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!)!
Growing up (pains me to admit this), I was that kid. You know the one. They complain about any food that has color or nutritional value, including bread. My mom would pack our school lunches with a homemade sandwich, and I would gag every time it was made with wheat bread (in full justification, I’m hoping the gagging was due more to the soggy tuna-laden bread rather than me being a stinker about eating whole grains).
But when my mom would make her famous white bread, I was all over that stuff. No gagging, no complaining. What an angel child I was.
Seriously, though, my mom’s white sandwich bread is the best, most heavenly bread on the planet. You’d probably have acted the same way.
Fast forward to my adulthood, and I began to love and appreciate whole grain everything…and started to try my hand at making a lot of whole wheat/whole grain recipes at home. Now that I have growing kids, I make a huge effort to get wholesome foods and whole grains into all of our bellies.
Did you see this whole wheat quinoa bread I posted a few months ago? It’s become our solid go-to for bread making lately. It is the softest, most delicious whole wheat bread ever.
In fact, it’s rare that we have white bread of any sort (rolls, sandwich bread, muffins) sitting around. Sometimes I’ll live on the edge and make bread or rolls with half wheat/half white flour, but a full-blown all-white flour loaf is kind of special.
And by special, I mean, my kids about kill each other trying to get access to the first piece. I may or may not be right in there with them. Over the last several years, I’ve received a ton of requests for a no-fail, white sandwich bread recipe. Because I almost always make whole wheat bread, I haven’t dedicated the time to get this posted for you.
But today’s the day!
This amazing, tried-and-true recipe has always been in my back pocket. It’s the one I mentioned above: my mom’s famous and spectacular white bread recipe! It just needed a little bit of TLC and fine tuning to get it just right.
When I started figuring out a white sandwich bread solution for those of you that asked, I should have just gone with what I know instead of making a slew of other recipes just in case they were better than my mom’s and I was missing out (I hate missing out on things). Sorry, mom. I feel kind of traitorous admitting that I cheated on your famous recipe.
The good, relieving news is that none of the other recipes compared, at least in my book. Some (quite a few, actually) were made with milk, and others had strange-o ingredients that I never keep on hand (like, soy lecithin and dough enhancers).
In the end, all roads led me straight back to what I knew in the first place:
my mom’s white sandwich bread recipe rocks.
It is simple as can be – standard, everyday ingredients with minimal work. The loaves of bread are soft yet sturdy, and the slices hold up extremely well for sandwiches. And I’ve done a scientific analysis that I’ll share…um…maybe someday…that shows this white sandwich bread makes THE BEST toast (or French toast) in all the world.
I’ve included a few step-by-step photos below the recipe for those that may be a bit visual with new bread-making recipes. It’s not difficult at all. Promise, promise.
Here’s a quick rundown of 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 Bags
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! I literally have to walk out of the kitchen when slices of this white bread (or let’s be serious, any bread) are sitting on the cutting board next to a big slab of butter.
My self-control only goes so far.
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Flour Type: I always use unbleached all-purpose flour and haven't made this bread with bleached all-purpose flour but I'm guessing it will work just fine. I've also made this bread with bread flour in place of the all-purpose - delicious if you have it on hand and like an extra chewy/sturdy loaf of bread! Yeast: if you don't have instant yeast, you can dissolve the same amount of yeast in 1/4 cup water with a pinch of sugar until it is foamy and bubbly and then use it in the recipe (add it with the oil and water). Flour Amount: as with all yeast doughs particularly bread dough, I use the flour amount in the recipe as a guideline and encourage you to do the same. The exact amount of flour you use will depend on how you measure flour (this is how I measure flour), the climate and temperature where you live (humidity can be a factor), and several other things. Add flour gradually until the texture of the dough is soft, smooth, and only just slightly tacky to the touch. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.The Best White Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
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Hello Mel!
These loaves look AMAZING. Can you tell me if the crust is soft, suitable for sandwiches? I find that I have to wrap mine in plastic wrap while its cooling to get a soft crust. I would prefer not to do this, as the moisture collects on the crust of the bread.
Thanks!
Yes, this bread is great for sandwiches.
I made this today and it is so amazingly delicious! So easy it seems fool-proof. I won’t be making it too often cuz it’s dangerous but when I do make white bread, this will certainly be my go-to!
Best recipe ever! Always my go to! I divide the dough… 1/2 for a loaf and the other half I make a dozen buns.
I find a total of 6 cups flour works best for me. I do use unbleached.
I have made this bread weekly for the last year and it always turns out amazing! It is my favorite white bread recipe. Thanks Mel!
Can you recommend a bread knife to slice the bread?
My favorite bread knife is the inexpensive Rada bread knife (I got mine on Amazon).
TERRIBLE recipe!! Followed instructions and ingredients EXACTLY as written. WORST BREAD EVER!!!! Definitely going back to my old recipe!!!
How interesting Notgiven, I also followed it exactly and it came out light, airy and delicious.
I find that interesting as well…. After years of making a much more complicated recipe (that I swore by), I decided to give this one a try. My family and I liked it so much (and it was so easy!), I deleted my “former favorite” from my recipe app. This has since been my go-to bread recipe — I’ve made it dozens of times and never had a fail — light and fluffy EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for the lovely recipe. While I have made quite a few other types of bread in the past I was convinced that I couldn’t make a good sandwich bread (I’m pretty picky about that type of bread) but I was wrong! This bread is soft, yet sturdy – perfect for sandwiches. Easy too!
Thank you so much for this bread recipe. I have been baking loaves of bread and delivering them to friends and neighbours along with a printed recipe. Everybody loves it. So easy and tasty.
Hi there! Can you please share the steps for using the Bosch mixer? Do you begin with a different attachment other than the dough attachment?
Yes, I use the dough hook the entire time.
I’m making a stuffed bread and was wondering if this dough would be a good option. My moms recipe always called for frozen white bread loaves but I’d love to do fresh. Thoughts?
I think it would be fantastic used for a stuffed bread recipe!
Delicious, and worked well!
eureka!, I have found the perfect white sandwich bread recipe!! I made my own bread many years ago (am now 92 yo] but it was quite involved then.. During this time in our lives I have been baking many things, my favorite being bread….some were quite good but I was looking for a softer one…and after spending lots of time on Pinterest I found you. I did not have instant yeast so just added a little to my active yeast. Mixed it by hand following instructions to the letter, got the dough in the pans…two 9-1\4 x 5-1/4 pans. And it more than doubled in 45 minutes, punched it down and formed them, put in the pans ,let raise again and baked them. House smelled wonderful. Let them cool,and couldn’t wait for the first slice. WOW. This recipe is my keeper. Thank y
Made this recipe in my bread machine and then in my 13” Pullman. Divided the original recipe by 1.5 and it came out perfectly!! Baked at 350, 25 minutes lid on, 15 minutes lid off. Best white bread I’ve tried so far!
About what weight of dough are you putting in your bread pans?
Usually right around 30-32 ounces.
I made this bread and it really is delicious. Like you said makes great toast! Can I ask you if you use a bread slicer and if so which one?
I don’t have a bread slicer – just a serrated bread knife (the Rada brand).
I don’t use oil. Would melted butter work?
You can definitely try that – should work just fine.
I think I’m doing something wrong. The bread rises in the bowl and again in the tin. It’s still looking great until about5 to 10 minutes to cook. When times up it goes flat to just above tin height. The bread tastes ok …..a little doughy maybe but it does toast great. The taste is very similar to a good quality muffin!!! Can you help me out please with what I’m doing wrong. I’ve done it a couple of times with the same result
Hi Ray, from what you describe, it sounds as though the dough is over rising before going in the oven – that can cause it to flatten. Try letting it rise for a bit less time.
Hi Mel I dropped the rise time to 40 minutes each. A lot better but still dropped a bit. I’m in a tropical climate. Would that be the cause?
Hi Mel
I shortened time the to 40 minutes and much better. Still got to shorten the time again because it worked much better . Bread was delicious though. Quick question….. does living in a tropical climate affect it?
Thanks for your help
Hi Ray, humidity can definitely make a difference in bread making and baking, so that might be a factor! I’m glad this round turned out a bit better for you.
Ray,
Don’t give up on it. Keep playing with the rise times and you’ll get the results you’re looking for.
I’m in Oklahoma, in winter, and I find that I have to watch it for the same reason. My first loaves went from flat like you described, to almost round, to nice picture quality, tasty loaves. Once I got it dialed in, I’ve been baking a couple of loaves a week. I can’t keep up with the demand from my family.
Just made this bread (in the new Bosch mixer that I gave myself for my birthday). Great instructions. This was so easy to make, and it is absolutely delicious. Couldn’t wait, so I ate a slice hot out of the oven with lots of butter. Also shared a warm loaf with a friend/neighbor, and she loved it, too. THANK YOU THANK YOU, Mel !!!
Great recipe! Bread turned out amazing. I did 1/2 the flour with whole wheat flour, don’t know if
that was appropriate but my loaves rose beautifully and tasted amazing.
Mel’s Kitchen is often my preferred go to for recipes.
I halfed the recipe to get one loaf and used honey and oh man, I wish I would have baked two! I also proofed the bread in my instant pot on the “yogurt” setting so it cut my proofing time in half! Basically took me almost no time AND effort for this recipe as I let my kitchen aid do the hard work.
My whole family looooved the bread and we finished it in one go! Will definitely do this recipe again! Probably tomorrow lol
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
This makes too much dough for my bread pans, so I take out about 1/4 and make some kind of treat with it. Sometimes sweet rolls , today some flatbread with chopped Castelventrano olives and herbs.
Mel I just have to say this is the best homemade bread hands down. I have been making bread for years but since COVID hit have been making more and have made my share of different recipes. My husband loves this one the best as do I. He tells me I seem to change the recipe and it turns out differently all the time but not this one. Made grilled cheese last night and I have never had homemade bread grill up as well as this recipe. I have to delete all my bread recipes from Pinterest except this one. I want to give you 100 stars instead of 5. Thanks for the BEST bread recipe ever!!!!!!
Just wondering if the pan size in the instructions should be 9×5 instead of 8 1/2 x 4 1/2? An 8 1/2” loaf pan seems quite small for a loaf of sandwich bread, and in your recommended products section, you included a 9×5” loaf pan. I thought maybe it was an error, but decided I would try following the instructions as written. .When I put the dough the 8 1/2” loaf pan, it rose to an inch over the pan within 15 minutes in a cool house in December. It was shaping up to be a mushroom-looking loaf, which I did not want, so I carefully transferred the dough into my 9×5 inch loaf pans and they seemed to fit much better. They still rose at least two inches over the top of the pans when they baked. Turned out amazing! Your recipes are always fantastic.
Hi Tara, I do use the 8 1/2 X 4 1/2-inch pans (sorry about the wrong recommended product – I’ll fix that). However, it makes a tall loaf so I think baking them in a 9X5-inch pan is a great option, too!
