World’s Easiest Homemade Sandwich Bread
Updated
Updated
Just over an hour start to finish is all you need to make the World’s Easiest Sandwich Bread Recipe. Don’t have a stand mixer? No problem! Just knead by hand in a couple minutes. With only 5 pantry ingredients, this recipe is so easy and thrifty, resulting in soft tender loaves of bread every time!
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If you’re someone who is bread-baking challenged or just simply afraid to use yeast, this homemade sandwich bread will change your life, I promise! I’ve made it on so many occasions. It’s really similar to my quick and easy pizza dough, in ingredients and simplicity. The process is just different, but with excellent results every time. I can’t say enough about how easy and wonderful this recipe is – and nobody says you have to use it just for sandwiches. Sliced fresh with a slab of butter is out of this world!
5 STAR REVIEWS
Helpful Tips
- Use fresh yeast for the dough. Check your expiration date and if it’s old, get a new batch! If your yeast isn’t fresh, the dough won’t rise properly.
- Speed up the rise time. If it’s cold in the house, I like to place the covered bowl of dough on a heating pad to assist in the rising time.
- It is critical that you start the loaves in a cold oven! A cold oven and moist heat from the hot water (on the lower rack) improves the oven spring and creates a nice crust.
- Use a stand mixer, if preferred. I love the simplicity of this recipe and that it doesn’t require an electric mixer, but if you’re someone who wants their KitchenAid dough hook to do the kneading, you certainly can.
- Prevent over-browning. Toward the end up baking, tend loosely with foil if you notice the tops over-browning.
- Add flavoring. A little bit of dried herbs or garlic powder can be added to the dough, for a different flavor.
- This bread does NOT convert well to gluten free. As a general rule, you can sometimes substitute all-purpose gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose regular flour at a ratio of 1:1. However, this recipe does not convert well. I tested it with Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour and also King Arthur Gluten Free Flour, adding in 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum. In both tests, the bread did not rise well and came out very dense and hard.
World’s Easiest Homemade Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 6 cups all-purpose flour, , spooned and leveled
- 2 tablespoons instant dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 2 cups very warm water, (about 120 degrees F)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, , divided
- melted butter, , for the crust, optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, instant dry yeast, sugar, and coarse salt. Then add in the warm water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil; mix together with a sturdy wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn out onto a clean lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together and becomes smooth, about 4 minutes.
- Form a smooth dough ball and return to the mixing bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes (or longer, if you wish – see note.)
- Divide the dough in half and form into two loaf shapes; place loaves into two standard-size 9×5 greased loaf pans.
- Drizzle each with a tablespoon of olive oil, then slash the tops of the loaves about 1/4-inch deep with a sharp knife.
- Place loaves on the middle rack of a cold oven with a pan filled with hot tap water on the rack below it.
- Close the oven, set the heat at 400 degrees F, and start a timer for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, remove the pans from the oven, carefully transfer bread out of the pans and onto a cooling rack to cool completely. (Feel free to baste the crust with melted butter while still warm, if preferred.)
- Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
How To Store Sandwich Bread
There is just nothing like freshly baked bread right from the oven! Unfortunately, bread really shouldn’t be left out for an extended period of time, because it gets stale. But you’ve got options for storing it.
- If you’ve got yourself a breadbox (your grandmother probably had one!), definitely use it. These old fashioned contraptions do actually work because they allow bread to breathe without letting in air that typically dries the bread out.
- Once cooled completely, double-wrap your bread loaves in clean plastic wrap, then store in a cool, dry place. But make certain there isn’t even a drop of moisture on the plastic, which can make the bread mushy or moldy.
- The freezer is your friend for long-term storage. If you won’t be finishing your loaves with a couple of days, cool the bread completely, slice it, then wrap in plastic (as instructed above.) Slicing the bread prior to freezing is the way to go, since the slices thaw faster at room temperature and also you can just take out what you need.
- Skip the refrigerator. It’s sort of the worst thing you can do to bread, because it completely dries it out.
- Bread can be kept frozen up to 2 months. It’s safe to eat after that, but the quality and flavor diminish significantly.
More Bread Recipes To Try:
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Delicious bread and so easy! My family loves it.
Oh gosh we loved this bread so much! So easy and the crumb was perfect. Thank you so much for sharing!!
