American Sandwich Bread
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.
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.
Edit: I have been asked by a couple of people which white bread recipe has been my favorite now that I have blogged three of them, so I figured I should address that here in my blog for all to read. My answer is a toss up between the Peter Reinhart recipe and this American Sandwich Bread. I really enjoyed the soft crumb that Peter’s bread produced, while I liked the crust and height of this loaf of bread. I may try doing a combination of the recipes to see what I can come up with, but as it stands, these are my two favorite!
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 out of butter bread. 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
- â…“ 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 (yet another) recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen – I am curious why it is not acknowledged this is NOT an original recipe with a nod to the creator?
Do not care but this was my first true loaf of bread that I can say hit all the marks. Thanks Michelle. Go ‘Guins.
If I use bead flour instead of AP, would I need to make any changes to the recipe? I made this with AP and measured the flour by weight and found it a little light in texture. Wondering if using a blend or all bread bread flour would create a better crumb.
How do you do the recipe without a stand mixer?Â
I don’t know about Michelle, but here is what I do.
1) Prep it the same way. Water, milk, honey, and butter mixture 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Set aside 1/4 cup of the liquide for the salting phase.
2) Dissolve the yeast in the mixture and let it bloom as stated in the recipe.
3) I have a large bowl I sift the flour into (you can stir in the salt at this time but I elect to hold off on the salt until after the autolyse), take out about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour and create a small well in the middle.
4) Pour the yeasted mix into the well. Using clean hands, stir the yeasted mix and gently mix the flour into the liquid until all the flour is incorporated into the mix and there is little to no dry flour and the dough is a cohesive semi shaggy ball.
5) Now the autolyse which is a fancy term for rest. I cover the bowl with a moist towel and let it rest for 25 to 30 minutes but no more than 60 minutes. This makes kneading much easier.
6) Combine the unyeasted mix and the salt mixing til all the salt disolves.
7) Pour the in with the dough ball mixing them with your hands until the liquid is absorbed into the dough.
8) Knead the dough until it smooth and supple with vidible strands of gluten and it passes the window pane test.
9) Form into a ball and place into a large bowl to proof for 40 to 50 minutes. It is done proofing when it has doubled in size and when gently poked, the dough bounces back to cover the place it was poked.
10) Form the dough into a loaf as described in the recipe
11) Cover and let proof for 20 to 30 minutes as described in the recipe.
12) Apply an egg wash and score if desired (as I do) or use a cake tester and poke 6 holes in it to let some of the moisture to escape.
13) Bake at 350 degrees as described for 40 to 50 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 195 degrees or slightly higher.
14) Remove from the pan and let cool completely before slicing into.
I Love this recipe. It’s my go to recipe for bread. I sometimes add a bit of flax seed to it, and it turns out nicely still. I usually make three loafs at once. (that’s about as much as my mixer and oven can handle.)
Love this bread turns out so good, crispy outer crust & soft inside..thank you for sharing d rcpe
I don’t have instant yeast. Can I use regular active dry yeast and if so, do I need to change anything in the recipe, rise times, etc?
Hi Kathy, First bloom the yeast in the warm milk and water, then add the rest of the wet ingredients and proceed with the recipe as written. Rise times might be slightly longer. Enjoy!
If I omit the pan of boiling water, will it turn out fine except for no “crisp crust”? I like my sandwich bread to be soft – without a crisp crust.
Yes, it will be just fine :)
I substituted 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, 1/2 c. Evaporated milk , Â 1/2 c. 1% milk and Agave syrup for the honey. Â The bread was delicious!
I’ve made this so many times and turns out perfectly every time. Perfect!
Will 2% milk work for this recipe?
Hi Crystal, Yes that should be fine!
I would like to know suggestions for making this bread without a Kitchen Aid. Just my own two hands and the power they hold. Hehe
Thanks 🙂
Yes, you totally can! Just mix together with a wooden spoon and knead with your hands :)
Yes, I have used this recipe before (but through another website/book). Long time favorite in my house. Tender in crumb yet holds up well to PBJ/H or a sandwich slathered with mayo/mustard & meat. Also makes tasty croutons and french toast. Can “air dry” in oven and food process for a recipe needing a bread crumbs. Memorize this one, you will use it a lot!
