The Best White Sandwich Bread
This is the best white sandwich bread ever! It is surprisingly easy to make and is perfect for sandwiches and toast (French toast, too!)!
Nothing compares to this soft, fluffy, PERFECT white sandwich bread.
It is amazing! And really easy to make. No fancy ingredients. No time consuming method. It’s straightforward and simple!
My Mom’s Famous Bread Recipe
This amazing, tried-and-true recipe is my mom’s famous and spectacular white bread recipe. She made it all the time when I was growing up.
I have fond memories of her mixing the dough together in a huge blue bowl with a wooden spoon (she didn’t – and still doesn’t – own an electric stand mixer).
The dough is forgiving enough that it is the perfect bread recipe for beginning and expert bread makers alike.
How I Make It
I am not as hardy and definitely more lazy than my mom, so I always opt to make this bread dough in my mixer. I have a Bosch stand mixer but the recipe should work just as well in a Kitchenaid or other type of stand mixer that has a dough hook.
The dough is soft and smooth and a dream to work with.
I divide the dough in half and then press each half into a rectangle and then roll up into a log (pinch the seam!) to place in the bread pan.
Perfect Homemade Bread
The baked loaves are tall and sturdy. The crumb is soft but tight, so it makes the perfect bread for sandwiches.
Just in case you care, the bread also makes the most fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches and French toast you’ll ever have.
Good thing this recipe doubles well! It doesn’t last long in our house. (I usually double the batch and then freeze two of the loaves for later…I like to call it freezer self-control.)
Here’s the equipment I use for homemade bread:
- Stand Mixer
I use my Bosch stand mixer for this (and all breads). I also have a KitchenAid mixer but usually say very bad words when I use it to make bread; I know many of you have better luck using your KA mixer for bread, but I’m a creature of habit, and the Bosch is unparalleled for bread making. This recipe makes two loaves which is doable in a KitchenAid; I usually double the recipe in my Bosch so I can get four loaves out of the deal. Having said all of that, you can definitely make this bread by hand, too. - Bread Pans
I always bake our everyday sandwich bread in 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch bread pans (vs 9X5-inch pans). I have a mix of Chicago Metallic pans and USA Bread pans. I love both brands, truly. If I had to choose, though, I’d probably opt just slightly more in favor of the USA bread pans (nothing sticks!). As a sidenote, I never wash my bread pans when making homemade sandwich bread (banana bread and other quick breads are a different matter). Sounds icky, but after a decade plus of homemade bread making and pan cleaning, I haven’t had an issue. Instead of washing and submerging in water, I get a clean dishrag and run it under very hot water. I wipe out each pan, paying particular attention to the crevices, let them air dry, and call it good. This has helped avoid rust in the edges of the pans. I’ve had a few of my bread pans for almost 10 years and they are going strong. - Scale
I use my trusty kitchen scale to weigh out the dough when dividing into loaves. You certainly don’t have to, but I like the loaves to be as similar in weight as possible so they bake evenly. - Bench Scraper
Another optional but super handy tool, this bench scraper/cutter is the perfect thing to use when dividing bread into loaves (plus, it’s one of the most-used items in my kitchen since it has a million different purposes). - Flour Sack Towels
A great alternative to using greased plastic wrap, I throw these lightweight towels over my bread while it is rising in the pans. - Unbleached All-purpose Flour
When using white flour, I always use unbleached all-purpose flour vs bleached all-purpose flour. I’m sure you could use bleached white flour in this recipe, too; I just haven’t tried it (but I’m 99.9% certain that’s what my mom used for decades when I was growing up). - Bread Bags
A few years ago, I bought a case of 1,000 bread bags. Yes, that’s right: 1,000. I’m still working through them (obviously), but it’s cemented the preference that real, live bread bags (instead of stuffing that loaf into an ill-fitting ziploc bag) is the way to go. This is the case of bread bags I have, but I bought these bread bags for a friend and she loves them (bonus: you don’t have to buy a gazillion at once). I always use plastic clips like these (I snag them at IKEA when I’m there once a year) to close the bags. - Bread Knife
This is my favorite bread knife. So inexpensive, and the long blade design makes for very even, neat slices!
If you’ve been looking for the perfect, white sandwich bread, this tried-and-true recipe should end your search! Simple, delicious, and so fluffy!
One Year Ago: Soft Baked Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie {Egg-Free}
Two Years Ago: Fudgy Coconut Oil Brownie Bites
Three Years Ago: Incredible Chocolate Pudding {Dairy, Egg and Gluten Free}
The Best White Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 6 ½ to 7 ½ cups (923-1065 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup sugar or honey
- 2 ¾ cups very warm water
- ¼ cup neutral-flavored oil, like grapeseed, canola, vegetable, avocado
- Butter for top of loaves, optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl, if making the dough by hand), combine THREE cups of the flour, salt, yeast and sugar.
