American Sandwich Bread
Please note that I have since shared what I consider to be the best, most foolproof white bread recipe. I encourage you to head over to that recipe and give it a try!
Otherwise known as, white bread. I know, you’re probably wondering to yourself, isn’t this the umpteenth “classic white bread” recipe this chick has posted? Well yes, admittedly, I think this is now the third different loaf that I have blogged (there was the Better Homes & Garden version, then the Peter Reinhart recipe, and now this). It’s not that any of the previous loaves have been bad or have disappointed me in any way. It’s quite simply that I.LOVE.BREAD. I don’t come from the land of low carb, folks. And given the opportunity to try a new recipe when I need to restock the kitchen with a fresh loaf of bread, I run with it! And this loaf, let me tell you, is definitely worth running for!
One of the things I loved about this recipe is how quick it was to execute. Many people are intimidated by homemade bread, not only because of yeast, but also because of the time factor. Some believe that it will take the better part of a day to churn out a loaf of homemade bread. That’s just not true. Now granted there are recipes for complex loaves of bread that include sponges, starters, and three rises that can take a day or more, but for your basic loaf of white bread, just not so. Two hours after you start the process you can be pulling a loaf of fresh bread out of your oven.
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Another thing I love about this particular recipe is that you get a really high loaf of bread, which isn’t always the case when making a regular white bread. I have had my fair share of smallish loaves, and this one definitely turns in a nice change of pace. The key here it to let it go on its second rise until the dough is about an inch higher than the rim of the loaf pan. Then once in the oven, the loaf will gain even more height.
This round of bread making was not without incident, and there was almost a casualty. Now as any KA owner can attest, one of the beautiful things about these wonderful appliances is that you can throw in your ingredients and let it work while you tend to other things, such as cleaning up your mess. I do this often when creaming butter and sugar, and kneading bread dough. Both things take at least a few minutes, so I use the idle time to my advantage. Until today. My dough was kneading away on my island and I was putting my dirty utensils in the dishwasher when I heard the KA start to do a thump, which is not unusual when kneading. But then, 2 seconds later, it did a nose dive onto the floor! Luckily the little KA that could is just fine, the floor is fine, catastrophe averted. I have to wonder if perhaps my KA heard me talking behind its back about how I wish it would die so I could upgrade to a Professional 600 and figured it would help me by leaping to its suicidal death?
Regardless, we all survived the incident to bring you this wonderful bread recipe!
Quite possibly my favorite way to eat bread – slathered with butter. When I was younger, my grandma often quipped that I was the only person she knew who could make a meal from bread and butter. Not much has changed ;-)
American Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups (468.75 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface, (18¾ ounces)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup (244 ml) warm whole milk, about 110 degrees
- ⅓ cup (83.33 ml) warm water, about 110 degrees
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 envelope instant yeast, (about 2¼ teaspoons)
Instructions
- 1. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Once the oven temperature reaches 200 degrees, maintain the heat for 10 minutes, then turn off the oven.
- 2. Mix 3½ cups of the flour and the salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix the milk, water, butter, honey, and yeast in a 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Turn the machine to low and slowly add the liquid. When the dough comes together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth and satiny, stopping the machine two or three times to scrape dough from hook, if necessary, about 10 minutes. (After 5 minutes of kneading, if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time and up to ¼ cup total, until the dough is no longer sticky.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead to form a smooth, round ball, about 15 seconds.
- 3. Place the dough in a very lightly oiled large bowl, rubbing the dough around the bowl to coat lightly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the warmed oven until the dough doubles in size, 40 to 50 minutes.
- 4. Gently press the dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick and no longer than 9 inches. WIth a long side facing you, roll the dough firmly into a cylinder, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Turn the dough seam-side up and pinch it closed. Place the dough seam-side down in a greased 9 by 5-inch loaf pan and press it gently so it touches all four sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap; set aside in a warm spot until the dough almost doubles in size, 20 to 30 minutes.
- 5. Keep one oven rack at the lowest position and place the other at the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place an empty baking pan on the bottom rack. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the boiling water into the empty pan on the bottom rack at set the loaf onto the middle rack. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted at an angle from the short end just above the pan rim into the center of the loaf read 195 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan, transfer to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Slice and serve.
