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!
This classic white sandwich bread is a taste of nostalgia, like childhood lunches and cozy mornings. The finished loaf is wonderfully soft inside with a thin, light golden brown crust, perfect for slicing for toast and sandwiches.
Try serving this soft white sandwich bread with crisp lettuce and my deli tuna salad or creamy yellow smashed egg salad.
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
This is My Best Easy Soft Sandwich Bread
I am so, so excited to be sharing my recipe for a classic soft homemade sandwich bread with you. I've got lots of homemade bread recipes on my site, but most of them are higher-hydration doughs that use longer, slower rise times to come together.
With this bread recipe, I wanted to give you the kind of bread-making experience most people think of when picturing making bread from scratch. Simple ingredients, kneading the dough, dusting it with flour, shaping it by hand, and baking it in a loaf pan. And it's a great beginner-friendly bread recipe too!
This dough 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 dough; I've used it to make everything from foolproof cinnamon swirl bread to cheesy pizza pinwheels!
Where other white sandwich bread recipes use milk or eggs to create that soft texture, I use olive oil instead. Not only is olive oil a shelf-stable ingredient that's easier to keep on hand, but it also means my sandwich bread recipe is dairy-free and egg-free, if that matters to you.
Honey - I use honey to add a bit of sweetness to this sandwich bread and help with browning. If you don't have honey or would rather use sugar, you can use the same amount of sugar without making any adjustments.
Water - Warm water is crucial for helping this sandwich bread dough rise on time and give it its soft texture and just slightly open crumb. Aim for a temperature of around 90°-95°F. It should be decidedly warm but not hot, since truly hot water will kill the yeast.
A simple bread dough process
Add the liquid ingredients to the middle of the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed until the dough just comes together.
Knead on medium-low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl to rise.
Cover the bowl (I use these plastic hair processing caps as bowl covers) and leave it to rise somewhere warm until it doubles in size...about an hour.
When the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate it and turn it out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface.
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.
When the dough is ready, it will be 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.
When the bread is done, carefully turn it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack. This allows 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!
Yes, You Can Knead This 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, messy 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 from you and the work surface at the end.
I use a 9x5" Loaf Pan
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.
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!
If your sandwich bread deflated during baking...
There are a few things that could have caused this but the two most likely culprits are:
- 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).
- Your oven temperature is off! If your oven temperature runs cool, the bread won't rise as much as it should during baking and will be dense and sunken. Get an oven thermometer!
💭 Have More Baking Questions?
I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:
- Ingredient swaps and FAQs
- Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
- How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
- Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
- Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques
See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!
Want this recipe, only smaller?
Find it in my Small-Batch Breads cookbook, available for pre-order now!
Featuring fifty easy-to-follow bread recipes made using 1 cup of flour.
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.
📖 Recipe
Easy Soft Sandwich Bread in a Loaf Pan (For Beginners)
Recipe Notes
- If it's very humid where you live, hold 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 to rise.
- Yes, you can use sugar instead of honey, no adjustments needed.
- 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.
- Freezing: You can freeze the whole loaf, defrost it at room temperature, then pop it in a 325°F oven for 20-30 minutes. Or you can slice the loaf first and break off a slice for the toaster whenever you want some. Bonus: Slide a piece of wax paper or parchment between each slice to make them easier to separate while frozen.
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
Instructions
- Mix. Mix the flour, salt, and yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add warm water, honey, and olive oil. Mix with the dough hook, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass on the dough hook and clears the sides of the bowl.
- Knead. Increase the speed to low-medium and knead for 3-5 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth, and elastic. The dough may cling slightly to the walls of the bowl but should pull away cleanly.
- Rise. Tuck the edges of the dough under to create a ball of dough with a smooth top. Place in a lightly greased bowl and let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Shape. Gently deflate the dough, then turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Loosely arrange it into a rough rectangle shape. Fold the top two corners in to make a point, then roll the point forward as you tuck the sides in to create a nice smooth rolled-up log of dough with the seam on the bottom.