This is the best sandwich bread recipe! It is the only sandwich bread recipe I use. I love it is made with oil instead of butter because it is faster (no waiting for room-temperature butter, no melting) and vegan if you use sugar and skip the butter on the top. Sometimes if I don’t have the time, I put all the ingredients together in the machine skipping the 10-minute rest with great results. After making the recipe many times I figured out I need exactly 1kg of flour.
If you are looking for a sandwich bread, give this recipe a try. It is easy and it works. Thanks you Mel so much for this recipe. Even though I still buy sandwich bread I do it much less often than before. And this 2-loaf recipe is perfect for my family since the bread stays fresh for two days.
Hi! Will it be necessary to “steam” the oven (via water / ice cubes)? Also, I only have a 9×5 Farberware loaf pan – do I still halve the dough or eyeball half the pan for the amount of dough (given that it’s supposed to double in size & rise 1″ over the top)? For the balance dough, I’m thinking of making little rolls – will the texture be the same as your dinner rolls? Will subbing milk for water be okay? Thanks!
For that size of pan, you’ll probably use about half the dough. I’m not sure if the texture of the rolls will be the same (I have a lot of dinner roll recipes so I wasn’t exactly sure which one you were referring to) but it’s worth a try. Using milk in place of water may change texture or taste, but you can experiment!
Hi! Thanks for the quick reply 🙂 I made this earlier on, using butter instead of oil and using 2c water + 3/4c milk (played safe for 1st attempt, so did not change too many elements). I made 2 loaves – 1 in the farberware pan & the other freeformed. The bread turned up alright (I think), texture feels soft & fluffy like regular sandwich bread. It’s just the smell seems slightly off? Kinda sour/alcohol smelling? Googled and read that it could be cos my dough was overproofed? 1st proof was an hour, 2nd proof was 45mins.. This is my first attempt at breadmaking so am still pretty clueless about what to look for when proofing dough.. Would love some advice on indicators besides the loaves doubling in size.. Thank you!
Hi, looks like you bake a lot not just for yourself but for others too. I am looking to bake and ship, any tips on what’s the best way to ship.
Hi! I just wanted to tell you I made this bread with Cup4Cup Gluten free flour and it works great! It doesn’t rise as much and the crust gets a little crumbly after a day or two. But my son who hasn’t been able to eat any gluten for the last two months says it is delicious! I halved the recipe so I only made one loaf.
Haven’t made this yet……is it a soft sandwich bread? I have tried 3 other recipes, they all came out kind of not like sandwich bread I am used to, not soft or fluffy kind of more like a ciabatta bread. Not good at all. PLEASE say this is soft and fluffy!!!
Hi Nancy, yes, I think this bread is on the soft side.
I can’t believe I am only writing this today since I have been making this bread every week since March! I halve the recipe and it gives my husband and I a beautiful loaf every week.
I am originally from Australia and have struggled to find a good sandwich bread in the US that doesn’t taste like a cup of sugar.
This is perfect Mel, thank you for sharing!!
I can’t believe your recipe save my frustration in making loaf bread again. I was gonna give up in making our own loaf because i can’t make it good enough. Thank you for sharing this Mel it’s really the best recipe. My husband can’t even wait for tomorrow. We both ate for night snack. And I think it will not last until weekend (I just cut half the recioe) and I need to make one again.
Again, thank you!!!
I am the only one in my household that eats bread ( there are two of us here) . I would love to try this recipe but for one loaf at a time. How much yeast would I use if I half the recipe for one leaf?
I would use 2 teaspoons yeast for a halved batch of bread.
This bread is wonderful! I’m on a low sodium diet, so I reduced the salt and it still tastes great! I plan to use it for my stuffing bread for Thanksgiving, if I don’t eat it all first 🙂
Can you use bread flour instead of all purpose. If so does the water amount need to be adjusted
Yes, bread flour works great – no need to adjust the water.
Yummy loaf recipe! My very first time to make loaf bread. I added a wee bit of sugar (I have a sweet tooth 🙂 ). I used my USA loaf pan but removed the lid. What happens if I use the lid when I bake next time? Will the dough over flow? Do you have a different recipe for that square loaf? Thank you!
I don’t have a recipe for a lidded loaf (or Pullman loaf) – not sure how this recipe would fare with a lid. Sorry I’m not more help!
Made this and it’s very good! Really tasty too.
Many people claim to the have the best white bread recipe…. for once, Mel is right. This is the easiest bread I’ve ever made and is also the most eaten in my house now. It rises like the yeast is on steroids (I stop the first proof at 40min because it rises so fast), it never fails to have the perfect fluffy crumb, and tastes amazing. This is now the most used bread recipe in my house. Thanks Mel!!
For once? You run a better blog?
Ha! God love the internet. There should have been a comma between the for once and Mel. The implication being that lots of bloggers claim to have “the best” recipe. This one really is the best. I was not suggesting that Mel is usually wrong. I would have hoped that the rest of my review would have provided you with some indication if my intent but then again, you’ve provided me an opportunity to clarify, which I appreciate. Mel is awesome, this recipe is awesome. I hope you and yours are doing well in this difficult time. Cheers all! Happy bread making!!
Hi Mel,
You replied earlier that a 10″ x 5″ x 3″ USA pan should work for this recipe with no change in baking time. How many of these pans would I need for the full recipe as written? Please advise! Thanks.
Probably two pans (I’ve never used these pans, but that’s a good guess).
If I double this recipe, is it just a straight double or do I have to do some fractions?
You should be able to double all the ingredients.
I made the bread today & I totally agree with everyone’s comments it is the best bread! Soft & absolutely delicious!
Awesome recipe!! Delicious!!! I let my bread machine do all the work and then baked it in the oven.
I always make a double batch and add some whole wheat and it’s always soft and fluffy! Our absolute favorite bread! Love all your recipes Mel! I tell people about you all the time. Be well!
I feel so fortunate to have found your recipe! I was trying different loaves for about the last 3 years and my husband just didn’t like any of them, especially for sandwiches. Then I started making this one and he is now completely on-board with home made bread. It is easy and so far I’ve never had a bad result and it’s been at least 6 months of making it. Thank you, thank you!!!!!
This bread turned out amazing.. I’ve made it twice now and both times were exactly the same! AMAZING! Now, I did substitute butter for the oil… but that’s the only change I made! I totally recommend this recipe!
As a novice bread baker, I have had more fails than successes. I have tried different proofing techniques, different flour, different yeast, different temps, etc. I have finally found the great balance in this recipe. I live in a very humid area and that may also have played a role but today…success! Beautiful BIG loaves. Might be a bit boofy for some theyʻll make beautiful sandwich slices where I wonʻt have to make another sandwich because the slices are too small. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m a total newbie. First time I made this it came out a bit sour and rather springy/rubbery, somewhat like an english muffin, i think?
Could it be the honey I used instead of sugar? Proofed too long? (I left it for 4 hours) Did I add too much flour while kneading? Tropical weather and it rained early this morning, the dough was really sticky, so i kept applying flour to my hands and surface after each knead. I might have added a whole cup or even more. Or could it be the oven temperature too low? My oven is very low tech: it sits on my gas stove, has no temperature gauge, and i can only guesstimate by eyeballing the size of the flame. My loaves were done after an additional 20 minutes.
I will have to finish eating this one before trying another. Any advice in the mean tome would be much appreciated.
Hi Opel, if it rose for 4 hours I think that’s the culprit. This is a relatively fast rising bread and I think 4 hours might be too long.
Wow! This really is the best recipe for white bread that I have ever used! I used unbleached bread flour and it came perfect! I love the light crust; it is not tough or chewy like with other recipes I have tried.
Thank you for sharing!
Fantastic bread recipe! I add some white whole wheat maybe 30% and still super soft and fluffy. Kids and adults love it. Mel where would my bread baking be without you??!!
I double the batch now (thank God for the Bosch)
Your the best Mel!
We have a ton of active dry yeast at home. Could I substitute that for instant yeast? Is so, how?
Hi Beth, here’s a post about using active dry yeast for instant: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/guide-to-baking-with-yeast/
I just used this recipe for bread and even goofed with the yeast as I didn’t realize active rise and instant yeast were different (except that one rose faster), and it still performed amazingly well by producing two large beautiful loafs! I would only suggest to users to not be tempted to take them out too early, and to not be disappointed if the top of loaf seems hard-ish. Shortly after the butter is applied, it softens so perfectly. Tomorrow I am going to make two more but will proof the yeast first. I’m excited to experience the difference-especially since these look and taste as good as they do with a mistake!
What temperature is considered very warm? I don’t want to mess this up & kill the yeast or anything like that. Thank you!
I always make sure the water is between 110 and 110 degrees. Any hotter and it will kill the yeast.
Around 110 degrees should be just about right. 🙂
I began making bread again during the quarantine and was looking for a white bread to use for sandwiches that tasted like white bread. This hit the spot! It was easy to make and tasted delicious. It is just what a white bread should be. I love that it makes two loaves because one loaf of bread is never enough. Oh, and I made it by hand in the bowl and kneaded it on the counter. It came together easily without a mixer.
Can I use melted butter instead of oil?
I haven’t tried that substitution, but you could definitely experiment.
Initially, I followed the recipe exactly, however, although delicious, it yielded two excessively large and still slightly dense loaves. I found by making some minor adjustments I obtained a better flavor and a yield of three super soft regular sized loaves. 1) An extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt 2) An extra 1/2 tablespoon of yeast 3) Always letting the yeast proof and adding it in after mixing the initial 3 cups of flour with the other ingredients. One of the biggest advantages is the fact that I get 50% more with the same recipe 🙂
Just made this today. Oh my goodness, divine! I made it through half a loaf by myself the second it was cool enough to slice!
I’ve been making this bread every week for a month now and it’s lovely! Amazing for sandwiches, toast points, french toast and the best grilled cheese sandwiches. I use my KitchenAid for the first part and knead by hand a few minutes.
But I was feeling bad about feeding my family so much white bread, with barely any fiber, so this time I subbed one cup of whole wheat to the dough and it was still super delicious and a bit less of a guilt trip to eat.
I usually botch any recipe with yeast but I made the most beautiful, delicious sandwich loaves. The only downside is my family ate them ENTIRELY too fast!
I used this recipe to make 2 beautiful loaves of bread. It was soft and fluffy, reminding me of Wonder bread. I used active yeast, not instant, and the proof times were both a little over half an hour. Very happy with my bread baking.
Hi Mel~ A great recipe. I’ve been using it for a few years as my go to sandwich bread recipe. Is it me or am I not seeing a place where I can pin this for pinterest?
There’s a little teal circle with the Pinterest P right in the corner where the recipe is (above the title) – that should pin the recipe!
Hi. I would like to try this recipe but I only own 1 bread pan. Can I halve this recipe or leave the second dough out while the first loaf bakes? Thanks!
Yes, you can definitely halve the recipe! You could also refrigerate the second piece of dough while the other loaf rises and bakes.
This bread is easy to make and delicious. My family really likes the sponginess of this bread, though I don’t. They really like store bought white bread and this sponginess is almost the same as that. It was an interesting technique I hadn’t used before. I’ve made this twice in 1 week, so clearly the sponginess isn’t a deterrant for me. I just prefer it toasted. The bread makes great toast, grilled cheese, and french toast.
