Easy Soft Sandwich Bread in a Loaf Pan (For Beginners)

Name: Easy Soft Sandwich Bread in a Loaf Pan (For Beginners)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 165 min
Ingredients: 400 grams all-purpose flour; 8 grams salt; 7 grams instant yeast ((see notes for active dry yeast)); 236 grams warm water ((90°F)); 20 grams olive oil; 8 grams honey

4.84 from 36 votes

Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— February 27, 2024 — 69 Comments

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Making a homemade loaf of soft white sandwich bread is so easy, and this foolproof recipe makes a single loaf of bread using just six easy-to-find ingredients. It's a simple dairy-free and egg-free dough that comes together quickly whether you knead it in your mixer or knead it by hand. I've included instructions for both kneading options in my step-by-step instructions below!

a cross-section of a loaf of white sandwich bread.

This classic white sandwich bread is a taste of nostalgia, reminiscent of childhood lunches and cozy mornings; made with love at home in your kitchen. The finished loaf is wonderfully soft inside with a thin, light golden brown crust, perfect for slicing and sandwiches.

Try serving this soft white sandwich bread with my deli tuna salad or creamy yellow smashed egg salad. I love using it to make cacio e pepe eggs in a basket too, though it's also great with some fresh homemade butter!

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About This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Instructions
Kneading By Hand
Equipment Notes
Storage Notes & Freezing
Practical Tips and Recipe Notes
Recipe FAQ
TL;DR — Recipe Summary
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💬 Comments

About This Recipe

I am so, so excited to be sharing this recipe for a classic soft homemade sandwich bread with you. I've got lots of homemade bread recipes on my site (including the airy, floury soft-baked ciabatta recipe that this sandwich bread dough is based on), but most of them are higher hydration doughs that don't use a mixer or aren't kneaded by hand.

With this recipe, I wanted to give you the kind of bread-making experience most people think of when picturing making bread from scratch. You're kneading the dough, you're dusting it with flour, you're shaping it by hand, and you're baking it in a loaf pan. And it's a foolproof beginner-friendly bread recipe too!

This soft sandwich bread is a classic medium-low hydration dough that can be kneaded in a mixer or by hand. It's easy to handle, not too sticky, and fun to work with. It's also a versatile base white bread dough that can be used to make everything from cinnamon swirl bread to cheesy pizza pinwheels!

a loaf of sandwich bread on a linen bread bag with two slices cut off the front of the loaf.

Where other sandwich bread recipes use the fat from milk or eggs to give the bread a super soft texture, my recipe uses olive oil instead. Not only is olive oil a shelf-stable ingredient that's easier to keep on hand, but it also means this sandwich bread is dairy and egg-free, if that matters to you.

Earlier versions of this recipe were much lower hydration and used smaller amounts of oil — in the end, I pushed both amounts as high as I could go while keeping the dough easy to handle. I wanted the sliced bread to be flexible the way store-bought sandwich bread is.

I'm really pleased with how the final version of this foolproof soft sandwich bread turned out and I think you will be too!

5 STAR READER REVIEW

“I've tried a few different beginner sandwich bread recipes and somehow can never get them to come out but I've made this one three times now and it's come out so delicious each time! I also love how simple it is”
—Nicole

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Ingredient Notes

Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make this foolproof sandwich bread recipe! See recipe card (at the end of the blog post) for quantities.

all of the ingredients for sandwich bread measured out and labeled.

Flour - You don't need any fancy specialty flours to make this basic soft sandwich bread! I use King Arthur Baking's all-purpose flour which has a slightly higher protein content (closer to a bread flour) than other brands of all-purpose flour. If you're using generic or store-brand flour, you may see better results with their bread flour.
Instant Yeast - I use instant yeast because it's designed to be added directly to your dry ingredients without having to be proofed in water first. Instant yeast is sometimes also called "rapid rise" or "quick" yeast. I designed this recipe to use 1 packet of yeast. If you're using active dry yeast, use the same amount of yeast, just mix it with the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes to become foamy before adding to the dough.
Salt - I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt which is half as salty as other brands. If measuring by weight, it doesn't matter what brand of salt you use. But if you're measuring by volume and using a different brand of salt, even a different brand of kosher salt, cut the amount of salt in half.
Olive Oil - Whatever olive oil or extra virgin olive oil you have on hand is just fine here. The olive oil adds fat to the dough, giving it a super soft texture.
Honey - I use honey to add a bit of sweetness to this sandwich bread. If you don't have honey and would rather use sugar, increase the amount called for by 20%.
Water - Warm water is crucial for helping this sandwich bread dough rise, soft texture and just slightly open crumb. Aim for around 90°-95°F. It should be decidedly warm but not hot, since truly hot water will kill the yeast.