- Rise again. Place the log of dough in a lightly greased 9x5" loaf pan. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let rise somewhere warm for 1 hour until the dough fills out the pan and crowns over the top rim of the pan by about an inch.
During the final 30 minutes of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Score. Right before baking, use a sharp knife or lame to score a line down the center length of the sandwich bread.
- Bake. Bake the sandwich bread in the center of a 350°F oven for 30-35 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 195°-200°F for doneness.
- Cool. Carefully turn the baked loaf out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Tammy says
Love this recipe! I've made it at least 3 times already with much success.
Could I sub butter for the olive oil? Would it give it a creamy buttery fragrance?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so glad you like it! I haven't personally tested it with butter but I don't see why it wouldn't work — it might change the texture just slightly. Use melted butter. A clarified butter like ghee would be closest to olive oil in terms of keeping the recipe the same but adding some buttery flavor.
Mo says
Do you have nutritional information for this?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Nope! I don't provide nutritional information for my recipes. I've explained why in my FAQ.
Katie says
I love this recipe! It’s so simple and the taste is great! I’ve made it twice and I do have difficulty getting it to rise properly. I keep it in a warm spot and it seems to rise well but then deflates in the oven. I saw in other comments you said that it’s a sign of overproofed dough, but my dough never reaches the top of the pan in the second proof. Any tips?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
In that case I would reduce the yeast by 1-2 grams and don't worry so much about the loaf reaching the top of the pan!
DPN says
This was such an easy bread to make. I decided to measure everything out individually to ensure accuracy. I love how I was able to bake a loaf of bread in no time at all! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Cameron says
I made this today completely by hand, using Kirkland AP flour. It came out so soft and tasty! I’m very pleased with it. I may scale it up some to make larger slices for sandwiches, but that’s easy work.
I’m also considering experimenting with making this in a bread maker. I can program the rise times, but I’ll lose the final shaping, of course. Other than adjusting for 2lb loaves, can you think of anything you’d change for a bread maker? I planned to run it exactly as-is. It’s a pretty straightforward bread.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so so glad you enjoyed it!! I don't have a bread maker so I'm not quite sure how to adjust it — my only thought is it may not need 2x the amount of yeast since this recipe already has quite a lot of yeast in it. You may need to experiment to find exactly the right amount but given that a bread maker provides optimal kneading and temperatures for rising I wouldn't increase the amount of yeast at all for your first attempt at a scaled up version! If it seems like it needs more yeast after that, increase gradually until you find the right amount. Please do report back and let me know how it turns out in the bread maker! I'm so curious!
Cameron says
I made it in the bread maker yesterday. I think your idea of not increasing the yeast is the right one. I increased everything by 1.6 to account for a 2lb loaf, then matched the original times (knead, rise 1 hr, omitted the shaping because I wanted this to be hands off, then second rise 1 hr). During the first rise, the dough almost overflowed the pan. I had to punch it down about 45 mins into the first rise. It grew back to a good size on the second rise. Omitting the shaping didn't seem to cause any issues, The result was super soft and very good. Not quite as good as the handmade loaf according to my kids and wife, but still very good.
My next attempt will be to use all the same measurements but leave the yeast at 1 rather than 1.6x. I may also switch to bread flour to see if it makes any difference over the generic AP I used for the first two. Overall, I would call this attempt a success.
JJ says
Hi! I've been trying your bread recipes one by one, thank you for sharing! 🙂
For this sandwich bread, mine came out a bit dense. The loaf itself was heavy after baking. Would you be able to advise how I can fix this to make the bread soft and light? I weighed all my ingredients.
Thank you!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
It sounds like yours may have underproofed or overproofed slightly! If its cold in your kitchen it might need more time to rise, if its warm in your kitchen it might need to go in the oven sooner!
