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.
Casey Black says
I love this bread so much. I make it weekly. Do you happen to have a wheat bread that is simple like this one? Thanks
Rebecca Eisenberg says
This is a wheat bread, all-purpose flour is made from wheat. If you're asking about whole wheat bread, the only whole wheat bread recipe I have is my no-knead dutch oven whole wheat bread which is also very easy to make!
Corrie says
I just came here to say THANK YOU! I have never tried to make bread before and my family was so impressed with how great it tastes and how perfect it looks! I used King Arthur unbleached bread flour and I'm on my third time making it and it turns out perfect every time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Ray says
Hi. Is this 350f fan forced or conventional oven?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Regular oven, not convection!
Asha Shaji says
Thank you for this recipe. Very simple with basic ingredients. My husband ate a full loaf by himself in a day 😁 he loved it.
April says
I’ve tried this one twice now and gotten a rock both times. It seems so simple and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. 🙁
I’m sad. I was so hopeful because it seems so easy and has such simple ingredients. I have always wanted to make my own bread.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Hmmmm if I had to guess what happened here, it's possible your yeast went bad. Are you sure it was new and fresh?
And did you measure the ingredients by weight or did you convert it to cups? That's the other thing that can often go wrong with this recipe. You definitely want to measure by weight for best results!
April says
I used my kitchen scale to measure. The yeast was just purchased from the store. The first time, it didn’t rise, the second time it did but then it still cooked into a brick. I just cannot figure out what I’m doing wrong. The recipe seems fantastic, but I’m messing up somewhere. I’ll have to try again…..
Sharon says
I don't have a stand mixer. Can I knead by hand. Do I need to change anything in the recipe? Thanks
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You can knead by hand! It will take a bit longer and you may need to dust in more flour but it will work. Nothing else needs to change. Happy baking!
Maggie says
I started making bread in November, 2024. I make (6) loaves every week. Two each for our children and their families, and two for us. One of our loaves is eaten up by our grandchildren as their after school snack. This is the second recipe I’ve tried. Although the first recipe is good, it just didn’t make good sandwiches without toasting it first. My husband wanted “soft” bread he didn’t have to toast. After a crazy amount of research for “soft” homemade sandwich bread, I decided on your recipe. THANK YOU! My husband made himself a sandwich when he got home from work to test it out, and he loved it! AND, thank you for your step by step video, it was extremely helpful. Now I understand how the dough should look, and act.
Wishing you the very best!
Megan says
Love this recipe! So easy and delicious
Sophia says
For a brand new bread maker this recipe is so unbelievably simple and as titled “fool proof” if I’m being honest I didn’t check the water temp I just made sure it wasn’t too hot. Both my loaves came out perfect. I’m so happy I stumbled upon it this site and excited and eager to try more recipes !
Megan says
Excellent recipe. I substituted 100g of whole wheat flour and added oats on top. It baked beautifully.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Oh love that! Thanks for sharing how you modified — super helpful for anyone else who might want to try adding some whole wheat flour to their loaf!
Maria arrastia says
It doesn’t say how much water I need to put my active dry yeast to let it get foamy
Rebecca Eisenberg says
That’s because this recipe was written to use instant yeast. To use active dry just take 1-2 tablespoons (a small amount) of water from the recipe and mix it with the yeast before adding the yeast to the dough along with the rest of the water. Or add the active dry yeast along with the dry ingredients and it’ll still work, the dough just might take a little longer to rise. Hope that helps!
Debbie says
What a treat! The bread turned out perfect, except a little too much salt as I weighed it in with the flour , oops! Won’t be doing that again. Bread was so easy to make. Thank you for these wonderful recipes.
Toasted and buttered with my freezer peaches jam. Yummy
Sarah Hanneman says
Love this bread! Is it possible to do it start to finish in a bread machine?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I don’t have a bread machine so I’m not sure how the baking portion would work but the kneading and proofing can definitely be done in a bread machine!
Kira Penney says
I’ve made many different bread recipes and this one is by far my favorite. Kitchen scale to measure everything was excellent and the rise was perfect both times. Bread baked up very nice and light. I do two buns vs one just personal preference and baste the bread with butter on the crust once I take it out before I move it to the rack to cool. Excellent recipe will be making this one again!
Lisa says
Can this recipe be adapted for a low sodium diet?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I’m sure it can be, I just don’t know how to do that for you other than saying reduce the salt. The dough might rise a bit faster than usual and probably won’t be as tasty. But you can make whatever adjustment you want and see what happens! Good luck!
Amanda Horne says
So I did it according to your recipe but the dough was super sticky initially (like sticking to my fingers a lot) and the crust came out much more hard than it looked in your video. Any ideas?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
My first question will always be: Did you measure by weight or did you convert to cups and measure that way? If you converted to cups, that would be the issue. If you measured by weight, it's always possible you mis-measured something (human error, it happens!) or you live somewhere much more humid than I do and the extra moisture in the air means your dough ended up extra sticky. Try holding back some of the water next time and see if that helps! In the future, if you have a dough that's way too sticky, you can always add more flour until it reaches the right consistency. As for the crust, I would recommend getting a cheap oven thermometer. Most ovens aren't properly calibrated and are off from the temperature they say they're at — yours may run hot!
Nadine Torres says
OMG!
I’ve been trying to make bread and get something to turn out great and this is pretty amazing! I did use 9G sugar in stead of honey but it’s GREAT!! Thanks so much!
Grace says
I love this recipe! So quick and easy. My baby isn’t quite old enough for food yet, but when he is would sugar or maple syrup work in place of honey since he can’t have that until he’s 1?
Jeanne Seifert says
This is the easiest and best tasting quick-sandwich bread I have ever made. It stores nicely and stays fresh in a beeswax bread bag. Appreciate all the tips and pictures too because one can still make mistakes after years of baking bread. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Linda says
hi. Can you use freshly milled flour and how much?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I've never worked with freshly milled flour, not sure how you'd substitute it. You'll have to do some experimenting; let me know how it turns out!
Sandra Kay McCallum says
Can I use this recipe with whole wheat flour or half whole wheat?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I wouldn’t do half whole wheat, maybe start with 20%! The dough might need a bit of extra water too. I haven’t personally tested this (yet) so you may need to do some experimenting to get it just right.
melanie charbonneau says
Can I separate the dough in 8 to make little buns?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Absolutely!
Philippa Davis says
Brilliant recipe and a keeper. Thank you.
Donnie says
Could you give the measurements in US units instead of grams? A single dad asking.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
No, sorry! They are not accurate for measuring especially for bread where the ratio of flour to water is super important. A kitchen scale is the best way to make this recipe!
Rhonda says
I can’t wait to make this tomorrow. Do you have a gluten free version?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I don’t, sorry! I hope you’re able to enjoy it anyway 🙂