Instructions

This is your standard bread dough process. Start by whisking the dry ingredients together in the bowl of your stand mixer to disperse them evenly.

water, honey, and olive oil in the middle of the dry ingredients in a metal mixer bowl.

Add the water, olive oil, and honey to the center of the dry ingredients.

the bread dough after mixing in a stand mixer bowl with a dough hook. the dough is shaggy and rough looking.

Mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.

You may need to pause the mixer early on to push flour from the edges into the liquids in the center. But if you just let it run on low-medium speed it will eventually come together.

The goal of mixing is just to get all of the ingredients to combine so there's no dry bits of flour or water in the bottom of the bowl. The dough will still have a rough, shaggy, slightly torn look to it.

Once the dough comes together, it's time to knead. Kneading is when we actually develop the strength and structure of the dough so that it can be shaped and trap the gasses released by the yeast when the dough rises.

The dough after kneading with the dough hook is smooth and elastic, pulling clean from the side of the bowl.

Continue with the dough hook on medium-low speed for about 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch.

the dough shaped into a ball, coated with oil, it takes up about half of a metal mixing bowl.

Shape the dough into a ball by tucking all the edges under so you have a nice smooth top. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning the dough once to coat it in oil.

Cover the bowl (I use these plastic hair processing caps as bowl covers) and leave it to rise somewhere warm for an hour.

after rising, the dough now fills most of the metal mixing bowl.

When the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate it and turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface.

the dough has been turned out onto a counter. the top two corners are folded in to a point and the sides are folded in slightly. a hand holds the dough in place.

Fold the top two corners into make a point, then fold the edges in slightly to even them out.

Roll the point at the top toward your body, and continue rolling in that direction, tucking the sides in as needed to form a nice neat log of dough.

a hand folding the top point of the dough down to begin rolling the folded dough forward.

a hand rolling the dough into a log with the seam underneath.

Transfer the log of dough to a lightly greased 9x5" loaf pan. Cover the loaf pan, place it back in that nice warm spot, and let it rise for another 50-60 minutes.

During the end of the rise time, begin preheating the oven to 350°F.

When the dough is ready, it will have doubled in size, crowning just slightly over the top edge of the pan. When you press a lightly floured fingertip into it, the indentation should fill back in slowly and remain visible.

the shaped dough in a metal loaf pan. it doesn't fill out the whole pan.

after rising the dough fills out the whole pan. there is a long score mark down the middle with a bread lame nearby.

Use a sharp knife or a bread lame (pronounced: LAHM) to cut one long slash down the top of the loaf to help it expand in the oven.

Bake the sandwich bread for 30 minutes until golden brown on top. You're looking for an internal temperature of 195°-200°F.

a baked loaf of sandwich bread in a loaf pan. a bread lame sits next to it.

Remove the sandwich bread from the oven and carefully turn it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. This allows steam to escape and air to circulate around the loaf so that the crust doesn't get soggy.

I know it's super tempting to cut a slice of freshly baked sandwich bread while it's still warm, but resist that urge! If you slice the bread before it's cooled and the starches haven't set yet, the steam still inside the bread will turn the starches to mush. No one wants mushy bread!

Kneading By Hand

To knead this soft sandwich dough by hand, use a dough whisk or a spatula (heck, even your hands) to mix the dough ingredients in a bowl until a sticky, cohesive dough forms.

Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface or countertop and knead by hand, folding the dough over itself and rocking it forward, then rotating and repeating that motion, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky to the touch. Kneading by hand can take 8-10 minutes, be patient! Set a timer!