Bridget says
Is there a way to substitute sugar or something else for the honey? If so how much? I want to be able to serve to my 8 month old (no honey before 1)
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Yes, you can substitute sugar! I would increase it by about 25% — so in this recipe that would be 10 grams of sugar. Happy baking!
Don says
Do you see any issue replacing the oil with butter using the same weight?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You could do that — it might change the texture just slightly but it will work! Clarified butter would be the best alternative since it doesn't have any milk solids in it, but honestly regular melted butter would be just fine here too.
Alice says
It's a great recipe and the bread comes out delicious and beautiful. However, oncein a while it is a little "weak"? As in, it breaks when I slice it and doesn't hold well enough to make a sandwich or even butter it. What am I doing wrong?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
It sounds like on those occasions it is overproofing! Keep an eye on it before baking, it may just need to go into the oven a bit sooner!
Abby says
Good sandwich bread. I use Costco Organic AP Flour amd I have found that you either need a little less water or about 10% more flour. The dough was really sticky and hard to work with but I've noticed this before with the Costco flour so not the recipes fault. I might try it next putting cinnamon and sugar in the loaf before rolling it for the second rise.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
So glad you like the bread! Costco's AP flour has just slightly less protein in it than the flour I use which is King Arthur's AP flour which means it's a little less absorbent. It might be the flour type but it might also be that you live somewhere more humid than I do and there's more moisture in the air which means your flour needs less water to hydrate. Hard to say exactly what it is, but this is a really good tip for anyone else who might be using the same flour in case they run into the same issue. Thanks for sharing!
Rachel Brown says
Full transparency - I’ve never made a loaf of bread before not in a bread machine. I tried this and it was edible (and actually good) in the first round?!?! That’s a miracle right there. My husband even ate a sandwich with it and gave me a thumbs up. I’m winning today thanks to this recipe. 😂
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Keep on baking, keep on winning!!! So glad you and your husband enjoyed the bread!
Kelli W. says
I’ve been baking bread for over 50 years and this is by far the best loaf of bread I’ve ever made!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm honored! So glad you enjoyed the bread. Happy baking! ~Rebecca
Bob says
I've made many different sandwich bread recipes in the past, including some same day, but decided to give this a try as I needed something quick for lunch sandwiches. turned out great and was the most replicable on the first try.
Lilith says
Best sandwich bread that I've ever made! Thank you!
beverly says
I have tried so many breads and they all taste good but it seems like they all have a hard crust on top. how do you keep your bread soft ? I love baking breads so if you could give me any help it would reall be appreciated. i wont leave a rating yet but will if I bake it and tell you what I think
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Are you saying that you tried this recipe and the crust was too hard? If so, it sounds like your oven might be running too hot. I'd recommend getting an oven thermometer to make sure you're baking at the right temperature!
Greg Hedrick says
My house is 76 degrees most of the year. I thought about using my plant mat to proof, what temp did you set your mat at? Thanks
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Hi! The mat I have only does one temperature so I just plug it in and let it do its thing. If your house is 76 most of the year you shouldn’t need a heat mat but you could use one to keep it maybe around 80F to speed things up if you want to.
Bonnie O'Neill says
Just pulled this out of the oven after a family Christmas discussion about my m-i-l’s homemade bread! I did it in a Pullman pan because I like the more narrow slices better. It smells amazing!
Tina VanTassel says
Just made this. Turned out great!
Out of curiosity, do you ever publish the nutritional facts along with the recipe?
Thank you for all your hard work.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
So glad you enjoyed the bread! And no, I have no plans or desire to include nutritional information. I’m not qualified to calculate it, plus a lot of people make their own modifications or use different brand ingredients than I do which can affect those numbers, and, more importantly, I consciously keep this space free of diet talk and triggering information like calorie counts. If you need the nutritional information you are more than welcome to calculate it on your own!