I have made this bread on 5 different occasions over the last 3 months. Hands down,  it is the BEST einkorn bread recipe and I have tried many the last 5 years.  I did substitute buttermilk since I was out of regular milk and that loaf was so delicious.  I have celiac disease and I do not react to Einkorn flour so I bake exclusively with Einkorn flour.  The texture of this bread is comparable to regular bread and is not heavy like most Einkorn recipes.  Just the right amount of sweetness from the honey.  The most surprising thing was the incredible rise I got from this loaf.  If you bake with einkorn for any amount of time, you know the rise is normally 1/2 that of normal wheat bread so I was pretty happy to actually get a full sized loaf of bread. This bread is very versatile  and can be used for sandwiches, french toast or even cubed and dried to use for an einkorn stuffing recipe for the holidays.  This will definitely be my main bread recipe from now on.  HUGE THANKS!
I would like to try this recipe, but I don’t have a Kitchen Aid. Can I still make this bread? If so, tips on how to make it without a KA.
Thanks 🙂
Hi Kristina, Yes you definitely can! You can do it completely by hand!
All I can say is we love this recipe. A couple of months ago we decided to forgo the price of store bought bread and start making our own, Recipes from old cook books and off the internet were tried, but they just didn’t give us what we wanted. This recipe hit it on the head. It was easy to put together and using my old stand mixer to knead it helped with my arthritic hands. Today, we are making our second batch and will be making many more. Thank you, for your recipe.
I’m a baker, and this is one of the best bread recipes I’ve tried. Although bread is fairly easy, this was quick and straight-forward to make. I made it in my food processor instead with perfect results.
Hi can you please tell me what temperature oven you used in baking this bread?Â
Thanking you in advance Lynn
Step 5, 350* F. Be sure to place a pan of boiling water on the rack below the bread pan. This will keep the loaf moist when baking. To test for done-ness, use a digital thermometer it should read 190-195* F.
Best bread I’ve ever had in my life! I added Alton Brown’s recommendation to use a bit of the flour & water to make a roue, adding it to the rest of the wet ingredients. Outstanding.
I love making this bread recipe and it turns out perfect every time, and freezes very well after slicing. I run a microbiology blog and have a series on how microbes are involved in food. I have modified your recipe on my latest blog post if you are interested in taking a look. Happy baking :)
I would love to try this recipe! I grind my own grains to make flour. I have hard white wheat, soft white wheat, kamut and spelt grains. Do you have a recommendation on which or how much to use with this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Sally, I am not familiar with grinding my own wheat, so I would recommend whatever you have that is the closest to an all-purpose flour.
I have made this recipe 3 times now. My recipe calls for 3 1/3 cup flour and is supposed to be the CI recipe. The rest is the same. Anyway, I have been making in it my Zojirushi Bread machine. So far, Perfect every time.
SOOOO impressed and finally found the recipe I have been searching for.
You mention “instant” yeast in your recipe. My jar says Quick Rise – is that the same. Also, do you let it proof when you put it in the warm liquids? Hoping your recipe will solve my “low” loaf problems.
Hi Jean, Yes, it is the same! And no, you do not need to wait for instant yeast to proof in this recipe.
I love your blog : all the more so since I too am a Brown Eyed Baker!!! Going to try the chubby hubby no bake bars this week!
We love this bread, we are eating strictly organic and I make this bread every week for our family!!! Thanks so much, everything you post is fantastic!
Really surprised how well this bread performed at altitude 8,200ft. I usually make the wonderfully easy No-Knead Bread recipe (my standby for flour/water/salt/yeast daily bread), but I needed something softer for good cucumber sandwiches. This rose beautifully, and the soft crumb was ideal. Only problem is that my husband wants me to make a lot more of this, but the other is better for us! Anyway, thanks so much for this recipe, which will stay in my files.
So you recommend all-purpose over bread flour for this recipe?
I used KAF unbleached bread flour – worked great. Then tried one version substituting 1 cup of wholewheat flour for white – that was great, too – just a little less rise.