- Note: This recipe uses a standing electric mixer. You can hand-knead the dough, but we found it’s easy to add too much flour during this stage, resulting in a somewhat tougher loaf. To promote a crisp crust,we found it best to place a loaf pan filled with boiling water in the oven as the bread bakes.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This really is the perfect sandwich bread. I love to make homemade bread but it’s often so soft it doesn’t hold up enough to use as sandwich bread. The first day we simply ate it with a little butter and our homemade blackberry jam. The second day we made open faced roast beef sandwiches with a little left over roast. It was delecious! Also, my kids are grown so now it is just my husband and I. It is nice to have a recipe that only makes one loaf. I will make this bread again very soon!
How do you measure out the flour for this recipe? Do you just scoop the flour out with the measuring cup? Do you sift the flour first? Do you sift the flour after measuring? Do you even bother to sift the flour?
I don’t sift the flour unless a recipe specifically calls for it. So for this bread, no sifting. Anytime weights are provided, I weight my flour with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, I would recommend scooping and leveling with a measuring cup.
Can you pour the wet ingredients immediately, or do you let the yeast sit and activate for a little while?
Yes, you can add it immediately because it is instant yeast, not active dry.
I looooove this bread recipe! It’s now my go-to sandwich bread recipe. Only modification is that I baked it for 35 minutes, brush with 1 tbsp butter, melted and 1 tbsp honey mixture and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.
Hello!
Tonight will be my first time making bread! Excited! I have a question… Do you let the yeast foam before you put it in the flour (after you put it in the liquid?)
Thanks!
Hi Izzy, I made the recipe as indicated in the written instructions above. It’s not necessary to let the yeast bloom because instant yeast is used for this bread.
My only complaint is that it only makes one loaf! :-P
This is the second time I made this bread in a two week period. The first time it came out quite good even though I didn’t knead it 5 minutes. I kneaded it by hand for 5 minute and it doubled in size in an hour, today, and I’m about to start cooking it in 30 minutes. I will give you an update tomorrow.
It turned out great and I’m making this for my mom for Mother’s day.
I’ve never made homemade bread until last week. Since then I’ve made this bread 4 times! Wonderful! Thank you so much…my daughter is most likely the only kid at the lunch table eating a sandwich on homemade bread. We love it!
Made this for the first time and it is an excellent alternative to store bought. Modifications I made were (mostly from habit): Step 2-held back 1/2 cup of flour and added it gradually (heaping tblsp at a time) until the dough was all in a ball and seperated from the sides of the bowl-Also in Step 2-once well mixed, let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate-Step 3-allowed the dough to be kneaded in the mixer with a dough hook for 8 to 10 minutes, until I got the wonderful window pane membrane-also in Step 3-let the dough ferment/rise 1.5 to 2 hours, slightly more than doubled in size.
The only change I would make (will make) next time is to reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon. This loaf is a little too salty but that might have been a mistake that I made because I use kosher when I bake. Thanks for sharing Brown Eyes!
I ran out of bread so I I just made a loaf using your recipe. I felt guilty using all white flour so I substituted 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour. I use only King Arthur flour and I am always happy with the results. I don’t have a stone pan so I just used a regular dark metal pan and the loaf came out magnificent. Thank you for so generously sharing your recipe. Can’t wait to taste it but I have read that one should never cut it while it is still hot.
3rd times a charm. first two times the loaf didn’t rise due to my liquid being too hot. went and pick a a better thermometer and it turned out perfectly.
I finally tried doubling this recipe and it worked very well. I ended up using six and three quarters cups of flour. The first time I tried it I used the 9 x 5 pans but ended up with mishapen loaves that had ‘handles’ on the ends :-(
I finally used my 10 x4 heavy King Arthur bread pans and it worked beautifully. This is the best white bread recipe ever ( and I have made plenty in my life). I thank you for sharing it with all of us Just another thought… be kind to your KA I used the same one for 40 years and I was so delighted when it started acting up so I could buy a new one…..I am so sorry wish I had my old buddy back which by the way resides in another state now with a friend and is still going!! I used it unmercifully with five hungry country kids!!! So much for the energizer bunny…….Don’t we all have so much to be grateful for…..
