Homemade Sandwich Bread Recipe Is a Must-Have for Bakers (Beginners & Pros) by Ann Marie G. Halstead

Have you ever thought about baking your own sandwich bread? I have, usually when I realize we’re out of bread just as we begin making school lunches! To be honest, though, baking bread has always been a little outside my comfort zone.

I’m fairly confident in my baking, and enjoy it, but baking homemade bread seems to be in a class of its own. But there are some bread recipes that I feel I can handle, and I think you can, too! This white sandwich bread loaf is a great example.

All you need to make this low-sodium homemade sandwich bread is water, yeast, milk, butter, sugar, salt and flour. The ingredients make two loaves of bread. Once you start smelling the aroma coming from the oven when the bread is baking, you will be glad you made it! Serve this soft white bread with butter or jelly, jam or use it to make sandwiches, toast or even croutons.

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes
Servings: 24 (makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided)
• neutral-tasting oil, such as canola oil 

Helpful Products

• Loaf Pans
• Stand Mixer
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• Mixing Bowl
• Stand Mixer
• Parchment Paper
• Airtight Containers
• Kitchen Towels
• Wooden Spoon
• Sandwich Press
• Serrated Knife

Recipe Notes

• If you wrap the bread loaves in foil and plastic, they’ll stay fresh at room temperature for several days. If you freeze them, they’ll keep for up to three months.

• Have all your ingredients and equipment out before starting the recipe. This always helps me with the process!

Here's how to make it: 

1. Pour warm water into a measuring cup. Make sure water is warm (but if you can't comfortably hold a finger in the water for several seconds, allow it to cool a bit). Pour the water into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, then sprinkle the yeast over top. Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast is dissolved.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine milk, butter, sugar and salt. Transfer to the bowl with the yeast, add 1 cup of flour, then stir until it forms a loose, lumpy batter. Add 4 1/2 cups of the flour (reserve the remaining 1 cup if the dough is sticky during kneading). Stir until a floury “shaggy” dough is formed.
3. If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment on medium speed and knead the dough for 8 to10 minutes. If not using a stand mixer, knead the dough by hand on the counter. If the dough is “bubble-gum sticky” against the sides of the bowl/counter, add a tablespoon of additional flour at a time until dough is no longer sticky. You’ll know the dough is kneaded and ready for the first rise when it is smooth, feels slightly tacky, easily forms a ball and springs back when you poke it.
4. Remove the dough from the stand mixer bowl. Clean and dry the mixing bowl. Coat bowl with a thin film of oil. Form the dough into a ball, place it in the bowl and turn it to coat well with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let dough rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, for about 1 hour.
5. Once dough has risen, sprinkle some flour on a work surface and place the dough on it. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape each piece into a loose ball. Let the two balls rest for 10 minutes.
6. Grease two 8x4-inch loaf pans with oil or coat them with cooking spray (the latter is optional). Shape each ball of dough into a loaf shape, then transfer to the loaf pans. Be sure to stretch the loaves taut; this helps them rise and prevents the interior from becoming overly dense. Let the loaves rise a second time until they start to dome over the edge of the pan, about 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, remove any racks above it and heat the oven to 425 degrees F about halfway through the second rise. Using a serrated knife, make a long, shallow slash down the center of each loaf. Place loaves in the oven. Immediately turn down the heat to 375 degrees F and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Finished loaves will be dark golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove the loaves from the pans onto wire racks and let them cool completely before slicing. 

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 157

Total Fat: 1.4g

Saturated Fat: 0.7g

Cholesterol: 3mg

Sodium: 106mg

Total Carbohydrate: 32.5g

Dietary Fiber: 0.9g

Total Sugars: 8.6g

Protein: 3.5g

Vitamin D: 1mcg

Calcium: 10mg

Iron: 2mg

Potassium: 43mg

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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