Yes.
I found this post a year ago and since I was unable to make it then forgot about it and I’m so excited about your yeast bread list! My family loves fresh bread as well and all 7 of us devour a warm loaf with every meal it is served. Anyway! Since I got a bread machine in August I have been using that to make bread or at least making the dough. It recommends using bread flour for all breads, do you know what the difference would be for this recipe if I used bread flour instead of all purpose? Thanks!
Hi Sara, Bread flour has more protein, so if you substitute it your bread will likely turn out heavier and denser.
I am just starting out with learning how to make bread. This recipe was easy to follow and it turned out awesome! Thanks for sharing this!!
Oh, my goodness! I just finished baking my first loaf. This bread is incredible. Seriously so amazing. This was my first successful attempt at making homemade bread and everything worked out so well.
Here are two things I encountered during the baking process. I don’t have a stand-alone mixer but have a food processor. Since the flour level was high, I opted for old-fashioned plug in the wall beaters. Those were not sturdy enough, so I just handed kneaded the bread for 10 minutes. The other thing is that I also forgot to put butter in the recipe but the bread turned out just fine.
This will be my go-to bread recipe from now on. Thank so much for making an easy to read, easy to perform recipe. This turned out SO well.
Making this now and wondering why you suggested cling wrap on second rise. I did and it won’t come up over the edge of the pan this way. Now in the oven but has not risen any more. A bit disappointing. I hope it tastes okay. I will try again without the cling wrap on the second rise. Any alternative?
Hi Linda, I always use plastic wrap to cover my dough while rising (with any bread recipe), and I’ve never had an issue. If you feel like it stuck and it prevented the dough from rising, try spray it lightly with a non-stick cooking spray before covering.
I wonder if Linda is putting the plastic wrap tightly over the tin instead of loosely laying over the oiled dough only…?
I bake bread frequently always looking for the perfect Sammie bread……well, this is it. Slices beautifully, crust is perfect. This bread recipe Is pretty forgiving too as I have had to substitute sugar for honey at times….and today ran out of butter…go figure. I used cream cheese in its place with no problems. Awesome and thank you.
Just made this loaf at home. Wonderful! Best loaf i have ever made! Thank you so much.
I’m confused by all the different yeasts. This recipe calls for instant yeast and on the package it says instant rapid rise yeast only requiring one rise so I’m a bit confused why we are rising it twice for this recipe just the added benefit to get a bigger loaf maybe??? Thank you.
Ok I just followed the recipe and it came wonderful. Made no chaned at all. I use an oven thermometer. I think most used ovens are off a bit. That made a difference too. I mad 2 loaves the first was perfect the second I just shaped and did not roll. Mistake!!! Did not raise as well and was full of air. That what I get lol.
Hi Robin, I’m glad you enjoyed the bread! And yes, two rises will get you a bigger loaf of bread.
Just made this bread for the first time. I have been baking home made bread for over 40 years (off & on a bit). For the last 10 years or so I have been lazy & using a breadmaker, until it recently went to god. Was looking for a nice high-top recipe online & stumbled on this one. As I also recent managed to blow up my Kenwood Chef, I did complete hand kneading. The loaf came out a treat. It didn’t quite rise as high as I would have liked, but I think I may have made the dough a bit too dry, so will make it a bit wetter next time. But the crumb was beautiful, white & soft with very fine bubbles – not too different in texture to store bought sandwich bread. Came out of the oven about 30min ago & the family have just about knocked it all off – guess I won’t be having it on my sandwiches until I bake some more.
Heating the oven up to rise really helped. Mine came out almost identical to the pic
Oh my word! I have never baked bread in my life until today and let me just tell you this bread is AMAZING! It is super tasty and super easy to make. I didn’t have any whole milk so I used buttermilk and naturally, not being a baker, I didn’t have a stone bread pan so I used glass and shaved a little time off. I say, again… this recipe is PERFECT. If I could give it stars it would get 5 from me!
This bread is AMAZING. I have been searching – and I do mean SEARCHING – for an everyday bread recipe that I could make my go-to. This is it. Period. I used coconut milk and agave nectar because that’s what I had in the house and it was just delicious. Now to keep myself from downing the entire loaf before I can share it….. ha! Thank you, thank you!