- Add the water and oil and mix until combined. The mixture will be thinner than bread dough.
- Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 10 minutes; it will be slightly bubbly at the end.
- With the mixer running (or stirring by hand), gradually add another 3 to 4 cups of flour, until the dough comes together in a cohesive ball that clears the bottom and sides of the bowl and doesn’t leave a lot of doughy residue on your fingers when touched while still being just slightly tacky (not overfloured and dense).
- Knead for about 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple.
- Lightly grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the prepared bowl, cover with greased plastic wrap or a light kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Lightly punch down the dough and divide it into two equal pieces.
- Grease two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch bread pans.
- Press each piece of dough into a thick rectangle about 8-inches long; roll it up, pressing on the seams, and pinching the final seam together.
- Place the dough loaves into the prepared pans.
- Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or thin kitchen towels and let rise until doubled and the dough has risen about 1-inch above the top rim of the pan, about an hour or so, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the bread for 30-32 minutes until golden and baked through.
- Remove from the oven and turn the bread out onto a wire rack. Immediately brush the tops of the loaves with melted butter (or use a stick of butter, peeling the paper back and rubbing it on the top of the hot bread).
- Let the bread cool completely.
- The bread can be stored at room temperature, covered in a bread bag, for a couple days, or frozen for up to a month or so.
Notes
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522 Comments on “The Best White Sandwich Bread”
Baffled by how big these loaves became. I followed the recipe exactly and baked in the indicated pans. These loaves are MASSIVE. Like easily twice the size in height of a normal loaf. I’m laughing so hard. I was going to give these to neighbors but will have to revise…
An absolutely outstanding recipe, yes, The Best. Followed to plan. The result was perfect. Family thought it was the best ever.
You may question the 8.5″x4.5″ pans. I had four pounds (on the dot!) of dough. All sense and many sites and books will instruct to use two 9×5 pans. Don’t!!! Stick with the recipe, results will be very rewarding.
The technique is that which KA included with my 4.5 qt mixer in 1977.
Put half the flour, and the dry yeast, salt, and sugar called for in the bowl. Heat the warm liquid and mix/rest. Then add flour until the dough is no longer tacky and the dough stays on the hook. Knead in the machine 2 mins. Proof. Finish. This technique ensures you don’t end up with too much flour (and a brick). A wonderfully rewarding recipe. Thank you!!
Hey Mel!
Love all your recipes. You’ve given me the confidence to make bread and I am so thankful for that. I do have one question though, once you’ve frozen a loaf, what is the best way to thaw it out and warm it up again?
Thanks!
I love hearing that, Kaysia! You’re amazing! I thaw the frozen bread at room temperature and then slice it. If I warm it up, I usually do that with individual slices – I’ve found it’s easy to dry out the loaf if warming up the whole loaf.
We love this bread!
Do you think if I used a Bosch, I could only do 1 rise like your whole wheat recipe?
Allowing both rises will result in a fluffier bread, but you can experiment with only doing one rise (it’s not as much dependent on the mixer as it is on the recipe).
Hey Mel! I would like to make some mini loaves- how many mini loaves do you think I could get out of one recipe? I am doing a bread making activity for my YW class and want to send them home with their own loaf of bread. Thanks!!
Hi Sarah, I’m guessing 6-7 mini loaves? I think I wrote it down the last time I did that exact same thing for a YW activity and I can’t find my notes. Sorry!!
I love this recipe! Mel- could I also roll these out into dinner rolls instead of loaves?
Yes!
What would the cooking times be if made into rolls? The bread turned out fabulous
Rolls would likely bake for 18-20 minutes.
I’ve made a few bread recipes so far, I am new at making my own bread, and this is the best. Makes wonderful sandwiches and used the last of the loaf making French bread. You were right about that, delicious!
I made bread!! Delicious, soft, pillowy, buttery, perfect bread!!!! Never thought I could do it and your directions are flawless!! Thank you!! Thank you!!!
I love this recipe. The bread is soft and close together and yummy. The only problem I have with it is that it bulges out on the sides as it’s baking I’m using the right size pans, but it makes me wonder if I should be using the 9 x 5 pans instead of the 4 1/2 x 5 1/2.
Love this recipe! So easy and delicious, it truly is the best white sandwich bread!