This recipe is simple, easy, and tastes wonderful.
Thank you for posting it.
I’ve been baking bread for literally 32 years and, while I feel I’ve made tons and tons of great loaves, I never could find the “perfect” sandwich bread – until now! I’m not even joking – I found this recipe maybe 6 months ago (a year ago? Maybe longer) and it’s the one I go back to again and again when I need sandwich bread. It really is the perfect sandwich bread!!
The recipe is perfect just as written, but I’ve also subbed whole wheat for the first three cups of flower with lots of success.
Loved this recipe! Easy, delicious and hearty enough to make sandwiches. That’s been a problem w some recipes previously…..thank you so much.
This is my first time making a traditional loaf bread, and it was so easy to make. It smells so incredible and tastes even better!! I was even able to make one of the loaves with seeds throughout it. It came out so well! Thank you for sharing this recipe!! 😀 Just one of the many incredible recipes I have found on your site. 🙂
This is THE BEST white bread recipe! I’ve tried four different recipes and they haven’t been perfect until this one! It’s pillow soft and super moist. I’m so happy!
If anyone is using this recipe during the weirdness of Covid19, I just baked this bread using only half the yeast and it turned out great. Figured I might as well stretch my yeast supply until it’s back in stores I upped the rise time by about an hour (half before shaping the loaf, half after) to compensate.
Made this today and it is delicious and came out just like the pictures – this is my new go to recipe as making my own bread now being in self isolation during this pandemic – and a habit I will continue as so much healthier than bought bread – really a great recipe!
Very well named! It is the best sandwich bread recipe. Thank you for posting this. I have been looking for a recipe that would work for sandwiches. Very tasty and my family says that it tastes like Spatz bread, which is the highest complement in this neck of the world.
Thanks so much for this recipe! This bread is awesome. Light , fluffy, and tasty. I needed to use all the recommended flour and shortened both rise times as this dough poofed way up quickly.
Thank you for you detailed explanations of everything! I have been trying to bake bread and it kept coming out ao dense and heavy, I had no idea I was measuring flour wrong all these years! My bread was perfect!
Make this according to the recipe. I had to add quite a bit more flour to get the dough to a reasonable consistency. The first rise was fast and high. But nothing compared to the rocket rise in the loaf pans. After just 30 minutes, both loaves were well up over the top of the pans. At that point, I put them in the oven. And they rose still more – way too big for the 4 1/5 x 8 1/2 loaf pans. I had to bake them about 10 minutes longer than specified before they browned up a bit and reached 195 degrees. Crumb, texture and taste are very good. But this amount of dough will easily make 3 loaves in the small pans. FYI – the water I used was 127 degrees; house temp was 70 degrees.
Do you store your bread in the pantry, fridge, or freezer? Do you only use the plastic bags?
I use plastic bags and store at room temperature or in the freezer (the fridge will dry it out).
Love this recipe. Cuts easily and is very tasty and great as toast. Thanks Mel.
Awesome Recipes thank you
I’ve made this twice now and both times it proved in under 20 minutes. (70 degrees, 5000 ft elevation ) Second rise under 10 minutes. It raised in the oven way too tall. I’m using SAF red. Should I skip the sponge, use less yeast?
The taste is fantastic. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Tim, try cutting the yeast in half and see if that helps (your high elevation may be a contributing factor – I don’t live at high elevation but I’ve read that it can cause yeast to rise faster). I wouldn’t skip the sponge step.
Another tip for high altitude baking is to do a second rise before putting it in the loaf pans to rise. The dough rises too quickly at high altitudes and doesn’t allow the gluten to develop as much as it should, so pounding it down and doing a second rise in the bowl helps the gluten have enough time to develop.
Oh yeah, This is what I have been looking for. Nice, soft crust, tasty. Perfect “sandwich” density.
So running low on yeast – will be trying it with less yeast and a longer “batter rest” to grow the yeast .. works when I make beer – … may have to try beer yeast as well (I have more of that than bread yeast…)
I’m a avid bread-baker and even used to have my own cottage bakery (specializing in sourdough boules and challah). However, I’ve ALWAYS struggled with a basic loaf of white sandwich bread. Until I tried this recipe. It was AMAZING and exactly what I was looking for to keep the kids fed during quarantine, so I didn’t have to go out and get them bread for PB&Js. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
This is my first attempt at making a white sandwich bread….the recipe is easy to follow and the tips are helpful. It was very easy and soooo delicious! I’ll try it with whole wheat flour next time or maybe half and half? I didn’t have the instant yeast so I just used the regular or traditional yeast, it still turned out soft and delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Made some today and it turned out amazing! My new go to! I wish I could post a picture. Thank you!
Hey! So ive made this rexipe a couple times now and it seems I always need way more flour to get it to pull away from the sides of the bowl. I know you said that the flour amount is flexible, is it normal to need as much as 5 cups?
The recipe calls for 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups total…are you using 5 cups total or 5 cups after the 3 cups used in the first part of the recipe? Either way, if you are using 8 cups total, that’s definitely fine. So much depends on elevation, humidity, how we each measure flour, so having to add an extra 1/2 cup to 1 cup is fine. Does that help? Let me know if you have other questions.
UGH! Nope, I was reading it way wrong. hahhaha I will be trying again today. It tastes yummy but that is definitely why I was having so much trouble. What’s dumb is that I read it wrong on separate occasions! lol Obviously I need more coffee in my life.
No, wait. I was reading it correctly. So I have been using around 8 cups total. Ok, I think I just need more coffee this morning.
Thank you for you help!
Yep! That’s about what I had to use to get the dough in reasonable shape!
Oh My God! I made this bread and it’s as delicious as I thought it would be! So soft and fluffy. Thank you Mel!
I made this recipe near the beginning of lockdown and it turned out great. Time for round two!
Question: do you think it’d work to put a bit of cinnamon sugar on the rectangle at the end, so as to get a flavorful spiral? I’m new to bread making.
Thank you!
Sure! I think it sounds like a great idea. For cinnamon swirl bread, I like to roll the dough into a thick rectangle, spritz VERY lightly with water and then dust with cinnamon and sugar before rolling up.
Hi Mel.
This bread was so delicious…we all loved it. My 8 year old and I are novice bread makers. The only problem we had was that the bread was really crumbly inside; it fell apart easily. Didn’t seem as dense as it should have been. Would you be able to give some troubleshooting advice? It did seem pretty tacky…maybe we should have added more flour??
Hi Larissa, try letting it rise for less time. Sometimes if bread over rises, the texture of the crumb can be really airy and crumbly. If the dough was able to be handled without leaving a super sticky residue on your fingers, I don’t think you need more flour. Also, over baking can create a dry crumbly bread as well.
Hi Mel. Haven’t tried your recipe yet but it looks scrumptious. I’ve been baking quite a lot during this pandemic. My country has basically run out of bread; i.e. when the bread gets to the hypermarket it goes missing in 5 minutes so that’s why I’ve been baking bread
Back to the point. I use a convection oven. Do I need to use both top and bottom heating elements to bake bread (any kind) or just the bottom element at first and then at the final 10 minute mark I switch on the top element as well?
Would appreciate your feed back. BTW I’m kneading by hand; can’t afford to buy Bosch or KA.
Sincerely,
Ivy Rahim
Hi Ivy, I only ever use the bottom heating element for baking bread (in my oven the top heating element is the broil function and it heats very hot – and isn’t great for baking bread through). Does that help?
I have tried several recipes but this was the easiest to follow and it is delicious! My family loved it!
How long does this need to be mixed/kneaded in a stand mixer? And at what speed? Mine’s been kneading now for like 10 mins and still hasn’t come away from the sides.
It sounds like you may need to add more flour if it hasn’t pulled away from the sides of the bowl yet.
I’ve read some recipes that say not to use a rapid rise instant yeast (such as Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise or Red Star Quick Rise) when a recipe calls for instant yeast (such as SAF-Instant Red yeast). For this recipe, does it matter? If so, which do you use?
Me again — nevermind! I should have scrolled back through the comments before asking my question. All I have on hand is rapid rise and, because of COVID-19, it’s going t be awhile before I get more instant. I’ll try this with rapid rise and see how it turns out.
How long does this need to be mixed/kneaded in a stand mixer? And at what speed? Mine’s been kneading now for like 10 mins and still hasn’t come away from the sides.
Oops sorry didn’t mean to post the above comment here.
So fun to make this bread as part of our weekly “cooking class” while the kids are out of school for this pandemic. But better yet, was their reaction when they tasted it for the first time. My 3 year old said she never wants “store” bread again. We used our kitchen aid mixer with the bread hook and it worked great. Somehow my parents talked their way into getting the 2nd loaf (my dad is pretty convinced I’m Betty Crocker at this point – he loved it). Thanks so very much for this recipe. I’m headed back to the kitchen to make more!
Love this recipe! I am new to bread making and had success on the first try! Making this on a weekly basis now.
Can you store the second half of the dough (second loaf) in the fridge and bake it a few days later? If so do you need to let it rise before baking it?
I haven’t tried that, but usually bread dough does fine refrigerated for a day or so (yes, it would need to rise before baking).
I love the wheat bread recipe ( large batch) but have some friends that would like white bread. Can I double this recipe? I am making it in my Bosch.
Yes!
I would love weights for this recipe 🙂
First time bread maker here. Success! Looked through lots of online recipes and found this one. This bread turned out perfect using bleached APF. My KA mixer did all the work. I skipped step 9 and just gently placed the dough into 2 loaf pans without shaping the dough. Thanks for sharing this easy and delicious recipe!
You are not kidding. This really is the BEST white bread ever. I’m even going to use this recipe to make dinner rolls. I’m sure they will be just as amazing.
I love this recipe so much! One question though — is there any thing I need to keep in mind if I want to half this recipe? I know bread freezes well, but I don’t have much fridge space. Should I keep the rising time the same but half the baking time?
*freezer space
If you are halving the recipe and making one loaf, the baking time should be the same (if it’s the same size loaf). The rising time might be a bit less.
Hello! I am a total bread making novice, so please forgive my ignorance. I have a Bosch, and was wondering if you knead your bread by hand or in the Bosch? If you knead it in the mixer, which speed do you use, and for how long? Just two minutes? Thank you!
I use my Bosch to do all the kneading! I use speed 1 or 2 and knead for 5-6 minutes.
Best (and I mean BEST) regular bread I’ve ever made!!
Would this work to make the dough in a bread maker? If so is there an order for the ingredients? Thank you!!!
I haven’t tried it in a bread maker and I don’t know if the ingredients would fit, but you could definitely try.
Have you tried this in the bread machine? If so, how did it turn out, did you have to adjust anything? I’m assuming you would halve the recipe for the one loaf, but any other changes? Thanks!
Mel, have you ever used mini loaf pans for this recipe? Or do you have guess on how long to cook them? Thank you, as always for all your recipes!!
Yes, it works great in mini loaf pans! I bake them for about 22-25 minutes.