Hi Michelle – your recent post on whole wheat bread got me thinking about trying to make homemade bread for the first time. I decided to start with a white sandwich bread for my first attempt and found this on your site. A couple of quick questions: You used stone loaf pans for this recipe but metal ones for the WW recipe – does it matter? (I only have metal.) Also, you used a baking stone beneath the pans in the WW recipe but did not use it here, again, does it matter? And, how do you heat your milk and water (stovetop, micro, steamer)? Last, do you still love this recipe or are you preferring the WW one now? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kristin, The type of loaf pan does not matter, however, if yours are a dark non-stick, you will need reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees. You should use the baking stone for the whole wheat bread recipe, as it help to set the bottom crust. It’s not needed for this recipe. The water I just get hot from the tap, and if it’s too hot, I let it cool to the correct temperature. Milk I warm in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds or so. I honestly can’t really compare a wheat bread recipe and a white bread recipe – to me, they’re like apples and oranges. This is by far my favorite white bread recipe, and the whole wheat bread recipe I just made is my favorite among the wheat breads I’ve made.
Thanks Michelle! I pulled the trigger and made it today….followed the recipe to a “T” and everything turned out perfectly! I had to hold back my 3 teens from opening the oven as the smell was calling to them all morning :) We just returned from a couple weeks in Austria/Germany and our copious daily fresh bread consumption is what inspired this entry into “real” bread making. Just had a warm slice with Nutella – DIVINE. Thanks again!
Question, I have recently been into making bread-always loved carbs and I really would like to replace store bread with something I can make. I decided I wanted a bread machine to assist my goal, I haven’t tried this recipe yet but am super excited to, before I get hooked on it though, any advice on how to use this recipe in a bread machine? I won’t actually have it for about a week and a half (hubby is going to buy it for my birthday :)) thanks in advance!
Hi Sara, I’ve actually never used a bread machine, so unfortunately I don’t have any good advice. I would just go according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Well it’s now July 20, 2014 and I just came across this bread recipe on your site. I just LOVE the smell of making and baking bread. I’ve never been a big bread eater (I think some degree of this wheat allergy has always been in me, it’s just that it wasn’t to the severe level yet and I didn’t recognize the allergy) although there is very little better in life than a slice of warm, homemade white bread with some nice butter (also homemade at times) and spread with a generous layer of Apple Butter. WOW, is THAT good. That’s also one of my dad’s very favorite things but since he developed Type II Diabetes he can’t enjoy these types of treats very often. We’ve discovered that regular white flour will really elevate his blood sugar levels while whole wheat flour only does a fraction of the amount. This is why my mom usually cooks with whole wheat pasta. And finally, worst of all, I can’t enjoy normal bread AT ALL since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I just haven’t made myself start making gluten free bread yet. I hate to think of buying all those odd, weird flours. I recently bought the bread and pizza crust blend of the new gluten free flour substitute called Cup4Cup. I guess making bread is going to be just like my cake baking, I can bake it for others, I just can’t eat it myself. So…..six years have passed since the original posting and your KitchenAid mixer tried to commit suicide. Were you ever able to upgrade and get the larger mixer? I’ve been lucky, when my parents bought me my KitchenAid stand mixer they must have been in a fog and not thinking as they bought me the smallest one they make, the 4-1/2 size bowl. Me, who does more baking in a couple of weeks than anyone else in my family does in a year. But yet, when my dad bought one for my mom, he got her the largest one they make, and she doesn’t do very much baking, not enough to need that anyway. Well, about a year ago when I was talking about buying myself a new larger mixer my mom decided to give me her LARGE stand mixer. It is SO nice when I make my frosting to decorate cakes. I use a recipe given to me by a friend and I often double or even triple it. It filled my small one almost to the rim, so did my cheesecake recipe I make from Martha Stewart and I get a fair number of orders for those. I now have two mixers going every so often. THIS is SO nice when having to make these large 14, 16, or even 18 inch cake layers. THEN, about a month ago I was at an auction where I believe they were selling the estate of a woman who must have passed away or gone into a home. This person apparently was a collector and everything they had was in pristine condition. I was able to get another KA stand mixer for FORTY DOLLARS! It’s just a 5 quart but that’s fine. It even included all the accessories that come with it in the different beaters, the bowl, EVEN the cover. It probably has 10 years or more on it but with KA, that doesn’t matter, it’s perfect. So now I have THREE.. My mom has a good many of the attachments which I haven’t brought home yet, I need to get those. I need to discover if she has the pasta maker as I want to get that to roll fondant. (and also make my own gluten free pasta and whole wheat for my dad). So now, with your latest good news, if you haven’t upgraded, now is the time to ask for one since you will be baking and cooking for even more in your life. And of course, you’ll want to make your own homemade baby food, right? Have a great day, so far it’s rather dreary, cloudy and gloomy here in my area near Camp David. For the first time since Thanksgiving Obama and his family were there, we had fighter yets and helicopters flying over us most of the weekend. At least they don’t fly as low as they did right after 9/11 and shake the house. They once flew so low over my brother while driving his truck on a road it nearly shook him off the road.