I’m baking at 4500ft and haven’t needed to make any adjustments, turns out beautifully every time
Mel, when you double this (or any yeast dough, for that matter) do you double the yeast amount, too? Yeast doughs still makes me nervous, in general, but I’m trying to keep working at breadmaking skills.
Good question, Arlene. Yes, I double the yeast for a doubled batch (for a triple batch, I only double the yeast).
It really is the best white bread I’ve ever made! I baked some for my sick kiddo and the whole family has been enjoying it. You weren’t kidding about the grilled cheese. We are looking forward to trying it as french toast, once we get a loaf to last awhile 🙂
It really is the best white bread I’ve ever made! I baked some for my sick kiddo and the whole family has been enjoying it. You weren’t kidding about the grilled cheese. We are looking forward to trying it as french toast, once we get a loaf to last awhile 🙂
This has become my family “go to” recipe for bread and buns! It’s the only recipe that all members of the family love ❤️ Thank you !
I’ve made sourdough before with good success but this was my first time baking with instant yeast. Total failure. It didn’t rise. But I had read that you can turn failed yeast breads into flat breads so I divided it up into 16 balls and rolled them out to 10 inches and cooked them in my cast iron skillet. I’m giving it 3 stars because I was able to salvage it. The breads I made were soft yet strong enough for wraps. Not much taste though. If I were to make it again I would add some bran or something to give it more flavor.
Making homemade bread takes some time and practice. If your yeast is expired or the water is too hot it won’t rise. But i don’t think it is the recipe’s fault that your bread didn’t rise. I’ve made this bread a million times and it has good flavor and is delicious. Seems strange to rate a recipe low based on inexperience.
Wow, what a rude remark. Inexperience? Boy, you sure want to scare off newbies to baking with your attitude.
No the yeast wasn’t expired nor was the water too hot (because I measured it with a thermometer).
I just made another yeast bread recipe today using the same yeast and it came out great. Everything rose quickly and I didn’t even take the temperature of the liquid this time around, just followed the recipe instructions about heating it.
Next time, I suggest you don’t put down commenters.
How can it be the recipes fault that your yeast didn’t rise the bread….
Inexperience is not a negative, it is a fact, when I started making bread I was inexperienced, now in my 5th year and I know so much more now. Don’t take offence to a teaching moment. I’ve made this recipe dozens of times, and had 1 fail because my water was too hot (I killed the yeast), other causes can make a recipe fail. It still isn’t the recipes fault. I love this one, it really is a good recipe. Try it again sometime.
Great basic white bread, simple to make with great results!
Just made this wonderful bread. I always have good luck with it. Turns out perfect everytime! Now, could anyone give me a hint for having the same luck with Mel’s Quinoa Bread? I have made at least 10 loaves and they always sink while baking and turn out gummy. The dough always clears the sides and bottom of the bowl, I’ve used various amounts of white whole wheat flour and bread flour, warm quinoa, cool quinoa. I sure will feel like a rockstar if I can get this bread to be soft and fluffy!
Hi Tamara, it sounds like adding more flour to the quinoa bread recipe will help! Depending on where you live or how you measure flour (compared to how I measure flour), you may need quite a bit extra flour so don’t panic if you have to keep adding until the dough is nice and soft but sturdy enough to clear the sides of the bowl. Sometimes as it kneads and the flour continues to absorb the liquid in the dough, it will get sticky again, even after several minutes of kneading, so add flour during that step, if needed.
So delicious! The first bread I can actually make successfully.
I just love this bread! I keep coming back to this recipe over and over again. Thanks Mel!
Can you do the first or second rise in the fridge overnight to slow it down/spread out the prep time?
I think so! If you want to do that, I’d decrease the yeast a bit so it doesn’t over rise in the fridge.
Hi Mel, love this white bread. I’m wondering if you have a suggestion on maki g it with Cinnamon and raisins. My partner asked if i could
Just not sure how.
Hi Lynda, are you wanting to make it a swirled-type bread?
So I love this recipe and have made it several times, but I keep running into an issue. My bread always comes out quite crumbly and does not ever look like your bread pictured. Am I not adding enough flour? Or am I underkneading the dough?
What is the consistency and texture of the dough before you shape it into loaves?
I absolutely love this recipe! Out of all the times I’ve made it, it always comes out perfectly and it is soooo delicious. It’s been my go to bread recipe since I got my Bosch mixer.
I made a half recipe, just one loaf, because it’s just husband and me. I ordered the Chicago metallic loaf pan and the bread bags and used my KitchenAid mixer. I sweetened it with honey as directed. Wasnt hard to make. Tall, beautiful loaf with perfect flavor. Nice tight crumb, light and fluffy and it slices well. We can’t quit eating it! I just had the best grilled cheese ever. It toasts beautifully! Thanks for another keeper recipe!
