Beginner Friendly Sandwich Bread
Soft and fluffy sandwich bread made without all the grocery store preservatives. Brush the outsides with salted butter for something extra special.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (474g) warm water, 110-115°F
- ¼ cup (85g) honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) instant yeast (not active dry, *see notes)
- 3 cups (408g) bread flour
- 1-2 ½ cups (125g-313g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup salted butter (half a stick), for brushing the tops and sides of the loaves
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, pour the warm water, honey, salt, oil and instant yeast. Mix until combined.
- Add the bread flour to the mixture and mix with a spoon, spatula, or Danish whisk. Gradually add the all purpose flour (½ cup at a time) until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch.
Knead the dough:
- On a lightly floured countertop, knead the dough with your hands (rub a little bit of flour on your palms to help) for 6-8 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the countertop. (You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for 4-5 minutes on medium speed.)
First Rise:
- Grease a bowl or straight sided container with oil or baking spray. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size (45 minutes-1.5 hours).
Shape the dough:
- Spray a 9 X 5 inch bread pan with baking spray on all sides. Punch down the dough. Remove from the bowl and place onto a floured surface. Shape the dough into a loaf the length and width of the bread pan and place into the greased bread pan. Cover with plastic wrap.
Second Rise:
- Place the bread pan in a warm place and allow the dough to rise for another 45 minutes to 1.5 hours until the loaf rises about one inch above the top of the pan.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Place the bread pan in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the loaf is browned, or until the internal temperature reaches between 205-210°F (96-99°C).
- Remove bread from the oven and use oven mitts to remove the bread from pan by flipping it upside down. Place on the countertop or cooling rack and brush the tops and sides with melted, salted butter. Allow the bread to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Once cool, wrap with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature or for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- This recipe uses instant yeast in order to allow for a fast rise time. If you want to use active dry yeast, follow the first step and allow the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes. Continue following the recipe, allowing for more time for the dough to proof (1 hour-1.5 hours for each rise).
- Use a straight sided container to accurately tell when your dough has doubled in size.
- Flour Type: You can use all bread flour or all purpose for this recipe. I just find the mix of both gives the bread the perfect combination of fluffiness and chewiness.