I did get a larger mixer! My husband bought me a 6-quart model for Christmas five years ago (we were just dating then) – it’s amazing!
I’m having some trouble getting this bread to rise enough (tried leaving it to rise much longer in both stages, but wouldn’t really breach the top of the loaf pan). Are there any pointers you can provide that might help this become a fully realized sandwich bread instead of a delicious short stacked loaf?
Might help to note that I reside at about 4,000 ft above sea level – my baking here in MT hasn’t been as easy as I hoped it would be.
Well, I just realized I used active dry yeast and didn’t let it activate, so I think I’ve found the answer all by myself!
Ahh!! Well, if that doesn’t work, try preheating the oven for a couple of minutes, then putting the loaf in there to proof. Sometimes help to give it a boost if the house isn’t warm or humid.
@ Matt: I seriously doubt you could go wrong…except we all need to be watchful that the temp of the milk and water doesn’t get too hot and thereby kill the yeast. I think almost all of us have done that once lo, lol Once you bake this I bet you will move to a bit of experimenting. That is how we come up with new recipes anyway. This one is great…so enjoy your bread! Some deviation of a written recipe can turn into a new treat! Good luck!
This is such an easy recipe! I make double recipe and place it as a round loaf on a stone to bake after slicing a criss cross on the top. Toward mid baking time I coat with olive oil over the top for browing…that or egg white to make shiny as well. It tastes wonderful! Thank you for this great recipe!
I’m trying making bread for the first time I hope I do it right….
Made this for the first time today- delicious! I’m a beginner bread-baker, but it still turned out fantastic!
Has anyone used a glass bread pan? Is there a reason I should or shouldn’t use it?
This was such an easy recipe! Thank your for sharing. It’s rising by the oven right now. My fiancé came home from a run and said, “Mmm…it smells like…bread!”
So it must be working.
I have made this bread twice now and it is the best. It comes out tall and beautiful, and the taste is yummy. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than any store bought bread. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and tips.
Loved this white bread recipe. My little guys have been asking for slices for breakfast, snack, and dinner…..I had to make another loaf tonight to get us through the rest of the week!!!!! Easy to follow recipe and the loaves turned out just as you pictured…..Many Thanks from Traverse City, Michigan.
Wow, this is simply delicious and simply fool proof. The loaf has a lovely crust and a soft moist crumb. I couldn’t wait for the loaf to completely cool and expected tearing when I sliced into it. It sliced beautifully. Normally we prefer some whole grain in our bread and bake artisan free-form loaves on a stone. This recipe is perfect for the occasional indulgence of plain white home baked bread. Grandma didn’t do it better! This is definitely one for the recipe file.
I’m currently snowed in and my daughter wanted some bread so I decided to tryout this recipe and it’s delicious. Only problem is that I’m supposed to be on a diet and it’s oh so tempting to eat the whole loaf. :-)
This is such an awesome recipe! This is the first time I’ve ever baked bread and it came out perfect! I followed the instructions exactly but without honey and with fat free milk and without the machines and thermometer since I like my bread salty and somewhat healthy. Good old fashioned hand kneading. It came out like Italian bread for me, hard and crusty on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Thank you for this recipe. It’s one I’m gonna keep using!