Dust in additional flour lightly only as needed to keep it from sticking to you and the counter. A little clinging is fine, but it should pull away cleanly at the end.

Equipment Notes

This recipe is scaled to bake in a 9x5" loaf pan, which is a 1.25 lb loaf pan. If you have a smaller loaf pan, I recommend scaling the recipe down by about 20%.

USA Pan Bakeware Aluminized Steel Loaf Pan, 1.25 Pound

Dimensions: 9 x 5 x 2.75. Durable construction with corrugated surface for optimal airflow. Non-stick finish is PTFE, PFOA and BPA free.

Amazon

Crate & Barrel

Sur La Table

As always, I recommend using a metal pan rather than glass, ceramic, silicone, or stoneware. If you're using a glass pan, you may need to adjust the baking time and temperature!

To score the top of the bread loaf, you'll need a sharp knife or a bread lame (pronounced: LAME). Lame is French for blade.

A lame is basically a razor blade with a handle, used to create functional and decorative slashes on top of bread before baking.

a black bread lame with a retractable razor blade.

Retractable Bread Lame

a round wooden lame with a razor blade sticking out one side.

Wiremonkey UFO Lame

a long wooden lame with a razor blade tucked into one end and a metal finger protector.

Black Walnut Lame

Lames come in a variety of sizes and styles at a range of price points. Use whichever one is most comfortable to you!

Storage Notes & Freezing

This soft sandwich bread is best eaten within the first 4-5 days after baking, though you can store it in an airtight bag or bread bag at room temperature for up to a week. I usually store it in a large resealable plastic bag with as much air pressed out as possible.

Do not refrigerate bread; the cold temperature will make it go stale even faster.

This sandwich bread freezes beautifully. You can freeze the whole loaf, defrost it at room temperature, then pop it in a 325°F oven for 20-30 minutes.

You can also slice the loaf and place the slices in a plastic bag with as much air pressed out as possible and freeze it that way. Simply break off a slice of frozen sandwich bread, pop it in a toaster oven, and it'll be ready to eat.

close up of a slice of soft sandwich bread.

Practical Tips and Recipe Notes

If it's very humid where you live, I recommend holding back about 25 grams of water to start. If it looks or feels like the dough needs it, drizzle it in 1 teaspoon at a time during the mixing stage.
If it's very cold where you live, your dough may rise more slowly; it's okay if it needs an extra 15-45 minutes. I've been using a seed starting heat mat (less than $15!) to keep my bread doughs nice and cozy while they rise and it works really well.
For a shiny top to your sandwich bread, brush it all over with a lightly beaten egg before scoring and baking.
If you're using active dry yeast, no need to adjust the amount of yeast, just mix the yeast with the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes to become foamy before adding to the dough.

Recipe FAQ

Why is this recipe in grams? I want to use cups!

A kitchen scale is more accurate than cup measurements and will give you the right ratio of dry and liquid ingredients so that the cookie dough behaves the way we want it to. I tested and developed this recipe using weight measurements. If I were to convert it to volume measurements, I would be using Google — just like you would. And there's no set standard for how much "1 cup" of flour weighs (I use 120 grams, like King Arthur Baking does, but other recipe developers use as much as 150 grams as "1 cup"), which means I wouldn't be able to promise you'd get the same delicious results!

My bread dough looked perfect but deflated in the oven, what happened?

There are a few things that could have caused this but the two most likely culprits are 1) the dough overproofed during the second rise. Dough overproofs when the yeast has eaten all of the available sugars in the dough and doesn't have enough energy left to support the dough during baking. Your dough was ready to bake before the final hour rise was done — check it using the fingerprint test (see above). 2) Your oven temperature is off! If your oven temperature runs cool, the bread won't rise as much as it should in the oven and will be dense and sunken. Get an oven thermometer!

TL;DR — Recipe Summary

Mix the dough ingredients together until a sticky, cohesive dough forms.
Knead the dough until it is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and rest until doubled in size.
Deflate the dough, shape into a log, then place in a lightly greased loaf pan. Cover and let rest until doubled in size.
Score the top of the loaf and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
Turn the loaf onto a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

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