Just made this bread. IT IS AWESOME! It even pleased the “bread snob” of the family. Highly recommended.
Thank you for posting this recipe….15m more and we will get to taste it for ourselves
Just a side note–don’t use plastic wrap unless you want your house to burn down. or you want melted plastic in your bread. otherwise, i like your recipe!
I stumbled on to your site via Pinterest this morning. I knew we’d need bread today, but I didn’t want to run to the store….so I decided to make some. While I love baking rolls and zucchini-type breads, I’ve never just made sandwich bread. This recipe is fantastic! I don’t have a Kitchen Aid (maybe someday), so I did it by hand, keeping in mind not to use more flour than the recipe called for. It turned out great! It was so easy, and turned out just like the photo (if I knew how to submit a photo, I’d show you). It’s soft and chewy, but not too dense. I’ll definitely be using this recipe again. Heck, I may even try some of your other recipes. Who knows, I may quit buying our bread from the store all together. This has to be so much healthier! Thanks!
Hi Michelle!! I’m going to attempt to make this recipe this weekend. It will be my very first time making homemade bread. Sadly I do not have all the tools you used such as a kitchen aid stand mixer or a hand mixer. Would I be able to successfully make this bread by hand mixing the old fashioned way? (with just a spoon) And is an instant read thermometer neccessary to make this aswell? Thank you for any advice you have for me :-)
Hi Veronica, You could definitely make this bread mixing with a spoon and then kneading by hand. The instant read thermometer is super helpful and takes the guess work out of knowing when the bread is done, but you can make it without it. Just be sure your oven temperature is spot-on and bake for the recommended time, until golden brown.
Veronica – I made this myself with just my hands and omitted the thermometer. I have a secret for knowing when bread is done – just knock on the top of the golden crust and if it sounds hollow, it’s finished! PS. SO GOOD!
A little background first. My Grandma “Lou” never bought bread. Her home made bread was the best bread I ever tasted. Recently, I decided to try to make bread that was as close to her bread as possible. I have tried various recipes from the internet, and until I found this one, none were even close. This one is not only the easiest, it was the best tasting hands down. Thank you for posting this!
I’m a 55 year old, Harley ridin’, beer drinkin’ guy, and if I can make bread, so can you! When it came out of the oven, I couldn’t even wait for it to cool, I sliced the first piece and buttered it. It is the best bread I have ever tasted (next to Grandma Lou’s of course)!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this bread, and that it came close to the bread your Grandma Lou used to make!
Thanks Michelle! I just got done with my second loaf, and it looks even better than the first! I do have 1 question though, can you tell me the difference between “active yeast”, “highly active yeast”, and “rapid rise highly active yeast” ? I used “highly active” on my first loaf, and mistakenly bought “rapid rise” this time, but I really don’t see a difference in the “rise”. Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this mystery…….:)
Active yeast needs to be “activated” by being mixed together with warm water before being mixed into the rest of the dough ingredients (this is sometimes also referred to as “blooming”). Rapid rise yeast is also known as instant yeast, and is typically whisked into the dry ingredients of a recipe, and does not need to be activated or to bloom. Rapid rise yeast also requires a shorter rise time than active yeast. Those are the only two types of dry yeast I have worked with (there is also fresh, or cake, yeast), so I’m not sure where “highly active yeast” comes in.
Just wondering if this recipe can be made in a bread machine?
Hi Amy, I have never used a bread machine, so I unfortunately can’t give you a firm answer. If you regularly adapt bread recipes for the machine, I would imagine you could give a try with this as well.
Tried your recipe last night, made two loafs. Fantastic! Loved the crust on the bread and the crumb texture. Worth the effort…… Thank goodness for the KitchenAide machine.
So… I have a question!
I should start by saying that I’m British and I hate the bread in America. It is so sweet and weird (queue the corn syrup!).
My question to you is, what’s the honey for? I’m worried that it’s going to come out sweet and I’m not going to like it.