This bread is hands down the best sandwich bread I have made. I am so grateful. My elderly parents are on lock down in their house, due to corona, and depend on me for grocery food. She forgot to mention the bread and shopping for 2 households created some confusion. I won’t have to risk going out for bread during this crisis. I just made this for them. It had so much rise, I cut the protruding end off of each end to taste and to make straight cuts for sandwich bread. I used bread flour, but I think it would be great with all purpose. I will wrap parts up for them in parchment so they can freeze part of it for the near future. It’s delicious! I make my own pizza, and have made decent rustic bread many times. But, I have never been able to make a great loaf of sandwich bread. Mom loves her bread. She will be so happy. Not ready for a delivery of goods yet.
I have never commented. Ever. And I search recipes all the time. This. Is. A. Must. I made the recipe as written. No substitutions or variances. I do love that the author left the note about how to do the final flour. It’s not a set amount. And I live a mile high. Do it by feel like she says. It works. This recipe is soooo forgiving. I originally forgot to add the sugar. I remembered after the water was not warm. I rolled it like she says but I was not careful or precise about it (we’re in the middle of Coronavirus and I wanted a fall back if the stores ran out of bread, but I also wanted mimosas. Sooo…) Even given my lack of precision and laissez faire attitude, it turned out. Soft and delightful. Give this one a try!
Great recipe! Bread is super soft and delicious! Perfect for sandwiches. I halved the recipe to make one loaf for my small family of three and it turned out wonderfully!
This looks so good! Can I make it with 1/2 whole wheat flour, or would that mess up the proportions?
Thank you!
Yes, I use half whole wheat flour often when I make this recipe.
We loved the taste of this bread! Only the top had color and was very golden. I am wondering if you cook the bread in the middle or on the lower rack of the oven. Do you cook it on convection? I want to perfect this bread because I will be making a lot of it over the next couple of months. I love your wheat breads and have great success with those just want to perfect white bread too :). Thanks a bunch!
I do not use convection for this bread…I make sure the oven rack is pretty much in the middle of the oven.
Can you double this recipe?
Yes
If you do, you’re going to have a problem with a stand mixer being able to handle that quantity of dough – unless you use a cement mixer!!
Unless you’re using a cement mixer, any stand mixer will have trouble trying to handle all that dough.
How do you make yours so soft looking.
Mine was crispy on top.
Wendy,
Brush your freshly-baked loaves (just out of the oven) with butter or even a little Crisco. The tops will become perfectly soft in a matter of minutes! ❤️❤️
Can regular yeast be used instead of rapid rise yeast? How long will it take the bread to rise? Thank you, Stephanie Bishop
Yes, you can use active dry yeast but you’ll want to proof it in a bit of water and pinch of sugar until it bubbles and foams. The rising time really depends on the warmth of your kitchen, but probably 1-2 hours.
I’m going to try your recipe this week! I’m reading it doesn’t all fit into a KA mixer? Just seperate it and mix two separately?
I was reading up on refridgerating it ahead of time- at which step do you reccommend the fridge? After it’s in the bread tins or on step 6?
I’ve read dough improvers help it last longer on the shelf, has this been your experiance?
Thank you!
I haven’t used dough improvers so I don’t know for sure. I also haven’t tried refrigerating this particular dough, although I have with other doughs. I’d probably recommend refrigerating after it’s shaped into loaves but you could really try refrigerating it as one big mass and then letting it come to room temp before shaping into loaves.
I just made it in my KA and it worked fine…towards the end I just pulled it out and kneaded it by hand as it was all gathering over top of the dough attachment
Absolutely love Mel’s sandwich bread It is the best I’ve ever tasted.
Excellent! This is my new favorite basic bread recipe.
Not sure what happened… Bland, not dense enough, and can’t stand it on its bottom or it will be crushed.
Thank you, Mel! I’ve been cooking for my family for 17 years but bread has always terrified me. I tried your French bread recipe a few times and had pretty good success. Tonight was my first try at this recipe and it came out PERFECT! I added about a cup and a half of whole wheat flour but it still came out so fluffy and delicious. I think I finally figured out the right amount of flour/stickiness. Thank you for all your tips and pictures and videos. So helpful! And today I feel like a home made bread rockstar!
All those uge amount of flour,
What about a recipe for one sandwich loaf?????
Howdy! I was wondering if you could put this recipe in The Best Recipe section? I was sure you’d had a great white bread recipe but couldn’t find it in there. I settled for someone else’s and it was just okay. Hate to miss out on a tried-and-true Mel recipe! 😉 I’ll be making this the next time! 🙂
I’ll check and add it if it’s not!
I seriously never comment on blogs when I like something, but this one worked out great! I’ve never had dough rise so well and taste so good. Whenever I make sandwich dough, it turns out too heavy and it doesn’t raise well. This rose and baked perfectly. Thank you!
looking forward to trying this recipe! I use a good whole wheat one but my kids would be happier with some white bread in their life lately. I started baking my own bread to avoid the cost and plastic bags from store bought bread. One comment I might add is; try a breadbox or a cotton or linen bread bag instead of plastic…old school, but why reinvent the wheel eh?
I previously had a bread recipe that I loved, but I lost it and have been trying out other white bread recipes ever since. I am no longer looking because I love your recipe! I’ve made it several times and it is rather simple and delicious . Thank you for sharing❣️
I’m so pleased with how this bread came out!!! I made this last night as I was in a pinch and couldn’t leave the house to get bread for my kids’ lunch today. I’ve never gotten my bread to rise, but this recipe was magic!!! It also tasted great! Thank you.
I love this recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m a beginner bread maker so this was a bit intimidating, but it turned out to be beautiful and delicious and my family is impressed (my 8-yr-old just walked by begging for “just one more slice? It’s SO GOOD!!” I’ll be making this regularly with no fear. Thank you again!
Tastes delicious but it rose way more than two loaf pans. I also couldn’t get them to come out of the pan no matter how hard I tried. It broke in two. Any suggestions?
What brand/type of bread pans are you using? Did you grease the pans?
I’ve made this recipe twice now with great success.I was looking for a recipe with the same ingredients as my grandma a recipe but paired down.Hers was huge and I couldn’t seem to do the math for two loaves lol.anyhow we like the soft taste and texture.What I’m wondering is my loaves are wrinkled on top after I apply the butter and go back later to see wrinkled top.They are perfect out of the oven.Does your to this?Ive never baked bread that are this soft,usually the crust if a bit crustier this isn’t.Is this why?do you have a recipe that is a bit crustier?
You can add water in a pan to the oven while the bread bakes for a crustier loaf…and yes, sometimes the tops of my loaves wrinkle a bit after adding butter.
My kids and I just used this recipe today, and the bread is so delicious! It’s soft and wonderful. Thank you so much! <3
I have been following instructions carefully but I end up using 8 cups of flour or more and the dough still ends up being very sticky when I kneed it. Could it be too much yeast? The bread is always delicious but, as a novice, it can be frustrating.
Sorry for the frustration – totally understandable! It probably isn’t too much yeast – it might be your humidity or elevation that’s causing the need for extra flour. Do you live in a humid climate or at really high or low elevation? Adding extra flour shouldn’t really be an issue as long as the dough is forming a soft ball and clearing the sides of the bowl. The exact amount of flour will often vary person to person based on a lot of different factors.
This is the best bread recipe! I just made it for the first time and it turned out perfect. I have been making bread with bread flour in my bread machine for many years but wanted a recipe that made 2 loaves, used all purpose flour and honey instead of sugar. This recipe has all that! This is delicious and its much softer texture than my other recipe- maybe that’s because of the different flour? I did use bleached all purpose flour and honey instead of sugar, like suggested in the recipe. Thank you- this recipe’s a keeper for sure!!
I was skeptical about this recipe after adding the rest of the flour and needing to add even more flour as my dough was really sticky, but it turned out perfect. I don’t even know how much flour I added after 7 cups; I just kept adding more until the dough wasn’t super sticky. I made one loaf of bread and bread rolls – so delicious! Also, the recipe works perfectly even when using a glass bread pan. Thanks for the great recipe!
This recipe is fantastic. I have made it in a number of ways:
– as written – Fantastic
– modified to use bread flour – Fantastic
– modified to use 1/4 whole wheat flour mixed with 3/4 bread flour – Fantastic. – though, I will say, it will rise higher if you add vital wheat gluten in with the bread flour.
– modified to substitute 1 cup of buttermilk in for 1 cup of the water – Fantastic.
– modified to use honey instead of sugar – Fantastic
– I have used all kinds of fats with this recipe. Canola oil, coconut oil, butter, vegetable oil, and VERY LIGHT flavored olive oil.
This recipe is EXTREMELY fool proof. Every time I have made it, it has produced an excellent product.
Thank you so much for sharing your talents!
Where did you get your bread bags from?
I usually buy them on Amazon – tried lots of different brands and I buy the kind on a roll.
The best white bread I’ve ever had :). Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This is so easy. And the smell while it’s cooking???? AMAZING!. This is so easy I won’t be buying sandwich bread any more.. and tastes great.
I haven’t made homemade bread in years until today. It was so good! My family ate it in about 20 minutes. It’s gone! I will have to make more tomorrow I guess.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was able to easily make my first two successful loaves of white bread. I used 1/2 AP unbleached and 1/2 bread flour and it came out nice and fluffy. So tasty. And now I don’t have to go to the grocery store to pick up bread tomorrow! Lol
It IS the best white bread recipe I’ve tried. I used to make my bread but with work and life itself I’ve been too busy. With retirement on the horizon I’ve set out to find the best recipes for every type of bread that I like and you (and your mom) have won with the white bread. Thank you so much for sharing.
This is the best homemade white bread I’ve ever had. It is chewy on the outside and a little bit chewy but soft and pillowy on the inside. It is perfection! I am 57 years old and I’ve wanted to make homemade bread, without using my bread machine, most of my adult life, but was always so intimidated by the thought that it would be difficult and I would fail at it. Now that I know how easy breadmaking is, I doubt I’ll ever use my bread machine again. There is just something about that soft pillowy dough, when you work it to get it smooth then soft to the touch before you put it in the loaf pan. It’s just so satisfying, the whole process! I have looked at countless YouTube videos and Pinterest recipes and I’ve made the no knead cast-iron Dutch oven bread, which is amazing, and I’ve made whole wheat bread, but this, this is the best I’ve made so far! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
So happy to hear this, Karen! Thank you so much for the review!
I’m not sure why you do 2 risings but when you use the Bosch mixer, you can skip the first rising. I do the Bosch for 4 minutes and then warm my convection oven for a minute and turn off, put the dough in the bread pan and press down (no need to shape the dough as you mentioned) – then put in the slightly warm oven for 45 minutes to rise (until 1/2 inch above pan, then bake for 30. I also put the yeast in the Bosch first with very warm water and honey and let sit 5 minutes, then add flour on top, then oil and salt. I’ve been making bread for 12 years, never fails, thought you might find it helpful to save some time! 🙂 I did try your recipe with honey, it was delicious!