OMG the is the easiest homemade bread recipe. Delicious! I’ve tried others and this is by far the best! I’ve tried other recipes, but this is now my favorite!
I have been trying out recipies to find the perfect bread for my husband and I. I have made many so far. Then i came upon this recipe. I made this recipe the first time 2 weeks ago. It came out fantastic. Then I got my pullman pans and i really wanted a bread that fits in my toaster. So i made a pullman loaf recipe. It came out ehh ok.
In the back of my mind this recipe has lingered, as the flavor and texture were so beautiful. So today i made this recipe again. And i kept the dough as one (instead of 2 pans) because my pullman loaf is a long pan. Let me just say…THIS RECIPE DID NOT FAIL IN A PULLMAN LOAF. IT WAS FANTASTIC AND MADE THE ABSOLUTE BEST LOAF OF BREAD. No more searching for bread recipies, as i have officially made this recipe our weekly loaf staple!!!
Thank you for sharing such amazing recipies. You made this couple very happy.
I’m a novice breadmaker, but I’m looking forward to trying your recipe. Do you have any feedback from your readers with substituting real maple syrup for the sugar or have you tried it yourself? Curious if you get the same outcome?
Hi Jamey! I’ve never tested this recipe with anything other than sugar.
Love this recipe. It is so fast, easy and tasty. I did bump the salt up a bit, like, just a heavy pinch, on my second time around. It really did boost the flavor for me. I LOVE bread, especially warm from the oven – or toaster – and this really delivers.
I love this recipe was so simple and beautiful, I just made one loaf of bread. So I just cut the recipe in half thank you so much 🙏🏾
If I make the whole 1x recipe, is there a place to stop and only cook half/ one loaf? Can the dough or partially done dough be stored for a number of days?
I wouldn’t recommend that. It’s best made and baked right away. You could always make both loaves and freeze one of them.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve tried many recipes previously for sandwich bread but none came out as I was expecting for soft sandwich bread. This bread IS AMAZING!!!
The first time I made this recipe the bread was incredible – delicious with great crumb. I followed the recipe to the letter as this was my first time making sandwich style as I usually make artisan boules. But my loaves fell short of the bread pans by about 1/2” on each side and didn’t rise as much as I had hoped. I made the bread today for the second time and, again, followed the recipe to the letter BUT this time I let the dough enjoy a second rise in the pans for another hour in the oven with only the light on, and presto-chango, the dough fills the pans side to side and rose another inch or so crowning above the edges of the pans. As I write this it is still baking but I have no doubt it will be scrumptious. The recipe is DROP DEAD easy and bread a winner. Oh well… so much for keto.
I made it properly, just did not drizzle with olive oil. The bread inside was perfect, but the crust a bit over done. Should I cut back on the time a few minutes?
I made the bread but thought my yeast might not be good because it didn’t rise all that much. So I bought new yeast, tried again and still not a very good rise. Then I saw a comment in the reviews that referred to “the second rise”. I don’t see that in the directions. I have other bread recipes and do use a second rise with them. Am I missing something here?
Hi Mary! No, you’re not missing anything. This bread does not require a second rise. Someone chose to do a second rise. There are many factors that go into baking bread – the yeast, the temperature of the water, the temperature of your kitchen, etc. If you read through the other comments, you’ll see that 99% didn’t need a second rise, but you can certainly try it and see if you get the results you’re looking for.
This was such a blessing of a recipe! For too long I’ve been scared to make bread but I’ve had all the ingredients needed just sitting in my pantry, this was the recipe that finally convinced me to do it. I followed the exact instructions and turned out amazing. I did only have one loaf pan on hand but letting the other half of the loaf dough rest for the 40 minutes it took to cook the first one had no adverse effects. This will be my go-to recipe and I’m never buying supermarket bread again!! This one’s going in my personal notebook cookbook!
I made this last night! We ate a whole loaf today. I do think it needed to be kneaded longer. Can I make this using my kitchen aid? Paddle attachment until shaggy dough, then switch to dough hook?
I’ve never tried making this with a kitchen aid mixer
I will give it a try today and let you know how it goes!
How did it go with the kitchen aid?
excellent excellent excellent
So easy and so, so, so good! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant?
Yes, as long as you allow it to bloom first.