Christin Lynch says
Would leaving out the honey/sugar make a huge difference? I can't stand sweetish break lol, I would use sugar instead I mean I dont have honey anyway, but does it make or break it to add sweet to the recipe? I'm so curious to try my own sandwich bread for healthier options for sams and such 🙂
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You can use sugar instead of honey for sure — cut the amount down by about 25%. It won’t totally break the recipe to leave it out but it’s such a small amount this really isn’t a “sweet” bread. The sugar also helps feed the yeast so if you leave it out it may affect the timing of the recipe slightly, it may need longer to rise. But it will still produce a loaf of bread so if you want to give it a try without any sugar you can.
Ps just a reminder this is a diet talk free zone — I don’t use words like “healthy” to describe food because health is relative, different people have different health needs! We can enjoy making bread from scratch without making it seem like it’s “bad” to buy store bought! 🙂
Rebecca Ann Scavello says
How can I adjust this to use a 12x4.5 loaf pan? I bought them but can never find a recipe that uses that size pan only smaller.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
That is a very unusual pan size! I looked it up and I do think this loaf could work in it — you’ll just need to roll it longer and narrower than the recipe calls for so it better fills the length of the pan. It may not need to rise fully to the top rim, you can check it after about 45 mins rising and if it springs back when you poke it it’s ready to bake. If it still seems a bit small, then you’ll need to scale the recipe up maybe by 10-20%! Let me know how it goes for you!
Sarah says
This is the recipe that finally convinced my picky family to prefer homemade bread over the sandwich bread in the store. Even my 5 year old loves it.
I sometimes use sugar instead of honey: it’s great every time!
Hari says
Thank you for this recipe and the detailed explanation on the how. Was very helpful to a beginner in bread making like me. The loaf came out looking exactly as your pictures and hopefully tasted the same. We liked it. I was wondering if there was a way to make the bread airier ….in any recipe? I don’t have a bread mixer so kneaded and folded using my hands - will that have any impact on the airiness of the loaf?
Thank you again for the wonderful recipes especially the small batch ones.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Oh I'm so glad to hear that you loved it! There are a lot of ways to make airier bread, but generally more water = bigger air bubbles, less kneading = bigger air bubbles, less yeast + longer rise time = bigger bubbles. If you wanted to try making this one airier you could reduce the yeast and let it rise longer after shaping; I haven't tested it but I think that would work! If you try it let me know how it goes. Happy baking!
Tahnee says
Can I use whole wheat flour to make this wheat bread instead of white?
Thank you.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Nope! This recipe is designed to use white flour. Whole wheat flour does not develop gluten or absorb water in the same way, you will not get great results. I recommend looking for a recipe specifically designed to use whole wheat flour.
McJanine says
I think this would do better in a regular loaf pan. Which is kind of sad, because I bought a 9X5 pan to try this recipe. I got a good rise, the overall amount of dough seemed to be the issue. It would have been over-proofed if I let it go any longer, but it didn't get close to your picture. Even though I weighed everything, the wheat itself may have been heavier that what you used, requiring less to get those grams. IDK. Hubby liked it though, so there will probably be a smaller loaf pan version sometime.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm sorry it didn't quite work for you — but are you saying you used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour? Because that would definitely make a huge difference in the overall volume of the loaf!
Stacy Donati says
Excellent recipe, only thing I will do differently is not score the top. My loaf was gorgeous and I think the scoring brought it down a bit. But great recipe!!
Melanie says
Can you make this recipe without a stand mixer? I do not own one.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Hi Melanie! There is a whole section in the blog post about how to knead the dough by hand. I hope this helps! ~Rebecca
McJanine says
No, Canadian wheat has more protein, so it tends to weight more. This may have resulted in less total amount since I went by grams. I'll play around with it. Enjoying your website.
Pauline Morton says
I made this soft sandwich loaf last night, my neighbor and I ate half right away. I'm now in the process of making another loaf. Thank you for all the work you do to making bread and other items so easy for us older home bakers. Your smaller recipes are perfect now that we are alone. Keep up the great job.