I know I’m late to the party but 2 provings (risings) are essential for the perfect bread! The first rise is for height & the second is for the flavour. You can skip one of the proving cycles & still get a decent loaf but do both & you have an amazing loaf.
I have been using your white sandwich bread recipe for over a year and I love it so much! It is my family’s favorite! Thank you for making a “small batch” recipe. So many other recipes out there make like 6 loaves at a time and I just don’t have the mixer capacity for that sort of thing.
Thanks, Amber!
So good! But BEWARE, if you have a standard kitchen aid, this recipe will not fit in your 6.5qt mixer (or smaller) this makes SO much dough! I made 1- 14” x 4.5” and 2- 8”x4” loaves! I had to stop and divide my mix into two bowls and keep going. But now that I know this, I can adjust in the future. This bread is great! Just be sure not to add too much flour or your dough will be tough. Mine took all 7 cups and was perfect, but I live in a very humid and hot area. Thanks for this recipe!
My family loves this bread. I’m thrilled it makes two loaves. With 8 people still living at home the first loaf is just for bread and butter out of the oven. It’s gone almost immediately ! My only question is what can I be doing wrong? I end up adding almost 2 more cups of flour than what is called for to get the right consistency. Other than that it’s my go to bread recipe these days.
Hey Jennifer – as long as the bread dough isn’t super stiff, it’s totally fine to have to add more flour. So much depends on elevation, humidity (if it’s raining or sunny, etc). It’s more important to focus on the texture of the dough vs the exact amount of flour and if the bread is turning out amazing, you should be good!
Ok, this bread recipe is so easy! BUT, if you have a standard KA mixer, you will probably overflow your bowl! Lol half way through kneading, I took half the dough out and finished kneading each half separately. This made one huge loaf (I think the pan is 14”X4”) and 2 smaller loafs, roughly 8.5”X4”. It’s on the second proof now, but looks excellent so far! I spend so much money on sandwich bread, so I hope my kids will eat this instead! Thanks for sharing.
Made the bread last night. It makes two really big loaves or two regular and one orange swirl loaf heehee
Made another batch today by request. Two regular one cinnamon babka. Yum. Love it. Come to think of it. I MUST love it. It’s 93 humid and hot as heck in Texas and I have my oven on!
Thanks a ton!! This really is super duper yum!
Excellent recipe. The bread is better than i expected as most recipes want you to use milk so i was surprised seeing water which i like better since we do not use dairy. Thank you for posting this recipe. Just wanted to say this again and mention I am not the same as the larry a few comments down who was commenting and defending Bert who was absolutely rude. So i will now go by Larry B so i am not confused with the other Larry who defends rude people.
EXCELLENT RECIPE
Excellent recipe. The bread is better than i expected as most recipes want you to use milk so i was surprised seeing water which i like better since we do not use dairy. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Can I make this in the dough cycle of my bread machine?
As long as your bread machine is big enough to fit the quantity of dough, it should work ok.
Awesome loaf, and so easy! My family approves. 🙂
Backstory: I love Grandma Sycamore’s bread but living in Texas for the last 10 years makes my indulgence in the soft, fluffy cloud of carbiness few and far between. Also, I have never been a great bread maker.
And THEN! I was trying to think of a fun way to teach my kids about the miracle of the loaves and fishes to show just how difficult and time consuming it is to make just 2 loves of bread let alone enough for 5000! My first thought was to search your site for a recipe because deep in my heart I knew you would have something perfect. Our family then discussed the Bible story and set out to complete this difficult task of turning flour and water into something amazing. Thankfully, the 2 1/2 hours of hands-off time letting the dough rise and cook was very difficult for my 11 and 8 year old, because the actual making of the bread was the easiest and greatest experience with yeast I have ever encountered. It was the perfect object lesson.
Then we ate it. Mel, this is seriously the best loaf of white bread I have ever eaten. It has the perfect texture and flavor. And I’m just going to say it right now, it’s better than Grandma Sycamore’s. Just know you’ve created the perfect storm of the easiest AND most delicious bread. It didn’t feed 5,000 but I might be making this at least 4,999 times.
Thank you for sharing this!!!
Thank you so much, Erika! I was reading your comment like a novel – so interested about why you chose to make this bread and I LOVED the application to the story of the loaves and fishes in the Bible. What a great object lesson!! Kind of a “why didn’t I think of that with my own kids” moment. Haha. I’m so glad you loved the bread (and I bet your kids won’t forget the experience).
Why would you post a recipe for two loafs? I assume most people, like myself, would just want to try it with one. Thanks for making me do math
Why would you be so rude. Most people, unlike you, are not!
This cannot be a real post! Someone complaining about doing very simple math?! Oh goodness. My loaf is coming out of the oven soon. Fingers crossed!
You assume wrong. Most people don’t bother dirtying the kitchen for one loaf. I always make two at minimum and freeze one for later. Quit being such a troll.
Brenda, you incorrectly assume that Bert assumed wrong.I start with one if it’s the first time I am trying a recipe. I assume that others feel as Bert and I do. Waste not, want not!
I couldn’t help but reply (even though others have already replied)… I understand wanting to maybe try just one loaf the first time around, but honestly, halving a recipe is about the easiest thing ever. What I don’t understand is questioning the person who provided the recipe on why the recipe yields a certain amount. ♀️
I assume we’re all reasonable adults that can do simple math.
Having made this recipe dozens of times, though, I can tell you that you’re going to want that second loaf. This stuff is so good, you’ll go through it fast. My family of three can polish off a loaf in under three days. And that second loaf freezes perfectly if you don’t think you’ll use it up that fast. Do yourself a favor and bake two loaves!
Really a wonderful white bread recipe. My loves came out tall and browned, just delicious.
Omg! I have searched high and low for “the best white bread” recipe and tried others but they always seemed really dense and heavy (and crumbly)… This one is PERFECT! And I do have a bread maker (Zojirushi) and I used it instead of my KitchenAid or by hand. I only use the dough cycle now and I split the dough into two loaves instead of baking it in the machine in the 2lb loaf. It worked great. I put all my wet ingredients in then put the dry with the yeast on top of the flour in a little mound. After the dough was done, (it does have a small rise period, ~10 min, in the machine) I took it out and let it rise in a covered bowl for another 20-30 min, then followed your instructions and put into two pans and let rise again before baking. Turned out very good! Thank you!!
I started diving into the bread-baking world for the first time ever this year. This recipe was the 4th ever try for me and it turned out perfect the first time. I don’t have a mixer and am nervous my food processor won’t work quite as well, so I do it by hand each time. I double the recipe and make it at least weekly now because my neighbors and parents all love it. I haven’t worked out the cost vs store-bought bread, but even if it’s more expensive, I’ll never be buying my sandwich bread again. Thank you for this!!
This is excellent sandwich bread. I made it this week and it turned out perfectly. Rather than freezing the second loaf next time, I’d prefer to cut the recipe in half. Is it as simple as halving all the ingredients? Or is there another adjustment to be made for a single loaf recipe? Thanks.
You should be able to halve everything! Just keep an eye on the flour amount. You may not need quite as much flour.
Thanks. ( BTW: I adopted your “add flour gradually” advice many months ago, and it has vastly improved all my dough-making skills. It really makes a difference!)
can make this in pullman bread (with lid) please help thanks
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure; sorry!
The recipe works fine in one Pullman pan but I don’t use the lid.
This is an amazing recipe!!!
I made this bread last week after going on a long stretch of making only wheat, and my husband’s reaction was something similar to a child being handed a piece of candy. Haha. It was quite a treat, I guess. I have a question about bread pans. I have both the USA and the Chicago metallic pans and they bake differently. The Chicago metallic takes usually 5-10 minutes longer to have the bread baked through, so I’ve had to started covering the loaf with foil during the extra baking time and use my therma pen to make sure I know when it’s done. Have you experienced anything like this? I know they are different metals, so they conduct heat differently, but my naive brain was hoping they would be the same. I thinking I just need to buy another USA pan to keep baking time consistent. Oh darn. 😉
I know what you mean! I’ve noticed the same thing. I have two USA pans and four Chicago Metallic; I often use both of them in the same oven if I’ve doubled this recipe to make four loaves and the USA pans conduct heat differently and usually the bread is done a few minutes sooner. I just keep my eye on it (also use my thermometer to see if the middle of the loaf is about 185-190 degrees) and take out the USA pans a bit sooner if I need to. I’ve been tempted to just upgrade to all USA pans but haven’t done it yet since my Chicago Metallic pans work perfectly fine!
My mom taught me to make amazing bread too, but her recipe makes 4 big loaves, and I haven’t had much luck halving the recipe. Since it’s just me and my little, I have been on the hunt for a smaller yield recipe that stands up to my mom’s recipe… And I found it!!! This recipe fit perfectly in my Bosch compact mixer, and the results were gorgeous, and delicious. I used bread flour. That’s what I had on hand. I have nothing bad to say about it. I’ll use this recipe again and again. Thank you for sharing.
I am trying the Paleo/Keto diet and want to know if I can us Coconut or Almond flour in place of the ALL Purpose Flour..
I don’t believe that will work – but I haven’t tried it. This recipe has been tested using flour with gluten – subbing in a flour without gluten won’t produce the same result, unfortunately.
Best white bread recipe ever!!!! So simple and so easy. I made it with “00” italian flour and everything organic. Load 1 didn’t make the whole cool down phase before it disappeared. This was exactly what my family wanted…this recipe is going into my saved favorites. I hope load 2 makes it until the morning….THANKS….
5 STARS
Hi there, this recipe seems like exactly what I’m looking for. However, I don’t have and can’t afford a mixer. Is it possible to make this without the mixer? I’m assuming yes, but I’m such a newbie that I’m afraid to attempt. If you wouldn’t mind, how would I substitute hand kneading for the mixer? Any advice will be appreciated. 🙂
This is my favourite white sandwich bread recipe. I have made it countless times by hand. Google “how to knead bread by hand” and you will have lots of little videos to watch from and learn. The bread will be delicious.
This is the perfect white bread recipe. It is very easy and the taste is wonderful. You actually have enough salt in this recipe that makes it excellent as far as flavor goes. I recommend this to anyone desiring to make great sandwich bread. Every time I give bread to someone they ask for my recipe. Thanks Mel.
I was wanting to ask you on different types of yeast, I’ve never used a Lotta used that you just stir in.
So when you’re talking about yeast and making this Bread are you talking about the quick baking yeast? Quick rise yeast?
I also wondered if you knew where someone could get a bread cloth?
Are that I could make one somehow I would just like to have one that would be easy to use,
I’ve made a lot of potato bread and I really like that but I do you like the sandwich bread better, my mother grew up making potato bread, but it’s two dance for me, Would you consider making a video of this recipe? Thank you so much for taking time to read my comment, I making your bread tonight. I’ll check back and let you know but I think it will turn out good I liked it as oil in it. Thank you so much
I use instant yeast for this recipe. I’ve heard before that instant yeast and quick rise yeast can be used interchangeably. Good luck if you try this! I use plain white kitchen towels for covering the bread (but have never made my own).