I am considering making this bread, but have a question. Is the sugar needed or can I use a substitute?
I would not omit the sugar. It helps bloom the yeast and speeds up the rise time, while also enhancing flavor, creating a slightly sweeter, softer, browner crust.
This bread is delicious! Do you by any chance have a version that is whole wheat too?
I don’t, sorry. Glad you loved it!
I made the bread and it was great! I wonder if if anyone has made it into buns?
I made it into buns and all I can say is OMG !!! Love , love , love this recipe! It’s was so easy to make and it took no time to enjoy that first warm slice !!
To the creator of this recipe all I can say is BRAVO !!
And of course thank you for sharing it !
I made half recipe this morning… It is delicious! I’m not that much of an experience baker and it turned out great!
Wonder if you could make cinnamon bread out of it? Anybody ever try that?
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Yes, after the 30 minutes rise time and halving the dough, you can roll out one half at a time into a rectangle, brush the flattened dough with softened butter, then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Now, roll the dough into a loaf, place in the bread pan and allow to rise a second time before following the baking instructions.
easiest bread recipe a person could ask for. so glad it’s a one and done
The best recipe I’ve tried for bread. It is now my go to and I make it at least once a week. Recipe allows a little room for error and very beginner friendly. Comes out perfectly every time.
Excellent slicing sandwich or toast bread, A bit like an Italian loaf ! Really beautiful for garlic bread!
I want to make this but I live in a tiny house and use a toaster over. I do have enough room to make one loaf. Can I half this recipe?
Hi Tracie – I’ve never tried halving this recipe, so I can’t vouch for results without further testing. But you could freeze the second loaf for later.
I halved this recipe for one loaf, but not sure how big your toaster oven is, the bread will rise above the pan, so it may likely burn. Try rolling into rolls after first rise, let rise again but only bake what fits.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it is a staple! If anyone is a metric person, I used 720 g of flour, 18g of yeast, 15 g of coarse salt and 25 g of sugar. I haven’t weighed the water since I have a fluid/ml cup and same with the oil. I’ve also used whatever neutral oil I’ve had around without any issues. Also have added about 100g of whole wheat with great results too. Great recipe!
I’ve made this recipe twice, cutting it in half as I didn’t have 2 same size bread pans. I am no baker, but this bread came out perfect both times!
Definitely a keeper recipe, and I just ordered a second pan, so I can freeze 1 loaf. 😉
This recipe is actually SO forgiving! I overproofed by a lot, probably added too much water, and it still turned out so soft and delicious. It looked like the surface of the moon, lol. I used vegetable oil and a baking sheet on the lower rack to prevent browning too much. My picky family claimed it tasted better than the sourdough I bought!
Was looking for a quick sandwich bread recipe and found this one! Easy to make and it is now the favorite one I will make over and over again! Nice and moist and perfect for a sandwich or toast! Thank you soooo much for sharing the recipe!
Recent empty nester and I wish I knew about you and your recipes before the kids moved out..lol. Love this easy bread..it totally was that easy. I also made your easy deviled egg recipe but added celery to the mix. Took both (easy sandwich bread and deviled eggs) to work and it was a hit! Gone in less than 10 mins. Thanks for bringing joy back to my kitchen.
I am new to bread making and I have made this twice already. It’s super easy and taste great, however the top is very very hard and crusty. Am I doing something wrong? Am I over / under kneading it? Over baking it? What?
Hi Adriana – Every kitchen and oven is different, so it’s hard for me to say for sure what’s happening, but typically those issues can be caused by not enough moisture in the dough, over-baking, or insufficient rising time.
Are you by chance brushing it with butter? That should help keep the crust soft.
Can I use bread flour? I have some already and wanted a recipe I could use it up on.
I haven’t tested this recipe with bread flour.
I made this yesterday and it was incredible. I have a box type air fryer with a proof setting. It’s the first time I used it and I couldn’t believe how well it worked. I only had extra virgin olive oil and it was a little strong tasting so next time I will use canola oil. There will definitely be a next time! My husband and I ate one whole loaf during the day! SO GOOD!
