Delicious Homemade Sandwich Bread in 2 hours
Bread is a staple in any home, especially sandwich bread. You can do a variety of things with it, from sandwiches to French toast to even desserts like bread pudding! Because of this, I found it crucial to find a recipe for the simple sandwich bread. It took a lot of trial and error, but the result is absolutely delicious. My husband has learned to love Fridays, also known as bread-making day, and he constantly hovers over the loaves cooling on the counter, asking when they will be cool enough to slice into. I don’t think I know anyone who loves bread more than he does!
I hope this recipe serves your family as well as it’s served mine! Give it a shot, and let me know in the comments how it went! I’d love to see how you adapt it to fit the needs of your family!
Equipment & Tools
Thermometer: In order to make sure our liquids aren’t too hot for our yeast, we will use a thermometer to check the temperature.
Stand Mixer: Using a stand mixer with a dough hook makes it easier and less labor intensive to make bread.
Large Mixing Bowl(s): We will need a large mixing bowl to place our kneaded dough into to let rise. If you aren’t using a stand mixer, you will need an additional bowls to make the dough in.
Wooden Spoon: Unless you want to mix by hand, which works just as well, you will want a wooden spoon or some other utensil to mix up the dough.
Loaf Pans: You will need two loaf pans, standard loaf pans or 9×5 loaf pans will work. Slightly smaller pans will work but the bread will have a bigger domed top due to not having as much space (as pictured below).
Wire Cooling Rack: A wire rack is handy for cooling the loaves after they are done baking.
Ingredients Needed
Yeast: Yeast is the leavening agent in this bread. You are going to want a good quality, dry-active yeast.
Honey: Yeast needs to feed on sugars to do its thing, and the little bit of sweetness in the bread is delicious. I prefer using honey, however, if you want to use regular granulated sugar or brown sugar, you can do a 1:1 substitute. It may make your dough a bit drier, though, so you will not need as much flour.
Eggs: Eggs help to let the dough rise during baking. The proteins in eggs help to make a nice crumb to your loaf.
Scalded Milk: I love the extra flavor that milk brings to bread. However, it must be scalded. This means that the milk is heated to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and then cooled. If you prefer to not use scalded milk, you can do a 1:1 ratio of water, instead.
Butter: Butter is another ingredient that brings a different layer of flavor and texture to your bread. Make sure that the melted butter is cooled before you add it to the rest of your ingredients. If you haven’t tried already, consider making your own homemade butter!
Salt: Salt is necessary in the recipe. It helps the yeast to work, and it helps the structure of the bread and enhances the flavors.
Flour: Flour is the backbone for any bread recipe. I prefer to use unbleached, all-purpose flour.
How to Make homemade sandwich bread
Bloom the Yeast: Mix the warm water, honey, and yeast together in a large bowl or stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Let rest for 10 minutes until the yeast blooms.
Add the Ingredients: Then, add the egg, milk, butter, and salt. Mix well to combine.
Form the Dough: One cup at a time, add the flour until a shaggy dough forms and you can no longer mix it with a wooden spoon.
Knead the Dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Begin kneading, adding more flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky to the touch. It shouldn’t be sticking to your fingers.
First Rise: Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. I like to use my oven with the oven light on.
Split the Dough After an hour, the dough should be doubled in size. Punch it down, and then turn it out onto the floured surface. Split into two even pieces, and form each piece into a log.
Second Rise: Place each log into a prepared, greased loaf pan. Cover with a towel and let rise for an additional 30 minutes, or until the dough is just peeking over the sides of the loaf tins.
Preheat the Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees / 175 degrees Celsius.
Bake: Bake the loaves for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool: Remove from oven and place onto a wire baking rack to cool completely. Optionally you may wish to rub the crust with some butter. This will add some additional flavor and make the crust softer.
Storage: Place the sandwich bread into an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. For longer term storage, wrap the loaf in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place into the freezer where you can then thaw as needed.
FAQ’s
Homemade Sandwich Bread
*Note: Calories and cost is estimated, if provided.
Equipment & Tools
- Thermometer
- Measuring Cup(s) and Spoon(s)
- Stand Mixer with dough hook (optional, but recommended)
- Large Mixing Bowl(s)
- Wooden Spoon (optional)
- 2 (9-in x 5-in) Loaf Pan(s)
- Wire Cooling Rack (optional)
Ingredients
- 5 tsp Active dry yeast
- 1⅓ cups Water , warm (follow the instructions on the yeast package for how warm the water should be)
- 4 tsp Honey
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 cup Milk , scalded and cooled (see notes)
- ¼ cup Salted butter , melted and cooled (plus extra, for finished loaves)
- 2 tsp Fine sea salt
- 6-8 cups All-purpose, unbleached flour (plus extra, for kneading)
Instructions
Scalded Milk (if using)
- Microwave: Place 1 cup Milk into a microwave-safe container then into the microwave for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave, give it a stir and check the temperature, continue to microwave in 30 second intervals until the milk reaches 180℉ / 82℃. Microwaving times vary depending on the wattage of your microwave.
- Stove Top: In a small saucepan, heat the milk up, whisking periodically to ensure even heating. Periodically check the temperature, we need it to reach 180℉ / 82℃. This will take about 10 minutes. Be sure to not leave it unintended otherwise it may burn on the bottom.
- Once it reaches temperature, remove from the heat and place into the fridge to cool for at least an hour.
Dough
- Following the instructions for your brand of yeast, heat water to the recommended temperature for dissolving the yeast directly in liquid.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the warm 1⅓ cups Water and 4 tsp Honey together. Add 5 tsp Active dry yeast and let sit 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the ¼ cup Salted butter and let cool.
- After the yeast has bloomed, add 2 large Eggs, 2 tsp Fine sea salt, melted butter and scalded milk (make sure this has cooled, you do not want the temperature to be higher than the temperature recommended for liquid on the yeast packet otherwise you risk killing your yeast). Stir to combine.
- Add in the 6-8 cups All-purpose, unbleached flour in 1 cup intervals, mixing in between, until a shaggy dough forms.
Knead & First Rise
- Using your hands or a stand mixer, knead for 5-10 minutes.
- Add a bit more flour if the dough sticks to the sides of the bowl / your hands and continue to knead. The dough is ready when it is slightly tacky to the touch, but no longer sticky.
- Form the dough into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Grease two 9-in x 5-in bread pans. Punch down the dough and divide in half. Form each half into a log and place into the loaf pans.
Second Rise & Bake
- Cover again with a towel and allow the dough to rise for an additional 30 minutes, or until it is rising just above the edge of the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ / 175℃.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the loaves begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and while still hot, rub the crust with some butter. This is optional but will give the bread extra flavor and a softer the crust.
- Let cool completely. Using a wire baking rack will help speed up the cooling time.
Storage
- Place the loaves into an airtight container where they will stay fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. For longer storage times, it is best to place into the freezer then thaw as needed.
Notes
If you enjoyed making this sandwich bread recipe, consider checking out our other bread-related recipes!
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