I have been wanting to make home made bread for a while now, but have never found any recipes with such clear step by step directions!! Most of the time it just says to put the ingredients in your bread machine as directed by the manufacturer. And seeing as I don’t have a bread machine, that would be difficult to do. Anyways,I found this website yesterday and was inspired to make a loaf of this bread, I had all of the ingredients in my cupboard, my first rising time was a little longer then the directions indicated, but the over all loaf turned out exactly as the picture and everyone LOVED it! They seemed surprised that this loaf of bread would taste like bread. Now with my new found confidence that bread isn’t all that hard to make, I definitely want to try some of the other recipes, like the Honey Oat!!
I stepped into the world of homemade bread… with four little ones, we go through so much bread. I’m a serious bread lover and the good bakery breads are speedy. So why not make my own? So I tried your white bread and it was… amazing! We ate the whole loaf in one sitting with chicken&wild rice soup. My question is… does the batch double well? And can I bake more than one loaf in my oven at a time? Today I’m making your honey oatmeal bread for the first time… it’s rising now and I can’t wait to try it. Your white bread recipe was the first I’ve ever made that turned out good! My husband was quite happy, singing “I never thought she’d make me hoooooooomemade bread!” Haha! Thank you!
I meant good bakery breads are spendy!
Hi Juliana, I’m so glad that your family enjoyed the bread! I have not tried doubling the recipe, so I can’t give you definitive answer, but I tend to think it would work okay. Yes, you can bake two loaves in your oven at the same time. Enjoy!
First time making bread ever and this turned out great.
Made this bread today and it’s delicious and easy. I did have to substitute because we have a dairy allergy in the family. Coconut oil instead of butter and almond milk instead of cow’s milk. Still very fluffy inside with a nice crust. It’s a big hit and I’ve added it to my recipe box. Thanks!
Just finished baking a loaf and it’s truly wonderful. This is a keeper.
I had to come back and make sure I had the measurements right (I did) because mine was too ‘wet’. I added more flour.. I’m afraid too much! I don’t know what went wrong! Also do you mean you mixed in the KA mixer for 10 min? I did that too hoping it would get thicker… It’s rising now, I’ll let ya know how it turns out..
I’ve been so excited to try this.. I make a lot of sourdough bread so maybe I’m just not used to the consistency.
Anyway, if it doesn’t turn out I’ll try again..
Hi Rebecca, Yes, knead in the mixer with the dough hook for 10 minutes, or until it reaches a smooth, elastic consistency. I hope it turns out for you!
Thanks for your reply. It was WONDERFUL!! Hubby says its the best yet. If I did add too much flour I don’t care! lol I’ll be making this a LOT more!! Thanks again for your help! Next I’m going for scones.
I have made this bread a couple of times and is almost as good as my mothers!
Michelle! I just left a comment on your FB page but wanted to note here how much I love your bread!!! I’m featuring it today on the blog with a slightly modified recipe but let me just say: It’s insane in the membrane. Thank you so much for helping me to get over my fear of yeast (at least one kind) and for filling my belly (and likely, bottom) with good, satisfying, super soft bread!
Any idea why I’m having such a hard time keeping the dough together when kneading? :(
I’m not sure what you mean? Is it too crumbly? Are you kneading by hand, in a mixer? If it’s too crumbly, it might be from dry air, try adding water a teaspoon at a time until it comes together and you reach the correct consistency.
Actually, it turned out great! But I had a problem when I took the dough out of the standing mixer and started the 15 second kneading . The dough wouldn’t stay together. I warmed a little more milk and slowly added. Eating a sandwich now!
I need a bigger loaf pan, but the bread turned out awesome! Now to attempt the Rosemary potato…
http://flic.kr/p/in6ESF
http://flic.kr/p/in66eS
This is the best white bread I’ve ever made!! Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe.