Have you ever placed the dough in the bread pan into the fridge overnight for the second rise?
I haven’t, sorry! It might over rise in the refrigerator – if doing that, I’d suggest cutting the yeast down in the recipe a bit.
Are there any recommended changes for high altitude? I would like to try this recipe this weekend but live in Denver, CO and sometimes struggle with baked goods. Thank you.
I live at 4700 ft and today just made this recipe as written. It turned out well – rose nice and high and didn’t sink.
Made this bread a couple of weeks ago. Came out great!! Even my friend likes it, so I’m making it again tonight. Can I use this dough to make cinnamon roll s
I haven’t tried that, but you could definitely experiment.
I’m about to make this bread for the 4th time. I love it and better yet my family loves it! It’s the easiest, most beautiful yeast dough I’ve worked with and it freezes great, when you thaw it out it’s as fresh as the day you made it. I made it by hand and not one step was difficult. If you’re debating whether or not to try this recipe I can’t stress enough – do it! On a personal note I’d like to add, my mom passed 9 years ago last month and the smell of fresh baking bread brought her back like few other things have. Thanks for this recipe.
I followed the recipe but I could have got 4 loafs out of it mine.
This bread was absolutely beautiful! It was the prettiest loaf of bread I have ever made, and was soooo easy. It made my snow day much more fun! My sweet (late) sister-in-law taught me that snow days are for baking, so this week it was the Sandwich Bread, Donut Muffins, and White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies. Looking forward to another snow on Tuesday.
This is the prettiest bread I’ve ever made!
Hi Mel! First, I noticed that in the gray “equipment” box, you have the bullet point about your favorite bread knife labeled as “bread bags.”
Second: does this dough work for hot dog and hamburger buns? I have another, dedicated bun recipe which calls for milk and eggs, but on the other hand it seems like a basic white bread would work fine for buns. Just curious if you (or any of your readers) have tried that.
Thank you!
Thanks for the catch on that, Nicole. I’ll fix it! I haven’t used this recipe for hamburger or hot dog buns, but I use this recipe all the time for those two things: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/french-bread-rolls/
I think it’d be worth trying out this bread recipe for buns as well!
I made a big mess. I weighed everything but when it came to the yeast I hv packs. So I used one. Should I hv used 2. It was a soupy mess after 8 cups of flour. I want to make it again but was very confused. It was so soupy would not mix in the flour. I used dough hook with kitchen aid. Ended up throwing away.Help
Hi Barbara, the amount of yeast shouldn’t impact the amount of flour used. Is there any chance the water was measured incorrectly or too much added? It’s probably ok to add upwards of 8 to 8 1/2 cups flour because the exact flour amount will vary depending on elevation, humidity, how we each measure flour, etc. But if it was soupy like you described, I’m not sure what might have happened.
Thks for answer. I used 2 3/4 cups water. should I just add slowly until compound then stop adding water.. I will try again. Live in FL. Humidity was low along with temp. Just one more question before I buy more flour. Do I have to open prepackaged yeast and measure or can you include the number of packages of yeast needed. I know I am “kneady” sorry. Fingers crossed.
I would use the full amount of water, but I would add flour gradually and only stop adding flour once a soft dough is formed that clears the sides of the bowl. Florida is much more humid than where I live so it’s not a surprise that you might have to add more flour than I do. Should be fine! Keep mixing and adding flour until the dough is soft and tacky to the touch but forms a ball in the bowl. As for yeast, I believe a packet of yeast has 2 1/4 teaspoons, so for this recipe, I’d use two packages of yeast.
Made the recipe again using the recommended 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans and also used bread flour I had on hand. Made all the difference and looks just like the picture! Now my go to white bread recipe! Thanks again!
Mike & Dan
Glad it worked out, Mike and Dan! Thanks for the report back!
Thank you! I’ve been trying white bread recipes for months now and glad I came across this one. The texture and taste is perfect! I used my 9×5 pans so not as tall and pretty as yours but still delicious! Thanks again!
Mike & Dan
Thank you! I’ve been trying white bread recipes for months now and glad I came across this one. The texture and taste is perfect! I used my 9×5 pans so not as tall and pretty as yours but still delicious! Thanks again!
Mike & Dan
Amazing! Works every time whenever I need the perfect sandwich bread. Kids love it for school lunches!
Amazing! Works every time whenever I need the perfect sandwich bread. Kids love it for school lunches!
