In a world filled with a thousand ingredients in store-bought bread, it's time to reclaim the joy of baking your own sandwich bread. Get ready for a homemade sandwich bread recipe that will forever change the way you experience sandwiches.
Making your own sandwich bread might seem complicated and daunting, but with the right recipe and techniques, I really believe that you can totally achieve bakery-quality results right in your own kitchen!
This homemade sandwich bread recipe was inspired by our Runza and Hot pockets recipes.
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Reasons Why You'll Love This Recipe
All you need is a few simple ingredients that can be pronounced
It's so easy to make
The bread is crispy on the outside and soft and pillowy inside
Key Ingredients
Flour: This recipe calls for All-Purpose flour but bread flour will do just fine. Using whole wheat flour, however, will result in a dense loaf.
Water: The best temperature for bread is very warm water which is about 120°.
Yeast: The kind of yeast that we recommend for this recipe is instant yeast. Instant yeast makes the dough rise really fast. Yeast is what makes the bread rise. It's important to check its expiry date before using it. Doing this will save you a lot of time and disappointment.
Salt: Salt also gives the bread flavor and without it, the bread would be bland and not fun to eat.
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix all the ingredients together.
Add in the water and oil. Mix all the ingredients and then knead until a smooth elastic soft dough forms.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a wet kitchen towel. Place it in a warm place and let it rise and double. This will take about 2 hours.
Deflate the dough by punching it down and shaping it into a ball and then transfer it to a floured surface.
Lightly dust the top of the dough and then roll it into a rectangle.
Roll up the rectangle and then pinch the seam as well as both ends of the dough.
Place the dough in a greased 9” X 5” loaf pan seam side down and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Move the pan to a warm area and let it double in size.
Bake the loaf at 375° for about 30-40 minutes or until it turns golden brown. If it browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.
Remove the homemade sandwich bread from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SANDWICH BREAD
Mixing the dough:
Though many recipes recommend blooming the yeast by mixing it with a little water and sugar, this recipe skips that step. Instead, the recipe asks that you mix all the ingredients in a bowl beginning with the dry ingredients followed by the wet ingredients.
Kneading the dough
After the ingredients have combined completely the next thing to do is knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes or until it becomes smooth. Kneading also helps the dough develop gluten which will strengthen it and help it rise as well as maintain its structure. Dough that hasn’t been kneaded enough tends to collapse in the oven. Trust us, you don’t want that to happen to you after all the hard work you put into making the bread.
Cover dough for the 1st rise:
Homemade Sandwich bread dough requires 2 rises. The first rise is typically in a bowl and the second rise takes place in a baking pan.
Deflate the dough:
The best way to deflate the dough is by punching it. Yes, you read that right. This step is very therapeutic.
Shape and roll the dough:
After deflating the dough the next step is transferring the dough onto a floured surface, and rolling it into a triangle. Next, roll up the dough jelly-roll style and then pinch the seams as well as both ends of the dough.
Cover dough for the 2nd rise:
Place the dough in an oiled pan seam side down and cover it with a kitchen towel. Place the pan in a warm area and let it double in size. The dough is about ready to be baked when it rises about an inch over the baking pan.
Bake and check for doneness.
Just because the top of your loaf is brown and has baked for the duration called by the recipe, doesn't mean that it's done. The best way to test for doneness is by carefully removing it from the pan and tapping the bottom of the loaf. If it looks brown and sounds hollow then it's done! If it doesn't sound hollow simply put it back in the pan, cover the top with aluminum foil, and continue baking it.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
The best way to store sandwich bread is to place it in a ziplock bag or an airtight
container and place it in the fridge.
Freezing bread is a great way of keeping it fresh. Before freezing, it's important to first slice it and then wrap the loaf with plastic wrap. After wrapping the loaf you can either put it in a freezer bag or an airtight container. Bread can last up to 6 months in the freezer and about 7 days in the fridge.
The 3 methods we use to warm frozen bread slices are by putting them in a toaster,
lining them up on a pan & baking them in the oven at 350° for 5-7 minutes or
microwaving them for 14-20 seconds.
Substitution and Addition Ideas
You can use all milk instead of water for this recipe.
You can also use butter instead of oil for this bread recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Why isn’t my bread rising?
You may be using expired yeast. It's important to always look at the expiry date before
using the yeast. There's also a chance that you used very hot water which killed the
yeast or used very cold water which causes the yeast to take a while to get activated.
Yeast tends to thrive in environments that are about 80°F.
Can I use cake flour to bake my bread?
We wouldn't recommend it because cake flour doesn't have enough gluten to make the bread rise. If you use cake flour you run the risk of ending up with a dense loaf.
Can I use wheat flour for this recipe?
You certainly can but your loaf will come out denser than it would if you used all-purpose flour.
Why has my bread not risen in the oven?
There are a few reasons why your bread hasn't risen in the oven. It may have been
under-proofed. This means that it wasn't ready to be baked. Bread is ready to bake if
you press the dough with your finger and the indentation you make doesn't fill or spring back. Another reason for it not to rise is that it could have also been over-proofed. This means that it rose for too long and now it can't rise anymore. Overproofed dough usually collapses in the oven and comes out flat.
My Homemade sandwich bread tastes great but shreds when I cut it. What went wrong?
Your bread may either be undercooked. Or you probably cut into it before it cooled down completely. I know it's hard but you need to let your bread cool down for about 1- 1 ½ hours.
Why settle for mediocre store-bought bread when you can create something really extraordinary? We really believe that you can embrace the art of bread-making and open the door to a world of sandwich possibilities by making this simple homemade sandwich bread.
Baking your own sandwich bread is a really rewarding experience that guarantees a superior taste and texture compared to store-bought bread. So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and get ready to experience the bliss of baking the perfect sandwich bread. Your sandwiches will never be the same again!
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Looking for other delicious bread recipes? Try these:
Recipe
Homemade Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix all the ingredients together.
- Add in the water and oil. Mix all the ingredients and then knead until a smooth elastic soft dough forms.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a wet kitchen towel. Place it in a warm place and let it rise and double. This will take about 2 hours.
- Deflate the dough by punching it down and shaping it into a ball and then transfer it to a floured surface.
- Lightly dust the top of the dough and then roll it into a rectangle.
- Roll up the rectangle and then pinch the seam as well as both ends of the dough.
- Place the dough in a greased 9” X 5” loaf pan seam side down and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Move the pan to a warm area and let it double in size.
- Bake the loaf at 375° for about 30-40 minutes or until it turns golden brown. If it browns too fast, cover it loosely with foil.
- Remove the loaf from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
makes the dough rise really fast. Yeast is what makes the bread rise. It's important to
check its expiry date before using it. Doing this will save you a lot of time and
disappointment. Sugar: Sugar gives flavor to the bread and is what the yeast feeds on to make it rise. Salt: Salt also gives the bread flavor and without it, the bread would be bland and not
fun to eat.
Jessica says
This bread turned out perfect! I made exactly as instructed in the blog post and was surprised at how amazing it turned out! So much better than processed store bread!
Comfort Food and Drinks says
Isn't it amazing how doable it is?! And nothing beats homemade bread. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us Jessica!
- Essy