There’s something incredibly satisfying about making a loaf of homemade sandwich bread from scratch. Soft, fluffy, and sturdy enough to hold your favorite fillings, it’s the kind of everyday recipe that turns a simple lunch into something special.
We love using it for everything from classic deli sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwich to hearty homemade lunches. Try it with my Beef Barbacoa Sandwich for a warm, comforting meal, or pair it with my creamy Salmon Salad Sandwich or Shrimp Salad Sandwich when you’re craving something light and fresh.
What is sandwich bread?
Sandwich bread is a soft, enriched yeast bread made with ingredients like flour, butter, and a small amount of sugar to create a tender crumb and thin crust. Unlike rustic artisan loaves, sandwich bread is designed to slice evenly and stay soft for several days, making it ideal for everyday lunches, toast, grilled cheese, and meal prep.
Its balanced texture is what makes it so versatile, it’s sturdy enough to hold generous fillings without falling apart while remaining light and soft with every bite.
Why you’ll love this bread
- Keep it concise and practical:
- Beginner-friendly foolproof with easy-to-follow steps
- Soft, fluffy slices that stay fresh for days
- Made with simple pantry ingredients
- Perfect for sandwiches, toast, and French toast
- Freezes beautifully for meal prep
Ingredients Needed
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of the bread. If you need gluten-free ingredients, use your favorite 1:1 gluten-free flour.
- Active Dry Yeast: This creates a chemical reaction that makes the bread rise, which is what gives it the soft interior you love.
- Sugar: Interacts with the yeast to help the bread rise.
- Salt: Enhances all the other flavors to make it taste better.
- Warm Water: Lukewarm water is better for creating the perfect environment for the yeast to bubble up so the bread rises.
- Olive Oil: The fat in the olive oil tenderizes the bread so it’s softer.
How To Make A Sandwich Bread
Step 1: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. That’s the flour (four cups, reserve the remaining one cup for later), yeast, sugar, and salt. Give the dry ingredients a good mix using the hook attachment at medium speed. You will want to make sure that the yeast-sugar-salt ingredients are evenly distributed along the flour content.
Step 2: While the mixer is still running, add in water and oil slowly and simultaneously. The dough will be very sticky at this point.
Step 3: Now, you can start adding the remaining cup of flour in three parts. A third, a third, and a third until done and the dough is no longer sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Knead for 4-5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Step 4: Transfer to a large oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to double its size for good results on your sandwich bread. This should take about half an hour. Alternatively, you can proof the dough in your Instant Pot on the yogurt setting for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Give the dough a good punch to deflate. Then transfer to a lightly floured surface. Form it into a ball and cut it into half using a knife or bench scraper. Form each half into a loaf or football shape without overworking the dough.
Step 6: Place in a greased or line loaf pan and allow the dough to rise until it reaches the rim of the pan.
Step 7: Bake for 40 minutes at 400F degrees. Avoid opening the oven to check. Turn the oven light on instead to see through the glass door, or open it very slightly and briefly if you need to check. When done, transfer the loaf of sandwich bread to a cooling rack.
Step 8: If you are opting for the topping, brush butter on top of the loaf while it is still hot, then sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning and/or sesame seeds.
Let the bread cool off before slicing it.
Silvia’s tips
I’ve made this loaf many times over the years, and these are the little details that consistently produce the best results:
- Let the dough rise until it crowns about an inch above the loaf pan before baking. Under-proofing creates a dense loaf, while over-proofing can cause it to collapse.
- Resist adding too much flour while kneading. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky, not dry.
- For the cleanest slices, allow the bread to cool completely before cutting. Slicing while it’s still warm compresses the crumb and releases moisture.
Storing
Store the cooled loaf in an airtight container or bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, slice the loaf first, then freeze the slices in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Freezing individual slices makes it easy to thaw only what you need.
More Bread Recipes To Try Next
Quick Sandwich Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Two Loaf Pans
Ingredients
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Topping
- 1 tbsp butter (optional)
- 2 tbsp everything bagel seasoning or sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add in four cups of flour (reserve remaining one cup). Also add in yeast, sugar and salt. Using the hook attachment mix to combine the dried ingredients.
- Slowly but simultaneously add in warm water and oil. Keep mixer going on medium as you add the water and oil. The dough will be very sticky.
- Add in the remaining cup of flour in three parts, as the mixer runs on medium speed. Knead for 4-5 minutes until dough is smooth.
- Transfer to a greased large bowl. Cover wil damp towel and let the dough rise until it doubles the size (about half hour). Alternatively you can proof the dough in your instant pot on yogurt setting for 15 minutes.
- Punch the dough to deflate it down. Then transfer to a lightly floured counter. Form into a ball then cut in two equal size parts. Roll it slightly without overworking the dough to form into a loaf shape.
- Place each loaf in an greased or lined loaf pan and let it rise until dough reaches the rim of the pan.
- Bake at 400F degrees for 40 minutes. When done transfer to a cooking rack.
- If you are adding the everything bagel seasoning or sesame seeds (its optional), while the bread is still warm brush top of loaf with butter then sprinkle the seeds.
- Let the bread cool before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you have a quick bread recipe that doesn’t call for a mixer ( I do not have one)
Thanks
Hi Marilyn! you can knead any bread by hand, its more work but totally doable. I actually didn’t have a mixer until 2 years ago, and before that I would make by hand and always worked.
I did this complete recipe by hand no mixer needed. I just did 12 minutes of kneading instead of 10 😊🙌🏻
Do you think the baking instructions/time would change at all if making in one pullman loaf pan instead of two regular loaf ones?
Did you attempt this? because i have the same question
I did it in my Pullman and it worked great!
That’s great Dawn, happy to hear!
Delicious bread! Makes wonderful sandwiches and toast. I made a half recipe last night. For those who wondered, it can be done. The amounts are easy to calculate by half. However, I found that I didn’t need a full 2.5 cups of flour half of the 5 cups required to make 2 loaves). I think I used about 2 1/4 cups of flour altogether. I had reserved a half cup of flour (the full recipe says to reserve 1 cup), and then I added about half of that to the dough in my mixer. That was enough. When I baked the loaf, I put a few ice cubes onto a hot cookie sheet in my oven. I think that made the loaf crustier. I also put an egg white/water wash on top of the loaf, and added sesame seeds, BEFORE baking it. The bread came out high and beautiful, with great crumb. Saving to my favorites!
That is just so wonderful to hear Nancy. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and sharing your feedback!
Will it work with whole wheat flour?
Sure it will. You can use any flour
Love this easy bread recipe. I used organic flour and honey instead of sugar, and added herb & garlic Mrs dash with added sesame seeds to the tops of my bread. P.S. I DID THIS ALL BY HAND. No mixer needed.
Perfection!
Oh that sounds delicious, so glad you liked my quick bread recipe Leticia!! xoxo