I buy tea towels from Walmart they’re very very lightweight and work wonders for bread. They come in a package of six I think and I not only use it for that I use it to make Jun and kombucha
Wow ! Looks yumm … how much is the cup measurement ? Or is it possible for you to give me the flour weight in grams ? Thanks wil try out and comment soon
It’s about 30-35 ounces flour (I’m not sure how that converts to grams but there are a lot of free online conversion calculators).
I made the bread with this recipe and it turned out AMAZING…. this is exactly the kind mastery I was trying to reach. It’s soft and airy; it tastes perfect. No strong yeast smell, just perfect blend of everything. This is one recipe that can pass through generations.
Gorgeous loaf
Hello I was wondering if I can use this recipe in a bread maker ?
I haven’t tried because I don’t have a bread maker – sorry!
Made two beautifully perfect and delicious loaves of bread! Did not change one thing!
I’ve made this a couple times and it is, hands down, the best bread I have ever made. It holds up for more than one day, its texture is outstanding, and it still works even without any salt in it. Thank you and thank your mom!
I am so excited to make this! How does the bread compare when using sugar or using honey, other than the healthiness factor? Does one turn out much different than the other? Thanks!
It turns out about the same!
Honey seems to make a more rosey glow. A.k.a browning. Sugar feeds the yeast as does the honey but thru 40 years of baking, ive found yeast responds a but more to honey vs sugar. Mostly the sweets are for the yeast so. In the end, if you want less sugar in the bread, make a hole in the middle of the flour and add your liquids to the hole, then your yeast. Let the yeast proof there until really bubbly then mix. That gives the yeasty beasties more acces to the initial sugar and theyll eat more. Hope that helps
Anna
Delicious.
This is my new “go-to” recipe for bread. It was easy to follow the recipe and it turned out perfect. I am new to bread making but you can’t tell by how this turned out. I have only one loaf pan so I made one loaf and one that was the French bread roll style. Both amazing!
Great job, Clydia!
Mine turned out really flaky and crumbly how do I avoid this in the future. Total bread novice here.
Hi Laura, what was the texture of your dough before baking? If the baked bread is dry and crumbly, it often means the dough was overfloured.
Thank I will try again but it’s was sticky before. So I don’t know. Just have to try again
This bread is gorgeous! Fluffy on the inside & has a chewy moreish crust! The smell when its cooking is to die for♡
This recipe is a no fail delicious bread, I will definitely make it again and again!
Thank you for such a fabulous recipe, I love it!
I absolutely love the taste of this bread however every time I make it it is really really sticky! I have added up to a full cup of flour more than the recipe calls for and it is still sticky. Do you have any suggestions? Could the temperature of the water affect that or how long I knead it for?
Hi Brooke. Mel is out of town, but I will make sure she responds to this when she gets back. She is the bread expert for sure :). In the meantime if you want to make it again, just keep adding flour until it isn’t sticky. Even if it quite a bit more than the recipe calls for. Flour is so variable based on how people measure, humidity, elevation, etc.
Hi Brooke, do you live at high altitude or toward sea level? So many factors contribute to the exact amount of flour used, but it’s ok if you need to add more flour. If you’ve been using really warm water, try using lukewarm water and see if that helps.
This is my situation too. I recently started to bake bread again after a many years break. I have followed a number of recipes and I have found the same thing. I add the flour suggested in the recipe and then a bit more and the description of what the dough should be like, is not even close. I live in Seattle so very low elevation and pretty high humidity, so that is probably the reason.
But I have had a very interesting outcome. I decided to dump the dough, more like thick batter, into the oiled bowl and let rise. I don’t hand knead it, I let the dough hook do it. Them when I form the loaves I use extra flour on the counter and my hands and I handle it gingerly. And even though it isn’t at all a stiff dough, it turns out very well! Today I had planned to just keep adding flour until it wasn’t sticky, but I ran out of flour after about 7.5 cups! So I went with it. Luckily it worked.
I have used this recipe over and over again. It is perfect every time!
I’ve been making this bread 2-3 times a week! It’s hands down the BEST! I haven’t bought bread since making this the first time. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
Amazing bread. I make about 4 loaves a week. My family just loves this bread. I will no longer buy bread from a store again.
Hi Mel! So many of your other recipes have turned out great for me, but I think I need a little advice on this one. When I sliced the first piece of this bread it looked and smelled great, and the only thing I noted was that it might need a little more rising and baking time next time. The end pieces tasted great but by the time I got to the third piece in, the bread smelled and tasted strongly of yeast.
Any idea why the yeast would be so strong? And any suggestions on what I can do with the yeasty tasting bread?
Excited to try it again!
Hi Elise, what type/brand of yeast did you use? You can try cutting the yeast down (even by half), just keeping in mind the rising times will be longer and the bread might not be quite as light and fluffy.
40+ yr baking vet. If you put the initial 3 c of flour in the bowl, make a crater in the flour then add your liquids in the hole along w you yeast and let the yeast bubble in the hole for 10 min, take a spoon and mix the liquids w tge yeadt to mske sure there are no yeast nuggets THEN. Start the mixer, thst should help evenly distribute the yeast throughout the dough. I had that happen to me on my first breads too.
Try that and see if it helps. It helped me. 🙂
I really want to make this bread sounds delicious , but only have 9×5 baking pans , would I make 2 two loaves instead of three for this recipe, also have a kitchen aide stand mixer 600 series would I still kneed this on level 2
I’ve never made this in a Kitchen Aid so you’ll need to experiment with speeds. I think you could use 9X5-inch pans for this recipe just fine (it makes very large loaves).
Yes on the Kitchen Aide and yes on 9 x 5 pan….rises an inch and a half over bread pan….just more to LOVE
did you make the bread in the 9×5 pans? That’s what I have as well and I don’t want to try it if the bread doesn’t work in that size pan..
thanks
I was always afraid to try yeast bread. I finally tried your French bread recipe (in my KA) and it was amazing! Just made the white bread recipe and it was perfect! So yummy! I love knowing exactly what is in there! Thank you for giving my the confidence to just do it!
Way to go, Dawn! So proud of you!
Hello,
I recently came across one of your receips on Pinterest which led me to reading your bread recipes on your website needless to say I am in love with so many of them! I received a bread machine for Christmas this past year and I’m wondering if you recipes can be utilized inbread machines?
Nicole
Hi Nicole – that’s a great question, but unfortunately I’m not 100% positive since I’ve never used a bread machine. If the quantities in the recipes match up with the quantities of a typical bread machine recipe for your size of machine, they might stand a good of working.
Can you give me an idea of the weight of the finished batch, or each loaf? Thanks! I’d like to try some modifications, and that info would really help!
My loaves usually end up about 30-31 ounces each.
I would like to try this recipe and if you don’t mind me asking will you taste the sugar or it is mild. I made an Amish bread which was quite sweet so looking to make a bread that is not as sweet. Thank you.
It’s fairly sweet in my opinion. Not Kings Hawaiian Sweet, but sweeter than your average sandwich white bread I would say.
This bread does not have an overly sweet flavor.
Excellent bread recipe, easy to follow .I have made the one pot,no knead bread recipe by Mark Bittman, also great. Your recipe is now my favorite!
Thank you . Sharon from Ottawa ,Ontario,Canada
Thanks, Sharon!
I’ve made this many times. It’s foolproof (for me, so far) and versatile, and I’ve used the dough to make cinnamon rolls and pizza crust that have been quite tasty. It’s a popular item whenever I make it. Thanks for the recipe and great directions.
Best white bread recipe I’ve made so far! 🙂
Hi Mel, I am excited to try this recipe. Could you tell me if I would use the same amount of dry active yeast or if I need to convert and if so how much?
Yes, you can use the same amount – just proof it in a few tablespoons of warm water first until it is bubbly and foaming.
Thanks so much! I made it and my husband went nuts! It is so good!! I made French toast and later grilled cheese with it and it was amazing!!
love your recipe for white sandwich bread but my dough does not get to cohesive ball that clear the bottom and sides of bowl. Dough sticks to everything. Help, could it be that I’m not kneading enough?
Sounds like you need to try adding more flour until it does form a ball and isn’t over sticky. Keep adding flour gradually and it should come together!
I’m new to making homemade bread but I’m annoyed that I can’t find one that is sturdy. It doesn’t have to be as sturdy as store bought but I find I typically have to cut slices twice as big so they don’t fall apart and sometimes they still do. Do you find that this recipe is able to cut in thin slices? Or do you have any tips on something I may be doing wrong?
Hey Katie – try not to let the bread rise too long in the pans before baking. That can create an airy, fall-apart texture. I find this bread is super sturdy! Easy to cut into slices.
I just tried this and have made it twice in the last three days it’s such a hit! I only have one loaf pan, so I take the second loaf and split it into 15 rolls in a 9×13 and bake at the same time for five minutes fewer.
My kids and husband declared we no longer need to buy store bread or King’s Hawaiian rolls, because these are better. WOO HOO!
Awesome idea to transition part of this into rolls!
Spectacular taste and texture!
My 9 year old has been asking “can we ever just have white bread?!” I’m taking a parenting class encouraging me to connect individually with each of my children. So I’ve got this one in the oven now so I can deliver a sandwich on white bread for him to eat during play practice break. He’ll thank you!
On all your breads you instruct to move the dough to a bowl to rise. Any reason it can’t just rise in the Bosch?
Thanks!
You are a good momma, Natalie! I love this so much! And as for rising, you can leave it in the Bosch if there’s room for it to rise. but I find the dough is less sticky if I let it rise in a greased bowl. And also, it’s just habit for me to do that. 🙂
He exclaimed “it’s just like Subway!” All four boys went crazy over the white bread! Sandwiches, plain, spread with Nutella…. it was gone in 24 hours. Both loaves. A couple made it to sandwiches in the freezer (my school morning life saver!) Thank you!
Haha. 🙂
This bread turned out amazing!!! I have tried tons of bread recipes, this one is the best, by far. I make bread a few times a month for school lunches and my husband’s lunch, I hadn’t found a recipe to stick with. I think this is the one!!! I’m thrilled!! Thank you!!
Do you use bread flour or regular flour?
I use unbleached all-purpose flour.
We made the recipe and it’s good, but the crust was not as…crusty as expected. We did leave it in the pans for too long, so we’ll try it again.
Your website is very annoying. It’s obvious you’re trying to make money from your blog, as there are ads all over this page (14 ads, in total!). Also, put a link at the top that lets you skip to the recipe.
Thanks.
This is a really rude, entitled comment. If you don’t like the website, stop visiting. Seems simple enough to me.
Umm,, rude. And good for her for making $ at what she has a passion for. If you don’t like it, go elsewhere. Also, white bread is not….crusty….but you sure are.
This is my first time baking bread and I’m so pleased! This is a fantastic recipe and bonus points for it being so easy!
I know you use a different mixer but maybe you know the answer. I use a kitchen aid stand mixer on level 2 and it takes a long time to incorporate all the flour into the dough without me scraping the sides. Am I supposed to scrape or just let is slowly mix in? I think my mixer started to burn out (smelled a bit funny) by the time I was done kneading.