So simple and absolutely delicious! Perfect fluffy sandwich bread that can easily handle having butter spread on it without crumbling or tearing. My whole family couldn’t get enough of this bread! I made 3/4 of the dough in my Pullman loaf pan and the other 1/4 of the dough in a smaller bread pan. I kept the Pullman loaf in for longer than the smaller loaf to ensure it was cooked through. Thanks for this delicious bread recipe!
I made this recipe for my first loaves ever and they turned out beautifully! I used 9×5 pans since that’s all I had on hand and it worked out. Super yum recipe. Can’t wait to make it with honey and top with honey butter next time.
Made this recipe today. Success! It’s a trad soft, white sandwich bread that was easy to make. Bakers should follow Mel’s suggestions on adding flour to keep the dough soft and the bread moist. Thanks for another great recipe!
Like many, I have made A LOT of bread over the past year and a half. For sandwich bread, this one wins every time. I’ve made it with bread flour, added wheat, used long bread pans (12″) and it really doesn’t matter. Good. Every. Time. Mel is a recipe magician. It doesn’t matter what I make of hers, it’s always good.
can you explain how u did 12 in pan? like instead of 2 pans used a 1 12in pan? and adding wheat, how did u do that? thank you in advance
Would you mind posting the weight of all your ingredients in grams? I always weigh mine. Thank you!!
Hi Melisa, I’m actually going through my recipes one by one right now and adding gram amounts. You should see the recipes update soon!
Couple questions if you have the time:
1. How would I need to modify this to work in a 13x4x4 Pullman Pan?
2. What’s your thoughts on AP Flour vs Bread Four? Like which one would make a softer, fluffier and less dense loaf like store bought?
Hi Bruce, I’m not entirely sure about the quantity of dough for a pullman pan, but I’m thinking that 2/3 of a single batch of this dough might work? I always use all-purpose flour in this bread recipe. Bread flour works well, too, although it makes a slightly denser, chewier loaf.
I’ve been making this bread all summer long and have officially decided to stop buying store bought. This is truly the best! Since I’ve been making this bread exclusively I have everything down to a science except one thing. We are a family of four and there is no way we can eat an entire loaf before it goes bad. So I’ve been baking, cooling, cutting, than freezing the loaf and pulling out one or two slices at a time. No matter how I do this it seems like the slices stick together in the freezer and it is really hard to get them apart (aside from thawing the loaf). Do you have a suggestion for this? Also, how long do you let your bread sit at room temp before it’s no longer fresh? Thanks!
Hi Nancy, I have the same problem sometimes with homemade bread (and even storebought bread that has been sliced and frozen). It is sometimes difficult to separate the slices if they are frozen. I don’t know of a good workaround other than slicing a piece of wax or parchment paper inbetween each slice prior to freezing OR freezing the slices individually and then putting them in a bag together, but that would be a royal pain. I’m sorry I’m not more help! We usually keep a loaf of this bread for 2-3 days before noticing that it is getting a bit crumbly (although it makes great toast or french toast after that).
I always cool the bread, then put it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator overnight. The next day it ‘s easier to slice. Then I put the sliced bread in the freezer. The slices easily pull apart one at a time.
Your idea of putting the loaf in the fridge before slicing works perfectly. Thanks for the suggestion!
i use the papers you use to put in between you hamburger meat patties and it works great.
I turn my unused bread into bread crumbs. Super easy and you never have to buy store bought bread crumbs again…. Win win!
Mel, this is absolutely THE BEST recipe indeed. I’ve made it several times and my family loves it. I would ideally like to feed them your quinoa whole wheat bread, or something with a little more nutrient-density, but they, particularly my granddaughters, totally refuse, so this is my go-to recipe. At least I can feel good about the simple, wholesome ingredient list.
There is one step I’ve added that I think makes an enormous difference in the end product, and it is worth mentioning in case anyone might like to give it a go. Part A is I reduce the amount of yeast to about half a teaspoon, and Part B is that I bulk ferment the dough in the refrigerator for 6–8 hours before shaping and continuing with the recipe through baking. There is a significant difference in both the flavor and texture of the final product that is just incredible in our family’s opinion, and there is really no hands-on difference in terms of difficulty or added hands-on time.
I’ve tried this extended cold fermentation after shaping, but I think that doing it beforehand gives me more control over the final rise, which is important in preventing over-proofing.
Thank you for yet another amazing recipe.
How long does the second proof take since the dough has been in the fridge? I want to try this method overnight so I can bake first thing in the morning
I just was wondering if there was a preferred bread slicer you used? I have used the same one (Presto) for over 20 years and I cannot find anything that seems to be as good.
Hi Jan, I use a pretty basic Rada bread knife to slice bread.