Made my first homemade bread using this recipe for the first time last night.. And WOW! This absolutely blew me away. So delicious. Will be making it again!!! :)
I have to say, we’ve been eating homemade bread exclusively for quite a while now. I have the Emeril Lagasse Bread & Baguette Maker (I won the machine at work a few years ago) and I seriously love that thing. But the bread pan became damaged, and while I’m waiting for the replacement to arrive, I started to look for an easy bread recipe that I could make with my Kitchenaid Mixer. I came across this and it looked perfect. Boy, was I right. This loaf of bread came out perfect. The crust was crusty, but not gum damaging, the crumb was nice and tight, it was soft and beautiful on the inside, and baked and browned perfectly without burning. I immediately decided that this would be thrown into the mix at least once a week, it makes the perfect sandwich bread for the family, and my 4 year old likes it better than the bread machine bread, he says its softer like a pillow. Thank you so much!
Is it possible to substitute butter with oil? Will it affect the end result? My husband is a super duper fussy white bread eater… I’ve tried many recipes but they all just does not pass his challenge… As he compare the softness with store bought bread super soft… Thank you
Hi Mae, It will affect the end result, but without knowing what you’re after, I can’t say if that will be good or bad for you. I would recommend making it as written first, and then if you feel the need to tweak, go ahead.
I made this today , and it was fabulous
It rised very well, thank you for a lovely recipe.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. I used Gold Medal bread flour instead of all purpose. I read on another blog that you should use more liquid when using bread flour. Can you confirm this and if so, how much more liquid? My bread had a denser crumb than I preferred so I appreciate any advice you can give for a lighter crumb.
Thanks!
Hi Norman, I recommend using all-purpose flour for the best possible outcome. I have not made this recipe with bread flour, so unfortunately I don’t have any guidelines in terms of additional liquid.
I only have salted butter! How would I adjust the recipe? Do I simply omit the added salt?
Hi Darci, Yes, just omit the salt in the recipe.
I made this last night. It was so fabulous the family ate the entire loaf. There is another loaf in the oven right now for tomorrow. CRAZY great recipe.
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.
Hi there!
Beautiful loaf! Just a quick question.. Can I partly substitute with whole wheat flour?What changes will I have to make?
THanks a ton for an awesome recipe
urmila
Hi there, If you use some whole wheat, you don’t need to make any other adjustments. Just go ahead and substitute (I would do more than 1/2).
I’m thinking you meant to say you would do “no” more than 1/2.
Correct, sorry about that!
Found your site and have bookmarked it for further use. One of the best ones I’ve found for the type of baking I’m wanting to do! Thanks so much for providing the information! Quick question though; I’m just starting my journey with homemade bread and I don’t really know what I’m doing. :D Normally I buy bread from the store, but I ran out and I’ve got yeast on hand.. but I don’t have whole milk. Can I substitute for 2%? How will that affect the bread? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie, You can use 2% milk, the whole milk just provides a bit more fat which creates more of a “creamy” crumb texture, but it would definitely still be more than okay with the 2%.
This worked perfectly! I never had homemade bread rise so high!! Thanks so much :)
I had never made bread before and I made this omg my family LOVED it my picky 5 year old ate half the loaf! Question tho is it easy to double or triple this recipe? Or should I stick with making 1 loaf at a time?
I have not attempted to double or triple the recipe, but it never hurts to try! If you give it a go I would love to know how it turns out.
I am so glad to have found this recipe as I was just saying to my husband yesterday that i would like to make my own white bread…but have not found a good recipe, that is until now!!
YEAH!!
I’ve got this bread in the oven right now and it smells SO GOOD! I cannot wait to eat it. Thank you, I’ve been looking for a good sandwich bread recipe for a while and trying to make more things at home to save money on groceries. This will go great with my homemade yogurt for breakfast this week!
Been wanting a good, solid one-loaf sandwich bread recipe and went looking the other day and found this site. Made TWO deelish loaves yesterday after not making bread since February. I opted to use all milk + no water, and used Clover honey for one loaf and Blackberry honey for the other, but noticed no flavor difference. I also used the 8″ loaf pans [I just grabbed what was on top] which produced a tall rise in the oven, w/o the steam. I did like your proofing in the oven idea.