I don’t use my KitchenAid very often to make bread, but when I do, scraping down the sides really helps and helps the dough come together faster (but again, I’m definitely not an expert with making bread in the KA!)
5 stars! I forgot to rate it on my last comment.
I just made this recipe. I am a novice bread Baker and this turned out FANTASTIC! So soft on the inside. If I can do this anyone can. I am wanting to attempt making bread for my family to be confident of the ingredients. This will be my go-to recipe for our bread! Love it! In your spare time would you update the recipe with the weights you use? Thank you for sharing this gem of a recipe.
I second the request for weight measurements! These loaves came out amazing last night – thank you!!
Hi Elizabeth and Corrinne – I hardly ever give exact weight measures for the flour in bread recipes because it can differ (sometimes pretty widely) based on so many factors. Even with this recipe, I find that sometimes I have to add a bit more or a bit less depending on the day. However, if it helps, I always use about 5 ounces of flour per cup. So the range for this recipe would be somewhere between 32.5 and 37.5 ounces. 🙂
Hi Mel – I am a cooking teacher with only 1 hour per day per period with my students. Can we make the dough, let I ride for one hour and then refrigerate it to finish the following day? Thank you!
Hi Becky – you should be able to do that, although I’d recommend putting it in the fridge before it rises and then taking it out in time to let it rise completely (so maybe that would mean taking it out before class starts??)
Made this yesterday (first time making bread!!) and it was DELICIOUS! My loaves were huge! How do I freeze it?!
I let it cool completely, slide each loaf into a bread bag, tie it closed and freeze it that way (press out as much air as possible from the bag without squishing the bread).
It truly is the best white sandwich bread recipe I’ve tried. The kids really enjoyed it. I recently got a new oven, hadn’t made homemade bread in 3 months and my blessed children(and the husband) were starting to turn on the store stuff. This one is a keeper.
Thank You
By far the best white bread recipe I have ever come by! So soft big and fluffy so easy to make as well. Thanks sooooo much ! ❤️
Thank for the easy and awesome recipe me and my husband made this bread and we are so pleased thank you. Love and blessings The Johnsons
The flavor is really great, especially for white bread. I live at high altitude, so my proof to oven shape on the loaf ended up a little wonky. Who cares? I’m gonna eat it, not put it in a museum. Definitely will be making again.
Just put my first rise in the oven (proof oven). Can’t wait to see how they bake up. I love finding recipes, hoping this becomes my go to for white bread! I used my Kitchen Aide it worked great, I do however, have the 1.3 hp. It is the commercial one and can stand up to pasta dough without a flinch.
Hello Mel.
Just found your blog the other day and I’m having a blast trying your recipes.
I’d love to stop buying all store bought breads, however my schedule is a bit tricky. I’m wondering if there is a way to start the bread in the morning and finish it in late afternoon.
Can you put it in the refrigerator after making the dough and letting it rise a bit, then finish later?
Yes, you can definitely refrigerate the bread dough until you are ready to let it finish rising and form into loaves!
Never fails the recipe♥️Over and over again almost every week I’m baking it since last year when I discovered.
Thank you!
Hi Mel,
I scrolled through all the comments to see if anyone had asked about preparing the dough in a bread maker, but I didn’t see any comments related to this. I’m a distracted mother of three littles. I’d like to use the bread maker for the dough portion (including rise) then mold them in the bread pan. Have you tried doing this? If not, what would be your recommendation? I’ve done the recipe as written but my mixer struggles towards the end it just does not turn out. Any tips or suggestion would be so much appreciated. Thanks!
I don’t have a bread machine and haven’t ever used one, so unfortunately, I don’t dare give a recommendation. As long as the dough amount fits in your bread machine, you should be able to mix it that way, though. Good luck!
Can you double the white bread recipe?
Yes.
This bread is surprisingly simple to make (thanks for the step-by-step pictures!) and has the perfect texture and it slices so well! It makes our house smell wonderful for hours 🙂
This bread was fantastic! I put cinnamon, raisins and a bit of sugar in the middle and made cinnamon swirl bread. Yum! I also was short on time so I cut out the first rise. I just kneaded, shaped, placed in the pans, let rise, and baked. I’m sure it would benefit from 2 rises, but my bread turned out amazing anyway. It’s a wonderful and adaptable recipe!
Thank you for this recipe! It’s so simple and the bread came out super nice. It’s perfect. I don’t have a mixer or bread maker but doing it by hand wasn’t that big of a deal. I’ve already sliced some up for my lunches at work.
Mel, I have made French bread loaf a few times and it is so delicious I wanted to make it today but I can’t find your recipe on your website
Sorry about that! It’s offline for the next few hours while I update the recipe. Should be up again soon!
I love homemade bread! I’ve tried numerous recipes for various breads over the years. My weakness will always be, white breads… Rather it be rolls, loaves, logs… I’m in. This is a simple, easy to follow recipe, though the bread it produces definitely has that “Grandma’s secret recipe” taste! Thank you for sharing.
I just pulled my first batch out of the oven. If it tastes even half as good as it looks and smells, it will be a family favorite for sure!
My two loaves are in the oven as I am typing this. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the easy recipe.
Question– do you find the loaves, if frozen, get crumbly after being thawed? I’m trying to gauge if I should make extra as I have run into this problem with recipes in the past.
I haven’t noticed they get crumbly after coming out of the freezer (as long as I let them defrost at room temperature vs microwaving to speed up the process).
Cool, thanks!
Mel OMG I a on pins and needles! I thought I would take a look at the Bosh Mixer you mentioned, then I watched the video all I can say is WOW!! For someone who bakes a lot of bread thats better then any bread machine (I tried one once Hated it) The capacity alone is astounding!! The speed absolutely awe inspiring unfortunately I have to wait a month to order it but I will be!!! I make 2-3 dozen loaves a week for my family and my sisters families. The time it will save me is mind boggling. I have a KA and I love it but it falls a bit flat when making some things. (My daughter called dibs when I get the Bosh not sure if I am ready to part with it just yet it does have a ton of attachments I use)
i wanted to make mini loafs of bread and freeze and when i ahve peoepl to dinner give them each a small loaf of bread have you ever done this?i was wondering how long to bake them
I’d probably check the mini loaves after about 18 minutes.
Hi. If I used the USA 10 x 5 x 3 pans, do you think I would need to make much adjustment to the baking times? How much longer do you think I would need to bake?. Thanks. I am preparing. I have a Bosch being delivered next week.
I think the bread would do great in those pans (it makes a really large loaf in the smaller pans and I think would fill up those larger pans just fine). I wouldn’t adjust baking time; should be ok!
Great bread recipe! It’s been years since I’ve made White bread and not just my quick French bread recipe. I used my daughters Bosch machine….Perfect. Thanks for your great tried and true recipe. My husband asked me to please not give any of this batch away. Ha!
This bread is so, so good. Thank you for sharing your mom’s wonderful recipe.
Mel, you have been my go-to gal for so, so many recipes and I’ve been trying to master my yeast bread skills for the last couple of years, with your help. I’ve had much success with rolls and many things but have still struggled with wheat bread. But, I decided to give this white bread a try right away and holy smokes!!! It was so easy!!!! Absolutely perfect loaves with delicious flavor and texture on my first go ’round. I’m about to pop another batch in the oven right now and they look equally good. Thank you, thank you for tutoring me in yeast and helping me give my family so many delicious meals!!
Yay!!!
HI MEL–I’ve made the bread twice and it was delicious…one loaf still in the freezer. I did have a question though: on the yeast: Is it TABLESPOONS? Seems like so much. My first batch–the bread rose up over the pan a bit. Yesterday’s batch–the 2nd rise was huge at 20 minutes. I’ve usually used just 1 packet of instant rise, but this is nearly 3 x as much. Worth it for such amazing and tempting bread, but have you ever used less ?
The measurement in tablespoons is correct, but you could certainly cut down the amount!
The only thing I would add to this is the best way to slice homemade bread is with an electric turkey knife. I worked in a bakery when I was in high school. I spent hours slicing freshly baked bread with an industrial slicer. An electric knife works equally as well. Perfectly sliced bread that isn’t smashed by my kids. Awesome!!
Made this recipe today. First time in 20 years baking white loaf bread. I doubled the recipe as 2 loaves wouldn’t cut it around here. First loaf always goes just for a snack fresh out of the oven, this bread was divine. Thanks for sharing.
The real purpose of this response is to tell you I get my bread bags at Smart and Final. They are called Food and Bread storage bags and easily hold a 1lb. loaf. And you don’t have to buy 1000 at a time!!
Thanks, Jane!
I was very nervous about making this bread recipe. I ordered new bread pans that you recommended and the bread knife and finally found the time to make your recipe today. I have been unsuccessful in the past so with your awesome recipe and instructions, I was SUCCESSFUL in making this very easy but delicious recipe. Thank you so much. Love the bread knife too!!
I’m so happy to hear this, Jennifer!
Mel! I have to tell you that I’ve been eyeing this recipe since you posted it. I’ve been a long time wheat bread maker, but white bread comes more in the form of rolls or cinnamon rolls – things my kids have learned are special treats. For the last couple of months my 5-yr-old has been getting a taste of Grandma Sycamore bread every week and EVERY week he leans over and asks why I can’t make bread as “fresh” as that. Apparently, my wheat bread has nothin on Granny. So, today I decided to regain my title as amazing bread maker and this recipe did not disappoint. Only “oohs” and “ahhs” at dinner and my son told me that my bread was WAY better than that other stuff. Mission accomplished. 🙂 Also, I made one loaf a cinnamon/sugar swirl – so so good. Thanks for saving the day Mel!
Haha, love that! And major bonus points for the cinnamon swirl version!
5 stars. Have had the link saved for this recipe ever since you posted it. Finally got to try it out today. It made 2 gorgeous loaves, one went to a neighbor with sick kids and the other was half gone in 5 minutes between my 3 little kids. Very delicious, was not disappointed and super easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing!! I will be trying your no bake chocolate cheesecake this week as well.
I tried this recipe this week and the bread was wonderful. The taste and texture was great, I especially loved the height of the loaves. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks!
I made this yesterday and it was so so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Mel, loved this bread – turned out perfect as I knew it would because all of your recipes do, especially the yeast recipes. Right when I planned to reduce gluten…….
This is a fantastic bread recipe…and so easy! I’m going to make several batches and freeze it! Thx so much Mel!
Hi Mel! Tried this recipe and it was fluffy! Could I half the recipe foe just one loaf? My standard kitchen aid mixer struggled to mix the dough towards the end. Also, freezing the loaf, do you use a bread bad or is there a certain “technique” I should use when freezing a loaf? Thank you in advance.
