust.
If you’re thinking, “why should I make sandwich bread when I could just buy a loaf at the grocery store?,” I get it. I used to think that way too! But then I started making my own bread and let me tell you: homemade white sandwich bread tastes so much better than store-bought because it’s not loaded with fillers and preservatives.
It’s also incredibly satisfying to make your own white sandwich bread. Your whole family will be impressed, and you’ll be impressed with yourself! Making homemade bread feels like an accomplishment, and once you master working with yeast, you’ll want to branch out to dinner rolls, French bread, pizza dough, and sweet, gooey cinnamon rolls.
There’s also the fact that making homemade bread is fun. Yes, I promise!
Homemade White Sandwich Bread Recipe
Unlike quick breads like banana bread and pumpkin bread, white sandwich bread is leavened with yeast. Quick breads use chemical leaveners like baking soda and baking powder for rise, and that’s what makes them quick. Yeast, in contrast, needs some time (and patience) to provide that rise.
This means that you’ll have to put some thought into the timing when you’re making this white bread recipe. Depending on the temperature of your home, you could need up to 4 hours for the bread to rise, then an additional 40 to 55 minutes of baking time.
Is it worth it? Oh yes, it definitely is!
This white sandwich bread is springy, soft, and fluffy; with buttery flavor and just a touch of sweetness; and it has a golden brown crust just like the bread from your favorite bakery. Give it a try and you’ll be making this every weekend for school lunches and breakfast toast.
Ingredients
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- All-purpose flour – I like using King Arthur flour, but any type of all-purpose flour is fine.
- Instant yeast – This recipe was developed with instant yeast, so I haven’t tested it with active dry yeast.
- Granulated sugar
- Butter – It’s important that the butter is soft; this will allow it to mix in with the dough.
- Kosher salt
- Whole milk – Whole milk gives you a nice, tender bread.
- Water
Tip: It’s very important to be accurate when you’re measuring dry ingredients for bread. Never scoop your measuring cup into the flour; instead, lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup, then use a butter knife to scrape off the excess. Too much or too little flour can affect how your white sandwich bread turns out.
How to Make Homemade White Sandwich Bread
1. Combine the Bread Ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Turn the mixer to low speed to blend the ingredients, then slowly pour in 1 ½ cups of the milk, followed by 1 cup of water. Gradually increase the speed to medium; if the dough seems dry or the machine starts to labor, add the remaining water.
Tip: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make white sandwich bread dough by hand using a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.
2. Knead
Continue to mix until the dough is smooth and begins to stretch and pull away from the sides of the bowl. At this point, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for a couple of minutes, or until the dough starts to come together into a smooth ball.
Tip: You can knead with your mixer, but kneading with your hands will give you a better feel for when the dough is ready. It should be smooth and elastic.
3. First Rise
Place the ball of bread dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover it loosely with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Set the bowl in a warm place away from drafts and let it rise until it is roughly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours. (It will be closer to 2 hours if your home is chilly, and take less time in a warmer environment.)
4. Form the White Sandwich Bread Loaves
Gently turn the dough out onto a floured surface and use your hands to press it into a rough rectangle, taking care not to deflate the dough too much. Cut the dough into two equal pieces, then roll each piece into a log, about 9 inches long, pinching down the seam to seal it.
5. Second Rise
Place each log into a greased 9×5 bread pan with the seam side down. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set the pans in a warm place. Let the dough rise for an hour or two, or until it almost reaches the top of the pan. During the last few minutes of rising time, start preheating the oven to 350ºF.
6. Bake
Gently brush the tops of the white sandwich bread loaves with the reserved milk, then bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown in color.
Tip: If desired, you can check the internal temperature, which should be 195ºF when the bread is done baking.
7. Cool
Carefully turn out the loaves onto a wire rack. Let the bread cool completely before slicing to prevent your bread from drying out.
How to Store Homemade White Sandwich Bread
Once your bread has cooled completely, you can store it in a plastic bag at room temperature; it will stay fresh for several days. (Use any stale bread to make French toast!)
If you want your loaf of bread to last a full week, you might want to consider purchasing a dough enhancer or conditioner, which is added to the dough to improve texture and make the finished bread last longer.
Slicing Tips
If you want to make even slices, I recommend getting out a ruler and setting it right on your cutting board so you can see where you want to make your cuts. (Another option is a mat that has measurements on it.)
Next, take a serrated knife and saw back-and-forth gently, using very little downward pressure to avoid smashing the bread.
FAQs
White sandwich bread is typically made with all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, butter, salt, and milk. Some white bread recipes may include honey, egg, or dry milk powder, while others may use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour, which has a higher gluten content.
Sandwich bread is just a type of white bread that is tender and fluffy, making it ideal for sandwiches. It has a soft crust, rather than one that’s crispy or flaky.
Yes, white bread is made with wheat flour, but not whole wheat flour.
This white bread can be frozen for up to 3 months; wrap it tightly before placing it in the freezer. Let the bread thaw overnight in the fridge before slicing and serving.
More Easy Bread Recipes to Try
White Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 7 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp butter softened
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 ¾ cup whole milk divided, room temperature
- 1 – 1 ½ cup water room temperature
Instructions
- Add all the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. With the machine on a low speed, let the ingredients blend together, then slowly pour in 1 ½ cups of the milk. Next, slowly pour in one cup of the water.
- Once the mixture is fairly combined, gradually increase the speed to medium. If the dough looks very dry or the machine starts to labor, add in the reserved water.
- Mix until the dough is smooth and starts to stretch and pull away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a couple of minutes or the dough starts to come together into a smooth ball.
- Place the dough into an oiled mixing bowl and cover loosely with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Put in a warm place and let rise until it is roughly doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Gently turn the dough onto a floured surface and form into a rough rectangle, taking care not to deflate the dough too much. Cut into two equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a log, roughly 9 inches long, pinching down the seam to seal.
- Place each log into a greased 9×5 loaf pan, making sure the seam side is on the bottom.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm place and let rise until the dough reaches almost the top of the pan, another 1-2 hours.
- While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350F.
- When the dough has fully risen, gently brush the tops with the reserved milk using a pastry brush. Be gentle so as not to deflate the dough.
- Bake the loaves for 40-50 minutes until golden brown in color. If desired, you can check the internal temperature as well, they will be fully cooked at 195F.
- Turn out the loaves immediately onto a wire rack to cool. The internal structure of the bread is still developing at this stage of the process, so wait until the loaves are fully cool before slicing.