This is a great recipe! I decreased the flour by 1/2 Cup and the water by 1/2 Cup and added 1 Cup of sourdough discard in its place and this was the BEST Sourdough Discard sandwich loaf that I have ever made! I received so many compliments on it! It was literally gone within hours of it being done. Thanks so much for a very versatile and adjustable recipe. I threw mine in a large Pullman loaf pan and cooked it for the time in the recipe. Everything turned out perfect! It’s a moist and springy sandwich loaf with a nice airy crumb. 10,000/10! Thanks again!
I can’t afford olive oil, but I always have grapeseed oil on hand for making my herbal salves, I also cook with it. Will that do? And are the packets of yeast the proper measurement for this recipe? Thanks this looks great. And easy.
Grapeseed oil should be fine. A standard packet of instant dry yeast contains 2 & 1/4 teaspoons.
Easiest bread. First one was gone in a day and there only 3 of us!
I make a big breakfast every Saturday morning. It’s my “thing”. When I went to grab the bread to let it soak for French toast – there wasn’t any! So… I made this instead! I’ve never baked bread except in a bread maker. This was so easy! Cut the end immediately after it came out of the oven – man! This is good!
This was so easy and turned out amazing! I love baking bread, but sometimes I don’t have the bandwidth for all the proofing and stretch and folds, so this is an absolute dream for when I need to whip up a quick loaf! I subbed the granulated sugar for the same amount of honey since we only use natural sweeteners and just mixed it into the warm water with the oil. Thank you for this recipe! So soft and delicious!
Followed the recipe to a T and it came out perfect! Lovely golden crust with a tender crumb. So easy too!
I followed this recipe to a T and am very pleased with the end results! I don’t have a kitchen aid and am always so disappointed when bread recipes call for one. This bread recipe was so simple. My loaves didn’t rise quite as much as I would have liked but the crumb was still tender and fluffy and the crust was perfectly golden. We enjoyed a slice with a bit of butter and then sandwiches the next day. Thank you!
Hi, could I use some whole wheat flour with this recipe do you think?
Hi Joanna! I haven’t tested this using whole wheat flour. For proper results, I would make it as written.
I made this and switched 2 cups of flour out with 2 scant cups of whole wheat flour and it still turned out really well!
This recipe is truly very easy and quick. I didn’t have instant yeast so i mixed the warm water sugar and active dry yeast and let it sit until foamy then followed the recipe. Very good bread!! love the taste and texture!!
I baked this bread today, and everyone LOVED it! My son said it was the best bread he has ever had!
My husband & I loved this bread.
Easy recipe.
This will be the first anything I am making with yeast. Do I need to activate it before putting it in the mixture on step one? Looking forward to trying it!
Not the author but an avid baker!
This recipe called for instant yeast, which does not require the same proofing/activation process as active dry yeast. If you follow the recipe as written, using instant yeast, you should be fine! If you use active dry yeast, you’ll need to proof the yeast mixture first with the water and a bit of the measured sugar.
Since you expressed it is your first time baking with yeast, I’d follow this recipe to gain some insight into how yeast wants to behave, and adjust accordingly. :)
I hope this helps! Also, sorry that this reply is so many months later than your original comment. I just noticed the author hadn’t responded and figured I’d share an answer in the event you were still wondering.
Happy baking!
What kind of pans are you cooking them in? Glass or Metal non-stick? Thanks!
I currently have my two loaves in the oven and with having a 3 and 1 year old at my feet in the kitchen, this was the EASIEST recipe for bread! Literally was able to trust the ingredients to mend themselves in the stand mixer. Didn’t have to play around with flour or add more water for literally the best consistency. This recipe is going on my cabinet door or a new staple thank you!
I’ve currently got 2 loaves in the oven and I’m hoping I didn’t mess up. I always weigh my flour using 120 grams per cup. I hope this works for this recipe.
15 minutes left to cook, I sure hope it turns out good. Also, thank you for sharing your recipes.
This recipe is so good. I think I ate a half a loaf in one sitting.
How hot/what temperature should the water be that’s put in oven?
We made this yesterday and one out of two loaves has been eaten already!
The family approves and this will be our go-to from now on.
Thank you so much for sharing.
This recipe is super easy and delicious every time, though every time I make it the crust on top is crusty/ crunchy. Any tips for a softer crust?
To soften the top, after baking, I brush with melted butter, put the loaf on its side and wrap loosely in a linen kitchen utility towel to cool