Yes, you could definitely halve the recipe. For freezing, I just put the baked and cooled loaf in a bread bag, get as much air out as possible and pop it in the freezer. 🙂
Okay – talk to me about making this recipe into mini loaves. About how many mini loaves would you divide this up into? I have 8 mini loaf pans that are 5 3/4 x 3 x 2 1/8 (it’s printed on the pan, no way would I be that precise with the measurements!). I’m wondering if one loaf would split well into four mini loaves of that size, or if I should go for three mini loaves from one loaf. I will probably experiment one day soon, but just wondered if anyone had tried this yet with this particular recipe. I did make it into regular loaves last week and it’s delicious!
I haven’t made it into mini loaves, but I’d probably split the dough into three mini loaves, not four.
I’ll try it and let you know how it turns out! Would you bake for the same amount of time or shorten the baking time slightly?
I’d probably cut the baking time by a few minutes…a lot will depend on your particular oven and how fast/hot it bakes.
Didn’t fall apart and rose beautifully. Walked in the house after swim lessons and thought yum it smells like rising bread. I had forgotten I made it. Lol
I have tried many white bread recipes and this is by far the best one! We all loved it. Thank you!
Yay!
Made this today – so good! Thank you!
I just made this bread this morning and I am really impressed. I have a little bread baking experience, but I’m no Pro! I must say, It came out beautifully, just like the picture. The crumb, texture and flavor are wonderful. I am going to slice and freeze the second loaf. Tomorrow I believe we will be having french toast for a lovely Sunday morning breakfast. I can’t wait. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Great job, Barbara!
I don’t have a heavy duty stand mixer, so I’d be kneading by hand. Do you know how long the dough should be kneaded? Is it the same 2 minutes as the mixer would do? (I know nothing about bread making, so this may be a dumb question.)
Not a dumb question! You probably want to hand knead it for 4-5 minutes.
I don’t have a stand mixer and make everything by hand. I think it is actually best when you are learning because you learn more about how the dough looks and feels.
If I were making this, in Step 4 after I incorporated enough flour to make it hard to stir, I’d dump it out and start kneading – adding flour to your surface and dough surface no more than 1/4 cup at a time, and in between additions, knead until the dough is sticky and flour cleaned off the counter. STOP adding flour when the dough nearly cleans your hands. I learned from Mel that I probably over-floured for many years 🙂 !!!
Anyway, at the point where the dough is cleaning your hands, continue kneading until it is smooth and elastic. If you get tired but think it needs more just cover and let it rest and then knead a little more before going to step 6.
I totally agree with you, Liz, about making bread by hand to really familiarize yourself with the texture and feel of it. Thanks for your input!
Thank you, mel and liz! I appreciate your suggestions. I am diving into bread baking!
Mel, we tried your Broccoli Cheese Soup (the one with Swiss cheese) last night and loved it!
Oh, yum, I LOVE that soup!
If I wanted to do half all purpose flour and half white whole wheat would I need to make any other changes to the recipe?
Nope, just keep an eye on the flour level so the dough doesn’t get too stiff (whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than white flour).
I’ve made it twice now and it turned out perfect both times. My kids “showed off” at lunch with their sandwiches I hear, and are so disappointed when I haven’t made home made bread. Oh boy, I need to limit their homemade white bread eating now! You’ve got them hooked! 🙂
Haha, love this!
This is very similar to the “recipe” I use (really it’s just a guideline). Only I’ll sub in bacon fat if I have it. It adds just a bit of flavor and makes for a crispier crust. When it’s done just right the crust will “talk” to you as its cooling. You can hear the crackling. It’s so good! It also lends itself well to making crusty rolls. Just for fun we’d take some of the dough and make “crazy buns”, rolling out long ropes, twisting them up and placing them in greased muffin tins. Makes for lots of great crevasses for butter and jam.
Beautiful loaves, Mel!
re freezing. I bake for 1. I do have freezer space but I mostly bake a loaf at a time and I slice (when completely cool) and then freeze slices. I use parchment paper to separate/wrap and then into a zip bag. I do this with artisanal crusty breads as well as with the Quinoa-whole wheat. To thaw, a brief time on the counter and maybe a light toasting works for sandwiches, otherwise normal toast with the “frozen” setting. This works well for me and my rate of consumption vs a family which would go through a loaf in a sitting 🙂
Hi Mel, similar to my recipe and yes there is something special about plain white homemade bread. A suggestion or two for bags if people don’t want so many. My sister lives close to a Dillon’s (Kroger) store and they still sell gallon plastic bags that are not zippered. She bought me some and they are nice, so it might be worth checking other stores also. I just sweet talked the bakery manager into selling me a couple dozen or their bread bags, which do when I checked come a thousand at a time. Depending on the store, this might also work for others who aren’t sure yet how many bags they will want. Also, I have occasionally cut loaves of bread in half before bagging them to give away or freeze. This is especially handy for folks who live alone and might not use a full loaf.
Great tips!
I’ve been making your quinoa bread, I just made this bread and it is delicious! Thank you so much for sharing all your recipes.
Happy you loved it!
My husbands jaw is going to drop when he sees white bread. I only make wheat bread and he enjoys it, but I know his heart belongs to white. Also, do you know why the ingredients list does not show up in reader view?
Hi Kayla – that’s strange. Are you on an iPad or other tablet?
I am on an iPhone. I use it frequently while making your recipes and this is the first one I have noticed. It has everything before and after the ingredients, but the list of ingredients and amounts is missing.
That is really strange, Kayla. I just checked on my iPhone and my husband’s and I can see the ingredients. Try clearing the browser cache/history on your phone; hopefully that will do the trick!
Yum! My recipe is very similar. I don’t make it too often as is, but I sometimes make it, roll out each loaf, cover with cinnamon sugar, and then roll it into a loaf, let rise and bake. It makes great cinnamon bread, and feels a little healthier than cinnamon rolls (like it can actually be breakfast), but still a treat!
Yum!
You work so hard for all of us! Thank you! I too make whole wheat bread but I love a good white bread too. This bread looks delicious. I wish my loaves looked as good as yours. You are the best.
Thanks, Susanne. 🙂
This bread looks amazing!
Thank you so much for the menu plan and grocery list you sent in the email newsletter! Grocery shopping was a cinch, and I know what to say when my kids ask, “What’s for dinner?” You’re the best!!!
Thanks, Kristi! So happy the menu plan was helpful!
How do you make such perfect slices of bread-I am a true fan of your blog-you & the blog are awesome-I can’t figure out how to make the slices evenly & look like yours.
Thanks for all the time you put into posting the recipes. I read your food blog regularly & refer to it often.
Maybe part practice, but I think a lot of it has to do with this super inexpensive but amazing bread knife I got a year or so ago. The long blade design makes for even, neat slices. (I just updated the post with the info – I meant to and forgot so thanks for reminding me!).
https://www.amazon.com/Rada-Cutlery-Aluminum-Handle-10-Inch/dp/B000H24H1O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487653128&sr=8-1&keywords=rada+bread+knife
Mel, I love your blog. I am reading your recipe for white bread. How much should each loaf weigh if using the size of bread pan you use?
Thank you,
Janalee Bernardo
It will depend on the exact flour amount but these are a thick loaves – usually weighing about 32-34 ounces each.
Thank you
Bread is my favorite thing to bake (cookies run a close second). I too try and make bread with whole wheat or multi grains …however there are times when NOTHING but a delicious loaf of white bread will do. I’ll definitely be trying your Mom’s recipe-thanks so much for sharing it. And I’m still working on making your Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread too. Good grief-there are SOOO many delicious bread recipes I want to try…I have to use restraint. We’re empty nesters, my freezer will only hold so many 4 slice packets of different breads and if I DID make all the recipes I’m dying to try and ate them? I think my scale would explode. SO not fair. 😉
Haha, I know what you mean! How will I ever try all the bread recipes I want to? 🙂
A good homemade sandwich bread recipe is hard to come by! We’ll definitely be trying this out soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
This bread looks amazing Mel!! I have been looking for a good white sandwich bread recipe and thanks for posting this 🙂
This looks very similar to the bread recipe my dad made all the time when I was growing up. He would make it by hand (great for taking out frustration!!) in big batches, 8 loaves at a time. As I got older, he made more and more wheat bread, but white bread is always special, and a reminder of childhood. I was a bread snob too ;). Thank you for the recipe. This is the site I always check first when I need a no-fail recipe for pretty much anything!
Wow, 8 loaves at a time by hand? That’s amazing! Isn’t that funny how something like a loaf of {white} sandwich bread can be so nostalgic? That’s the same for me.
Mel, can this be made gluten free also?
Great question, Donna, but I’m not sure. You might be better off looking for a bread recipe that’s been developed to be gluten-free, like this one on my friend Nicole’s gluten-free site: https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/quick-sandwich-bread/
We don’t eat a lot of bread anymore… When we do, we want white, fluffy, no nutritional value bread such as that which was on every grocery shelf growing up and into our adult lives.. Yup… We are in our 70’s and try our best to find the kind of bread we used to crush into a little bread balls and throw at our siblings when mom had her back turned.. Every time we choose a loaf in our various markets, we love the first few slices and then, suddenly, the rest turns hard…grrrrrr… I’m not much of a baker but, I will try to make this..
Wish it was for a single loaf as we won’t get through a loaf of any bread in a week…
You can freeze it
Hi Ross, your comment made me giggle as I remember doing the same thing with the old-fashioned Wonder bread my mom would sometimes buy. You can freeze these loaves and they are great once thawed out of the freezer.
Thank you Mel and Barb about freezing.. We do freeze bread but, we have an apartment sized fridge and it gets crammed…1st world problems.. ;o)
Wonder bread rocked but, it has changed along with lots of things.. :O)
Looks great! And those bags look good, too! I’ve just been (re)using produce bags and they don’t fit as well.
This looks similar to my mom’s recipe, which is also delicious, but it gets a bit crumbly so it’s not the best sandwich bread. Does this crumble much?
Also, I’m wanting some new kitchen scissors, and i think you’ve posted before your favorite kitchen tools – is that right? Could you give me a recommendation for kitchen scissors? And I’m actually wondering if my current ones were sharpened, they’d be just fine. Maybe I should invest in a sharpener instead?
Thank you for all your hard work and passion for cooking and sharing with the world! I’ve turned to your website almost daily for years. Love your style – not too impractical or fancy! Just my style! Thanks so much!!
Hey Abby – I’ve never tried sharpening my kitchen scissors, but that’s probably a good idea! These are the kitchen scissors I have:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050U240O/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also, I forgot to answer but no, this bread isn’t crumbly. It actually stays really soft as long as it isn’t overfloured.
Thank you Mel!! I’ll be trying it out this weekend!!
You are a great Lady chef. I am lucky and happy to follow your recepies.
Could I mix this dough under the “dough” setting of my bread machine? Yes, I am that lazy.
Haha, not lazy, just practical! I get it. I don’t have a bread machine, so I can’t say for sure…but as long as the quantities fit (without overflowing), it should work fine. 🙂
I was similar as a kid, white bread was a treat. I love whole wheat bread now though. However, my kids love white bread so I’ll have to try this recipe for a “treat” for them. Thanks Mel!
Sounds like us! This is definitely a treat…for my kids AND me!