Did my taste test afterwards w/ butter and my recently made strawberry jam, deeelish! Thanks for posting this recipe. :-)
I made this bread last night and boy howdy it was delicious! A friend asked me for the recipe so I googled it and found you! Beautiful pictures!
I had bread and butter for breakfast, and bread with butter and jam for lunch, so I know what you mean about living on buttered bread.
Oh.. but you should never speak ill of your KA! I absolutely love mine and tell her so often. She’s helped me make sooo many yummy things!
I just made this bread (my first attempt at homemade bread) and it turned out FABULOUS! The only thing I did differently is put the yeast in with the flour and salt instead of the liquid mixture. I made homemade cinnamon rolls a while back, and when I put the yeast in the “warm” milk, I think it was more like “hot” milk, and I killed it. My rolls never rose, but they still turned out yummy – just dense! This bread is currently baking and the smell is KILLING me! Thank you so much for the recipe – LOVE your blog!
I baked it. Amazing bread.Thanks.
(if you want to see it, http://brindusascheaua.blogspot.com/2011/01/paine-pentru-sandwichuri-sandwich-bread.html )
I made this last night and it was delicious. For the first time in my (short) bread baking career, I actually made a sandwich from homemade bread.
One question though: My bread didn’t get as high as I’d like. I had to make a couple substitutions, I used 2% milk instead of whole and I had to sub sugar for honey. I wonder if either of those had anything to do with it?
High five for homemade bread! The 2% milk and honey sub shouldn’t have caused any differences in the rise. I tend to let my bread do it’s second rise until it’s risen about an inch above the rim of the loaf pan to make sure it’s nice and high.
Thanks Chelle!
Ms. Foodie – I’m so glad that you enjoying this! As far as stoneware vs. metal, I’m not sure of the “technical” differences, but for me I find that the stoneware help to create a nice brown crust. If you decide to go with metal, I’ve heard that Williams Sonoma’s GoldTouch pans have gotten great reviews.
Thanks for the bread idea Chelle! I had a question about your loaf pans…what is the benefit of stoneware vs. metal? Thanks!
P.S. Readers of BEB, I made this bread the other day and it was fantastic!
wow, that is some NICE looking bread! Interesting about the stone bread pans, I need to find some new ones.
That bread looks so delicious! And I’m sure my Francis would love it too…the boy absolutely LOVES bread (well…bread, and cheese)…
I might have to make this for him to use as sandwich bread for next week for lunch!
This loaf looks absolutely beautiful! I love the height of it, and it is so very white. Carbs rock!
I LOVE homemade bread! This looks soooo good!
This looks delicious!!! I can only imagine how wonderful your house smells after this!
Wow, what an amazingly beautiful loaf of bread! I just want to take a bite of my screen. I love my stoneware loaf pans, I have two.
i love making bread to, my family likes potato bread, i’ve never made a white bread before but this looks so good i’m printing! thanks.
We all love when you make bread too!!!! I can almost smell it every time.
Oh also, if you don’t want to do the stoneware, America’s Test Kitchens recently gave the Williams Sonoma Gold Touch loaf pans their highest rating.
Hi Danielle – I do use stone loaf pans. The first loaf pans I received were 10″ pans, and as you can imagine, I had some problems turning out loaves that were “long and lean”. When I went to replace them, I received a lot of recommendations for the Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pans, so that is what I went with. I’ve been very happy with them!
Chelle–did you use a stone loaf pan for baking? i tried this loaf with a metal pan and it didn’t seem to work quite so well–thinking I may upgrade to a stone pan now! Great job as always!
Brooke, I guarantee you will fall in love with homemade bread! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions when you make the bread!
Okay, I am going to jump in the bread baking world. I’ll let you know when I make it…I hope mine looks as good as yours. Ditto on the moldy bread.
Thanks for the recipe! It’s printing right now, and I can’t wait to try it.
I love this bread! I seriously make it two or three times a week these days. It disappears quickly around here!
I will be trying this out in the next few days. It definitely beats buying a loaf at the store for $4 and then watching it get moldy. At least if I’m making my own bread, I’m spending significantly less and I don’t have to feel bad if it gets moldy.