I won a Kitchenaid mixer (similar to the one you gave away) via another blogging site and I’m eager to make my own bread. I’ve looked on a few websites and yours looks the nicest, so any help about the honey would be appreciated!
Happy Holidays
Sarah
Hi Sarah, This is not a sweet bread at all; the honey just adds a little bit of balance to the flavor. You can’t taste it in the bread; it’s a very traditional white bread. I hope you enjoy it and have fun baking with your new mixer! Merry Christmas to you!
Thanks Michelle! Merry Christmas :)
You can just call me Pesty Paule…….sorry I forgot to ask you …..have you tried making this dough into rolls?
Aw, no problem! No, I have not made this recipe into rolls.
Thanks once again for all the help…….will be baking tomorrow!!
I love this b read because it is so quick and easy and delicious……I made Peter Reinharts white bread recipe as well……it has the best texture but this one tastes so much better…..it would be wonderful to get the best of both worlds hope you try combing them soon as you had mentioned in an earlier post. Also with my family making one loaf at a time isn’t working!!! What adjustments do you think are necessary to double this recipe. Thanks for all the great recipes!!
Hi Paule, I would probably make two batches, right after another, and then bake them at the same time. Sometimes bread recipes can be finicky, and simply doubling all of the recipes may not work.
Thanks so much for the quick reply………I appreciate it very much. I have a big gathering coming up for the holidays…….what do you think about making some each day till I have enough but freezing them….have you froze it?
Yes, I have frozen this bread, it works wonderfully. I usually wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil, then drop in a freezer-safe bag.
hi, tried this last night but came out a little dense and not soft and fluffy..could i get some pointers? ive also let it rise above the rim for the second rise. But wasnt entirely sure on the shaping, would that affect? Also if i would like to do the second rise overnight in the fridge how would i go about it and would it work? I would leave it on the counter top bt i live in Malaysia and its hot and humid. Please help thanks
Hi Rebecca, The shaping could affect it, as could the mixing and the way the dough was handled. I have not done a second rise in the refrigerator and don’t know how it would turn out, but you could certainly try. You’d just cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then bake.
I made it…………IT’S DELICIOUS!!!! :)
So far it’s been 12 hours and I’m now able to bake. Not sure what the problem was but I had extremely slow rise both times. Just hoping it cooks through.
I just made this bread. AMAZING. Let me also add that although I am a rather avid baker, this is my very first foray into bread. What a great recipe to start out! Big, beautiful, melts in your mouth. Thanks for sharing!
Also – to those of you without a stand mixer (come on, Christmas!) I used a hand mixer. I only used one blade and kept it at a fairly low speed – then the messy part, hand kneading. It was fun, but a mess. :)
I just made this bread and it came out soooo good. Really, I can’t believe it. I’ve been making homemade bread for about a year now with varying degrees of success ever since getting a bread machine . After a lot of trail and error, I mostly use the bread machine only to mix the dough now, which is what I did here because I don’t have a stand mixer yet. I also proofed my yeast first with the milk, water and honey and I let the dough rise until it was crested over the edge of the pan while set in a sunny spot on the counter – next time I will try it in the oven.
Thank you for posting this recipe – it is by far the best I have ever tried to make. it came out so light and delicious. Wow – it just tastes so good.
Hi Michelle,
How much should I use flour, 3-3/4 cups or 3-1/2 cups ? Since you mentioned adding more flour only up to 1/4 cup, I’m wondering this little amount affects dough texture….?
Thanks :)
Hi Naomi, I would go according to the recipe. Start with the 3.5 cups, and then if you need more, slowly add up to a 1/4 cup more, 1 tablespoon at a time. There are times I need it and times I don’t. So many things can affect bread dough and it’s consistency, including air temperature, humidity, etc. It’s usually never the same every single time.
Chelle: Do you ever use bread flour for your yeast breads? Could you tell me why or why or why not? Thanks..Chris
Yes, there are times that I use bread dough – it all depends on the texture that is desired in the bread. Bread flour creates a denser, tighter crumb, while all-purpose flour lends itself to a lighter crumb.